From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Mon Jan 07 09:25:11 2002
Subject:Re: do you solder?

Lon,

>This is a dumb question, I'm sure, but I need some advice. I'm not a
>soldering craftsman and I wondered if you-all would attempt to install the
>relay from the supplied instruction sheet, or should I punt and have someone
>else do it. (I am an engineer and can follow detailed directions, I just
>seem to have a little trouble keeping solder on the intended connections
>instead of all over the damn place.)
>
>Your recommendations? If I do this, what kind of an iron should I get?
>What kind of solder, and what about flux -- do you all use it? I suppose if
>I screw it up completely, I can always take it in to the shop to get it
>working again.

I'm not a soldering "craftsman," either -- although I can do a pretty decent job if I take my time. Here's what I've found over the years:

1. Get a GOOD soldering iron; one that has a controlled temperature. I use a Weller WTC iron, and it works fantastic. Now the bad news: A good soldering iron will set you back at least $75 (US). Those $15 Radio Shack jobs just won't do the trick, IMHO. If you don't want to spend the money, and can't borrow one at work or from a friend, seriously think about having a tech do the work.

2. Use a small, flattened tip on the iron. The width of the tip should be about the size of the typical joint you are trying to solder.

3. Use a good 60:40 or 70:30 solder with rosin-core flux. NEVER use acid-core solder on electrical connections. Get the thinnest solder you can find; I have no problems getting skinny solder to flow onto a large joint, but lots of problems getting fat solder to flow onto a small connection. For most jobs, I use solder that is about as thick as fishing line.

4. When soldering, touch the iron to the connection for 1-2 seconds, then add the solder to the connection. Reversing this process is often easier to do, but it's asking for too much solder on the joint.

5. If you get too much solder on a joint, use a piece of "solder wick" to remove some of it. Solder wick looks like a flattened piece of the shield braid used in mic cables, except that it is soaked in flux, and will actually draw away solder from a connection. You can usually get a small roll of this product wherever you buy your solder and iron.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group and HiNote moderator
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com