Diode Harvesting tools? Recommendations? Techniques?

[Hank]

What type of tools would you recommend for harvesting a diode from a sled?
Obviously screwdrivers would the #1, but what other recommendations do you have?

My biggest concern is getting the diode out of the heatsink and the PCB attached. I've seen people using some type filer on youtube. Any recommendations on which one i should purchase?

As for the PCB, i've been trying to stick solderin braid into the pins and then warming it up with an soldering iron, but it doesn't work too well. and i'm afraid of damaging the diode since they are vulnerable to heat.

Solder wires or pins onto the short 405nm pins is also a bitch. It takes me anywhere from 3 to 10 tries before getting it right. Yet it still looks ugly as hell. Any tips?

 

[rhd]

I've been using a very fine saw to cut into two sides of the heatsinks. Then, if the heatsink has a lip (like the LPC-815s), I'll put them in pliers, and use a flathead screwdriver to get leverage and break the heatsink. For other heatsinks, without lips to use for leverage, you have to just twist and weaken it until it breaks.

See if you can find an explanation of the "solder blob" approach to removing the PCB. I find that that works well for me!

 

[Hank]

I've been using a very fine saw to cut into two sides of the heatsinks. Then, if the heatsink has a lip (like the LPC-815s), I'll put them in pliers, and use a flathead screwdriver to get leverage and break the heatsink. For other heatsinks, without lips to use for leverage, you have to just twist and weaken it until it breaks.

See if you can find an explanation of the "solder blob" approach to removing the PCB. I find that that works well for me!

What saw are u using and where can i get it from?

 

[rhd]

To be honest - I'm using a saw that was 1 of 5 in a "saw kit" I bought at (the Canadian equivalent of a Lowe's) for $10.

Given that it's the least substantial of the 5 saws I bought for $10, I think it's safe to say that this is a dollar store level saw.

It looks more or less like this:
http://product-image.tradeindia.com/00231519/b/0/Handy-Hacksaw.jpg

Very fine teeth, and you don't apply very much pressure. It's not an exercise in strength.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

A metal file works well in a pinch too. Another technique is to just use snips to cut away/saw away at the heatsink until it's loose enough to break.

 

[rhd]

I actually got lazy with the last LPC-815, and instead of filing the edges and then leveraging it open, I just used two pairs of pliers, and employed the weakening approach. It worked pretty well.