Soldering. Was: PG-380

A lot of good advice IMHO; although I seldom do much  soldering any more.

BTW:  I thought that lead was removed from solder a great number of 
years ago.  Not so???

As for tinning the gun/iron tip I just heat it up and stick it in the 
tin of flux.  Most of the time it comes out shiny.

Regards,
James
.
.


>         Mon Dec 21, 2015 12:26 pm (PST) . Posted by:
>
>
>       "Matt M" mattinthebox2000
>       <mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20PG-380>
>
> Long time lurker here who just wanted to share my soldering experience.
> Now as Bob and some others have said...
> Right... use flux & dont be afraid to use plenty of it.
> Besides being a "cleaner" it also aids in heat transfer from the tip 
> of your iron to the solder you're trying to flow.
>
> You don't wanna gop it on but use it liberally, spread it all over 
> your contacts/pads (where you want the solder to flow).
> Just like with plumbing you want a solid bond without leaks (or when 
> dealing with electronics, intermittent connections) so you clean the 
> joint to ensure a good bond (cold solder joints can play hell with 
> electronic repairs).
> You use sand paper to make the joint physically clean & the flux 
> ensures your bond will be chemically clean.
> A little oil from a leaking cap can cause problems with the solder 
> sticking properly so that's where the flux is necessary to clean away 
> the oil & it also makes the solder flow like a pro (watch some youtube 
> videos of soldering IC's by hand).
> Since this isn't plumbing sanding shouldn't really be necessary as 
> these small boards are usually kept in conditions where oxidation 
> shouldn't be a big problem so just a little bit of flux should do just 
> fine (otherwise you risk damaging the traces on the board from sanding).
> The trick to a good bond is to get your iron up to temp then get in & 
> get out.
> Overheating the pad by taking too long can cause the copper trace to 
> lift off the board which complicates the repair so if you're new to 
> soldering then practice on old electronics till you get the hang of it 
> & your timing is where it needs to be.
>
> I get alotta boards out of TV's, stereo's, computers, etc from a junk 
> man friend of mine to experiment with.
> He says you can find electronic stuff in the trash just about anywhere.
> I have re-purposed lots of it (buttons, switches, potentiometers, film 
> caps, etc) & have modded many guitar pedals & stuff with all the junk 
> he brings me. I guess I'm doing my part to be "green" & recycle.
> It's important to get comfortable reflowing solder around transformers 
> & other components to get a feel for your equipment & what sorta time 
> is involved before jumping in both feet first & trashing your board. 
> Once you do that most all mods & repairs will be a breeze to do.
> A problem I have noticed when I hear about solder not flowing for 
> people is that most people don't ever re-tin their tip & that can 
> cause heat transfer issues as well.Stop in your nearby electronics 
> shop, they'll have tip tinner & get the proper solder (using plumbing 
> solder is like trying to thread a needle with a rope, it's too big).
> Grab a "kester pocket pack" of solder or equivalent.
> Most electronic solder should be around .75mm (.031") - 1.0mm (.040") 
> in diameter & be like 60/40% Tin/Lead.
> I use "Kester 44" which is 1.0mm (.040") diameter & is 66/44 Tin/Lead. 
> It's like $14usd for a 1lb roll & flows well.
> So... Grab some solder, some size 2 desoldering wick (if you don't 
> have a desoldering bulb or vacuum pump for removing excess solder) & a 
> small can of "tip tinner", it's like a compound that prepares your tip 
> if its caked up with carbon.Along with tinning the tip of your iron 
> you should also have a damp sponge at your station as well to remove 
> excess solder from the tip of your iron.
> Heat your iron till it's up to temp, then stick it in the tinner. Wipe 
> it clean on the damp sponge & your iron is ready to go.If you've 
> already removed the existing caps then flux the pads on the board, 
> place the desoldering wick on the pad then apply heat with your iron. 
> The flux will melt first then the solder should liquefy quickly after 
> then get absorbed into the wick. Remove the iron & wick while it's 
> still hot to prevent the wick from sticking to the board.Now apply 
> flux on "both" the new cap & the pad on the board.place the cap (in 
> the correct polarity) on the board & touch the iron to each solder 
> joint. It should bond quickly if prepped properly.
> Usually there's enough solder left on the pads when removing/replacing 
> existing components but In some cases a small dab of solder is necessary.
> You should only need to "tin" components when they're new, like a new 
> board or bare wire.
> Replace any other leaking caps or defective parts in the same manner.
>
> If you were patient & careful you should now have a working board again.
> Now that's just my opinion & it may vary from others but I've always 
> had good experiences using the above methods.Hope it will help some of 
> you guys & if you need me to clarify anything or have further 
> questions just holler & I'll answer to the best of my ability...
> Matt
>
> <mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20PG-380>



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Posted by: JAMES HARRISON <[email protected]>
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