Guide me through assembling DAC board? - Page 3

Markw4 · 02:26 AM

You want solder to flow all around the tab and pad on both sides. It can help to touch a small amount of solder between the iron tip and the tab (or the pad) as you are heating the joint to improve heat transfer from the iron, then once a small amount of solder starts to melt into that location move the solder around to make sure solder flows everywhere you want it to go. Again, its something you practice to learn from.

If you still have the old dac board with the poorly soldered RCA connectors, try using your solder wick and maybe a bit of extra flux to clean up the old solder. Then try soldering them properly, getting solder to flow on all sides of the tab and down into the hole. Again, you can apply more solder to an area that isn't getting as much as you think it should. You don't necessarily need to move the iron for that if you have the joint hot enough, just move the end of the solder wire to the spot that needs more solder. The solder should easily melt and flow into place there, wetting the metal to be joined and forming a meniscus. It shouldn't turn into a big ball unless you add too much. If that happens, then wick some off.

With a tab (or maybe a pin header pin, etc.), sometimes it can help to wiggle the tab a little using the solder iron tip to apply more then less contact pressure repeated a few times in a wiggling motion. It can help encourage solder to wick down into the PCB hole. Practice, practice, practice. Only way to learn.

mark3141 · 24th November 2019, 03:21 PM

I will certainly be practicing before attempting the next step. The difference between my first and second board is night and day, and that is due to practicing the advice I've received so far.

I was wondering, though, what the pros and cons would be to separating the RCA jacks from the board and simply soldering a wired connection from the PCB to the RCA jacks. This seems like it would be easier to do, and it would make it easier to house the assembly. For example, I could try and find a cheap receiver with enough female RCA jacks at Goodwill or on Craigslist and use the pre-existing holes, if not the jacks themselves instead of trying to find, create, or modify an enclosure that will work with this current design.

Markw4 · 24th November 2019, 03:27 PM

If you put the board in a box and want to use preexisting holes for panel-mount RCA jacks, it should be no problem even if you install the PCB-mount jacks on the board. You can just solder wires for the panel-mount jacks to the PCB in parallel with the PCB mount jacks. It won't hurt anything.

24th November 2019, 02:11 AM	#21
Markw4 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: California	You want solder to flow all around the tab and pad on both sides. It can help to touch a small amount of solder between the iron tip and the tab (or the pad) as you are heating the joint to improve heat transfer from the iron, then once a small amount of solder starts to melt into that location move the solder around to make sure solder flows everywhere you want it to go. Again, its something you practice to learn from. If you still have the old dac board with the poorly soldered RCA connectors, try using your solder wick and maybe a bit of extra flux to clean up the old solder. Then try soldering them properly, getting solder to flow on all sides of the tab and down into the hole. Again, you can apply more solder to an area that isn't getting as much as you think it should. You don't necessarily need to move the iron for that if you have the joint hot enough, just move the end of the solder wire to the spot that needs more solder. The solder should easily melt and flow into place there, wetting the metal to be joined and forming a meniscus. It shouldn't turn into a big ball unless you add too much. If that happens, then wick some off. With a tab (or maybe a pin header pin, etc.), sometimes it can help to wiggle the tab a little using the solder iron tip to apply more then less contact pressure repeated a few times in a wiggling motion. It can help encourage solder to wick down into the PCB hole. Practice, practice, practice. Only way to learn. Last edited by Markw4; 24th November 2019 at 02:26 AM.

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24th November 2019, 03:21 PM	#22
mark3141 Still learning... diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Texas transplant in MD	I will certainly be practicing before attempting the next step. The difference between my first and second board is night and day, and that is due to practicing the advice I've received so far. I was wondering, though, what the pros and cons would be to separating the RCA jacks from the board and simply soldering a wired connection from the PCB to the RCA jacks. This seems like it would be easier to do, and it would make it easier to house the assembly. For example, I could try and find a cheap receiver with enough female RCA jacks at Goodwill or on Craigslist and use the pre-existing holes, if not the jacks themselves instead of trying to find, create, or modify an enclosure that will work with this current design.

24th November 2019, 03:27 PM	#23
Markw4 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: California	If you put the board in a box and want to use preexisting holes for panel-mount RCA jacks, it should be no problem even if you install the PCB-mount jacks on the board. You can just solder wires for the panel-mount jacks to the PCB in parallel with the PCB mount jacks. It won't hurt anything.