Speaking as a person who has used a wave soldering machine for small production runs, although this was during the last century! I used to trim the leads before soldering.
We had a lead bending machine that would fold the component leads to the right pitch and trim off the tapes. The components were then inserted into the PCB in a turn over jig with foam backing, which held the components in place as the PCB was inverted. The leads were then trimmed with a cut and crimp tool (like this)
Industrial Tools - Xuron Corp. - Maker of hand tools for electronics, areospace, hobbies and jewelry industries.
This retains the component leads mechanically. Other components like IC sockets were tacked in place with a couple of manual solder joints.
The wave soldering machine also used a liquid flux bath which was agitated with an air supply to make it foam.
The soldering machine was kept in a separate area with forced ventilation, along with the etching tank equipment.
After wave soldering the PCB's were cleaned in concentrated detergent in an ultrasonic tank, before being washed in water, and dried with heat.
We had a lead bending machine that would fold the component leads to the right pitch and trim off the tapes. The components were then inserted into the PCB in a turn over jig with foam backing, which held the components in place as the PCB was inverted. The leads were then trimmed with a cut and crimp tool (like this)
Industrial Tools - Xuron Corp. - Maker of hand tools for electronics, areospace, hobbies and jewelry industries.
This retains the component leads mechanically. Other components like IC sockets were tacked in place with a couple of manual solder joints.
The wave soldering machine also used a liquid flux bath which was agitated with an air supply to make it foam.
The soldering machine was kept in a separate area with forced ventilation, along with the etching tank equipment.
After wave soldering the PCB's were cleaned in concentrated detergent in an ultrasonic tank, before being washed in water, and dried with heat.
I have been using a large 9x11in solder pot since 1999. I bought it from Jameco. I rewired it for 240v as it took about 20amps at 120v by putting the elements in series vs parallel.
I dip solder all my DIY PC boards and even pre-made PC boards that are through hole.
I have a long 4-40 spacer which I attach to the board with a 4-40 stainless steel screw. SS because the solder won't stick to it.
I paint the board copper side with water based liquid flux using a cheap Home Depot brush.
Holding the stuffed board by the spacer, i dip it into the freshly skimmed solder bath.
It does require some post bath rework with a soldering iron and solder wick for DIY boards without solder mask.
I'll post some pics.
I dip solder all my DIY PC boards and even pre-made PC boards that are through hole.
I have a long 4-40 spacer which I attach to the board with a 4-40 stainless steel screw. SS because the solder won't stick to it.
I paint the board copper side with water based liquid flux using a cheap Home Depot brush.
Holding the stuffed board by the spacer, i dip it into the freshly skimmed solder bath.
It does require some post bath rework with a soldering iron and solder wick for DIY boards without solder mask.
I'll post some pics.
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Perhaps my thoughts of buying/making a solder bath were misguided - the maximum number of boards I've ever needed to assemble at one time is 7 or 8 - usually much less. Given that I am a hobbyist and that my interest in audio lies more in loudspeaker systems, the amount of solder work I need to do is not great.
As an aside, it would seem that my error in soldering was in trying to heat both pad and component lead simultaneously, but with a 'dry' iron - then adding solder which was expected to melt into the joint and produce the necessaries ... The outcomes were generally not happy ones and so I tried a different approach :
After I got my first job and then bought a car, I developed quite an interest in its carburettors - and decided that they needed me to modify their emulsion tubes (4 of them, in fact) by drilling new holes and stopping others:- this was done by heating the local area of the tube with a pencil flame torch and then filling the unwanted holes with solder ... and yes, I still have that torch and have recently used it to perform soldering tasks even on pcb's. The torch has a slender nozzle which produces one central, rather long-ish, very slender flame, surrounded by a number of much shorter flames. When held near enough vertically to the pcb, it easily and quickly heats both pad and lead, simultaneously melting the solder to form a satisfactory joint.
