What's the latest in Desoldering gadgets?

Back in the 70s, I used a red bulb with a special plastic tip that did
not melt. They were cheap and did a fair job. Then there was solder
wick. That worked well on PC boards, but not real well on terminal
strips and tube sockets. Plus is was fairly costly.

So, what's the latest in desoldering gadgets?
I need to get something for recapping, and am not sure what to buy. I
see both of the (above) are still sold.

One other thing, I should pick up some pot and switch cleaner. I know
this has greatly changed due to clean air laws. Where do I even begin
getting something that works well, and is not overly priced? (Brand
name)? I hope they have not made useless cleaners, like they have done
with auto products. (I remember when carb cleaner actually cleaned!!! )

Since it appears that most online stores have a rather large minimum
order as well as high shipping fees, I am limited to Radio Shack, unless
there is some smaller online source that sells in small quanties, or
maybe ebay. But buying online I need to know what I am ordering ahead of
time.

I'll be using this almost entirely on 40 to 60 year old tube type
electronics.

 

On Monday, February 20, 2017 at 7:38:10 AM UTC-5, olds...@tubes.com wrote:

Back in the 70s, I used a red bulb with a special plastic tip that did
not melt. They were cheap and did a fair job. Then there was solder
wick. That worked well on PC boards, but not real well on terminal
strips and tube sockets. Plus is was fairly costly.

So, what's the latest in desoldering gadgets?
I need to get something for recapping, and am not sure what to buy. I
see both of the (above) are still sold.

One other thing, I should pick up some pot and switch cleaner. I know
this has greatly changed due to clean air laws. Where do I even begin
getting something that works well, and is not overly priced? (Brand
name)? I hope they have not made useless cleaners, like they have done
with auto products. (I remember when carb cleaner actually cleaned!!! )

Since it appears that most online stores have a rather large minimum
order as well as high shipping fees, I am limited to Radio Shack, unless
there is some smaller online source that sells in small quanties, or
maybe ebay. But buying online I need to know what I am ordering ahead of
time.

I'll be using this almost entirely on 40 to 60 year old tube type
electronics.

For through hole type stuff I love my DP-100. It pays to clean up
the o-ring every now and then.

George H.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Monday, February 20, 2017 at 7:38:10 AM UTC-5, olds...@tubes.com wrote:

So, what's the latest in desoldering gadgets?
I need to get something for recapping, and am not sure what to buy. I
see both of the (above) are still sold.

Well, you are certainly asking a lot of good questions!

I keep a number of things on the bench - and my wife, entirely unsolicited, purchased a fancy solder & rework station for me with hot air and such. Yes, it is from China, but she even as she is aware of my resistance to things from China, she also a very practical individual, and spending many hundreds vs. less than $80 does appeal. The hot air wand does a great job on boards, and the 'tunable' soldering iron can get hot enough for even 50-50 solder to liquefy.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41DXkDJcNwL._SX342_.jpg Is an excellent tool for fine work.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0746/4805/products/15SDS002-IHA852-06.jpeg?v=1431988566 What my wife got me.

A bulb is fine in most cases, but manipulating it can be awkward.

Soldering braid is critical for board work.

Note that for years, I got away with a simple 38-watt pencil, a bulb, dental picks and patience. But when I became more seriously involved with audio and boards, I got fancy.

As to pot and switch cleaner - there are several schools of thought on this - and Jeff is a purist. Rather than start a dead debate all over again, DeOxit in the quantities you will use (with care) is just fine.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Foxs Mercantile]

On 2/20/2017 6:37 AM, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:
> So, what's the latest in desoldering gadgets?

One of these.
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/381865048840>

One other thing, I should pick up some pot and switch
cleaner.

<https://www.radioshack.com/products/deoxit-d5s-6-spray-contact-cleaner-and-rejuvenator>





--
Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi
http://www.foxsmercantile.com

 

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

 

[John Robertson]

On 2017/02/20 5:46 AM, Foxs Mercantile wrote:

On 2/20/2017 6:37 AM, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:
So, what's the latest in desoldering gadgets?

