ok, i've improved at soldering since last time, turns out the major problem was that i didn't put nay pressure on the lead and board at the same time.
in any case, now i have a problem. i have one of those radioshack pre-punched boards with the grid of holes with copper squares. so i found that i need to connect them, however solder seems to not want to bond to the solder in the other holes, but only to one hole. so how can i make tracks or such. just keep adding solder until it just piles over? i hope this question is clear.
in any case, now i have a problem. i have one of those radioshack pre-punched boards with the grid of holes with copper squares. so i found that i need to connect them, however solder seems to not want to bond to the solder in the other holes, but only to one hole. so how can i make tracks or such. just keep adding solder until it just piles over? i hope this question is clear.
Banned
Joined 2002
ok, and how is this done? the wire doens't stick to the board until i solder it, and i can't solder it until the wire's in place.
ah nevermind. just mad. i hate soldering so much. i'm about ready to throw out my new soldering iron, i hate it more then the cheap radioshack iron i have with a spherically dull tip.
ah nevermind. just mad. i hate soldering so much. i'm about ready to throw out my new soldering iron, i hate it more then the cheap radioshack iron i have with a spherically dull tip.
theChris said:
Hi, Chris
http://www.passdiy.com/howto/soldering.htm and http://www.passdiy.com/projects/pearlono4.htm give a nice explanation.
Like everything in life, good tools will do half the job. Unfortunately, they are expensive. From what I read in your posts, you spend too much money on crappy tools. (No offence)
300° is not hot enough to make good joints when soldering wires and bigger components.
For the smt parts it is usually fine. Don’t be afraid to warm up things a bit. For normal components, count 1 to 3 seconds to heat up. For big wires, it can take up to 10-15 seconds.
Better buy good stuff, my Weller soldering iron is almost 20 years old, is on all day long, and all I had to replace was the tips on a regular basis and one time the cable.
Make sure you buy good solder too. A few threads here cover the issue. Remember also that a good joint is first of all a good mechanical connection between parts. A good solder joint has just enough solder to keep things together. Always keep the tip of your iron clean as well.
The picture shows a lot of good solderings and one bad. Too much solder and not enough heat to let the solder melt.
/Hugo
Attachments
ok, i'll try a higher temperature. the iron has features i do like and is otherwise nice. maby i just had the temperature set too low. i have no idea how hot the normal 20 watt or 25 watt irons get as the hand test quickly fails... j/k on that hand test part.
ok, really, most of my mistakes look just odd. not like the too much solder ball, nor the good connection, but just goofy.
I think i'll go and buy a few more boards for this, and for a power supply regulator so i can run stuff inside.
ok, really, most of my mistakes look just odd. not like the too much solder ball, nor the good connection, but just goofy.
I think i'll go and buy a few more boards for this, and for a power supply regulator so i can run stuff inside.
I soldered every day for 8 years, up until a couple years ago when I took a computer job. This included a lot of pc board work- replacing IC's, etc.- general Electronic tech stuff. I would say that the best thing you can do is to get a good HOT iron with a tip that is as big as possible without being too difficult to work with. I have never in my experience had a problem with overheating a component with too hot of an iron. Likewise with PCB's... If the board is worth using, it will generally stay together with a little heat. I have found that a good hot iron will allow you to get in and out quicker with less chance of a cold joint. I always recommend going as hot as possible, unless you have a notoriously fragile component.
Always make sure that you have a damp (not wet) sponge, and keep the iron clean! Tin it <I>as it is warming up </I> with your solder. I like to melt a little solder now and then while I'm working on the tip of the iron, and kind of "fling" it off., and then wipe it on the sponge. This gets what I think of as "dead" solder off of the iron (solder seems to lose its ability to form a good joint when it has been repeatedly heated... maybe a flux thing?). In fact, this can work well when you are having a hard time getting a good joint. Try getting some of the solder off the board with the iron, fling it off the iron, and then resolder with "fresh" solder.
More than anything, keep practicing. You will catch onto your own technique.
