deskthority

I'm modding my Filco tenkey pad and there are 4 tabs where it looks like the plate has been folded over and soldered into the PCB; how the fuck are you supposed to desolder that?! I've tried wick and pump and neither have worked particularly well and now I've run out of wick. I'm pretty sure that is all thats holding the PCB and plate together but can't get it off, anyone have any tips (apart from cutting them off, I want to try and avoid that if possible)?

The plate is probably just sucking all the heat away. You might try an iron with wattage or perhaps a smd hot air gun if you can find one. A normal hot air gun might do more harm than good though.

Persevering with more wick might work. If not there are special solders that alloy with existing stuff to lower the melting point. Adding lots of that and the trying again will make it easier.

Also, it looks like that plate has to slide down before it will come out. Did you try heating and sliding down so the tab fills the slot?

Do you really have to remove the plate? I believe you can pull out the switches from the front once their pins are loose - though I never tried it.

I'll give it another whack when I get some more wick. I had another quick go with the pump last night and I think that with the pump I'm just adding more solder and then taking the same stuff off again...
You're also right about the plate sliding down, the problem is that there are 4 of these tabs, so I want to clear all of them before I start trying to move it and potentially damaging the PCB.

@JBert, the switches have to come out backwards through the plate, so the PCB has to be removed totally before you can get the swtiches out.

What you looking at doing in the mod? Just changing the switches?

Yup, the switches are being changed to whites and the LED is getting changed as well whilst I'm in there (the stock one is too bright).

Whites or clears? Is it to match a board?

Whites (the clicky ones), I couldn't afford a whole boards worth and wanted to see if I liked them better plate mounted (I tried them on my Poker and didn't really get on with them, I think thats more a problem with the Poker then with the swtiches though).

Yeah, I didn't like the white clickys. Green are better IMO.

@JBert, well I love being proved wrong! Popped all the switches out (nearly sticking a screwdriver through my hand in the process) and now I have a lovely clicky white tenkeypad . Sorry to have ever doubted your infinite wisom .