Hacking Need a few more soldring tips.

[arukado]

Just a few things I wanted more advice on before the install. (This would be my 1st project)

A lot of people are suggesting not to tin the pad. Only to tin the wire, place it on top of pad and tap it with the iron. Whille other people recommend tinning both ends. From my practice, it seems better to tin both but with the wii's delicate pads this might be pushing it as excessive heat will lift the pad. What to do?

Another point going around is about flux. Half the people say don't bother and the other half says to use it.

Are these two ideas more of opininons from people? It seems like the people with more experiance say forget the flux while the newbie say use the flux. If I had to do it right now I think I would do the following:

1) Tin both wire and pads on wiikey and solder with a tab of flux on the wiikey points.
2) Tin only the wire, tab small bit of flux on wii board points.
3) Hold wire over points and tap iron and solder to board.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[FAST6191]

In my opinion flux comes with the solder (or at least it should do) and that will be more than enough for what you need, if you feel especially nervous a quick run over with a cotton bud (perhaps dabbed in rubbing alcohol) will be more than sufficient.
You really only need flux for really dirty jobs (cars engines are a good one), heavily oxidised surfaces or if you are in industry.

Make sure your iron is fully heated before you even touch the Wii: solder should melt the instant you touch the iron not a second afterwards.

My suggestion (not based on a Wii but countless other soldering tasks) is make sure you are not tired or just woken up and have a sugar loaded drink 5 mins before starting.
Tin the wire and hold it next to the pad to be soldered.
Check the iron is hot enough.
Touch the pad and push down on the wire, the wire should go into the melt.
Remove the iron as soon as the wire goes in.
Wait for it to cool and give it a short sharp tug: if the comes off repeat, if not you have a joint.
Repeat for all the other wires.

 

[plexo]

never used flux...

i always tin the pad and dont even tin the wire, tinned soldering iron and pad is more than enough, head the pad up push wire in, done

 

[Louse76]

Tin the wire, not the pad.

Tinning the pad is just asking for trouble! That doubles the times that you need to heat the pads!

Just use a wire or something extremely small and place some flux on each pad.

Experienced users do not use flux because it makes the job easier, and they feel they are too 1337 to use anything that would make it easier.

This is my opinion. Tinning the wire and fluxing the pads worked great for me, and it was my first time.

 

[arukado]

Well I grabbed an old CD drive and found some small points. What do you guys think? These where the 1st wires I soldered on my 1st go on something this small, wiikey there for reference. BTW on the left side I tinned the pcb and on the right I did not. It was easier to get contact on the tinned side as one of the joints on the right gave way and I had to resolder.