Abstract: A soldering tip for soldering irons having a mounting portion adapted to fit in a heater unit of a soldering iron or tip-heater cartridge and a soldering portion shaped for forming of a solder joint. At least the soldering portion is formed of a copper inner base material which is covered by a wear and corrosion resistant coating having a matrix of a metal that is harder than the copper inner base material in which micron size particles of a chemically inert material that is harder than iron are dispersed. The chemically inert material is preferably diamond, but can be ruby, sapphire, silicon, or alumina. The matrix material is preferably iron but can be formed of nickel, nickel alloys, nickel/phosphorous alloys. silver, silver alloys, gold, or gold alloys. Preferably, the coating forms a textured outer surface on the soldering tip.

Abstract: A soldering heater cartridge with replaceable tips and a soldering iron for use therewith is constructed of a tip heater cartridge with an elongated cartridge body that has a tubular body member, electrical connectors at a first end of the tubular body member for plug-in connection with an electrical connector assembly of a soldering iron handpiece, a soldering tip for mounting on the cartridge body and a heater mounted within the cartridge body and electrically connected to the electrical connectors. The tip end part is located at a second end of the cartridge body and the heater is located within the tip end part, the soldering tip being replaceably mountable over the tip end part in heat exchange contact with it.

Abstract: A soldering station with a control unit and a soldering iron having a replaceable soldering tip, the soldering iron being connected to the control unit by a power cord for receiving electrical power from said control unit is provided with an automatic calibration feature. The control unit has circuitry for controlling the temperature of the soldering iron at the tip by adjusting the supply of power to the tip heater of the soldering iron, a temperature selector for enabling selection of a temperature to which the soldering iron is to be heated by a user, a calibration temperature sensor connected to said circuitry and exposed for enabling it to be engaged by the tip of the soldering iron.

Abstract: A self-grounding soldering tip having a spring which serves for connecting the soldering tip to a heater bobbin for establishing a secure grounding of the soldering tip. A bobbin tube extends within the heater bobbin for removably retaining the soldering tip within the bobbin. The connection between the spring and bobbin tube provide tip-to-ground continuity. Moreover, the contact surfaces of the spring and bobbin tube are wiped clean upon plug-in and plug-out. The spring and bobbin tube are located in a cooler area of the soldering iron to slow down the rate of oxidation. Also, the spring and bobbin tube are made of the same or compatible materials, e.g., stainless steel, to prevent reactions that normally occur between incompatible metals.

Abstract: A tip heater cartridge and a soldering iron with handpiece for use therewith in which, according to a preferred embodiment, a precision molded plastic sleeve is provided on the tip heater cartridge body. The sleeve is provided with an axially extending, radially projecting key which assures accurate tip-to-handpiece orientation and also produces a rigid mechanical interlock between the tip heater cartridge and the handpiece to ensure that there is no axial rotational or lateral movement or load transmitted from the tip of the tip heater cartridge to the electrical connector. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the end of the key acts with the handle keyway to prevent over insertion of the tip heater cartridge into the handpiece, which could damage the electrical connector assembly, and an O-ring on the electrical connector assembly acts to produces a seal relative to the body of the cartridge that prevents solder fumes from flowing into the connector assembly.

Abstract: Handheld and stationary hot air solder reflow apparatus for repairing, reworking or producing electronic components and circuit boards of the type having a means for supplying a flow of hot air to an outlet tube are provided with a nozzle adaptor which has an internal adapter body which is resiliently carries a support collar which is held in an axial direction relative to the internal body by a spring. A bezel ring having a plurality of receiving tabs is mounted in the support collar, the tabs on the bezel ring in the support collar engage tabs on a mounting plate of each nozzle assembly, causing compression of the spring and resulting in a clamping of the mounting plate between a bottom surface of the internal body and the bezel ring.

