Soldering Information & Tips

[TMaster]

Guys, this thread is to better serve people that are new to soldering or need help with soldering. Please add to the thread with your tips and tricks and whatever you think is usefull information.

I made up some videos yesterday. I sound like a teenager so don't make too much fun! I'm really in my 30's .

Soldering supplies info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW9xn0mYMqI
Deans Ultra and 4mm bullet connectors info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-6odVAY70U
Soldering a Deans Connectors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8CslwOXhaI
Soldering a 4mm bullet connector
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn3-SqUf8hA

I forgot to mention that I wipe the iron tip with the wet sponge after every time I use solder or touch the iron to the connection. It get rid of the slag and junk that sticks on the tip.

I use 20-25W for soldering small surface mount connections and components, 40W for soldering battery connectors on RC and Ebike connectors, and 80W for soldering battery bars on larger cells.

 

[GCinDC]

I use ...40W for soldering battery connectors on RC and Ebike connectors, and 80W for soldering battery bars on larger cells.

Hey T,

I used your technique to solder up a bunch of 4mm bullets this weekend. Worked well, but for the heating up part...

Did you used the 40W for that? How on earth does it get hot enought??? How long do you have to hold it?? I can't understand why mine takes forever to heat up!

I've got the booster soldering iron on order, and hoping it has a chisel tip. My 40W has a tiny tip. So this time, I used a 130/230W Radio Shack soldering iron:

With a blazing red tip, it took over several minutes to get hot enough... I actually went through several tips until I ended up having to use some ridiculous flat pad thingy, an inch by inch...

To be honest, I'd bought two of these for the job, but smoke started coming out of the vents and the tip housings were about to fall out...

So I guess those aren't for that model... The ones I did use were from an older kit, were longer, copper and got red very quickly... (But they deteriorated alarmingly fast, and finally cracked at the tip... )

 

[GCinDC]

PS, I tried this method also but solder splashed out when I put the wire in, and since it barely fit anyway, I found it easier to put the wire in first. I liked that the wood held it so I could press the iron against it, but did NOT like the risk of overflow, since the housing won't fit...
[youtube]B9yY9Kk4bEA[/youtube]

 

[texaspyro]

A few observations from a solder snob with manned spaceflight soldering qualifications:

It appears that you are hitting the joint with the solder too early. The joint should be hot enough to melt the solder before you touch it with the solder.

In the Deans video, it looks like you were using solder that was too small for the joint and had to feed too long a piece of solder in. Ideally, you don't want to feed in less than an inch of solder.

Also, you should have better stability in the solder/connector joint than helping hands and masking tape can provide, particularly with one or both ends floating in the air. Your joints were moving while cooling down. In the Deans video, the current has to flow through a pretty substantial solder blob between the wire and the connector pin.

When soldering Deans connectors you should do what they tell you not to do! Mate the connector with its opposite sex before soldering. It does not need to be fully mated, just enough to keep the pins stable since the plastic housing will soften and allow the pins to move.

Also, transferring solder via a hot tip as shown in the Deans Ultra video is a definite no-no.

One thing that is good to do when soldering Deans, but very difficult to pull off correctly, is to get half the wire bundle on each side of the pin. This helps it carry the current better.

 

[number1cruncher]

I forgot to mention that I wipe the iron tip with the wet sponge after every time I use solder or touch the iron to the connection. It get rid of the slag and junk that sticks on the tip.

This is great advise, but it also helps to dip your iron tip in some tip cleaner each time before the above step.

 

[El_Steak]

I used your technique to solder up a bunch of 4mm bullets this weekend. Worked well, but for the heating up part...

Did you used the 40W for that? How on earth does it get hot enought??? How long do you have to hold it?? I can't understand why mine takes forever to heat up!

60W+ maybe a bit better for 10AWG wire and the 4mm bullet. That being said, if you haven't done so, make sure you keep your tip squeaky clean and tinned. To do so, simply melt some solder on it and rub it on a wet sponge, it should instantly become nice and shinny. At that point apply the heat and it should transfer quickly to your work. If your tip hasn't been properly tinned and cleaned when it was new, and is now all brownish and corroded, you might have to switch to a new one.

 

[GCinDC]

brownish and corroded

Time to switch to a new one!

I sharpened a tip on the grinder for a small project. Is that okay to do w/ an old one? It looked nice a clean... for a while.. :wink:

 

[TMaster]

GCinDC, go for a pencil type iron, 80W weller is really nice for the bullets. THe 40W i was using was almost to small to do the bullet connectors.

A few observations from a solder snob with manned spaceflight soldering qualifications:

1. It appears that you are hitting the joint with the solder too early. The joint should be hot enough to melt the solder before you touch it with the solder.

2. In the Deans video, it looks like you were using solder that was too small for the joint and had to feed too long a piece of solder in. Ideally, you don't want to feed in less than an inch of solder.

