Preparing The Solder Pad

Method A - Using A Lead-Free Soldering Station

1. First, set your soldering station to a temperature that suits the melting temperature of the solder on the board. In this case, a temperature of around 400 °C or so should be fine.

2. Use the soldering iron to melt the solder on the pad.

3. Together with the soldering iron, use the solder sucker or a solder wick to remove the molten solder.

Method B - Using A Screwdriver

1. Using a flathead (slotted tip) screwdriver, lightly chip off the excess solder on the solder pad.

2. Scrape away the excess solder until you reach the pad itself and have a level surface to work on later.

Remounting The SMD Capacitor

1. Melt some solder onto ONE of the pads. Just a little bit is more than enough. Remember, the pads of SMD components are small, and close to each other. You do NOT want to solder two adjoining pads together!

2. Grasp the capacitor with the tweezer. As mentioned earlier, an angle of 30 °C from the horizontal is a good angle to use.

3. Heat the pad with the soldering iron until the solder melts again.

4. While grasping the capacitor, apply a downward force as you slide the capacitor onto the pad with the molten solder. Let the joint cool and solidify.

5. Then melt and apply some solder to the other pad and let that joint cool.

6. Finally, test the circuit to make sure it works.