Soldering Newbie

[TomC]

I would like to try to build the madvapes VV box mod kit. To accomplish this, I need to solder components to a tiny circuit board. I have watched the soldering videos on Youtube. Now I need to get something basic to do the soldering.

Is there any special type of soldering iron I should get? What wattage do I need. I saw from 15 watts to over 100 watts at Radio Shack, with some "Provari-like" irons to set the desired wattage.

Also, does the type of solder matter?

Any tips / tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[chrispete]

Soldering on something like a small circuit board you'll want to have just enough heat to get the solder to liquid form. Too much heat and you'll risk damaging the board and/or components. I'd go with a 15-20w unit with thin solder wire. Remember to use flux to clean the parts prior to soldering, wipe flux on the lead and then heat it with the soldering iron until the flux "boils". That'll ensure a cleaned area for the solder to adhere to. Also don't clip leads until after they're soldered to the board, much easier to hold on to them that way.

 

[classwife]

moving to Modding Forum

 

[Running Wolf]

also get the rosin solder, it flows a lot better than stand. solder.

 

[Killjoy1]

+1 on rosin-core solder. If you haven't ordered the madvapes kit, yet, they also sell a cheap soldering iron for $10 that you could throw in your cart at the same time and save on shipping. I have it and it works just fine, also comes with a decent-sized coil of solder.

 

[TomCatt]

+1 on the Mad Vapes iron, it's what I have. It has a fine tip that is good for getting into those small spaces.

 

[TomC]

Thanks everyone for the great info

 

[Para]

My preferences are quite different than those expressed. I prefer an adjustable wattage iron and don't care for how rosin core solder performs. I use a Stahl

Station + set of tips are 20 bucks on sale at any number of distributors.


Two things to remember: solder flows TOWARD heat so position the tip accordingly and CLEAN the item(s) you are soldering because if it ain't clean, it won't flow. However, you can use this to your advantage when you want to keep solder FROM flowing where you don't want it to go.

Lastly, practice....practice....practice. The more you do it the better you'll get.

Good practices deliver good results so you can solder a variety of materials and delicate applications.

 

[jrm850]

I'm with Para on the adjustable wattage iron for learning. In my limited experience I think more chips are ruined with underpowered irons with horrible tips than over powered irons with the right tip for the right job. Get it hot, get in, get out.

If you need instant gratification the Rat Shack adjustable is actually a rebranded Madell and tips are readily available at places like Mouser. I recommend the plato hs-0530 for SMD stuff and a chisel point like an HS-2752 for General purpose stuff. The tiny tip that comes on it works but be prepared to jack the heat up if you are soldering wires or anything with good thermals. I bought one for the occassional solder job at my office and took it home when my Hakko station died. That was several years ago, and I have never felt the need to replace it. The pencil appears to be identical to the Hakko and those tips I mentioned above also fit the Hakko.

I can highly recommend the 62/36/2 solder. The addition of the Silver makes it a slightly better conductor than Lead/Tin but most importantly, it leaves the shiniest looking joints and makes everyone look like a pro.

One other soldering gadget that I love is the shaved brass tip cleaners. It cleans well, doesn't cool your tip as much as a wet sponge, and leaves the tip wet enough for super thermal transfer.

Anyway... good luck!

 

[Para]

+1 on the brass tip cleaner......it's FAR better than a sponge.

 

[meatsneakers]

I'd like to throw in another tip - make sure both of your surfaces to be soldered are clean. If the metal isn't shiny, you won't get a good bond (or the solder will refuse to flow). No amount of flux is going to clean dirty metal, so mechanically remove oxidation before applying flux - sandpaper works or you can use Scotch Brite pads. This is the #1 issue I see with people who are starting to solder - clean the joints and it's much easier.

 

[CraigHB]

It really is best to use a variable temperature iron, but you can get by with a 25W pencil if you absolutely have to.

Here are the best electronics soldering tutorials I've come across. Probably way more information that you need for the MadVapes kit, but if you can sit through all of them, you'll never have any questions. They are a bit long winded though. I dont' agreee with 100% of what he says, but some of that stuff boils down to personal preference.

EEVblog #180 – Soldering Tutorial Part 1 – Tools | EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog

EEVblog #183 – Soldering Tutorial Part 2 | EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog

EEVblog #186 – Soldering Tutorial Part 3 – Surface Mount | EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog