I have an STM Nucleo-64 board that I want to power from my own 3v3 rail. To do so you must remove two solder bridges (SB2 and SB12 in the photos), both made with what appear to be size 805, \$0\Omega\$ resistors that are placed close to other nearby components. Does anyone have a technique for removing these safely?
I considered trying to somehow snip them, but I don't see how to get flush cut snips in there safely. Maybe I could cut perpendicularly through the bridges from above, but even that looks like it would be difficult. I could try to wick them, but it would be a bear.
I think my best idea might be to use a hot air gun and hope the nearby stuff stays in decent shape. Otherwise it might actually be easier to snap the ST-Link from the rest of the board…
Best Answer
Skill with a soldering iron goes a long way, at my place of work we have a professional rework technician that can do this with a standard soldering iron, it requires finesse and care, and sometimes reflowing or resoldering adjacent components
For mere mortals there are other tools, personally for small SMT resistors I prefer to use a tweezer soldering iron, which is an available attachment for many common soldering stations (HAKKO,Metcal, Weller) as well as standalone "irons". There are also special soldering tips that have a "gap" or fork that fit around the SMT part
For Guides on this type of rework I like Circuit Rework.com which has two guides available for this type of work