Unsoldering multi section capacitors from the chassis

toshik

toshik

Active Member
I'm working on Harman Kardon A230 and would like to take out large multi section capacitors to restuff them with new caps. One of the case tabs is soldered to the chassis, no matter how hard I heat the area I can't melt the solder since chassis act like a heat sink. Any tricks I should be aware of?
I removed one on Telefunken 5550 before but it was soldered to smaller metal frame so it was not that much "heat sink" to deal with.
 

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You need a really hot gun and vacuum desoldering tool. A standard pencil tip probably ain't gonna cut it, or at the very least, make you work real hard to git er done. A solder station has the advantage of quick recovery time, where the pencil irons cool fast and take forever to reheat to where they can do any good.

I also find that extra flux and a blob of fresh solder on the tip help to transfer heat. Trick is to do a small section, get a liquid pool going at the tip, suction that, then move on until you can free the can.

You CAN use solder wick if you like ... but expect to use a lot of it.

I hear people have good luck with a mini-butane torch as well, but those can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Then again, same could be said about soldering guns. ;-}
 
brush on some flux and a hotter gun, you can cut the wires if you have slack to use to resolder. solder sucker off as much as you can. little torch would cut fast but I'd nibble at it.
bink
 
Yes I'm using Weller desoldering pump alone with Goot station, I had an old RadioShack 100W gun iron but can't find it...
 
A regular soldering iron will do the trick, but it needs to be very powerful. 100W will do.
 
Add some solder to the iron before desoldering; it helps liquefy the solder quicker. Not too much, but enough to get the solder flowing. You have to move fast when using the sucker, but you can do it.
 
I use a big, old 275W Weller gun I got for 5bux at a hamfest,,, makes real short work of soldering/unsoldering to chassis... Just to ticket for removing cans....
 
If you own, or can otherwise more easily get your hands on, one of those oscillating saws than on a big soldering iron or gun, you can leave the can in place and slice through it just above the base . I've seen it discussed/illustrated either here on AK or elsewhere on the internet.
 
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