How to replace soldered switches

[kissu]

Hi all, I'm kinda new here, sorry if my answer was already asked or I posted in the wrong place.. :/

I got some issues about changing some switches. Indeed, I got a Whitefox and wanted to replace my clears for some Zealios but I struggled pretty hard...

My soldering iron is at 24W, I don't know how much of a temperature it is tho, I saw people recommended to be inbetween 350 and 400 C degrees. So it take me around 4 to 6s to melt the iron.
Then I tried to remove as much as I can with a sucker but I'm kinda not sure of it's enough or not of a desoldering to allow the switch to be removed.




I mean, it seems ok but I cannot remove if from the plate. Is there some kind of tool to remove it safely/easily ? Is it desoldered enough btw ?

Another question, I will probably make the sockets hotswappable when I will achieve to desolder them all, I was asking myself which sockets I can use. Are those https://zealpc.net/collections/accessor ... s-for-pcbs ok ?
And about these ones ? Are they better or worse ? https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/misce ... cb-sockets MX Sockets or Choc Sockets, the first one I guess. ˆˆ

[zool]

in short, no they are not desoldered enough.

If add some fresh lead based solder it will help as will extra flux, the pin of the switch should be able to wiggle slightly when it is desolderd and no solder bridges between the switch pins and the switch pcb pads. if you try to pull the switch before it is ready you seriously risk ripping of a pad of the pcb.

[Blaise170]

You might want a better iron too, you shouldn't need to hold it to the pad for more than 2 seconds, or you risk pulling off the pads.

[zool]

Are they better or worse ? https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/misce ... cb-sockets MX Sockets or Choc Sockets, the first one I guess. ˆˆ

that kailh sockets definitely will not work on this board, they need additional surface mount solder pads, the board would have to be designed with them in mind, and it has not.

[pyrelink]

From the look of it I would recommend upgrading your iron before attempting to finish desoldering all of yhose switches. It sounds like your iron is not getting hot enough, nor holding a consistent temperature. That’s going to make desoldering a pain in the ass, especially with 60+ switches. Also it looks like it very well has the potential to mess up some pads or do some other damage to the PCB.

There has been a lot of discussion and recommendation on the forum about soldering irons in the past I recommend seaching for, but at the very least something like this would do the trick (although if you plan to do a lot more soldering in the future, I would make the investment in something nicer):

[kissu]

Thanks all. :3
I will definitively get a nicer iron before proceeding any further yeah. ^^

But still, if I change my iron and just heat it properly, should the switch come off by itself or do I need to push/pull it with any kind of tool ? Or should the wiggle be a sign that it's desoldered enough ?

[pyrelink]

If the switches are plate mounted you will still have to pop them out of the plate, but otherwise they shouldn't have anything holding them into the PCB if they have been properly desoldered. Just wobble the switch back and forth, or try and move the pins. It will be pretty obvious if it is free of solder or if its still attached.

[lancre]

The switches won't usually fall out, they will need a gentle pull. If there's even a minute piece of solder between the pin and the pad then it will not come off at all. When I desoldered all of my Northgate Omnikey I teased the pins towards the centre of the pads by using the iron to put a little pressure on the pin in the direction I wanted it to go while melting the solder, so that when I went in with the sucker, it had maximum chance to get all of the residue. This was quite helpful when lots of pins are bent towards one side of the PCB. Also, if there is any left at the end then you could just use wick. Disclaimer: don't listen to what I say, because I'm a beginner, I am just saying what I did.

[Blaise170]

Your tips are just fine lancre. The only thing I'd add is that your life will be made infinitely easier with a proper desoldering station, but then I know most people don't want to put out $150+ just for something they may not use ever again.

[kissu]

Hm, I will try what your method lancre. ˆˆ

Btw, which kind of tip do you recommend for the iron, flat or needle one ?

[Blaise170]

Small chisel tip.

[zool]

agree; chisel is best for through hole soldering.

[Wodan]

When it comes to desoldering a few switches, nothing beats these tools here value wise:
https://www.amazon.de/Lamex-ZD211-Entl% ... ref=sr_1_1

Don't even bother with anything lesser ...

[kissu]

Oh, Iron + Sucker, CCCCombo !

[TuxKey]

Hi Kissu,

i have bin in to mechanical keyboards for years now,,but only now starting to gather hardware to do my own assembly not build that's on a whole different level.. Even as a 40yr i'm learning new stuff every day...

Every time i think i'm done spending $$ on hardware i think i need more get's added to my shopping cart..

