Hi there, I’m just wondering what the best solder (size and type) and flux to use for replacing thumbsticks would be? Also is it worth investing in a desoldering vacuum like Steve, or would I be better off with desoldering wick?
What iron do people recommend also please?
I have soldering experience on PC motherboards but not control pads and such.
Thanks in advance!
63/37 solder is your best bet in almost all cases (not just thumbsticks) a name brand mind you, such as chipquik etc avoid no name chinese brands as the alloys are not consistent and they tend to behave more like lead free solder.
Flux, whatever tbh, people get hung up on this, as long as it’s fresh i’ve never had a problem with name brands or cheap no name “no clean” fluxes. If you wanna go name brand look at kingbo or amtech but be aware if you order outside of legit distibutors like mouser etc you will likely get fakes but as mentioned they work fine and contrary to their “no clean” tags, in all cases, they all require cleaning after the fact.
tbh i got one of those desoldering pumps and they work well on lightweight boards or boards with only a couple of layers but they tend to suck a lot (no pun intended) on higher mass boards or boards with more than a couple of layers, they just dont clean up the holes and you wind up using wick anyway. They also tend to work really great when you first get them but then performance degrades over time and that’s in part because the nozzles are consumables and they tend to round over or chip thus decreasing suction / heat transfer and the filter gets clogged and needs cleaned or replaced which in and of itself is a pain to do. Maybe it’d be fine if all your doing is thumbstick replacements though.
I find wick it’s quicker and easier overall, if you’ve got something stubborn then just pre-tin the joint with leaded, add some extra flux ontop of the wick and suck it up with high mass tip, if it’s particularly stubborn then waving your hot air in the vicinity while wicking with the iron is usually the solution, in both cases I’ll usually have the holes wicked before you’ve even flicked the power switch on the solder sucker and definately long before the slow wait for them to typically heat up.
JBC are often reported as the best, but don’t believe the hype, the tips degrade 10x quicker than that of the T12 tips (genuine or real) the tips are more expensive, the handle feels cheap and if you get a genuine station the UI is hopeless.
Go for a T12 station (avoid genuine hakko stations as they are overpriced junk with a 1980s UI) have a search on the forum as I’ve covered a couple of potential options for T12 stations and tip choices and you might find there is even a better station on the market these days.
In my opinion, any decent quality flux core Leaded solder is fine; vacuum pumps are great. I use an old-school high-end PACE sense temp II vacuum de-soldering station.
As far as flux, I like
for general purposes
Amtech UV-223 or Mechanic UV-223
for large BGA work like GPUs BGA APUs & CPUs or any grid really bigger than 5x5
I use "Mechanic THE FLUX 226 liquid DB44/t. It’s very much a liquid flux and runs under chips like a dream and produces a TON of fumes, so good extraction is key with it. There is no quick single joint job. I don’t spin up the fume extractor with mech226.
As far as soldering irons go I like and use a
Weller Model H-10799 or Weller WE 1010 ( they are more or less the same station, but the we1010 I know for sure is ESD certified, despite being the same price)
with the stock 70watt iron and a chisel tip ($100 - $170.00 USD)
if you need a fume extractor as well
contuined WE1010NA Shield Kit is a good deal; it bundles the we1010 and their "ZeroSmog Shield " fume extractor for $319.00 USD, and the ZeroSmog Shield by itself is normally $265 - $280 USD so normally buying both is ~ $390.
I have a thing upcoming to try out the new iFixit smart iron kit. I will post a review on my YT.
For hot air stations, ATTEN 862-D is the king of bang top buck ratio.
For this type of equipment, the used market is golden fresh new soldering iron tips, which are like $2-$10
additionally, replace your tips more often, guys. It’s worth it.
I always tell people soldering IS NOT HARD. You’re just using #$%! Tools and no/bad flux.
As far as micro pencil irons
the QAINLI mini usbc ( aka nf.mini) is a decent budget option. At $15 USD
the TS101 is incredible for the $50 price point.
Both I’d source from Ali Express.
You’ll never beat the JBC and hakko options if you find them cheap on the used BUY THEM
in general I dislike wick