Steve
Always make sure that you have a damp (not wet) sponge, and keep the iron clean! Tin it <I>as it is warming up </I> with your solder. I like to melt a little solder now and then while I'm working on the tip of the iron, and kind of "fling" it off., and then wipe it on the sponge. This gets what I think of as "dead" solder off of the iron (solder seems to lose its ability to form a good joint when it has been repeatedly heated... maybe a flux thing?). In fact, this can work well when you are having a hard time getting a good joint. Try getting some of the solder off the board with the iron, fling it off the iron, and then resolder with "fresh" solder.
More than anything, keep practicing. You will catch onto your own technique.
Steve
In fact it is generally a GOOD thing that the solder won't cross the pads easily...keeps the mistakes down. The high surface tension means it tries to "stick" to metal that it can bond. It will avoid the fiberglass/phenolic resin that the board is made of.
What I do when put together veroboard circuits is use small pieces of wire, bent and inserted into the holes so there is a good mechanical connection. Then I solder. Relying on the solder itself to bridge conductors is a bad idea both mechically and electrically.
Another thing you can do is use the excess from your component leads to build your tracks. You should still solder the lead to the board at the component, because it fixes it mechanically and prevents vibration from exploiting a lever-action down the length of the lead.
Finally, be EXTREMELY careful when you make your connections. I have a hard time with spatial relationships and tend to make mistakes when I flip the board back and forth.
What I do when put together veroboard circuits is use small pieces of wire, bent and inserted into the holes so there is a good mechanical connection. Then I solder. Relying on the solder itself to bridge conductors is a bad idea both mechically and electrically.
Another thing you can do is use the excess from your component leads to build your tracks. You should still solder the lead to the board at the component, because it fixes it mechanically and prevents vibration from exploiting a lever-action down the length of the lead.
Finally, be EXTREMELY careful when you make your connections. I have a hard time with spatial relationships and tend to make mistakes when I flip the board back and forth.
dont forget a good solder sucker
One thing that i would recomend to everyone is to invest in a good set of dental picks. I hardly, if ever, use a solder sucker. I would rather remove the component and then open the holes with a dental pick (we are talking pcb's here). When you resolder the component, use the iron to get the excess solder off using the "flinging" method I described above. Use more solder than is necessary to get some flux flowing, and the use the iron to get some of the excess solder back off. I know it dosen't sound right, but it really works. I could replace DIPs in seconds using this method with no damage to the traces, and having perfect solder joints every time.
Another thing that is nice about the pick is replacing IC's... You can put the pick under one side of the IC (DIP packages) and pry it with very slight pressure. Then you just heat all pins on one side, and that side will pop right up. Do the same for the other side, and open the holes with the pick, and you are good to go! Quick and easy.
Steve
I've been having soldering problems myself. I'm soldering resistors to a RS circuit board with a weller 35W iron with the fine point bit. It was working well at first, but has since been giving me problems. My solder joints are more frequently looking like cold solder joints, even though the iron melts the solder easily and if held to the board and resistor long enough, will even discolor them. The bits are "non-tinning" chromed which are all I see at Fry's to go with that iron. I bought the iron because of the small tip capability that I thought would help getting into the tight quarters on a small PCB. It doesn't seem that I should need more than 35W to heat a couple of resistor leads and a short copper strip. Am I mistaken about this?
tim s
tim s
I would think that would be enough too. Did you try tinning the tip anyway? Sometimes there is a thin layer of junk on it. I don't buy into non-tinning tips... they should be tinned every time you use them. What solder are you using? Are you applying a little bit of solder to the tip to "wet" it before you solder? Have you tryed laying the iron down on the joint so there is more tip area contacting the parts? Are the resistor leads oxidized? A little steel wool to them before you insert them into the pcb will help. Are you using RS solder? Some of it is garbage, I have found. I like Kester (for normal 60/40 solder)
Steve
Steve
I've tried tinning it anyway, but it doesn't take. I'd buy tips that need tinning, but the last trip to Fry's showed only non-tinning tips to go with the iron I have. I'm using non-RS 60/40 solder, not sure of the brand, but got it at a place that shouldn't carry "Junk". The resistor leads are not refusing the solder, only the PCB. I've not tried laying down the tip on the soldering surface, but you know how tight it gets in PCB quarters. Maybe I need to get a less pointed tip, but still not too large. It'd be a shame to have to go get another iron as I just purchased this one, although not so recently that I could return it.
tim s
tim s
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.