Abstract: A disposable solder receiving capsule for a hand held vacuum solder extracting desoldering tool is formed of an outer tube which is closed at one end by a porous filter and has an opening at its opposite end, and a hollow solder collection chamber part, having a tubular member with an open end and which is closed with respect to the passage of solder therethrough at an opposite end, forming a solder receiving space within it. The solder collection chamber part is concentrically positioned within the outer tube with an air plenum disposed between the closed end of the chamber part and the filter and with at least one air channel extending the length of solder collection part for providing a path for gases entering the open end of the outer tube to the plenum and the filter that is separated from the solder receiving space. For facilitating solder reclamation, the capsule can be formed entirely of materials which are shape-sustaining when exposed to a temperature of 400° F.

Abstract: A disposable solder receiving capsule for a hand held vacuum solder extracting desoldering tool is formed of an outer tube which is closed at one end by a porous filter and is open at its opposite end, and a hollow solder collection chamber part having a tubular member with an open end and a closed end forming a solder receiving space within it. The solder collection chamber part is concentrically positioned within the outer tube with an air plenum disposed between the closed end of the chamber part and the filter and with at least one air channel extending the length of solder collection part for providing a path for gases entering the open end of the outer tube to the plenum and the filter that is separated from said solder receiving space. For facilitating solder reclamation, the capsule can be formed entirely of materials which are shape-sustaining when exposed to a temperature of 400° F.

Abstract: A soldering/desoldering apparatus has a handpiece with a handgrip portion from which a hot air tube extends, a vacuum pickup tube which extends through the handgrip portion and hot air tube, one end of which has a suction cup mounted thereon and an opposite end of which is connected to a flexible vacuum line. Furthermore, an adjustment knob for axially shifting the vacuum pickup tube is provided on the handgrip portion and the vacuum pickup tube is resiliently displaceably supported relative to a displacement mechanism formed by a slide rod fixed to an inner wall of the handgrip portion and a rack member slidably disposed on the slide rod and geared to the adjustment knob. The pickup tube is fixed to a slide bracket which is slidably disposed on the slide rod between the ends of the rack member and between a pair of coil springs which act to position the slide bracket in a neutral position between the ends of the rack member. Additionally, nozzles having a fixed vacuum pickup extension can be used.

Abstract: A control circuit for a vacuum desoldering apparatus includes a timing mechanism to ensure that vacuum is maintained for a necessary minimum amount of time, even if a vacuum actuation switch of the desoldering tool is prematurely deactivated by the operator. If the operator presses the vacuum actuator switch for a period of time longer than the predetermined minimum time, vacuum will flow until the switch is released. However, if the operator actuates the switch very briefly, that is, for less than the predetermined minimum vacuum actuation time, the vacuum supply is maintained in an activated state for the predetermined minimum time.

Abstract: A soldering iron including an insulator, a dissipator, and a hollow, cylindrical handle through which the electrical cable travels, and in which the wires, extending from the electrical cable and connected to the heater unit by individual plug and socket connectors, are able to move freely for making it easier to exchange the heating element but prevent the wires from being accidentally disconnected by pulling on the electrical cord during use. More specifically, a single electrical insulator body, which fits inside the dissipator, receives all of the electrical connectors. Furthermore, the insulator provides unidirectional strain relief by trapping the wires against an inside tapered portion of the dissipator when mounted within the dissipator and releases the wires in the opposite direction simply by the act of being removed from the dissipator.

Abstract: A handheld low voltage machining tool with which any one or more of drilling, milling, and abrading operations can be safely performed even on densely populated, multilayer, circuit boards. Provisions are made for preventing electrical overstress by isolating the tip of the machining tool from the drive motor as well as for preventing abrupt starting of the tool which can cause jerking, jumping or skipping of the tool off of the target. Still further, dynamic braking of the tool bit is achieved, both upon release of an operator actuated control switch and due to a selected conductive layer being reached. For the latter effect, a probe is provided by which a low voltage can be delivered to a component or conductor on the board, and circuitry detects grounding of this voltage by contact with the grounded bit of the machining tool.

Abstract: In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a concavity of an elliptical shape is formed in a chisel-shaped soldering tip to create a reservoir in which a quantity of molten solder is retained by surface tension. In a preferred method of use, the leads of an electronic component and the lands of a circuit board to which they are to be electrically connected are pretreated with flux. The tip, with a blob of solder in its concavity, is drawn along the lead/land region with the blob of molten solder making contact therewith, so that molten solder is wicked into the region, and joints are formed between the leads the lands.

