Cleaning Up

1. Clean up any excess solder with the solder wick. The method is the same as what we covered here.

• Cut a small section of solder wick.
• Put the solder wick onto the area with excess solder.
• Put the soldering iron onto the area with the solder wick in front of it.
• Do this for 5 seconds, and then pull the wick and iron back at the same time. If the amount of solder absorbed isn't satisfactory, repeat this step. Do remember that the speed of solder collection varies with time and the amount of pressure you use when you push the iron.

2. Dip a cotton bud into some isopropyl alcohol.

3. Use the cotton bud to swab the area around the SMD component until all the flux has been cleaned up.

Conclusion

There you have it - a totally well-soldered surface-mounted capacitor! Now, it may not look at nice as it should, but the joint should work well enough. If you have a fine-tipped soldering iron, you can certainly do a better soldering job than that.

As you can see, repairing even fine SMD components like this capacitor isn't that difficult. All you need is some soldering tools and a little chutzpah. So, the next time you drop your card and knock out a few surface-mounted components, and do NOT have any warranty to count on, you don't have to sit and cry. You can now fix the card!

If you want to ensure a professional-looking joint, take your time when you do these repair jobs. A good positional magnifying glass helps a lot, especially when you are working with small SMD components. For the extra touch, use isopropyl alcohol to clean up the flux after you are done.

Questions & Comments

Please feel free to post your questions or comments here!