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Help with solder

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ChadTower:


--- Quote from: Level42 on August 23, 2006, 02:30:57 pm ---3) Pre-solder (don't know how to call it really in English) the wires you want to connect to the old solder spots.

--- End quote ---


Great advice.  I had tons of trouble learning to solder at first.  Turned out my cheap Radio Shack 40W pencil iron, combined with some crappy solder, was working against me.  Learning is much easier with a decent tool (it's worth the investment if you want to learn for this hobby) and buy some fresh solder.

The English term he's searching for, I believe, is either tinning or wetting.  I've seen both.

Look here for a great explanation of soldering.

SithMaster:

alright now youve worried me on the iron.  i got mine from radioshack for 8 dollars 30 watt i think.

i was tinning the wire but it still wouldnt stick to the copper.  o well i went back to the other keyboard chip and when i finished soldering the wires would generate a keypress.  i still need more practice but it was a good learning experience.

any recommendations on thickness of solder?  mainly electronics like wires to a pcb.  thanks for the tips.

ChadTower:


--- Quote from: SithMaster on August 24, 2006, 02:02:24 pm ---alright now youve worried me on the iron.  i got mine from radioshack for 8 dollars 30 watt i think.
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There is nothing wrong with the 30 watt pencil.  It will be harder to learn with, though, as you have no control over the temperature (nor does it).




--- Quote ---any recommendations on thickness of solder?  mainly electronics like wires to a pcb.  thanks for the tips.

--- End quote ---

Yeah, use the thickness that allows you to easily make solder joints of the appropriate size.  When in doubt err on the thin side and just put a bit more on.

Level42:

There you go: tinning is actualy exactly the same word we use here...(vertinnen)...but I thought it would look stupid HAHA  :laugh2:

Anyway, it's better to have a litlle more power on the iron. An iron with not enough power will take a long time to heat the part (and solder) enough to let it get fluent. Doing this heats up the part and can damage it. A more powerful iron takes less time to reach the fluent fase of the solder, so you can apply it in a shorter time.

I think the 30 W should be enough. What also is important is that your iron tip is in good condition. Clean it. And tin it !!! Put some solder on the tip and let it float. This is the one time you may use plenty of solder. Then, to get rid of the surplus either "slam"/shake it off but be carefull with this, aim at a direction that can take the hot bulbs of tin...guess this is not really a safe practice but it is the best way. Another way is using a very wet sponge, but the solder tends not to "let loose" of the tip when you use that method. Now you should end up with a nice shining tinned tip.
If you're not able to do this, get a new tip. By the way, your tip could be a bit thinner if your going to buy a new one anyway.

Personaly, I like my solder to be as thin as possible, especialy for PCB repairs. But generelay the thinner the solder, the easier it floats.

Of course, the best soldering iron is a soldering station. This has no real weight in the iron itself and has temperature control. But they are pretty expensive for the occasional use.


shardian:

This is the one I got. Works great.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BASSKI/sr=8-1/qid=1156449704/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2127433-4255029?ie=UTF8


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