Stupid question about binding posts

iwf · 24th April 2007, 05:48 PM

As the question suggests I've stupid question to ask about binding posts.

The speaker connectors on the UcD modules are sized to take either 1.25mm or 2.5mm cable. clamping the wire into the connectors is child's play but soldering the other end on decent sized speaker posts is a nightmare.

either my iron is just too small but I really struggle to make the joint and the merest puff of wind and the joint breaks. smaller posts and smaller wire works fine, but having imported these damn things from HK I don't want to give up just yet.

Do I just need a bigger soldering iron capable of keeping the solder 'wet' long enough to fix, or am i missing a trick here.

regards

ruerose · 24th April 2007, 06:26 PM

give us a play by play of your technique, first thing that comes to mind is that your not cleaning and tinning the leads correctly.

iwf · 24th April 2007, 09:18 PM

The tinning all goes fine, it the attaching to the binding posts that does work. The more solder I add the bigger the lump on the end of the wire gets.

I've tried holding the iron against the posts but they don't get hot enough to melt the solder on the wires. it's as if the mass of the tinned wire and the thickness of the posts combines to make it impossible for everything to be hot enough to adhere one surface to another

spock · 24th April 2007, 09:25 PM

Sounds like your iron isn't powerfull enough to heat the posts to a high enough temp. to melt the solder to them.

Pano · 24th April 2007, 10:05 PM

Big posts can sink a lot of heat. Soldering them is not easy. You need a hot iron and a big tip.

One thing you can do is to remove all parts you can from the post. The less metal mass there is, the quicker you can heat it. If there are parts you can't remove, at least make them loose - it helps.

If that fails, time for bigger iron!

lgabco · 24th April 2007, 10:35 PM

I think that the leads are working as efficient heatsink in your case. You need at least 250 degree Celsius for exclent welding. If the mass of your heated part of iron is approx. the same as the mass of the cable the the temterature of connected material is lowered by factor of 2 faster then you can make a good job.
Another possibility is to heat up the iron to 500 deg. Celsius

I hope this help,
Ladislav

sawreyrw · 24th April 2007, 11:16 PM

Maybe you need a crimp contact with a lug.

Conrad Hoffman · 24th April 2007, 11:25 PM

Big lugs take a lot of power to heat up for a good solder joint. It sounds like you aren't getting it hot enough for the solder to flow properly. You need a higher wattage iron and larger tip. I don't solder many large lugs, so can't justify a big iron, but the inexpensive butane powered torches with a soldering iron tip do the job just fine. Weller makes a nice one, or there are lots of ok imports.

iwf · 25th April 2007, 06:03 AM

Gentlemen

Many thanks for all your comments.

As you say, and as I suspected, I need a bigger iron or smaller binding posts.

The only other thing I could do is find a way to mechanically fix the wires to the posts. Time for a trip to Maplin.

Thanks again

Lostcause · 25th April 2007, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by iwf
Gentlemen

Many thanks for all your comments.

As you say, and as I suspected, I need a bigger iron or smaller binding posts.

The only other thing I could do is find a way to mechanically fix the wires to the posts. Time for a trip to Maplin.

Thanks again

These things do the job and they are on special offer... a real bargain, I can't live without mine:
Turn it up

You can even get a blow torch attchment!!!

24th April 2007, 05:48 PM	#1
iwf diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London	Stupid question about binding posts As the question suggests I've stupid question to ask about binding posts. The speaker connectors on the UcD modules are sized to take either 1.25mm or 2.5mm cable. clamping the wire into the connectors is child's play but soldering the other end on decent sized speaker posts is a nightmare. either my iron is just too small but I really struggle to make the joint and the merest puff of wind and the joint breaks. smaller posts and smaller wire works fine, but having imported these damn things from HK I don't want to give up just yet. Do I just need a bigger soldering iron capable of keeping the solder 'wet' long enough to fix, or am i missing a trick here. regards

24th April 2007, 10:05 PM	#5
Pano diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: North Carolina Blog Entries: 4	Big posts can sink a lot of heat. Soldering them is not easy. You need a hot iron and a big tip. One thing you can do is to remove all parts you can from the post. The less metal mass there is, the quicker you can heat it. If there are parts you can't remove, at least make them loose - it helps. If that fails, time for bigger iron! __________________ Take the Speaker Voltage Test!

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24th April 2007, 06:26 PM	#2
ruerose diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2005	give us a play by play of your technique, first thing that comes to mind is that your not cleaning and tinning the leads correctly.

24th April 2007, 09:18 PM	#3
iwf diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London	The tinning all goes fine, it the attaching to the binding posts that does work. The more solder I add the bigger the lump on the end of the wire gets. I've tried holding the iron against the posts but they don't get hot enough to melt the solder on the wires. it's as if the mass of the tinned wire and the thickness of the posts combines to make it impossible for everything to be hot enough to adhere one surface to another

24th April 2007, 09:25 PM	#4
spock diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North of TO.	Sounds like your iron isn't powerfull enough to heat the posts to a high enough temp. to melt the solder to them.

24th April 2007, 10:35 PM	#6
lgabco diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	I think that the leads are working as efficient heatsink in your case. You need at least 250 degree Celsius for exclent welding. If the mass of your heated part of iron is approx. the same as the mass of the cable the the temterature of connected material is lowered by factor of 2 faster then you can make a good job. Another possibility is to heat up the iron to 500 deg. Celsius I hope this help, Ladislav

24th April 2007, 11:16 PM	#7
sawreyrw diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Minnesota	Maybe you need a crimp contact with a lug.

24th April 2007, 11:25 PM	#8
Conrad Hoffman diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Canandaigua, NY USA	Big lugs take a lot of power to heat up for a good solder joint. It sounds like you aren't getting it hot enough for the solder to flow properly. You need a higher wattage iron and larger tip. I don't solder many large lugs, so can't justify a big iron, but the inexpensive butane powered torches with a soldering iron tip do the job just fine. Weller makes a nice one, or there are lots of ok imports.

25th April 2007, 06:03 AM	#9
iwf diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London	Gentlemen Many thanks for all your comments. As you say, and as I suspected, I need a bigger iron or smaller binding posts. The only other thing I could do is find a way to mechanically fix the wires to the posts. Time for a trip to Maplin. Thanks again

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