Electronic assembly remanufacturing system and method

A method of using and processing an engine control unit having a housing and a circuit assembly therein comprising a plurality of components, at least one of which is affixed to a portion of the housing, the method comprising:

• installing the engine control unit into a machine unit;
• using the engine control unit to control an engine of the machine unit;
• removing the engine control unit from the machine unit;
• removing a first portion of the housing to expose a portion of the circuit assembly, the exposed portion of the circuit assembly having thereon a plurality of solder joints, one or more of the solder joints being associated with at least one component affixed to a second portion of the housing for linking the at least one component to the circuit assembly;
• lowering the exposed portion of the circuit assembly onto a desoldering fixture, wherein the desoldering fixture comprises a solder pot assembly including a plurality of solder pots each containing solder and having a closed upper edge, the upper edges of the pots lying essentially in a common plane and collectively encompassing a plurality of distinct regions, the solder pot assembly being registered with the exposed portion of the circuit assembly such that each solder joint associated with the at least one component affixed to the portion of the housing is aligned with only one of the plurality of distinct regions, and each solder joint not associated with the at least one component is registered with an area outside of the plurality of distinct regions;
• lifting the second portion of the housing away from the solder pot assembly while restraining the circuit assembly, thereby removing from the circuit assembly the at least one component affixed to the second portion of the housing;
• and
• testing the circuit assembly as if the at least one component had not been removed.