3. Also, you should have better stability in the solder/connector joint than helping hands and masking tape can provide, particularly with one or both ends floating in the air. Your joints were moving while cooling down. In the Deans video, the current has to flow through a pretty substantial solder blob between the wire and the connector pin.

4. When soldering Deans connectors you should do what they tell you not to do! Mate the connector with its opposite sex before soldering. It does not need to be fully mated, just enough to keep the pins stable since the plastic housing will soften and allow the pins to move.

5. Also, transferring solder via a hot tip as shown in the Deans Ultra video is a definite no-no.

One thing that is good to do when soldering Deans, but very difficult to pull off correctly, is to get half the wire bundle on each side of the pin. This helps it carry the current better.

solder snob is right!!! lol

1. Doesn't matter, once it heats up everything will melt into place.
2. Yes it was small, but that doesnt matter either, just feed more in!
3. There was plenty of stability. The joint was not moving while it was cooling down. If you look very closely at the video you can see after I had taken the iron off the solder was still molten and the joint was not moving, then if you look really close you can see the joint freeze.
4. Sounds like a good Idea, thanks for the tip!
5. This is fine as long as all the solder flows together, hence the extra flux....
6. This sounds like a good idea for stability of the connection and heatshinking over the connection better. I don't think it will make any difference in the current carry.

We are soldering large battery connectors here. As long as you have a good solid connection and not a cold joint you are fine. This is not nasa micro circuit soldering, if it was then yes most of what you said would apply.

If you want to check out me replacing the 116 MCU twice on the same board go here: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21821 Theres a few pics towards the top for the removal and one pic at the bottom of the first page for the finish replacement.

 

[texaspyro]

All that said, I've been known to use a propane torch to solder these things It warms up faster than those new fangled electrical doohickies.

 

[TMaster]

Sweet like for joining copper pipes! That would come handy for doing lots of connectors. I found myself getting a headache from hours of soldering holding the iron next to my face. Hmm I may look into that next time I do another build.

 

[oldpiper]

All that said, I've been known to use a propane torch to solder these things It warms up faster than those new fangled electrical doohickies.

Then, of course, there's the hybrid (gas->metal) type:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3086616&numProdsPerPage=60

 

[texaspyro]

Then, of course, there's the hybrid (gas->metal) type:

Naaah, they still take time to warm up I can be an awfully impatient SOB (Hey, Alan... got that controller designed built yet? You've had that micro for a whole week now!)

When soldering connectors (or anything short of copper pipe) with a torch, you REALLY need a lot of experience and technique to pull it off. Blobs of molten plastic oozing down your crotch and some of the most horrible connections you have ever seen await the uninitiated.

 

[deVries]

Then, of course, there's the hybrid (gas->metal) type:

Naaah, they still take time to warm up I can be an awfully impatient SOB (Hey, Alan... got that controller designed built yet? You've had that micro for a whole week now!)

When soldering connectors (or anything short of copper pipe) with a torch, you REALLY need a lot of experience and technique to pull it off. Blobs of molten plastic oozing down your crotch and some of the most horrible connections you have ever seen await the uninitiated.

Thanks for all the tips & ideas guys...

How about this one? ...is this hot enough or too wimpy?

SOLDERPRO 70K

PRO-70K KIT: The SOLDERPRO 70K is a 4-in-1 kit containing the following items: the PRO-70 SOLDERING IRON/TORCH, a blow torch tip, a 1 mm Conical Soldering Tip (S-01), hot knife (S-05), heat blower ( S-07), roll of solder, a safety cap with a built in flint igniter, all packaged in a blow-molded case. The SOLDERPRO 70 is a Butane Powered Portable Multi-Function Heat Tool. It is the standard manual ignition toolfor hobbyists, engineers, and technicians. Equivalent to a power range 25-80 Watts. Cordless. Simple and safe operation under any conditions, anywhere. Complete portability Ready to use 20 seconds after ignition. Tank contains fuelfor 90 minutes of operation. No electrical interference. Comes with soldering tip and protective cap. Possible Applications: Electrical/Electronic Circuit Repair Light Gauge Welding Brazing Light Plumbing Jewelry, Eyeglass Frame Repair Model Building Arts and Crafts Dental Wax Corrections Thawing Frozen Locks and more.

 

[texaspyro]

I sharpened a tip on the grinder for a small project. Is that okay to do w/ an old one? It looked nice a clean... for a while.. :wink:

For a short while, a very short while. Solder dissolves copper. Break the plating on a tip and it is toast... nasty, piited , Edward James Olmos zitty toast.

 

[limey2]

all this talk of the right size and wattage iron makes me feel like a man from the stone age. i use the same 3 irons that my dad and my gandad used( i myself am 62) they must be 80 to 100 years old and still look like they were bought last year. they have to be heated in a bare flame till the tip goes green and not overheated or the solder will eat into the copper. i have used them for many projects including compleat battery builds, where i use the biggest iron 2 1/2" x 1 1/4" square which gets the tag to cell joint hot very quick so as not to cook the cell,

 

[TMaster]

This year I upgraded to a Weller WLC100 iron station. I was getting so tired of Radiosh*t's soldering iron tips wearing out so fast. They just suck so bad.... I am still on my orginal T7 and T3 weller tips I bought with the iron and have been using them for months. 8)

 

[GCinDC]

I bought this and am so happy! If you're shopping, buy it!

