desoldering headers

[Jiggy-Ninja]

3 years on from the last post and I would like to ask the question...

Has there been a better way of removing headers?

I have a brand new mega and wish to remove all headers from the top of the board and replace with extra long pins under the board.

Cheers.. Mike.

Flip it over, and put a big old blob of solder on to melt all the pins ad try to push it down and out. After that clean up the blob with braid and a solder sucker.

Unless you have a vacuum desoldering station (the cheap plunger suckers will not cut it) there is no good way other than that.

[WattsThat]

Grab the black plastic cover over the sockets with a pair of serrated slip jaw pliers. Rock the plastic cover side to side by about 10-15 degrees total travel to loosen it. Position the pliers so they only grip about the top 2-3mm of the connector (no pins up there). Pull straight up and off the female pins underneath.

Heat each pin individually and remove with pliers or tweezers. Clean out holes by your desired method. Wick, smack the board, whatever - anything but a spring loaded solder sucker, those things will destroy a board in seconds.

[dougp]

Saw this yesterday - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVsmwFAkf7I

Start at time index 2:10.

[Wawa]

The plastic can be lifted off the pins with a bit of gentle force.
Then the pins can be removed individually.

I clean vias with a temp controlled iron and solder sucker, but you need to be quick/experienced for that.
An old trick that might work for you is with a mechanical pencil.
Push the carbon rod through the molten solder, and it will leave a clean hole.

@dougp
Removing smd parts with a poker and a lot of flux is a crude and messy way to do things.
Better invest in a hot air rework station.
Leo..

[dougp]

Removing smd parts with a poker and a lot of flux is a crude and messy way to do things.
Better invest in a hot air rework station.

There was no stinting flux, that's for sure.  It's OK for a one off but I certainly wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis!  Cleaned up real nice, though.

Better invest in a hot air rework station.

Reminds me, I watched a YT vid about hacking your soldering iron into a hot air blower.  Talk about yer crude.

[Watcher]

I use a vaccum desoldering gun for this. ..
Headers come out nice and clean and they can even be reused.

[gryphonb]

Butane Torch. Magic.

From a Youtube:
Secure the header with the board top-down.
With a butane torch carefully heat all the pins at the solder.
When ready lift the board away from the pins.

I'm off to buy my first torch.

[aarg]

Butane Torch. Magic.

Don't try this on any board with fine traces, small vias, or any more than 2 layers.

[Rapid80]

Also back to removing the black plastic, for male headers, they have small slits at there ends. You can get something thin to slowly pry them off.

[diegosynth]

Desoldering braid, with the proper temperature and a healthy soldering iron tip should do the trick!

[Wawa]

Butane Torch. Magic.

Yeah, nah.

Desoldering braid, with the proper temperature and a healthy soldering iron tip should do the trick!

Messy, expensive, and it could destroy vias if you're not careful/experienced.

Just lift off the black plastic separator, and pull each pin separately with the help of tweezers and a soldering iron. Then... you could try solder wick and/or the lead of a mechanical pencil.
Leo..