If this is your first attempt at soldering, don't try it on the actual speakers. Buy a cheap terminal strip and practice soldering some spare wire to that first. You'll get the hang of it after a couple tries. Then you'll be ready to solder onto those fine drivers. Why risk wrecking one or making a crappy solder joint where it counts most?
Soldering is VERY easy, but, like any other skill, takes just a little practice to get right.
Peace,
Tom E
Soldering is VERY easy, but, like any other skill, takes just a little practice to get right.
Peace,
Tom E
Hi Peter, that may be true, buy I have not found it so, perhaps my joints were contaminated by traces of a lead solder or were pre-tinned at the factory which makes using a lead free solder problematic.
It is interesting however that all military soldering is still done with 50/50 lead solder due to the poor reliability of the alternatives
regards
Ted
It is interesting however that all military soldering is still done with 50/50 lead solder due to the poor reliability of the alternatives
regards
Ted
One trick I learned soldering aircraft in the military is always leave a blob of solder on the tip when its not in use. I have had tips last 5 years that were used almost everyday doing this. If the tip cannot become smooth and shiny with *no* solder right after you wipe it in a wet sponge then its a tip I don't want to use. The blob job works good, when you go to use the iron just tap it against something for the blob to fall off, wipe on a wet sponge, and you have a perfect shiny tip ready to go.
Wet sponge is not good with leadfree. It's even more important to keep the tip tinned using LF solder since the "wetability" is worse than for leaded. When you wipe the tip at a wet/damp sponge it becomes way to clean and oxidation sets in quick.
Oxidation also increases with temperature and normally one is using a slightly higher temp with LF.
The recommendation is to use a special kind of steel wool and/or a salmiak stone, that makes the trick.
Also it's important to find the right LF solder for the job.
When using RoHS parts and LF solder and the above described techniques it works fine.
The reliability of LF joints are fine for most use and studies has shown it to be even better than leaded on several parameters.
The alarming reports use to be about companies that have done mistakes when switching over to LF or whiskers growing on some components/circuit boards casuing shorts and malfunction. AFAIK it's not LF as such that casue whiskers but the use of electro plated parts.
If memory serves me (I think there has been in depth discussion here at DIY about this earlier) this can be avoided by heating up and tin the surfaces with solder during assembly/soldering.
Something like that!
/Peter
Oxidation also increases with temperature and normally one is using a slightly higher temp with LF.
The recommendation is to use a special kind of steel wool and/or a salmiak stone, that makes the trick.
Also it's important to find the right LF solder for the job.
When using RoHS parts and LF solder and the above described techniques it works fine.
The reliability of LF joints are fine for most use and studies has shown it to be even better than leaded on several parameters.
The alarming reports use to be about companies that have done mistakes when switching over to LF or whiskers growing on some components/circuit boards casuing shorts and malfunction. AFAIK it's not LF as such that casue whiskers but the use of electro plated parts.
If memory serves me (I think there has been in depth discussion here at DIY about this earlier) this can be avoided by heating up and tin the surfaces with solder during assembly/soldering.
Something like that!
/Peter
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