Desoldering and removing PCB header pins in a few seconds

Here's how to remove a row of header pins from a PCB using just a soldering iron.
Simply melt the solder and tap on the desk - the pin and solder just drop out.

[@TorOlavBerntzen]

Easy and elegant

[@richardlangner]

Thanks!

[@lelandosaka8906]

This saved me a lot of time. Soldered the gpio headers on a pi zero upside down....thank you!

[@kelseystickney8663]

With the added caveat that you don't want to reuse the header . . . It'd be more of a pain to find the pins you just smacked around the room and force them back in their plastic housing (it also didn't look particularly easy getting the housing off in the first place). Most of the time, just stick with a solder-sucker - it's not that hard. You also won't end up getting some random pin embedded in your foot six months from now.

[@richardlangner]

I agree, but as a a quick and dirty method forremoving a few pins, it's sometimes easier. Sometimes.
Friends who struggled with other methods found this way useful.

[@hardrocklobsterroll395]

Great tip as always thanks for sharing !

[@lohikarhu734]

one channel shows using a piece of heavy copper wire, 14 gauge (not sure of metric, about 1.5 mm dia.), tin it, shape it in an L with the length needed to cover all the pins at once, heat it, touch it down on all the pins, then bang them out.
i also have an old Weller solder-sucker vacuum tip...

[@richardlangner]

Thanks for the comment. I sometimes use the heavy gauge wire if the pins don't come out individually. This method is quick and easy, just using the iron.

[@NicoSensei]

Great! I don't have a heat gun so I'll try. What temperature do you recommend for the soldering iron?

[@richardlangner]

I normally use 350C for leaded solder, 370C for lead-free. Use whatever will easily melt the solder type you use. Use a normal sized bit on the iron - quick heat transfer makes the job quicker and easier. In the video I took longer than normal. Best to practice on scrap boards. Let me know how you get on.

[@swannschilling474]

Great trick for an annoying task!! 😁

[@bf945]

Good technique, but a heated solder sucker (if available) will clean out the pins and the holes. Don't even need to remove the plastic part.

[@richardlangner]

Thanks for the comment. This 'quick and dirty' technique is an alternative for those with few tools. My heated de-soldering gun rarely gets used as I can remove pins in less time that the gun takes to warm up.

[@ryelor123]

I wonder how many times you can sodder a pcb until it wears out.

[@richardlangner]

If you don't overheat the pad, then very many times. FR4 PCBs are very durable.

[@ThePiones]

What sorcery is this

[@richardlangner]

It's a cheap and cheerful (and satifying) way to solve a problem that even braid and solder suckers sometimes find hard to do properly.
Thanks!