There are a couple of items i do want to share that could be useful. In the months of research i have done i came up with the best direct heating iron that is affordable and that is the TS100. i ordered it from banggood.. if you don't know about it just watch "Louis Rossmann" on youtube talk about it ..
A comparable direct heating system would be the Hakko FX-951..or if you budget is limitless there is also JBC..

of course there is not such thing as perfection or without flaw.. And as far as i can see there is only one instance of something going bad with the TS100 and that's related to the tip shorting or something else related to the tip not being 100% causing the Mosfet to malfunction.. contacting support will get you grate service and a replacement leaving you with the opportunity to fix the broken one and end up with two TS100.. so no danger dear..Again this almost never happens.

i also bought a desoldering station from www.aoyue.eu but i think that's a bit overkill..
I got an older model because i wanted a AC pump and they switched to DC pumps in all the current models..
The problem i had was that my model had a nob to control the temperature instead of digital interface..
So i went looking for something that could tell me the temp of my desolder gun..

Hakko has a soldering iron temp tester but that costs way way to much..
So i got the Chinese on for €10 and it works great (already tested). it's the DANIU FG-100 from banggood.
Here's the link:
https://www.banggood.com/DANIU-FG-100-S ... rehouse=CN

And sum spare sensors (don't get stuck without them €3,41
https://www.banggood.com/Hakko-Sensor-1 ... rehouse=CN


btw if your in EU like i am.. grab you solder from these guys.. tmw.eu
i got leaded Sn63Pb37
brand Stannol it's like €17,30 for 500grams will last you a bit.. if i was to buy that here in The Netherlands i would pay double.. and it's not cheap Chinese crap but a good brand.. Here you don't want to cut costs..
Also grab sum flux, sum Isopropylalcohol to make your own flux cleaner (search youtube)..
and if you do go with the TS100 from banggood.. buy a good power supply not from china.. don't skimp on that..
i got this one from tme.eu GST90A24-P1M
what you need to know is that the jack needs to be 5.5 /2.5 if you have an old laptop supply that will also do..


good luck mate..

[kissu]

Yep, this post of Input Club kinda totally agrees with your experience.
https://input.club/recommended-soldering-products/

And yeah, I'll do some more research of what Flux is used for. And will check the YouTube chennek of Louis too I guess. Thanks for your input dude.

[zool]

When desoldering I can't emphasize how much easier it is when you add some 60/40 (leaded solder) to a lead free solder joint. without the lead the solder is much "stickier". And for your health just take some precautions with the leaded solder, wear gloves and or wash your hand thoroughly and no face touchy.

[kissu]

Got some glasses yeah. Gloves will be quite annoying to use because I won't be as much precise and I may rip on my PCB (on top of the average heat that will make my hands sweat inside of them).

So, the trick is to add a bit more iron, where there is pretty much none to remove it all ? IIRC I've already saw something like that on YouTube.

[zool]

So, the trick is to add a bit more iron, where there is pretty much none to remove it all ? IIRC I've already saw something like that on YouTube.

not quite, you initial add a bit of fresh solder to the joint, and then suck it off, if you don't get it all(ie free the pin) you resolder the joint and try again. (or if you have some solder wick, you can sometimes clean off the last bit that way)

[kissu]

Yeah, that was what I understood.
Guess I worded it pretty poorly.
Not a native speaker here. :O

[Elrick]

(or if you have some solder wick, you can sometimes clean off the last bit that way)

Okay, which solder wick to buy and use?

Lots of info about solder wicks but which one do the pro's use here on DT when cleaning and removing solder from switch pins?

[zool]

wick (2-4mm) with flux. I would not recommend for the whole process but only to get that last bridge on a pad that is mostly desoldered. I also normally add some extra flux to the wick as well. The finer wick helps with heating the braid quickly which is more important if you have a bit of a weak iron.

[Stabilized]

This solder sucker is the best manual one I have used hands down. I find it makes my life a lot easier (was also on the input club list).

Also use a lot of flux if the joint is being stubborn, this is a god-send with working with lead-free solder. Also use a lot on the wick when you're using one (for the last cleaning of a stuck joint), as the wick is usually pretty dry.

All the other tips here are really good, and practice also helps a lot!

[Blaise170]

Remember to actually wear your glasses, I once had hot solder splash into my face and I probably would have lost or at least severely injured my eye.

[kissu]

Yeeeeep, my eyes are kinda precious too ! :O
That's why I already wear some glasses tbh.

After all those answers, I'm ready to be the next gen best solder guy IMHO.
Thanks.