Help first box mod question

[snails1023]

Hi,
Is there a trick to getting the solder to stick to the atty connector? I tried scrapping it and filing the surface down. What am I missing?

 

[Dalton63841]

I had the same problem at first. I was using rosin core solder and it wouldn't stick no matter what I did. When I switched to silver bearing solder, that solved my problem.

 

[snails1023]

Ok, that makes sense. Well sounds like I need to go shopping for some new solder. Thanks so much.

 

[VpnDrgn]

I am just a noob to soldering, but if you don't get the soldering point of contact hot enough, the flux
just melts and the solder floats around on it instead of bonding to surface. The surface has to be hot
enough for the flux to kinda flash boil off the surface.

Let the soldering iron get completely hot and then touch the solder to the end and you'll see how the
flux kinda sizzles and evaporates quickly. That's what should happen when you solder your connections.

If I am wrong, I am sure one of the pros will correct me.

 

[CBB]

For soldering to a large surface like a battery connector you should use a little paste flux to clean it rosin core solder may not clean it enough for a good connection, and make sure the surface is hot before trying to solder to it cold solders break away easily.

 

[breaktru]

Yes larger surface area require more heat.
You melt the solder with the object being soldered. Don't melt the solder with the iron on to the object.
And.... be careful to not destroy the atty insulator with excessive heat. You can remove the insulator prior to soldering the atty base.
If you leave the insulator in like I do because I am lazy, rapidity cool the atty with a couple of drops of water to re-harden the soft insulator that became soft due to the heat.

 

[MickeyRat]

As others have said, you have to get it pretty hot. On all two I've done, I pulled the center out and soldered it separately. I was making a bottom feeder so I had a syringe needle through the center. I put the atty center in a vise (lightly), wrapped the wire around the tube and held it to the atty center with the iron for a maybe 30 seconds. Then I started in with the rosin core. After cooling, pull on the wire to make sure it's good and solid. Sand down any high spots. Pull the wire again to make sure you didn't get rid of anything you needed. Lube it with a little PG and wiggle the center back into the connector with everything attached. It's kind of a pain. I may get some flux and see if I can do it in place.

 

[CraigHB]

Yup, takes a lot of heat to solder on the outside of the connector. Clean and "tin" the tip well on the iron beforehand. Using some rosin flux will help. I use a "flux pen" myself.

I haven't yet run into a connector I couldn't solder, but hard metals like steel won't solder no matter what. Though, if they're plated with a softer metal, they're often solderable.

On electronics, I haven't tried any kind of solder besides tin/lead rosin core. I've done some soldering with acid core bearing solder on copper tubing, but that was for plumbing, not electronics. I don't think I'd try a solder like that on anything carrying electricity, it's pretty corrosive and electronics don't like corrosion.

 

[snails1023]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I need to work a little bit more on my soldering skills, so far everything in the box mod went nice and easy. I should have some photos up tomorrow. Thanks for all the help.

 

[bstedh]

MadVapes has a shorty 510 extension that makes a good connector as it has a nut to secure it to the mod body. You can solder the wire to the nut instead of the body a little bit easier as it is smaller. As you have to spin it on you don't wan't to attach the other end of the wire until you have the connector mounted...

 

[WillyB]

Yup, takes a lot of heat to solder on the outside of the connector. Clean and "tin" the tip well on the iron beforehand.

Quite important, a well maintained and tinned tip transfers the heat so much better. And do tin all wire also.

Always wipe off your tip at the end of the session, a damp sponge works fine, and re-tin before shutting down.

 

[CraigHB]

I also clean the tip with a well damped sponge. Wouldnt' have thought before I tried it, but it really does work better than anything else. Though, every now and then I hit the tip with some very fine steel wool before retinning. That's mainly to remove the burnt flux buildup the sponge doesn't get. The burnt flux really builds up fast on the tip and keeping it meticulously clean and freshly tinned makes a huge difference in ease of soldering.

 

[bstedh]

I like to use a scrubbing pad that the wife uses to clean pots and pans. I just lay it in a little plastic tray and saturate it with water then drag both sides of the iron across it a couple of times between each solder. This way you get the cleaning action of both in one shot.

 

[CraigHB]

Hey, that's a good idea, I'll have to try that. I think I have some ScotchBrite pads around here somewhere.

 

[bstedh]

ScotchBrite

Thats the name, for the life of me I couldn't remember the name of the things. I always just call them scratchy pads =]

 

[crackbag]

what i do is pop out the center pin leaving the rubber O ring in there i take my wire striped and take the pin and presure fit the wire in between the O ring and the center pin.. now its not a real tight fit so dont pull it hard.. now if it is a atty with a hole in it you need to take a nail and run it all the way though, next take some 5 min epoxy (some that can handle heat) mix it up and fill up the inside of the atty connector, let dry take some pliers pull out the nail and you have a perfect hole though the atty connection and that wire is going no where, u can also take your drill and drill though to even the hole up after.. u can either solder the ground on the outside of the connector after you do all that or solder it on the inside before you use the epoxy of coarse... this is what I do but everyone has their own ways i like this way...