Korg Poly800/EX800 Users

Hello, well done on getting it working. I've done things like how you described before and ended up with a broken PCB or bricked project instead of the phew-made-it feeling. So I think these tips (which are repeated endlessly elsewhere) might save you or others some nail-biting. These are things that I wish I'd been encouraged to do sooner.

A generic soldering station costs similar to the money and effort it takes to fix one wrong project. However it is much easier and surer to work with compared to a 15W iron. It reaches and maintains a higher temperature, so you are on the pad for a fraction of a second. Old faithful still makes a good backup!

Always consider cutting or sawing legs for component removal unless it is a very rare or expensive component---maybe even passives. The worth of the component is balanced against potentially damaging a PCB or having to repopulate one from scratch. I've used Stanley knives, hack saw blades held in the hand, and small rotary cut-off blades (e.g. for long banks of headers). The point is to end up with individual legs that either drop off the pad or come out with a brief heating and tweezers. I know I've wicked solder off a multi-pin component before and got away with pulling a leg or two out of a hole that still had a bit of solder in it. It would have been an expensive mistake if the PCB hadn't held up to the abuse.

I have wasted (and still do waste) so much time by not bothering to set up a good light source, stable bench or clamp, and magnifying glass or loupe. So much time, and so many preventable mistakes... I'm sure you're more conscientious than me!! :D

A functional hot air desoldering gun is also cheap and generic. I've found many additional time-saving uses for mine since I've had it, such as heat-shrinking or removing adhesive and labels. It's also the only way I know of doing heat-shrink in and around cables that are close together and only accessible from below. I am skeptical of de-soldering braid always removing enough solder for a part to lift out cold, which is not a problem when all the solder is flowing under the heat gun.

Really hope this doesn't come across as lecturing or patronising---as I said I wish I'd been told this stuff before.