Abstract: Self-aligning tip elements are achieved in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a edge surface of each tip element with key and notch formations which will interfit with each other in a prescribed orientation when the tip elements are inserted into the bobbins of the a tweezer handpiece and the tip elements are brought together by squeezing-together the legs of the tweezer handpiece. By utilizing a symmetric arrangement of key and notch formations on each tip element, a pair of like tip elements can be used together instead of requiring special left and right tip elements.

Abstract: A tweezer-type heating device for installation and removal device of electronic components with respect to a substrate, such as for SMC installation and through hole installation or removal. More specifically, a handheld tweezer-type heating device is provided in which a wide variety of different sized (and shaped) tips can be used with a high degree of accuracy in terms of thermo/mechanical contact. Tolerances in the parts of the handpiece, the assembly, the heaters and the tips that may bring the bottom edges of the tips out of their alignment plane are very easily corrected with an adjustable hinge which, by loosening of a screw and sliding the parts with respect to each other, allows proper alignment to be achieved. Still further, a thumb screw is provided at the back of the handpiece to allow the gap between the tips to be slightly opened or closed. This is useful in accommodating tolerances in the components.

Abstract: A component installation/removal tweezer-type handpiece having two arms and a tinnable or nontinnable tip including a pair of legs respectively removably mounted with respect to the arms and a plurality of serially connected bands attached to the first and second legs such that an opening is formed within the serially connected bands so that the bands are adapted, upon closure of the tweezer-type handpiece, to clamp the terminals of an electronic component or the like and transmit heat to the terminals. In another embodiment a tweezer-type or probe-type handpiece includes a tinnable or nontinnable tip having first and second legs and one or more bands extending between the legs whereby the band(s) is adapted to transfer heat to terminals associated with an electronic component. In all embodiments of the invention the tips may be provided with a variety of sheathing or overlayer combinations to achieve a variety of application requirements.

Abstract: A thermocouple arrangement for developing, evaluating, monitoring and adjusting any process performed on or otherwise so as to thermally affect a printed circuit board assembly or other electronic assembly (including bare circuit board or boards in the manufacturing process), such as soldering/desoldering and various other production, rework and repair processes including cleaning, fluxing, preheating, thermocompression bonding and spot welding. In accordance with various embodiments, a layer of a first conductor material is applied on a first surface of an electrically insulative support, while a second layer of a second, dissimilar, conductor material is applied to at least one other surface of the support using conventional printed circuit board construction techniques.

Abstract: A device for installing or removing a component with respect to a substrate utilizing hot gas jets or other hot gas flow to reflow solder associated with the component.

Abstract: A tweezer-type heating device for installation and removal device of electronic components with respect to a substrate, such as for SMC installation and through hole installation or removal. More specifically, a handheld tweezer-type heating device is provided in which a wide variety of different sized (and shaped) tips can be used with a high degree of accuracy in terms of thermo/mechanical contact. Tolerances in the parts of the handpiece, the assembly, the heaters and the tips that may bring the bottom edges of the tips out of their alignment plane are very easily corrected with an adjustable hinge which, by loosening of a screw and sliding the parts with respect to each other, allows proper alignment to be achieved. Still further, a thumb screw is provided at the back of the handpiece to allow the gap between the tips to be slightly opened or closed. This is useful in accommodating tolerances in the components.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for testing the address/data paths between the ROM and CPU of a computer where the computer includes a first connector adapted to connect the ROM to the address/data paths so that data can be transferred between the CPU and the ROM via the data paths of the address/data paths and a second connector adapted to connect the CPU to the address/data paths so that addresses can be applied to an address decoder for the ROM via the address lines of the address/data paths. A memory is connected to the address decoder and the data lines via the first connector, the memory storing predetermined data at a plurality of memory locations. A kernel debugging module connected to the address/data paths via the second connector includes circuitry for successively applying read signals which emulate those provided by the CPU to successively read the predetermined data stored at the memory locations.