[time-nuts] Wenzel Oscillator Repair

[Dan Rae]

Ed Palmer wrote:
>  Does anyone 
> have any hints & tips on how to open or repair one of these soldered-can 
> oscillators? 
Ed, I have opened and repaired several sealed oscillators, OCXOs and 
TCXOs, as well as crystal filters, with some success.  In fact the 
Isotemp OCXO in my  homebrew GPS standard is still going strong after I 
replaced the TL431 regulator in that ten years ago.

What I do is to use a box cutter type knife on the seams, side by side, 
repeatedly scraping out as much of the solder as possible.  After a 
while the seam can usually be opened up enough to break any remaining 
solder towards the corners.  I think the fact that this avoids any 
prolonged heating is probably the main advantage of using this method.   
It takes time, but so far I have not found one that wouldn't open in the 
end... 

Do I have to say: be careful and always work away from your fingers?

It works for me at any rate, and by not using heat you avoid any extra 
damage :^)

Dan