Tips
1. Want to remove the lockout chip from a SNES/SFC console, after I practiced a bit on some old boards I decided on this solution which doesn't need any fancy desoldering equipment, and it's really very quick. Although the chip will be useless once you have removed it by the way!
First of all find some wire that is quite a tight fit under the legs of the chip and slide it through. This will protect the circuit board from any damage in a minute. One the SNES lockout chip, I used some stripped Kynar wire.
Grab your craft knife, or in my case scalpel (I get these and the blades from art and craft shops) and use it to cut the legs one at a time. With one hand holding the chip (stops it moving once you've a few legs), carefully push the blade through the leg at the point of where is leaves the chip. The blade should then hit the wire you put through the legs and hopefully won't hit the circuit board.
Now with the chip removed you're left with the legs still soldered to the pads, it only takes a minute or so to remove the legs now. Hold your soldering iron on the pad (1) and drag it towards the leg (2), it'll push the leg off the pad, work your way along the row of pads (3). The legs will probably stay stuck to your soldering iron tip, after you have a couple on there wipe your tip off on a sponge.
That's it, finished, you should now have some nicely prepared pads ready to solder onto. They'll probably have yellow gunk around them, that's just the flux from the solder, it's there to help the solder stick better. You can leave the flux, or scrape it off (I have OCD, so naturally I have to remove it to make it look pretty! Although if you're not careful, you may scrape something you shouldn't)
2. Removing the PAL SNES or JPN SFC power LED
Not really that difficult, but a bit fiddly. Start by desoldering the legs of the existing LED, then cut the legs as close to the circuit board as possible.
Then push what's left of the legs through the circuit board. Then just pull the LED out, probably with the help of a screwdriver!
Not so bad after all! Now then, an American SNES is different completely, I haven't done one yet either!!
