You could get a small weighted standard with clamps. (no idea what it's called)
It can help you hold wires etc ;]
It can help you hold wires etc ;]
Newbie at soldering.
- Thread starter Tronic56
- Start date
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I think it's called a helping hand or third hand something like this. Can somone post a good tutorial with basic soldering for beginners?Thanks!
http://www.harborfreight.com/helping-hands-319.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/jumbo-helping-hands-with-led-lights-65779.html
I have both of these, they both work about the same. I don't use the LED magnifier on the second one because I don't like to. My near eyesight is good, so all I need is very good lighting; if I can't see it with that, I'm going to need something a little more powerful than just a cheap magnifying glass.
Not sure if you live in Greece like your country flag says or NY like your location says. If it's the former, then my links might not be of much help to you. I'm sure DealExtreme sells these too but you're gonna be waiting a few weeks for those to arrive (they ship internationally).
I live in a little city almost every block has an electronic store 
Sadly i cant drive because im only 14 :/
Sadly i cant drive because im only 14 :/
P
pasc
Guest
Wow I found the soldering thread !
I'll stay here for a while.
Since the old soldering Iron I had doesn't do it's job well anymore (heat issues etc)
I thought about getting a new one:
Suggestions ?
Also: What do you guys use for deisolating ?
That PWS Plus-002 (Jokari) device is quite good I think.
I'll stay here for a while.
Since the old soldering Iron I had doesn't do it's job well anymore (heat issues etc)
I thought about getting a new one:
Suggestions ?
Also: What do you guys use for deisolating ?
That PWS Plus-002 (Jokari) device is quite good I think.
Soldering is an art form that can take years to master. Using (high-quality) proper equipment for a given task will make a significant impact on the quality of your results. There are many types, methods, and tips for soldering. I strongly suggest that you spend some time watching "How to Solder" videos on YouTube. However, be very careful since most of the videos and soldering advice available online is incorrect. The best soldering videos I've ever seen are by John Gammell. The best way to improve your soldering abilities is practice. Take things apart and solder them back together again.
Never heard of it, after googling it, I might also get it.
I normally use a sharp knife or me teeth to strip the wires (bad I know)
Meh I just use an xacto knife or a box cutter with a sharp blade and press the cable down onto it at a few points until I can strip it off with my thumbnail.
Also there are some copper wires that you can put them on the soldered part put the iron over it and it will take all the iron.
That's desoldering braid.
You'll have to have a high powered soldering iron in order to be able to use that ;p
But that's better then a soldersucker imho.
You'll have to have a high powered soldering iron in order to be able to use that ;p
But that's better then a soldersucker imho.
Some soldering irons are just crap. If the solder tip temperature tip isn't warm enough, you have the tin ball issue you are seeing.
Some iron's also become 2 hot, and that causes oxidation of the tip. If the tip is oxidated, solder doesn't stick to it anymore (also gives that solderball effect) because the oxidation layer is a heat isolator.
Good soldering irons like Ersa or Weller come with long life tips. Those have a special coating that isn't oxidating. You can clean them using a special wet sponge, or you can use wet wool or cotton cloth to clean it. After cleaning, if you hit it with the solder wire, the solder should melt open on the tip.
Desoldering pumps are no good for fine electronics. Desoldering wick (It's like cupper wire) is what I use most.
Some pcb's are multi layer and have large invisible copper areas on the inner layers. If a component is soldered to such a layer, you need a high power soldering iron to desolder it as the copper area needs to be heated up. I would recommend a 30 or 40W iron for general purpose work. You might think a 15W is better, but that's not always the case. To desolder defective capacitors from pc mobo's, I even use a 130W iron, as the solder simply doesn't melt if I use a smaller type. Only problem with that is that it doesn't come exactly with a fine tip, so you need to be extemely carefull for the surroundings.
Simple tinned copper iron tips are a misery. They oxidate faster than you can use them. Once oxidated (they become black) you can't really use them.
