Trim-pot debacle (ADVICE PLEASE!)

[Chris (the Hex)]

Hello all,

Yesterday I finally got around to finishing the external cutoff 
& resonance mods to my Korg Poly 800.  I love the sound!  The
unit is about 10X more fun to program, and tweakable.  I feel
a new life has been breathed into it.  I'd also like to say that
this mod was a breeze to do, and that finishing it filled me
with a wonderful sense of accomplishment and pride.  I'd like
to say that, but I can't -- because instead I'm filled only with
a tremendous sense of relief and a grim determination to learn 
from my errors.

Synopsis:  Conceptually, the mod is almost trivial.  The directions given
on this list and elsewhere were terrific.  Unfortunately, I'm basically a
software guy by trade and I'm still pretty green with hardware hacking.
I'm competent with a soldering iron, can read basic circuit diagrams,
and have finished a few kits.  But I had a miserable time trying to
remove the trim pots from the Poly 800 board, and that difficulty
lead me to make some poor decisions.  Everything turned out OK in
the end, but I'd like to get some feedback from the more experienced
out there to give me a head start on any future projects.

What follows is kinda grisly, and is not recommended reading for those 
of you who may be easily offended by inexperienced hardware hacking.  
(Ironically, these are probably the exact same people who can give the 
best advice!) Just keep telling yourself:  it's only a Poly 800, it's 
only a Poly 800...

And, needless to say, I am not advocating the electronics "technique" I
describe below.  If you do anything I describe and hurt yourself, others, 
or your synth doing it, be it on your own head.  I take no responsibility
for anyone else's synth sob stories, only my own!

Basically, I was having a hard time desoldering and removing the trim pots.
VR3 and VR5, I believe.  I had gone through numerous passes of heating the 
traces, applying the solder wick (or bulb -- I tried both), and then
applying firm but gentle upward pressure on the trim pots from the
other side.  Not the easiest task with only two hands, as most hardware
techs probably already know.  No luck.  After yanking on one of the 
trimmers just a little too hard, one of the legs broke off in the hole.

I couldn't believe it!  At this point, tired and resigned, I made 
the decision which would start the real downhill slide:  I grabbed a pair
of small wire snips and a pair of pliers, and used them to wrench the
trimmers off the board.  If they wouldn't come through gentle persuasion,
then force it would be!  It felt good at first, but soon afterward came
the sinking feeling.

Fatal mistake?  No...I was able to tack solder three of the leads directly
to the top board traces, surface-mount style.  (Only four leads were needed
total
because two leads of each pot were shorted to each other.  See archives for more
detailed info on the mod itself.)  The fourth lead was more elusive, though.
The solder joint just wouldn't take.  I don't know whether it was because the
trimpot pin was leeching heat away, or whether existing heat damage from one
of my other connections oxidized it, or what.  I tried using a little bit of
steel wool to clean up the trace, but no luck.

The synth sat on my workbench in a state of suspended animation for several
weeks while I pursued other projects.

When I came back to the thing, I had a renewed sense of perspective and a
willingness to take a risk.  Even a needlessly reckless one.  So, noticing
a nearby spot on the board (a jumper embedded in the board, actually) which
was electrically connected to the trimpot lead, I grabbed my trusty electric
drill and a very small bit.  BRRRWAZZZZM!!  Straight through the board.  
Amazingly, this actually worked!  I passed the final lead through the new 
hole in the board (after cleaning up, of course) and soldered it properly 
to the underside of the board.

NOW, the pitiful cry for help part:  I know this is not standard procedure, 
so someone please tell me what is!  Is there some special tool or technique
I should have used to remove those horrible little buggers or is it just
one of those skills you need to build up over time?  SOMEBODY PLEASE STOP ME 
BEFORE I MOD AGAIN!  No, actually I'll do that anyway.  It's just a matter of 
whether I do it properly or not. :)

Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this and can actually give me useful
advice.  Lesser but still significant thanks to anyone who just reads this
for letting me cry on their collective shoulders.

Cheers,
Chris (the Hex)