One of these.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381865048840

If you are going to recommend a desoldering pump I suggest you stick
with the Solda-Pullet (made in USA). I have used the no-name knockoffs
and they don't last a month in our shop, whereas I have three
Solda-pullets that I bought over ten years ago that see daily duty and
other than replacing the tip from time to time just last and last. We
bought a fourth one recently and it too is running fine.

The knockoffs are just a waste of money.

One other thing, I should pick up some pot and switch
cleaner.

https://www.radioshack.com/products/deoxit-d5s-6-spray-contact-cleaner-and-rejuvenator

De-Oxit is pretty good for what it does I hear.

We use Nu-trol from MG Chemicals and it gives long term repair to pots
and contacts.

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
(604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

 

On Monday, February 20, 2017 at 4:18:03 PM UTC-5, Jim Mueller wrote:

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool wrote:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

Didn't ElectroVoice sell a 30 inch speaker? It wasn't as big but you
could actually buy one.

--
Jim Mueller wrongname@nospam.com

To get my real email address, replace wrongname with dadoheadman.
Then replace nospam with fastmail. Lastly, replace com with us.

Our church has a pipe organ that uses electronics for the lowest notes as they don't have room for the length required for a pure pipe bass. That sub would be perfect..

 

[Jim Mueller]

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool wrote:

> http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

Didn't ElectroVoice sell a 30 inch speaker? It wasn't as big but you
could actually buy one.

--
Jim Mueller wrongname@nospam.com

To get my real email address, replace wrongname with dadoheadman.
Then replace nospam with fastmail. Lastly, replace com with us.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 06:37:49 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

Back in the 70s, I used a red bulb with a special plastic tip that did
not melt.

Sigh. That goes way back. I graduated to a pump type desoldering
tool as soon as they were available:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/300771835247>
For $1.15/ea, get a pile of them.

Solder wick is useful for some things, but I avoid using it. Details
if you want them later.

Next, I bought and rebuilt a Pace desoldering station:
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/crud/pace-desoldering-station.jpg>
It worked well for me for many years. I now have several similar
machines.

I then went to a hot air SMT desoldering station. Not this one, but
this is what I would recommend:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/191557453776>
However, I would not use it on terminal strips or tube socket. It's
made for PCB's only.

I need to get something for recapping, and am not sure what to buy. I
see both of the (above) are still sold.

For recapping, I use just a soldering iron to heat both leads of the
capacitor alternately and just rock the capacitor out. Or, I cut off
the capacitor and extract the leads one at a time. That leaves the
holes plugged with solder, which I remove with either the hand pump or
the Pace desoldering station. I suggest something like this:
<http://www.ebay.com/131493990376>



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[gregz]

<oldschool@tubes.com> wrote:
> http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

https://playingintheworldgame.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/diatone-2.jpg

 

[gregz]

gregz <zekor@comcast.net> wrote:

oldschool@tubes.com> wrote:
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

https://playingintheworldgame.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/diatone-2.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PqC6C6FXSQM/Trnwv2dYLhI/AAAAAAAAB8s/gM9xXVipjqY/s1600/the+biggest+speaker.jpg

Greg

 

[Neon John]

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

Not even close. The approx 4 story tall horn that NASA built to
reproduce the sound of an Apollo launch will take that honor. The
speaker was used to test sound mitigating techniques. I believe it is
located at Redstone.

John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address

 

On Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:33:12 -0500, Neon John <no@never.com> wrote:

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made


Not even close. The approx 4 story tall horn that NASA built to
reproduce the sound of an Apollo launch will take that honor. The
speaker was used to test sound mitigating techniques. I believe it is
located at Redstone.

John
John DeArmond

I did not find that one on the web, but I did find THIS:
http://alex-audio.com/en/prod/world-biggest-speaker/

The Woofers are 80 inches each....
Handle 5000 watts per channel.

Heck, that would involve a power amp with around 200 6L6 or 807 tubes in
Push-Pull Parallel-Parallel-Parallel-Parallel etc... For EACH
channel...... (And an output transformer about 3 foot big, weighing
close to the weight of a Harley motor cycle, and costing 10X the price
for a brand new Harley).....

