GCN How is soldering directly to PCB different than wire soldering/how do I get my body ready?

[SecureBoot]

So I think I've mentioned before that I want to install the xeno gc modchip. I bought I soldering iron and I've started to get familiar with it.I found an old PCB and I started attaching some wires to it so I can get a feel for the ridiculously-fast-burning solder (side note, why is this stuff 40% lead? I'm gon die). I'm fairly comfortable working with wire now, but I want to install the chip directly to the PCB of my gamecube and I don't have similar chips just lying around for practice. What should I be prepared for?

 

[migles]

i think if you apply too strength or too hot you can burn out the pcb pads and thoose will be hard to reconstruct
you need to be ready to clean the solder out of the pcb if you require to desolder shit (some irons got a suction\vaccum thing)

i might be wrong or overthinking in this.. but the solder process is so weird... i never tried it myself, but seen doing it, it amazes me

ho right, there is that transparent product (i forgot the name, maybe flux or resin?) but it helps the liquid solder stay in the place where you want\to grab it, someone might want speak better about this because i know very little.. but i seen this is very used specially when cleaning the solder of soldered cpus

 

[Soilboi]

The nice thing about soldering is that if you mess up carefully, you can clean up and start again. Don't melt the plastic and don't get the tip so hot that you are melting the solder from other connections (keep cooling it down if you have to). The sucky bulb migles was talking about is /ok/ but doesn't work very well for this small of a job, desoldering braid works very well, just heat it up with the iron and dab it to whatever small bead of solder you need to remove.
Most solder is made out of lead, its easy to melt. Yes it is toxic but it won't get into the air very easily, however still make sure your workplace is vented is possible.
If you have any dump sites around you I would suggest trying to find an old TV that has been busted up and try desoldering a chip from it, thats how I learned!
Flux is useful but if the solder you have smells like pine trees when you melt it then it should have resin in it already.

This guy has a nice tut in case you haven't seen it,
he is pretty methodical

Important things to note is how fine the point is on the iron, if your iron has a thick tip you might want to file it down to a tiny sharp tip.

Hope some of this helps!

 

[FAST6191]

Lead boils at 1749 °C and stays in metallic form in this. You'll be OK as long as you don't eat it or inject it. Don't huff flux fumes and do it in a ventilated area but lead wise you face no great risk.

It has it in it because it forms a eutectic alloy with tin at around that percentage by weight, and has multiple beneficial effects for the resulting alloy.

Anyway if you did the child of the internet age thing you will have searched the internet before now. Many of those posts would have said "find some old piece of electronics, practice on that", this is good advice -- I can solder, have been able to for many years now, I still practice from time to time (though usually the more advanced side of things).
"I don't have similar"
I don't believe you. I live in the country and I passed something I could use out with the dog today that was not there yesterday and earlier you were saying about living somewhere where hosting a party is trickier than "find some woods somewhere, bring booze" so year. If by some miracle you don't/the attic doesn't, the street does not and you don't want to take $2 to a charity shop to find something you can still ask your neighbours (hi I live [blah] and I am learning to solder, do you have some broken electrical device I can practice on?) or the parents of your friends.
It does not have to exactly resemble your gamecube, just be something vaguely similar.

 

[SecureBoot]

Alright, thanks guys. I'll keep all that in mind. I'll go double check don't old electronics for chips a may have missed. I think I'm really getting the hang of this

 

[ParzivalWolfram]

If you burn/crack the PCB, you can fix it by bridging traces over the damaged areas by doing something like scratching the layer of stuff off the top and soldering a wire to it and similar other things.