Mechanical depopulation of motherboards

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Sharding757

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
32
Location
Cambridge, MD
When I first started depopulating boards, I used a heat gun to melt solder and slide the n/s bridges off the boards, etc. Later I would use a utility knife for the flat packs but it would get dull. Here's what I have found out so far. for processors like a 486SX that are soldered into the board, use the heat gun on the opposite side while prying up gently with a screw driver. Cut the ide, PCA pins with a set of cutters after removing the plastic retainers that house them. finally for the chips and anything else you want to harvest, have an air compressor and a $14.00 pneumatic hammer/chisel from wally world (walmart) that seems to make short work of the rest. here's a link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Campbell-Hausfeld-TL050300AV-1-5-8-Stroke-Air-Hammer/37469675?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227025120214&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=56386584296&wl4=pla-100830264536&wl5=9059726&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=37469675&wl13=&veh=sem
Just make sure that you dont air chisel the chips longways. Chisel from the pin sides. Hope this helps someone out there that is getting started.
 

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