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Old 01-22-2014, 06:44 AM   #58
Benjamin
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Posts: 149
Garage
Nope, just solder. I tin the iron with a small dab of solder so that heat will flow quickly into the soldered LED. Touch the iron to the end of the LED where it meets the board and after a second, "flick" the end of the LED upwards to pull it away from the board. Once it is sufficiently disconnected, repeat on the other end, and it should fall away, or stick to the iron. Since you won't be reusing them, it's not a big deal if they get destroyed in the process.

To attach the new LEDs, I prepare the board by removing as much solder as I can from one of the pads, and leaving a "bump" of solder on the other one. Hold the LED with tweezers in the right spot and, with a tinned iron, touch the same spot where the LED and board meet (on the "bump" end. When the solder starts to flow, make sure you push down on the LED so that it's flat against the board and hold it steady for a few seconds until the solder hardens. Then solder the other end with a tinned iron and a small poke of solder from your spool. The reason I leave a bump on one side and no solder on the other is that if both were flat, I would need 3 hands to hold the LED, hold the iron, and hold the solder. If I have bumps at both ends, the LED will never sit flat, or I would need 3 hands again.
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