Removing (And Reusing) Mill Max Sockets

Sometimes you have to remove Mill Max sockets. Here's how you can remove them and (hopefully) reuse them. At $0.30-$0.50 each socket, the cost of Mill Maxing really adds up quickly. 

7305's are used in this guide but the process should be same for any Mill Max socket.

The tools you'll need:

• Soldering iron with clean tip - I use a TS80P with a TS-D25 tip set at 340C. I prefer this flat bevel tip so it can cut right up against the side of the socket/hole/component.
• Solder - I use 0.6mm 63-37 tin lead rosin core solder. 
• Sharp tweezers, or a poking tool - something to poke the Mill Max socket through the hole.
• Brass Wool - Keep the tip of your iron clean for proper heating.
• A block of wood or book - something to lift up the PCB above your work surface.
• Solder Wick - for cleaning up remaining solder on the board.

Removing sockets

Remember: the key to soldering is keeping your iron clean and hot. 

To remove the Mill Max sockets in a way that you can reuse them:

1. Place your PCB on top of a riser, bottom side up, so there's space beneath the socket you're trying to remove.
2. Heat up the solder around the socket (again, from the underside of the board). No additional solder is required in removing the sockets as we're just heating up existing solder.
3. Once the solder is thoroughly melted, quickly push the socket down through the hole with your tweezers (or any other precision tool).
4. If all goes well, your socket will pop right out the back. If it gets stuck, don't worry--don't heat it anymore from this side. Flip the board over, grab the socket with your tweezers, and gently pull up while heating the socket with your iron. As soon as the solder is melted you'll be able to pull out the socket with your tweezers. Be careful not to pull too hard before melting the solder--you risk pulling off the pads.
5. Clean up the hole. If you're not reusing the hole, simply smooth over the remaining solder with the tip of your iron. If you need to reuse the hole, clean it up with wick and solder (in the next step). 

Move quickly (and accurately) when pushing the socket through.

Again, avoid adding solder and make sure your iron tip is clean in the removal step. You want to avoid getting any solder into the socket. There is no saving a socket once solder flows inside. (If you're not trying to reuse the socket, feel free to flood it with solder to aid in pulling it out).

Using a wick to clean the hole

If you are not reusing the hole you can simply run the hot iron over the hole to smooth out any remaining solder. 

If you plan on reusing the hole, clean the solder out of it.

1. Add extra solder to the hole to help it flow better when wicking. The added solder will "wash out" the old solder. 
2. Heat your wick on top of hole, letting it soak up the solder. You may optionally add flux to aid in the solder flowing properly.Note: It is important to keep your iron on the wick while you're using it. If your wick cools down mid use, do not tug it off the board--this will pull the pad up with it. Instead, heat the wick thoroughly with your iron until the solder is melted and then remove the wick while heating. 
   
3. If the wick doesn't soak up all of the solder from one side, flip the board over and wick from the other side. 
4. Sometimes old solder can be stubborn and stick to the inside of the hole. If that happens, just start over from step 1. Make sure your iron is hot enough and use a new section of wick. Feel free to be generous with the solder you add in, it will help "wash out" any old solder as you wick it up.  

Once cleaned, it should look something like this. Some flux and rosin residue but a clean and clear hole. 

Cleaning rosin & flux off your board

All you need to clean off rosin and leftover flux is some rubbing alcohol from the general store (91% IPA preferred--70% IPA works too but you'll just need to soak longer) and some gentle rubbing with a rag. 

Spray on the IPA, let it soak for a couple seconds, and rub it off with a rag. Obviously, be mindful when rubbing, move gently and avoid damaging or dislodging any components! 

Alternatively, you may use a toothbrush with IPA to get the majority of the flux off but you end up pushing it all around on the board. To clean it off entirely, you'll need to wipe with a cloth or rag to remove all residue. 

Once spot cleaned, I like to spray down the entire area and give it a gentle wipe. I move the rag in very small circular motions (like a random orbital sander) with light pressure so I'm not making any large motions that could snag or damage components. 

Make sure your board is completely dry before plugging it in!

Reusing the sockets

The ultimate goal here is to avoid getting solder inside the socket. Once that happens, it's game over for that socket. 

If you've removed the socket correctly earlier, it should be pretty simple to clean off any excess solder stuck on the socket. We want to focus on getting the tip (bottom) of the socket clean so that it can be inserted into a through hole. 

You can use a sharp flush cutter as pictured, or you can use a precision file or sandpaper. 

We want no solder overhanging the edge (which could potentially work its way into the socket when heated) and we want the lip clean enough to fit into a through hole.

This amount of insertion is all we need when reusing the socket. It can be pushed in the rest of the way with a hot iron. Make sure the tip of the iron doesn't have excess solder on it that could make its way into the socket. 

Once pressed all the way in, tape it down and flip the board over. Solder as usual.

If all went well, you will have successfully removed and reused your Mill Max socket with minimal effort. Congratulations on saving 30 cents per socket!