Questions: Careful, quality assembly.

[thebearingedge]

Hey, all. Hey Tim.


I am brand new to the forum and relatively new to DIY Electronics. I have soldered guitar pots and loose wires in the past but it was with the wrong technique FOR SURE. After a friend referred me to SCA I looked around the 'net for some soldering guides.

I want to build a full rack of these magic pres over time but want to get it right the first time. Particularly with respect to the following.

NOT overheating components:

When soldering some resistors for practice I noticed that they got pretty hot pretty quickly. I could still touch them without getting burned but they were definitely toasty. The process of soldering a joint probably takes me about 5-7 seconds, holding the soldering iron to the pad and lead for the bulk. Should it be quicker? Can this duration fry temperature-sensitive parts?

Quality Soldering:

Here are some pics of some practice work I've just done on a Shack PCB, 15-watt Soldering iron/pen and some 60/40 .032 solder. These six resistors were 'stuffed' after another six and I feel that they came out pretty good but I wouldn't know, myself. Any comments would be great.



A little closer. It looks like a seventh one was attempted. (I was trying to talk on the phone with the GF at the same time and needless to say it failed, lol).



If you have any wisdom to impart I'm all ears. Come to think of it, I'm always all ears...

[Karl]

Looks good to me, mate! Funny thing, I did the same thing you are doing. Just make sure that solder flows to both the PCB and part you're soldering. Do not worry about overheating. Wait until you accidently solder something in wrong and have to de-solder it! Then, you'll worry! heh heh hehh!! Just follow the instructions carefully. There is a LOT more info avaialble now than when I did these things, and I was right at your experience level. Go ahead, if you have the time to do it. I will definitely fill up my rack eventually.

[KevinL]

It looks to me like you need to let the solder flow a little more. There are areas around the lead and the pad that have no solder. The solder should flow down the lead and fill in the hole before you remove the soldering iron. It shouldn't build up on the lead above the hole very much at all. Use just enough solder to fill the hole. That way when you cut the lead you have a nicer cleaner cut. It will make a difference especially when you solder that rotary switch.

[thebearingedge]

Thanks for the input, guys. On Monday another studio tech guy and myself will pay the local electronics shop a visit and pick up some better equipment. I just found a little tutorial on soldering circuit boards and it looks like it should only take like 2-3 seconds on a joint.

I see what you mean about the patches of pad that are not covered. On some of them this is the case but also the resin is pooling around the pad on most joints and the copper is completely covered. I have not been tinning my tip properly and it is a radio shack pen. When I DID start tinning a new tip (quickly, mind you) it would cool off so fast from the wiping that it was useless for heating the joint. So I'll try a better iron, smaller tip, different solder and warmer water on the sponge.

Thanks again. I LOVE FORUMS!!!

[tpryan]

It does look like you're using too much solder on the joints. Also, when soldering to bare copper it's a good idea to burnish it with some steel wool or a scouring pad first. The exposed copper oxidizes very quickly, which makes soldering more difficult. This is something you won't have to worry about with a board that's masked and plated, like the ones in the kits. Also, you can cool any iron too much if you have too much water on the sponge. Just get it damp, not sopping wet.

[dkatz42]

Note that a very high quality soldering station is still dirt cheap (under $100) and if you're going to build a rack full, the additional cost is in the noise and you'll have a tool that will last a lifetime.

I finally got a Hakko after 35 years of suffering with various cheapies and it's like night and day. Temperature controlled, quality replaceable tips, and it's at operating temperature 30 seconds from a cold start (and tells you when it's at temp.) This also negates the excessive cooling issue from the sponge (even when the sponge is sopping it'll be back at temp in the time it takes to move the iron back to the work.)

For instance, I use a 1mm blade tip for most of the work, but when it's time to put on the rotary switch I turn the thing off, cool the tip in the sponge/pool for 20 seconds, and swap in a tiny conical tip, solder in the switch, then swap tips again, all with essentially no waiting.

I've built 15 this way (one to go) and it's the best investment I made (outside of the pres themselves!)

[thebearingedge]

Hey guys. Thanks for all the input. I went to a local shop and was able to get a Weller soldering station for about $60. DEFINITELY much better than my first one.

I also thought I'd experiment with a eutectic solder. Oddly, the 63/37 stuff seemed to produce more rough-looking joints for me than the 60/40. With a nice narrow screwdriver tip I've been able to make joints in about 5 seconds or less. I'm also using visibly LESS solder than before, per Tim's suggestion.

[Damian Taylor]

Hi folks,

Following on from the above, can anyone recommend what temperature to set your soldering station to to assemble these kits? And does anyone have preferred tips?

Thanks!