Best solder and wire for Pass diy amplifiers ?

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Hi Experienced diyers:)
I have ready on the table pcb's for F4,F5 and AlephJ amps with components but first timer like me esitate about choice to make for
pure and solid connections on pcb with solder
and between psu,rca,speakers with wire.
My questions is:
Your prefered solder is?
Silver,silver with gold,copper,leaded ,leaded free etc???

Your prefered wire for connections pcb's and psu,pcb's and rca
pcb's and speakers outs?
Solid core wire ,stranded,shielded,teflon,diameters please etc???

Hope Yours response bring help for newbies like me
:djinn::wrench:
Thanks
:cool:
 
Official Court Jester
Joined 2003
Paid Member
there are so many nice pictures of open original FW thingies

look at various threads , same as on 6moon tests/articles

list here : FIRST WATT REVIEWS

so - take a good look at pictures and use your brain , along with eyes

use proper industrial quality solder (Fluitin , for instance ) , 0,7-1mm dia

anything else is fifi mumbo jumbo

and yes - use 0,1mm dia silvered copper wire for input signal wires ...... ;)
 
Ex-Moderator R.I.P.
Joined 2005
for the non experienced I think 60/40 lead solder might be easier to handle

quality is not a question of which solder, but first and most a matter of final result

copper wire, just ordinary copper
and use the size that gives a neat result
look at connection points, and decide in each case what will be easy to do

its not meant to look like a fight
if it looks good it also sounds good :D
 
For AndrewT
Eutectic 63 tin % 37 lead is preffered because it goes
directly from a solid to liquid state when melted(fragment from definition)
Strong point+up:nod:
Thanks AndrewT

For Zen Mod
Yeah!
Not jumbo stuff be necessary industrial solder like Flutin
be corosion protected and i belive this industrial guys have tested
them very strictly one+up:house:
Great First Watt amps inside photos is a gold mining for dia yes.
I can learn lot about top quality class A circuit.
But please stop me a dream ZM:D
What gentlemans with shield wire and magnetic radiation
from Antek transformers:magnet:
Its useful shield wire :scratch:
Thanks for share first hand experience:wrench:
 
Official Court Jester
Joined 2003
Paid Member
as AndrewT always sez - twist them , tight

however , I'm always finding amusing to put shielded mains wire , from back of amp to xformer

shield connected on upper ( at back plate ) side only

you can find proper shield in old VGA cables ( plenty dead CRTs around)

so - if you organize amp guts as seen on FW pics , no need for xformer shielding

though , if you find proper ham or beans can in local shop , eat it

then put it , but do not touch central bolt with it (which means very probable bzzzzzzzzpufff :clown: )
 
"however , I'm always finding amusing to put shielded mains wire , from back of amp to xformer

shield connected on upper ( at back plate ) side only

you can find proper shield in old VGA cables ( plenty dead CRTs around)
put it , but do not touch central bolt with it
(which means very probable bzzzzzzzzpufff )"
Thanks Zen Mod:treasure:

Right i make it this in my diy amp:):wrench:
 
Stranded, but do be sure to tin the ends
first before you shape them to purpose.

I prefer tin/silver or tin/copper/sliver.
with a squeeze bottle of corrosive water
soluble flux. Yes, corrosive!

I prefer Kester 60/40 when drowning the
finished board in water is not an option.
The old fashioned multicore tree sap flux
is reliable, if messy...

Never use pure tin (SN100), its crap...
Never "no clean flux", crap on crap...

Keep solvents and alcohol away from
enameled wires, especially inductors.
Most water soluble fluxes have alcohol
in the flux itself. This might be the one
case where you would use a "no clean"...
 
Last edited:
"When solder melts and forms a joint between two metal surfaces, it actually forms a metallurgical bond by chemically reacting with the other metal surfaces. A good bond requires two things, a solder that is metallurgically compatible with the metals being bonded and good metal surfaces, free of oxides, dust, and grime that prevent good bonding. Grime and dust can easily be removed by cleaning or prevented with good storage techniques. Oxides, on the other hand need another approach.Oxides form on almost all metals when oxygen reacts with the metal. On iron, oxidation is commonly called rust, but it happens to tin, aluminum, copper, silver, and nearly every metal used in electronics. Oxides make soldering much more difficult or even impossible, preventing a metallurgical bond with the solder. Oxidization happens all of the time, but happens much faster at higher temperatures, like when soldering Flux cleans metal surfaces and reacts with the oxide layer, leaving a surface primed for a good solder bond. Flux remains on the surface of the metal while soldering which prevents additional oxides from forming due to the high heat of soldering.For many applications, the flux included in the core of the solder wire is sufficient. However, there are several applications where additional flux is extremely beneficial, such as surface mount soldering and desoldering. In all cases, the best flux to use is the least acidic (least aggressive) flux that will work on the oxide on the components and result in a good solder bond." :flame:

Like always intellectual understanding is far from put hands on.
Kenpeter thanks one +up:bulb:
i try it experiment on free pcb at home
 
for Zen Mod
With today nanotechnology we never now i joke
but you are absolutely right 0,1mm solid core
for input audio silvered copper not pure silver
why if be not big buck and short?
Its about copper conductivity and musicality of materials?
Silvered protect against corosion?
 
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