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Here what a cheap-DIYer like me has done.

Hi.

It is not that an easy task even for an old hand to handle solder irons on PCBs without doing damage to the fine traces & parts on them let alone newbies.

Here what I have done for my clumsy self.

(1) Switchable O/P power AC outlet:-

This is exclusively for my solder iron (40W cheapie Chinese made), installed on my workbench. This is easily done by adding a sand diode ($0.20) in series of the AC line circuit INSIDE a standard steel dulplex AC outlet box (a few bucks from Home Depot), switchable in & out with a cheapie rocker or toggle switch also installed on the side of the steel outlet box.

I also added a green & a yellow LED indicators showing half or full power O/P to the iron. Here comes my sorta hi-tech AC outlet for my solder irons.

The sand diode act as AC voltage halver, providing half power to the solding iron (from 40W to 20W). Excellent for PCB & the like low temp applications.

The bonus of halving down the solder iron temperature while idling it is that the tip & the heater coil of the iron will last much much longer.

(2) Lowering heat onto the parts on board -

However fast & tactful one can be in soldering, heat is always get into the parts in contact. Period.

To deduce the heat damage, I always place wetted Q-tips in situ of
the part to be soldered.

Here a quiz: when soldering or desoldering transistors, diodes & the like chips on a PCB, where space is too small even for a tiny Q-tip to squeez in, what would yu do to protect the semiconductor from toasted?

c-J

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