On 07/13/2017 09:02 AM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote: > > > On 7/13/2017 12:31 AM, Eric Smith via cctalk wrote: >> There are also vacuum desoldering stations that use "shop air" to >> derive the vacuum, rather than having an internal pump. I've never >> used them as I don't normally have an air compressor anywhere near >> my electronics workbench. > This works very well. The best station for 7400 type IC's was a > Weller vacuum desoldering station.
Careful. Years ago (wasn't everything?) I picked up a DS100 at a bankruptcy auction. This is the unit with two TCP irons--one for soldering and one for desoldering. The desoldering one has a power cord and a vacuum line that feeds into a glass cylinder stuffed with glass wool and thence to a hollow tip. It uses a footswitch and plant air that creates a vacuum through an aspirator-type assembly. I screwed the aspirator shut and fed it from a vacuum reservoir maintained by a carbon-vane pump. Lots of vacuum. You'd think that this would be the perfect setup, right? It was horrible--the tip would never stay tinned, the glass collector and hose was always in the way (that glass gets *hot*) and the action wasn't that good. I eventually gave the thing away--I already had a soldering station, so it wasn't worth keeping the monstrosity around. I went back to my old standby--the big Soldapullt. It does the job well. I also have one of those 40W irons with a hollow tip and a built-in Soldapullt-type assembly, but it doesn't work nearly as well as the old standby. My .02 worth of experience, Chuck