 

On 20 Feb 2017 21:18:00 GMT, Jim Mueller <wrongname@nospam.com> wrote:

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool wrote:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

Didn't ElectroVoice sell a 30 inch speaker? It wasn't as big but you
could actually buy one.

I do recall hearing about such a speaker.....

I recall in the early 70's when 15" was the biggest speaker sold, that
some company came out with an 18". Of course I wanted a pair of them
until I saw the price....

 

[Jim Mueller]

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 06:37:49 -0600, oldschool wrote:

Back in the 70s, I used a red bulb with a special plastic tip that did
not melt. They were cheap and did a fair job.

The red bulb ones don't work very well; the bulb is too small. The ones
with a larger blue bulb are much better. But the main problem with bulb
type solder suckers is cleaning them. You can shake a fair amount of the
old solder out of the bulb but quite a bit remains. You have to be
imaginative and patient to get it out.

--
Jim Mueller wrongname@nospam.com

To get my real email address, replace wrongname with dadoheadman.
Then replace nospam with fastmail. Lastly, replace com with us.

 

On 21 Feb 2017 21:03:51 GMT, Jim Mueller <wrongname@nospam.com> wrote:

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 06:37:49 -0600, oldschool wrote:

Back in the 70s, I used a red bulb with a special plastic tip that did
not melt. They were cheap and did a fair job.

The red bulb ones don't work very well; the bulb is too small. The ones
with a larger blue bulb are much better. But the main problem with bulb
type solder suckers is cleaning them. You can shake a fair amount of the
old solder out of the bulb but quite a bit remains. You have to be
imaginative and patient to get it out.

I've never seen the blue ones, but I remember having a lot of problems
with the tip getting clogged in the red one.

 

[isw]

In article <58ab5d08$0$43810$c3e8da3$5e5e430d@news.astraweb.com>,
Jim Mueller <wrongname@nospam.com> wrote:

On Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:20:55 -0600, oldschool wrote:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2006/03/06/the-biggest-subwoofer-ever-made

Didn't ElectroVoice sell a 30 inch speaker? It wasn't as big but you
could actually buy one.

ElectroVoice did briefly offer a 30" woofer. It didn't sound very good
and didn't last very long on the market.

Here's the backstory:

Paul Klipsch (father of the Klipschorn) had cut a deal with EV where EV
provided 15" woofers with special characteristics to Paul to use in the
'Horns, and in exchange Klipsch licensed EV to produce both kits and
ready-built versions of a modified K-Horn. (It was the EV "Georgian" in
case you're interested).

The mods EV had made offended Klipsch, so he was already pissed at them
(picky, he was), and then when the woofers they were sending started
showing up with cracked magnets Paul cancelled the agreement and found
another source for his woofers.

EV, no longer able to offer an enclosure with the bottom end provided by
a horn woofer, tried to replace it with that 30" behemoth in a more
"standard" enclosure. Didn't work out.

Later, EV tried a scaled-up version of the horn, using an 18" woofer
(the "Patrician IV"). Paul told them that wouldn't sound right but they
didn't listen. As usual, he was right.

Isaac

 

[Jon Elson]

oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

On Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:33:12 -0500, Neon John <no@never.com> wrote:



The Woofers are 80 inches each....
Handle 5000 watts per channel.

Heck, that would involve a power amp with around 200 6L6 or 807 tubes in
Push-Pull Parallel-Parallel-Parallel-Parallel etc... For EACH
channel...... (And an output transformer about 3 foot big, weighing
close to the weight of a Harley motor cycle, and costing 10X the price
for a brand new Harley).....

No, certainly not! You use the modulator from an old AM broadcast
transmitter. I was at a Grateful Dead concert in 1969 and they wheeled out
this THING on the stage with big glass globes, and when they lit up I
realized they were TUBES (valves to the British)! Not sure of the type, but
at least several thousand Watts. I borrowed a set of ear muffs and sat back
for a show!

Jon

 

On Fri, 24 Feb 2017 16:11:20 -0600, Jon Elson <jmelson@wustl.edu> wrote:

oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

On Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:33:12 -0500, Neon John <no@never.com> wrote:



The Woofers are 80 inches each....
Handle 5000 watts per channel.