My favorite brand of soldering iron is Ersa.
Weller makes good (expensive) soldering stations that are temperature controlled. Their cheap soldering irons also tend to overheat.
If a soldering doesn't succeed the first attempt, give it time to cool down. (In the mean time, your nerves can cool down as well.)
It's never a good idea to keep on trying to get a wire stick. As has been said before, soldering things should go fast.
I sometimes blow on the soldered components to have them cool down faster if I feel I heated them just a little 2 much.
If you have never soldered before, buy a cheap Velleman or Radio Shack Kit and solder it together.
If it really doesn't seem to work, ask someone with experience what you are doing wrong.
He will quickly identify if it's your iron, solder, or just you that's causing the issues.
Some iron's also become 2 hot, and that causes oxidation of the tip. If the tip is oxidated, solder doesn't stick to it anymore (also gives that solderball effect) because the oxidation layer is a heat isolator.
Good soldering irons like Ersa or Weller come with long life tips. Those have a special coating that isn't oxidating. You can clean them using a special wet sponge, or you can use wet wool or cotton cloth to clean it. After cleaning, if you hit it with the solder wire, the solder should melt open on the tip.
Desoldering pumps are no good for fine electronics. Desoldering wick (It's like cupper wire) is what I use most.
Some pcb's are multi layer and have large invisible copper areas on the inner layers. If a component is soldered to such a layer, you need a high power soldering iron to desolder it as the copper area needs to be heated up. I would recommend a 30 or 40W iron for general purpose work. You might think a 15W is better, but that's not always the case. To desolder defective capacitors from pc mobo's, I even use a 130W iron, as the solder simply doesn't melt if I use a smaller type. Only problem with that is that it doesn't come exactly with a fine tip, so you need to be extemely carefull for the surroundings.
Simple tinned copper iron tips are a misery. They oxidate faster than you can use them. Once oxidated (they become black) you can't really use them.
My favorite brand of soldering iron is Ersa.
Weller makes good (expensive) soldering stations that are temperature controlled. Their cheap soldering irons also tend to overheat.
If a soldering doesn't succeed the first attempt, give it time to cool down. (In the mean time, your nerves can cool down as well.)
It's never a good idea to keep on trying to get a wire stick. As has been said before, soldering things should go fast.
I sometimes blow on the soldered components to have them cool down faster if I feel I heated them just a little 2 much.
If you have never soldered before, buy a cheap Velleman or Radio Shack Kit and solder it together.
If it really doesn't seem to work, ask someone with experience what you are doing wrong.
He will quickly identify if it's your iron, solder, or just you that's causing the issues.
Well...I made a tip for my 25-watt soldering iron from a length of very thick copper ground wire. Works great. One problem I generally experience only after desoldering parts for ten minutes or more, is when the solder balls and falls off the iron's tip. Well, the tip is usually very dirty. (Yes, including turning black.) With the iron hot, I take a straight screwdriver, and carefully scrape the tip until it's shiny again, then re-tin it.
As far as iron wattage, a 25-watt iron seems to work quite well for general hobbyist activities. We had a Radioshack 15-watt iron, and it just didn't work very well. A 30-watt Harbor Freight iron gets so hot that its plastic shell has melted. That's a little too hot.
As far as tinning the tip the first time, I wait until the iron is good and hot, and then melt a little blob of solder onto it--if it wants to fall off, turn the iron in such a way that the ball can't fall off. In a few seconds, it should tin. However, if the tip is really dirty, try carefully scraping it.
Yes, agreed. When you can see a top layer and an "under layer" on both sides of a PCB--and can't see through it, there's more than four layers there! Personally, I find that the solder on some circuit boards (yes, PC motherboards usually being the worst offenders here) just doesn't melt very well. The solution I use for that is to re-tin the leads with my solder, and the parts almost always come right out. Of course, as obcd mentioned, if there's a large copper area attached to the pad, you may need a bigger iron.
I'm guessing, obcd, that you have some Dell mobos?
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