so i'm chipping my first ECU and everything was going grrrreat! i managed to remove all the solder for the DIP socket location within 5-10 mins...then i got to the 74HC373 section and don't know if my iron took a crap on me or if this area is just a bitch to desolder but i've been having a real tough time desoldering that section and i want to know if you guys think it looks like ive F'ed up any of the traces or anything so far??





heres a pic where you can see how good the DIP sections came out.

 

sometimes to unsolder something you have to add solder and try again.
I've gone back and forth three or four times on some stubborn holes.

You may also want to check your iron, those holes shouldn't be difficult at all...

 

ok so after taking a break and going at it again, i added some solder to the more difficult holes and managed to get them all clear. now my only fear is, 2 of the holes seem to be missing a small silverish plate that all the others have...are these small little plates crucial? you can see what im talking about in the pictures above.

 

get yourself a set of blue point circuit board drill bits they work great!

 

and what. may i ask, are those??

 

They are drill bits, handy for rounding back out the holes and cleaning the 'stuck' solder out of the holes. This can issue the socket or chip just drops right in not damaging the pins.

Normally when the 'plates' as you describe, come off when your desoldering you have to re solder a plate back in or make the connection on the other side of the board.

What are you desoldering with? I recommend a pace desoldering station. Makes things so much more simpler.

If your using a junk $20 rat shack desoldering iron that has a red bulb you squeeze instead of a vacuum pump, try using it to blow the solder though the hole instead of drawing it out, just make sure you clean up the mess on the other side of the board as it cleans up easy but could cause issues if left.

 

I dont think you messed anything up. As someone said above, sometimes it helps to add solder to the spot to get the desoldering braid to pick up the solder again. It may help if you have a really thin sharp solder tip to get in to those holes a little.

 

I have also had some stubborn vias that wouldn't desolder. Your best bet is to fill them up with solder before you try to remove any solder.

Get some solder flux and solder wick. First, put a very small dab of solder on the iron tip before you touch it to anything. Then press the solder wick to the pad using the tip of the soldering iron. Make sure there is solder on the tip where you touch the wick. If possible, angle the iron tip so that the maximum amount of the tip is touching the wick over the pad. More surface area is good. Then apply a single drop of solder flux where the wick meets the solder tip. If you still can't get the solder to flow, apply a small amount of solder where the wick meets the tip as well.

Those drill bits sound like a good way to mess up a via.