More recently I was faced with the task of assembling and soldering six power amplifier pcb's for a three way stereo active speaker system. In that event I tried with some success to use a bigger torch, of the sort that wives use to 'flambe' their malva puddings (or so I'm told). The torch is significantly larger and has a larger nozzle producing more, but less intense flames. I used this initially to apply quite generous layering of solder onto the pads before populating the boards and then again after assembling the components, to melt the solder, forming a good connection to the pre-tinned component leads. The method works quite well and saves much time in soldering. (Also most useful when soldering large connections on passive crossovers).
As an aside, it would seem that my error in soldering was in trying to heat both pad and component lead simultaneously, but with a 'dry' iron - then adding solder which was expected to melt into the joint and produce the necessaries ... The outcomes were generally not happy ones and so I tried a different approach :
After I got my first job and then bought a car, I developed quite an interest in its carburettors - and decided that they needed me to modify their emulsion tubes (4 of them, in fact) by drilling new holes and stopping others:- this was done by heating the local area of the tube with a pencil flame torch and then filling the unwanted holes with solder ... and yes, I still have that torch and have recently used it to perform soldering tasks even on pcb's. The torch has a slender nozzle which produces one central, rather long-ish, very slender flame, surrounded by a number of much shorter flames. When held near enough vertically to the pcb, it easily and quickly heats both pad and lead, simultaneously melting the solder to form a satisfactory joint.
More recently I was faced with the task of assembling and soldering six power amplifier pcb's for a three way stereo active speaker system. In that event I tried with some success to use a bigger torch, of the sort that wives use to 'flambe' their malva puddings (or so I'm told). The torch is significantly larger and has a larger nozzle producing more, but less intense flames. I used this initially to apply quite generous layering of solder onto the pads before populating the boards and then again after assembling the components, to melt the solder, forming a good connection to the pre-tinned component leads. The method works quite well and saves much time in soldering. (Also most useful when soldering large connections on passive crossovers).
> with a 'dry' iron
(As you know) this does not work good.
Lumpy iron on flat pad and round lead- there is barely point-contact carrying heat.
Wet iron on pre-tinned pad and lead: the liquid solder gives large thermal contact. With clean pad and good flux-core, sometimes the pad does not need to be pre-tinned. But for very best results (when board won't burn), I like to have fat (not excessive) solder on everything, then join and touch it with the iron with little to no solder added in the joining.
(Yes, it does help to do thousands of joints....)
Fuel tubes are similar and different. Another fun one is a piano hammer-rail. A wood dowel crimped in a copper tube and soldered into brass stands. For repair (someone has torn-up the hammer screw holes) you get a new coppered-dowel but you have to solder it to the old stands. Which are large. Torches can get the wood hot enough to trip smoke alarms. We ended up with a 250W roofing iron plus my 45W. Both quite wet.
(As you know) this does not work good.
Lumpy iron on flat pad and round lead- there is barely point-contact carrying heat.
Wet iron on pre-tinned pad and lead: the liquid solder gives large thermal contact. With clean pad and good flux-core, sometimes the pad does not need to be pre-tinned. But for very best results (when board won't burn), I like to have fat (not excessive) solder on everything, then join and touch it with the iron with little to no solder added in the joining.
(Yes, it does help to do thousands of joints....)
Fuel tubes are similar and different. Another fun one is a piano hammer-rail. A wood dowel crimped in a copper tube and soldered into brass stands. For repair (someone has torn-up the hammer screw holes) you get a new coppered-dowel but you have to solder it to the old stands. Which are large. Torches can get the wood hot enough to trip smoke alarms. We ended up with a 250W roofing iron plus my 45W. Both quite wet.
Yes, if I have a factory made masked PC board and need just a few, I too will hand solder.
The primary reason for my solder bath is DIY PC boards lack a solder mask. And the DIY tinning solution pits over time. By dipping, I coat all exposed copper with solder. This has two advantages:
1) If there are small hairline cracks, the solder will bridge them - most of the time.
