vB Easy Archive - LED installtion

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LED installtion
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Posted by: TuRBo_TuRTLe773

how many ppl actully done this one there own .how long did it take and where did u get the solidering tool.

i'm going to experiment with my friend's 3390. i have a huge solidering thingy but i dont think it works ...anyone able to help me out... give me a link or something

Posted by: SVWComm

http://www.all4cell.com

I think they got some instructions about soldering. I couldn't link it directly to that page, it takes forever to load (I'm using dial-up)

Posted by: AzNxRaCeR

you can get the soldering tool at a 99cent store.<~~'

Posted by: TuRBo_TuRTLe773

really the dollar store? dang dollar store has a lot of stuff these days. but i thought u need a thin one? i have one my self but itz very fat tip

Posted by: RyanM

Quote:

Originally posted by AzNxRaCeR
you can get the soldering tool at a 99cent store.<~~'

are you serious?

Posted by: FrOsTi3v0

i did it before. just remember to use flux paste

Posted by: 3390

be careful not to ruin the circuit board when you're doing the led yourself.

Posted by: epic408

Quote:

Originally posted by FrOsTi3v0
i did it before. just remember to use flux paste

what does flux do? i have used it before but i never knew what it was for!

Posted by: FrOsTi3v0

flux makes it easier to heat up the solder, it liquifies solder instantly when it is heated by a soldering iron.

Posted by: TuRBo_TuRTLe773

for some reason there is no flux paste at the hardware store.i cant do it w/o it

Posted by: hardwired

Carefully reconsider what you are doing.

I work on circuitry like that for a living and find it hard enough to not mess up with a 300 dollar soldering station, proper flux, and the best of solder.

You WILL fry your board if you use crap tools.

If you do want to do it anyway, get a NO-CLEAN flux pen and a fine tip for your soldering iron.

You should also make sure your soldering iron is at least 30 watts, or you will heat those poor little LEDS to the point of melting before the solder melts (They're made of plastic)

All this stuff can be bought at your local radio-shack or (as I HATE radio-shack) source out an electronic parts depot.

Good luck

Posted by: hardwired

BTW,

Flux is an active chemical that EATS corrosion (a.k.a. oxidation and contamination from fingertips, etc) on parts like LEDS and the pads on the board so you get a great solder joint. It also aids in heat transfer. It doesn't become active until just before the solder melts. YOU NEED THIS STUFF!

Be sure to use NO CLEAN flux. If you use regular plumbers flux (aka rosin) it will become an acid in about a month and corode the metal in your phone. It will be dead within 6 months.

Your solder should be eutectic electronics solder and have about 4% silver in it in addition to the normal lead and tin mix. If you use flux core solder, you are using solder with flux in the middle.

If you've already used rosin flux, crack that baby back open and scrub that flux away with a toothbrush and 99% isopropyl alcohol. DONT use rubbing alcohol as oils are added to it for skin, it will also corrode the guts of your phone. Make sure you don't get that stuff in the mic, speaker, or any other components that look like they might be damaged by it.

Posted by: knightmarauder

To answer the original question (using the all4cell website) I was able to mod my frien'ds 3390 with ultra bright blues in about 4 hours.
The first hour was spent trying to get just the first one off (hadn't quite figured out this whole desoldering thing). From my experience, a desoldering braid is indispensable (it's basically a copper mesh that, when you heat it up, melts the solder and takes it into itself).
The next LEDs took 45min, then 20 min, then 10 min for the rest of them. These days, I can pull one off in under a minute.

Everyone is right when they say it's easy to screw up, I was figuring how much pressure would be required to rip out a solder pad (on a junk 5190 board) and it is *very very little presure*. Heat well, but don't burn - everything is a balance.

I use a 45W Weller solder iron (my father's old one) and a 15/30W radio shack iron. The radio shack one went for about 12$ and if you get the smaller replacement tip (for 2$) it makes life very easy.

The flux was the hardest thing to get, it also goes by the name "solder paste" or "solder flux paste" or any possible combination. Mine's Kester brand and it works great. Bought from Active Components near me and was like 6$. It's a tin and looks like it'll last my entire life.

Hope that helps *crosses fingers*

Posted by: hardwired

Yea, dragging this thing way off topic, again, this is the EASY way to remove a LED.

If you use two irons, one for either solder joint of the LED at the same time, you can lift it off in about 3 seconds flat.

Be sure to use that solderwick (with plenty of LIQUID flux) to clean off only one of the two pads after removing the LED.

From there on in, you've got a pool of recycled solder to melt and dip your component into on one side when you're ready to solder the new LED in. (use tweezers or a dental pick to position it)

If you use a chisel tip in your iron you can even remove 4 and 6 pin LEDs (the kind that turn all different colours). I can't think of any cell phones that use them though.

This technique works equally well for discrete SMT components like chip resistors and capacitors.