Facilitating filling a plated through-hole of a circuit board with solder

An apparatus to facilitate filling a plated through-hole of a circuit board with solder, the apparatus comprising:

• a wire solder assembly comprising:
• a wire probe sized to extend into the plated through-hole from one side of the circuit board;
• and
• a solder block associated with the wire probe, the wire probe passing through the solder block;
• and
• a controller to control heating of the wire probe, wherein with the wire probe inserted into the plated through-hole, the controller controls heating of the wire probe by passing a current therethrough, the heating of the wire probe heating a conductive plating of the plated through-hole and melting the solder block, the heating of the conductive plating and the melting the solder block causing solder to migrate into the plated through-hole by capillary action to fill the plated through-hole with the solder;
• wherein the wire solder assembly includes an insulator support supporting the wire probe in a looped wire configuration, and electrical contact pads to electrically connect a current source, controlled by the controller, to the wire probe;
• and
• wherein the insulator support comprises a ceramic carrier, the ceramic carrier accommodating the solder block in a recess therein, wherein when in use, the ceramic carrier rests on the one side of the circuit board with the wire probe inserted into the plated through-hole.

An apparatus to facilitate filling a plated through-hole of a circuit board with solder, the apparatus comprising:

• a wire solder assembly comprising:
• a wire probe sized to extend into the plated through-hole from one side of the circuit board;
• and
• a solder block associated with the wire probe, the wire probe passing through the solder block;
• and
• a controller to control heating of the wire probe, wherein with the wire probe inserted into the plated through-hole, the controller controls heating of the wire probe by passing a current therethrough, the heating of the wire probe heating a conductive plating of the plated through-hole and melting the solder block, the heating of the conductive plating and the melting the solder block causing solder to migrate into the plated through-hole by capillary action to fill the plated through-hole with the solder;
• and
• wherein:
• the wire probe comprises a coated wire, the coated wire being an at least partially glass-insulated wire;
• the plated through-hole is a copper-plated through-hole, and the coated wire comprises a glass-insulated nichrome wire;
• and
• the glass-insulated nichrome wire of the wire probe is copper-coated to facilitate migration of the solder into the plated through-hole.