Page 413 - Hacking Roomba

394 Appendix A — Soldering and Safety Basics

Fixing Mistakes

Because solder likes metal so much, getting it off of parts can be a problem. There are many
desoldering tools available but one of the easiest to use is the desoldering braid (or wick, as
shown in Figure A-11). Desoldering braid works by creating a metallic surface that solder likes
even better than your part. It’s a fine mesh of copper that has a very high surface area. Since
solder likes to cover metallic surfaces, applying desolder wick is almost like sucking the solder
off a part.

FIGURE A-11: Desoldering braid

Figure A-12 shows how to apply the desoldering wick to the bad solder joint in Figure A-10.
Notice it’s between the joint and the soldering iron. The wick will turn silver colored and get
bigger as it soaks up solder. Figure A-13 shows the result. All the extra solder is gone and now
a proper solder joint can be made.