My TM-11, that is. I couldn’t take the horrible green tint any more, so out they came!
I dismantled another, lesser light with neutrals for the LED’s and very judicial use of my iron, clamped in a vise, tip level, got the LED’s flowed off the stars in both lights.
The LED’s in the TM are square copper “stars” and one has the thermistor, so they had to be used. Scraped off all the crap adhesive, and I was able to reflow the neutrals onto all 3 boards successfully. I think the secret was to get them off the iron fast and lay them immediately on to a metal sheet to draw heat.
Used Arctic Alumina to secure them down-easy since the TM has a centering disk. Wired and put ’er back together-and what a relief!! No more green!
Been absent ’cause I’ve been working on my old radios and maxed out my Paypal.
It’d be entertaining to see a thread with all the various reflow methods used(pics a must) along with an edited description of the dialog that followed( You did WHAT with my iron?).
I did the other light last night… same deal, used better-tinted cool whites.
My iron has a flat tip. I clamp the iron in a vise with the tip level. Star gets laid onto the tip with tweezers at the ready. The instant the solder melts, LED comes off fast with tweezers and gets put onto a piece of metal (anything) to draw off heat.
To flow them on to the star, I hold the star with needle-nose or tweezers in my left hand, having positioned the emitter. Have to keep steady so the emitter doesn’t shift or fall off. Star gets laid onto the tip. Be vigilant!! The solder under the emitter will melt; as soon as it settles into the solder fully I quickly(!!) (with tweezers in right hand) move it to the metal I use for drawing off the heat.
Usual caveats apply-my track record is lousy with reflowing, but these all went well.
Thanks Old Lumens! Got back into working on my old radio hobby to keep honed in that, plus lots of gardening/landscaping this year. Doing major stuff I put off for years.
) have missed you.