These little el-cheapo irons are the best thing to ever happen to soldering (except a heat-gun).

Idle's at 20w, just enough to keep the temp up, but not oxidize the tip. Hit the button when you're trying to solder big stuff, bam! 130w power. This is a 20w/130w version. I have a 15w/150w version which has lasted me years now, and I would pick it over the $1,000 soldering iron setups.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270628078191&rvr_id=144166502652&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=%3F*I8&GUID=6f90709b12a0a0aad2e16961fe648ddd&itemid=270628078191&ff4=263602_263622

After a night of soldering, tinning and cleaning, the tip is still gorgeous! Man, I never would have known. And flux, wow. Soldering little spliced Halls or Throttle wires with flux and a tinned soldering iron tip. ZAP! presto. Incredible!! Total convert.

Now some additional tips for soldering noobs doing bullets:
If you're using the helping hands, put a cup of ice water nearby to douse your fingers in after you try and undo the clips too soon. I can't tell you how many times I did that! And whatever you do, don't stick your burnt finger on your tongue to cool it! You probably have flux on it... This may be something you have to do once to never, ever do again. And if you do burn your finger and stick flux on your tongue, forget about finishing the job at hand - go wash your mouth right away. :lol: With my old crappy iron that took too long, I was damned if I was going to remove the heat from the project and waited too long...

NOW, can someone provide tips on how to heat shrink tubing? Is a heat gun the only way, or are there other good methods? Side shaft of the soldering iron?

 

[nicobie]

NOW, can someone provide tips on how to heat shrink tubing? Is a heat gun the only way, or are there other good methods? Side shaft of the soldering iron?

I just use a cheap lighter. Works fine.

 

[Inkidu]

The best video I have seen on some of the key points to good soldering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4&feature=channel
While this video shows work being done on a printed circuit board the important part is the WHY soldering should be done in a certain way.
Hope this helps.

 

[ambroseliao]

NOW, can someone provide tips on how to heat shrink tubing? Is a heat gun the only way, or are there other good methods? Side shaft of the soldering iron?

I just use an old blow dryer set on high and hold the bd nozzle close to the heat shrink. I move it so that it gets all sides. Works well and won't burn the HS unless you leave it in one spot too long.

Does anyone know of a good source of cheap heat shrink?

Ambrose

 

[GCinDC]

Does anyone know of a good source of cheap heat shrink?

Well you can get pay $4-6 at radio shack for a small bag of odd sizes (or a couple big ones) or you can get ~30' of it shipped for $10 (intl air - 3wks?)
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?catname=Shrink+Tube&idCategory=375&ParentCat=58

On last order, I got 3 meters each of the 3mm, 4mm & 6mm and wish i got more!

 

[fizzit]

Should a 100w iron be able to solder together a bundle containing an 8, 10, and 12 gauge wire? I put them all together and wrapped the joint in a couple of strands from another wire to keep it together, and the soldering gun just didn't cut it. The solder went onto the strands on the outside but I couldn't get it to penetrate the joint.

 

[nicobie]

I get mine from Dealextreme. They also have assortments 3 meters long and individual sizes too. Do a search for 'shrink wrap' when on their site. Free shipping too!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.23452

 

[Inkidu]

Should a 100w iron be able to solder together a bundle containing an 8, 10, and 12 gauge wire? I put them all together and wrapped the joint in a couple of strands from another wire to keep it together, and the soldering gun just didn't cut it. The solder went onto the strands on the outside but I couldn't get it to penetrate the joint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh9pWu6K6tc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
I am far from an expert but these are some tips that might help.
1) setup a "heat bridge" with a small amount solder between the tip and the wire.
2) flux is your friend
3) oxidation on the wires will cause the solder not to "stick" and/or flow (see tip #2)
Hope this helps.
And as my previous post this might help. This guy seems to have good technique to me. IMO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4&feature=channel

 

[fizzit]

Should a 100w iron be able to solder together a bundle containing an 8, 10, and 12 gauge wire? I put them all together and wrapped the joint in a couple of strands from another wire to keep it together, and the soldering gun just didn't cut it. The solder went onto the strands on the outside but I couldn't get it to penetrate the joint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh9pWu6K6tc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
I am far from an expert but these are some tips that might help.
1) setup a "heat bridge" with a small amount solder between the tip and the wire.
2) flux is your friend
3) oxidation on the wires will cause the solder not to "stick" and/or flow (see tip #2)
Hope this helps.
And as my previous post this might help. This guy seems to have good technique to me. IMO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4&feature=channel

Thank you! I will try out those tips