Heck, that would involve a power amp with around 200 6L6 or 807 tubes in
Push-Pull Parallel-Parallel-Parallel-Parallel etc... For EACH
channel...... (And an output transformer about 3 foot big, weighing
close to the weight of a Harley motor cycle, and costing 10X the price
for a brand new Harley).....

No, certainly not! You use the modulator from an old AM broadcast
transmitter. I was at a Grateful Dead concert in 1969 and they wheeled out
this THING on the stage with big glass globes, and when they lit up I
realized they were TUBES (valves to the British)! Not sure of the type, but
at least several thousand Watts. I borrowed a set of ear muffs and sat back
for a show!

Jon

I was at several Grateful Dead concerts in the late 60's and afterwards.
I never saw any such thing. Are you sure you were not "tripping"? That
may have just been a common 6L6 tube in a guitar amp, and your
hallucinations made it look really BIG....

Who ever heard of wearing earmuffs at a Grateful Dead concert.....

And since you mentioned it. What the hell is wrong with them British?
Valves are plumbing parts. Tubes are electronic parts!!!

Seriously, I have heard of using AM transmitter tubes for audio amps. I
dont know what those tubes are numbered, or how much power they output,
but I know that many AM radio stations have power output in the
thousands of watts range. But to use that kind of tube would require
custom output transformers that would likely mimic the pole transformers
used to feed our homes....

And just for historic value, the original 1969 Woodstock concert ran
Somewhere between 3500 watts to 12,000 watts, using Mcintosh mi350
monoblock tube amps for their PA system. The article below seems to
conflict whether it was 3,500W or 12,000W.
Either way, that PA system had to cover a very large area, and
apparently it did the job.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100811

These Mcintosh MC3500 power amps have EIGHT power output tubes
6LQ6/6JE6B. These amps had an output of 350W. (mono).

 

[Michael Black]

On Sat, 25 Feb 2017, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

On Fri, 24 Feb 2017 16:11:20 -0600, Jon Elson <jmelson@wustl.edu> wrote:

oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

On Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:33:12 -0500, Neon John <no@never.com> wrote:



The Woofers are 80 inches each....
Handle 5000 watts per channel.

Heck, that would involve a power amp with around 200 6L6 or 807 tubes in
Push-Pull Parallel-Parallel-Parallel-Parallel etc... For EACH
channel...... (And an output transformer about 3 foot big, weighing
close to the weight of a Harley motor cycle, and costing 10X the price
for a brand new Harley).....

No, certainly not! You use the modulator from an old AM broadcast
transmitter. I was at a Grateful Dead concert in 1969 and they wheeled out
this THING on the stage with big glass globes, and when they lit up I
realized they were TUBES (valves to the British)! Not sure of the type, but
at least several thousand Watts. I borrowed a set of ear muffs and sat back
for a show!

Jon

I was at several Grateful Dead concerts in the late 60's and afterwards.
I never saw any such thing. Are you sure you were not "tripping"? That
may have just been a common 6L6 tube in a guitar amp, and your
hallucinations made it look really BIG....

They went through various iterations, and sound people. SOmeone got
hooked in at one point, maybe it was Bob Heil but maybe it was the
soundman for Quicksilver Messenger Service (who was also a ham), there was
s story of someone having an Electrovoice "Voice of the Theatre" or
whatever it was adapting that. Owsley was involved, leading to the Wall
of SOund, which almost as soon as they finally got it going right, they
abandoned. They were using McIntosh amplifiers for a while, there's a
story, maybe about Woodstock, where they blew them out and had to hurry to
find replacements, finding a "close" dealership and getting them to open
up on a Sunday or something.

Things were evolving, and bands like the Dead helped that developemnt. So
they went to that Wall of SOund to adapt to the much bigger venues, then
dropped it because it was too much trouble to move, but I thought the work
helped other things to develop. So they may have been using just about
anything at some point, including home built equipment.

If you paralleled enough tubes, the output impedance would go down, so no
matching transformer for 8ohm speakers. I'm not sure if that was ever
done with audio, but I have seen it done with radio amplifiers, a bunch of
tubes in parallel so the output impedance is 50 ohms to match the coax.

Michael