Soldering 101: Difference between revisions

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* Get a ~30 watt pencil soldering iron. They are available at Radio Shack, Circuit City, or, in Canada, The Source, for about $10. Try to pick up a soldering sponge or two at the same time.

*Make sure you tin your tip before using it. That means: soak it in solder, knock the excess off, and wipe it clean with a wet soldering sponge. If you don't have a soldering sponge, a damp cotton or terrycloth ~~cloth~~ do the trick. This will not only extend the life of your tip, but by having a clean tip, you will produce better joints, more quickly, and with less heat damage to surrounding components.

*Make sure you tin your tip before using it. That means: soak it in solder, knock the excess off, and wipe it clean with a wet soldering sponge. If you don't have a soldering sponge, a damp cotton or terrycloth rag do the trick. This will not only extend the life of your tip, but by having a clean tip, you will produce better joints, more quickly, and with less heat damage to surrounding components.

*You want to be using rosin-core electronics solder, about 16-22 awg, not that big thick stuff designed for plumbing. You want either a 63/37 or 60/40 tin/lead alloy. The 97/3 and the "lead free" stuff are both inferior. They make it harder to visually inspect the joint, because they have a naturally duller appearance; also, they require higher temperatures, which means that your iron or your wire's insulation may not be up to the task.

* You want to be using rosin-core electronics solder, about 16-22 awg, not that big thick stuff designed for plumbing. You want either a 63/37 or 60/40 tin/lead alloy. The 97/3 and the "lead free" stuff are both inferior. They make it harder to visually inspect the joint, because they have a naturally duller appearance; also, they require higher temperatures, which means that your iron or your wire's insulation may not be up to the task.

* Flux is superfluous when soldering electronics (not copper pipe), as flux is included inside proper electronics solder ("rosin-core").

* Always apply heat to the object being soldered, then apply solder to the object, not the iron, no matter how tempting it is. Solder flows toward heat (ie, the iron), so put the iron at the end-point of where you want solder to go.

* A good solder joint will be shiny silver, not dull. You should be able to tug lightly on the joint (don't yank on it, just gently pull), and it shouldn't come apart.

* In general, you want to start with a good mechanical connection (ie, wires twisted solidly together) before soldering, then use solder to "glue" the joint together. This isn't always possible, but it's a good goal. Laying one wire on top of another and soldering them together will make a joint which is more likely to fail than one in which the things being soldered are already solidly connected.

'''Directions'''

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'''Step Three: Make the connection'''

3a. Hold the iron as above, but also touch the tinned portion of the wire

3a. Hold the iron as above, but also touch the tinned portion of the wire to the socket

3b. When the solder which was on both the socket and the wire has melted, remove the iron. Do NOT move the wire until things have cooled down again

3c. Your goal is for a nice, shiny connection

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 * Get a  ~30 watt pencil soldering iron. They are available at Radio Shack, Circuit City, or, in Canada, The Source, for about $10. Try to pick up a soldering sponge or two at the same time.
-*Make sure you tin your tip before using it. That means: soak it in solder, knock the excess off, and wipe it clean with a wet soldering sponge. If you don't have a soldering sponge, a damp cotton or terrycloth cloth do the trick. This will not only extend the life of your tip, but by having a clean tip, you will produce better joints, more quickly, and with less heat damage to surrounding components.
+*Make sure you tin your tip before using it. That means: soak it in solder, knock the excess off, and wipe it clean with a wet soldering sponge. If you don't have a soldering sponge, a damp cotton or terrycloth rag do the trick. This will not only extend the life of your tip, but by having a clean tip, you will produce better joints, more quickly, and with less heat damage to surrounding components.
-*You want to be using rosin-core electronics solder, about 16-22 awg, not that big thick stuff designed for plumbing. You want either a 63/37 or 60/40 tin/lead alloy. The 97/3 and the "lead free" stuff are both inferior. They make it harder to visually inspect the joint, because they have a naturally duller appearance; also, they require higher temperatures, which means that your iron or your wire's insulation may not be up to the task.
+* You want to be using rosin-core electronics solder, about 16-22 awg, not that big thick stuff designed for plumbing. You want either a 63/37 or 60/40 tin/lead alloy. The 97/3 and the "lead free" stuff are both inferior. They make it harder to visually inspect the joint, because they have a naturally duller appearance; also, they require higher temperatures, which means that your iron or your wire's insulation may not be up to the task.
 * Flux is superfluous when soldering electronics (not copper pipe), as flux is included inside proper electronics solder ("rosin-core").
+* Always apply heat to the object being soldered, then apply solder to the <i>object</i>, not the <i>iron</i>, no matter how tempting it is.  Solder flows toward heat (ie, the iron), so put the iron at the end-point of where you want solder to go.
+* A good solder joint will be shiny silver, not dull.  You should be able to tug lightly on the joint (don't yank on it, just gently pull), and it shouldn't come apart.
+* In general, you want to start with a good mechanical connection (ie, wires twisted solidly together) before soldering, then use solder to "glue" the joint together.  This isn't always possible, but it's a good goal.  Laying one wire on top of another and soldering them together will make a joint which is more likely to fail than one in which the things being soldered are already solidly connected.
 '''Directions'''
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 '''Step Three: Make the connection'''
-a. Hold the iron as above, but also touch the tinned portion of the wire<br>
+a. Hold the iron as above, but also touch the tinned portion of the wire to the socket<br>
 b. When the solder which was on both the socket and the wire has melted, remove the iron. Do NOT move the wire until things have cooled down again<br>
 c. Your goal is for a nice, shiny connection<br>