2) The layer of solder adds current carrying capacity to the traces.
Hi there Gusser !!
I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of coating the entire tracks - not just the pads. As you say, this will increase the track current carrying capacity and could even repair invisible breaks, and fact, these are reasons I like to layer solder over the whole track length also.
I get my boards made for me by a commercial group owned by a friend of mine, so they cost me nil but they come etched and drilled only - no masking.
Thanks so much for your replies, much appreciated.
Regards,
G.
I agree wholeheartedly with the idea of coating the entire tracks - not just the pads. As you say, this will increase the track current carrying capacity and could even repair invisible breaks, and fact, these are reasons I like to layer solder over the whole track length also.
I get my boards made for me by a commercial group owned by a friend of mine, so they cost me nil but they come etched and drilled only - no masking.
Thanks so much for your replies, much appreciated.
Regards,
G.
lead-free only?
I know it was 13 years ago but this comment caught the eye: "When eventually lead-free solder is all you can buy..."
My understanding (please correct if wrong) is that Pb-free isn't mandated for military/government/aerospace, or repair of old kit - Pb only disallowed in new products.
Does anyone have firm info on if/when 'proper' solder will be banned from sale to plebs like us
?
I know it was 13 years ago but this comment caught the eye: "When eventually lead-free solder is all you can buy..."
My understanding (please correct if wrong) is that Pb-free isn't mandated for military/government/aerospace, or repair of old kit - Pb only disallowed in new products.
Does anyone have firm info on if/when 'proper' solder will be banned from sale to plebs like us
?I don't think any hobbyist alive today has to worry. There is so much lead based solder in stock, it will be available as surplus for years to come. Especially in today's online marketplace.
Also keep in mind the PB-free laws do not apply to the United States and such new restrictions are unlikely under the Trump administration. One reason US manufactures use PB-free solder is for the European market.
And there's a good reason why the military is exempt. Tin wiskering which was discovered in the 1930s by Bell labs in their crossbar (relay) switching banks. The lead in solder prevents this from happening. The attitude by most computer hardware manufactures is that the device will be obsolete long before tin wiskering can occur. Short sighted thinking IMO!
Also keep in mind the PB-free laws do not apply to the United States and such new restrictions are unlikely under the Trump administration. One reason US manufactures use PB-free solder is for the European market.
And there's a good reason why the military is exempt. Tin wiskering which was discovered in the 1930s by Bell labs in their crossbar (relay) switching banks. The lead in solder prevents this from happening. The attitude by most computer hardware manufactures is that the device will be obsolete long before tin wiskering can occur. Short sighted thinking IMO!
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Nope, its bad practice and not used (unless you are talking bargain basement rubbish), choose the correct copper weight and track widths to carry the required current. The restistance of the solder is much higher than that of the copper. PCBs are readily available with 2oz copper or 1oz to start then when the holes are plated you get another ounce or so free.
But there's nothing wrong with it if solder plating your own boards. Of course a professionally made PC board is better. But I can design a basic circuit in the morning and have a finished mounted PC board by late afternoon.
And up to the late 1970s, solder plating over bare copper was widely used.
When I get into double sided, I then go commercial with soldermask.
I always make my tracks wide enough not counting the solder plate. But it does help conductivity versus bare copper.
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We use to do it into the 80's as well. Now we don't, just to hard to control and the benefits are minor, I'll try and dig out the work I and a couple others did on this a few years ago. We were surprised at how little it does help (we assessed copper bus bars at the same time, these do help), but it does protect the tracks from oxidisation.
If you haven't seen this tool give it a go, it used by many professional PCB designers and companies to determine current carying capacity based on the new IPC-2152 specification, worth a look at on its own.
https://www.saturnpcb.com/pcb_toolkit.htm
If you haven't seen this tool give it a go, it used by many professional PCB designers and companies to determine current carying capacity based on the new IPC-2152 specification, worth a look at on its own.
https://www.saturnpcb.com/pcb_toolkit.htm
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