Removing 8 Pin Sockets

joelorigo

Well-known member
Any tips on how to remove an 8 pin socket from a PCB? I have sucked solder from the pins on the bottom with a solder sucker already.
 
I have a EQ PCB that I have abandoned, and I have harvested all the parts except for the 2 sockets.
 
honestly for the 5-15 cents the sockets go for is it worth the struggle? You can try using a solder wick to get some more up...
 
Honestly not really. It was kinda fun practicing taking out all the parts though because I have had little experience with it. Actually a couple of my Troubleshooting posts were because I messed something up trying to take out a part.

As for the wick. I have tried 4-5 times using that after watching several videos and I can not seem to get the solder flowing. I was thrilled how just recently I got the hang of the solder sucker.
 
You can always try add a little solder the. Suck it back out again, it might adhere to the old solder and pull it. If you enjoy the practice don’t stop
 
Yes trying to salvage the sockets, not the PCB which is going into the trash with extreme prejudice
 
If it's a pain I won't bother, just thought here would be the place that would know.

Thanks again guys!
 
-Add leaded solder, more than you would if normally soldering. (leaded solder melts at a lower temp vs unleaded)
-Get a pry tool in place. Small flathead screwdriver would be perfect.
-Heat all 8 pins, dragging slowly and going back and forth several times. Start to pick up the pace as the solder get hots. Eventually all the pins/solder blobs will carry enough heat that they won't solidify instantly.
-When they're all hot, gently pry the part out before the solder cools. Once the part starts wiggling around and not staying in place, that's the moment to strike.
-Wait plenty of time for the board to fully cool, then clear the holes with desoldering needles, or a solder sucker

This method will take practice, and it sounds like you have the perfect opportunity to practice with. You need to move slowly while picking up your pace as the solder/parts start retaining heat as to not damage pads/parts. Don't pry too hard as that will damage pads. Wait for the moment all the solder is hot and it should come out pretty easily. It is inherently risky, so if you're repairing something old/delicate/rare/valuable, think twice and really make sure you know you can do it before ruining something.

This is how I've removed several stubborn parts with multiple pins from PCBs. I'm usually doing this with 3PDT's or pots, DIP8 socket should be no different. Maybe we'll make a video on this.
 
This is how I've removed several stubborn parts with multiple pins from PCBs.

Yep, this is how I'd do it. This is the same idea as the wide blade tip I use, it just reduces the amount of dragging back and forth required and allows you to heat all of the pins in one go.

Only catch here is that heating the pins enough to remove whole might melt the plastic part of the socket.

@StompBoxParts I just posted this in another thread yesterday so starting to sound like a broken record, but if you have one of these it makes things like this an absolute breeze. This one is exactly the right width to heat all three lugs of a pot simultaneously.

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I have a cheap ($50) hot air station I mostly use for desoldering stubborn components. Put the PCB into a clamp upside-down and hit it with hot air until the socket drops out of its own accord.
 
I struggled with an 8-pin socket while soldering it onto the pcb. I had taped it flush (or so I thought) and it slipped and ended up crooked. Try as I might, I couldn't get all 8 legs hot enough to keep the solder in a liquid state and I just gave up and decided to live with it. I always use eutectic solder and I believe that the window of temperature is pretty small to easily remove this kind of part. The eutectic solder has helped me avoid cold solder joints, but removal isn't as easy.

With the right tools. I'm sure it's possible, but for the cost, I'd skip it if I was taking pcbs apart to re-use parts.
 
I feel like you have two separate ideas going here. If I have a PCB that I'm working on and I need to replace a part, I always sacrifice the part to save the PCB. I snip out the part, remove the pins with tweezers, and then suck out the solder. If I'm trying to recoup parts from a PCB I don't care about, then yes, the methods above are the way to go. There is also this stuff:


 
I learned how to remove most multi-pin sockets and switches after wrecking an expensive Crown Jewel board by soldering in the order switch 90 degrees off. I ended up pulling up a lot of traces trying to pull the switch one leg at a time. Too late for that board, but lead me to the tip to get stuff out. Wish I had learned on a cheaper project.

O skimmed the replies, so ignore this if it’s been said

I hold the board flat and level and put a pool of solder on the board covering all 8 pins, or component connections. Usually as the slider melts the component with just fall out. If the socket legs are bent giving you a mechanical connection, you might have to bend them back before the socket falls out.
 
I learned how to remove most multi-pin sockets and switches after wrecking an expensive Crown Jewel board by soldering in the order switch 90 degrees off. I ended up pulling up a lot of traces trying to pull the switch one leg at a time. Too late for that board, but lead me to the tip to get stuff out. Wish I had learned on a cheaper project.

O skimmed the replies, so ignore this if it’s been said

I hold the board flat and level and put a pool of solder on the board covering all 8 pins, or component connections. Usually as the slider melts the component with just fall out. If the socket legs are bent giving you a mechanical connection, you might have to bend them back before the socket falls out.
So many typos!
 
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