How To Use A Desoldering Pump
A desoldering pump is a small piston-like tool essential for the removal of solder from PCBs and other components. A desoldering pump normally has three main elements; the spring mechanism, the tip and the suction mechanism. The working of a desoldering pump is a little bit complicated but doesn’t take long to learn.
To desolder a component from a PCB using a desoldering pump, it has to be of average size. Very small components will have very little contact with the inside of the tip while very large components will have very small thermal linkage. To use the tool, push the piston handle on top while placing the tip at the solder you want to melt. Hold this in place until the solder melts which may take little to average time.
Once the solder melts, press the button on the side of the desoldering pump. This causes the suction mechanism to activate and pull backwards creating a vacuum within the piston. This vacuum effectively pulls with it the molten solder at the base of the tip thus effectively desoldering the component. However, the tool has various shortcomings. One is the fact that it can only desolder one end of a component tip and is thus not as effective as say, desoldering tweezers. Secondly, the vacuuming mechanism may not be very PCB-friendly since it causes significant shakes and vibrations. The tool can also not be used to desolder very small components since the base is relatively bold and the sucking mechanism will desolder all of the solder it comes to contact with. However, as compared to methods such as heat guns, desoldering pumps can be pretty effective.