My first time soldering

[XacTactX]

So, today, for the first time ever, I tried to solder something. Not to be deterred by any knowledge of what lay before me, I took a National LME49720HA and a Browndog TO99 adapter and I went at it. It was an enlightening experience to say the least.

• The soldering iron was a cheap 25w RadioShack iron with the thin tip (like a thick lead pencil tip), the one that does not transfer enough thermal energy. If I put the solder and the iron on opposite sides and bring them together, the solder would just not melt. I had to put the solder and the iron maybe 30* away from each other instead of the ideal 180* angle.
• Because of this, the solder wouldn't create a pool and fill the hole. Only one time (for a reason that IDK still ), it went perfectly, and the solder job was so good that it looked like the back of my GTX 260 or my Creative X-Fi.
• But besides that, it isn't going to win any awards. It probably won't even work, because at least one pair of pins is bridged.

The Browndog adapter may be ruined from my amateurish attempt, but at least, a fire has been lit...

So, should I also dip the tip of the iron in flux every once in a while? Are there any game-changing tips or tricks? And how was your first time soldering?

 

[Mohonri]

I do a fair bit of soldering, so hopefully I can be helpful. If your soldering iron tip looks clean and grey, there's no need to clean it. If it has brown or black spots, clean it with the soldering sponge or a brass tip cleaner (that's what I use). You might also consider getting a wider replacement tip from RS--I have a soldering station and multiple tips, and I use the 2mm-wide tip most often.

As for getting the solder to melt, I have the same problem as you. The problem is that the heat doesn't transfer from the solder tip to the part or PCB well enough. So for each joint I stick a little bit of solder where the tip/part/pcb come together, to get the thermal transfer, then add the remainder of the solder from the opposite side. I also often use a 90 degree angle between iron and solder.

For bridged pins, there are lots of solutions--solder wick, a solder sucker, or just drag the excess off the pins bit by bit with the soldering iron. Remember that with a two-sided board and through-plated holes, you need *very* little solder--you get tons of contact inside the hole and don't need as much on the outside.

 

[BrainEater]

I'll pass on some advice.I've soldered for 30 years or so.I learned how to solder doing electronics ( the easy way ) ...

Here's the best way to learn soldering basics :

Goto your local hardware store and buy some 1/2" copper elbows and 1/2" copper pipe bits , for houshold plumbing.You will also need : a torch ,sandpaper,wire brush (to go inside the female fittings),solder(non- flux plumbing solder) ,Acid base plumbing flux , and a flux brush.

The procedure is as follows : (copper plumbing/soldering 101 )

Make sure the copper pipe fits into the copper elbow.

Sand the end (about an inch) of the copper pipe till it's completly shiny.IMMEDIATELY brush on the flux paste.Take the elbow , use the wire brush inside till it's shiny , once again apply the flux paste right away.Fit the pipe into the elbow.

You now need the torch.put the pipe/elbow assembly into a vise or something (beware of fire !)

Fire up the torch , heat both sides of the copper pipe to elbow union.....continue doing so untill you see the flame turn green....Continue heating for 5 seconds , apply solder at the joint.......It should immediately melt and flow through the entire connection.

----

Sorry to go off on the plumbing tangent , but if you can do a good copper plumbing connection , electronics soldering is easy peasy.

The plumbing lesson teaches the following things :
- CLEAN joints.
- Proper flux usage ( it 'wets' AND cleans)
- The 'wicking' abilty of solder.

 

[jojo69]

tin the iron first, by which I mean melt some solder on it

swipe the iron frequently on a bit of wet sponge to clean the burnt crap off and re tin

what people fail to understand is that soldering is not just welding like you get it hot and it just sticks, there is CHEMISTRY going on MAGNETISM and shit. A lot of times if you tin both parts you want to join first separately then you can join them no problem, but the same parts not tinned the solder will stick to one but be repelled by the other and no amount of heat will make it work.

 

[Outamyhead]

Almost completely forgot about getting the iron tip a touch of solder first, been a while since I have had to break out the Weller.

Yeah if you don't dab the iron tip a bit of solder you will almost always have a hard time getting the solder to flow into the join, and get what they call dry joint, basically a crap solder joint that will crack or degrade rapidly, you can tell if it's not a shiny solder join, and dull looking, then that's a dry joint.

 

[AgentQ]

Almost completely forgot about getting the iron tip a touch of solder first, been a while since I have had to break out the Weller.

Yeah if you don't dab the iron tip a bit of solder you will almost always have a hard time getting the solder to flow into the join, and get what they call dry joint, basically a crap solder joint that will crack or degrade rapidly, you can tell if it's not a shiny solder join, and dull looking, then that's a dry joint.

Agreed.

'Tinning' the tip of the iron with a small amount of solder before each joint is the way to go. If you don't do this, the tip of your iron will only contact the joint at a few small points and it won't be able to transfer enough heat. When you apply a small amount of solder to the tip of the iron first, then the liquid solder ball on the tip can conform to the joint and transfer much, much more heat.

Also, flux is key. Lots of flux. Once you start using flux, you will feel like you're cheating. I use a water soluble liquid flux and douse the pads I'm working on. If you're doing through-hole or large SMD parts I'd use something else though, because if the flux gets trapped in a joint or under a part then it will corrode everything. Wash your board very thoroughly after soldering.

Follow the tip cleaning advice above, get some flux, and tin your iron and you should be golden.

 

[XacTactX]

I think AgentQ made a really good point, or at least, he seems right in my experience. Flux makes a huge difference when it comes to transferring the thermal energy to the solder. Without flux, it seems that the iron just doesn't transfer the heat. It basically doesn't work without flux.

What do you guys think, do you agree with what I have noticed? Could it be that I am doing something else wrong, and that I'm confusing it with the flux?

 

[Mohonri]

If you're using flux- or rosin-core solder, you shouldn't need to worry about additional flux.

 

[dr/owned]

If you're using flux- or rosin-core solder, you shouldn't need to worry about additional flux.

Wrong. Through hole components you can get away with no extra flux, but even here adding extra flux will make the solder joint look much cleaner and more professional. Surface mount components, flux is mandatory.

PS - To heat up a joint quickly, melt a drop of solder on the tip of your iron and then solder the joint. The drop will make heat transfer much faster.
PSS - It's also pretty hard to damage components via soldering if you don't do anything ridiculous. So don't be afraid. I remember thinking "washing a board off in a sink...that's crazy". But it's really not since every component is hermetically sealed.

 

[Mohonri]

Wrong. Through hole components you can get away with no extra flux, but even here adding extra flux will make the solder joint look much cleaner and more professional. Surface mount components, flux is mandatory.

You may be right (although I've done a bit of surface-mount soldering with regular flux-core solder without issue), but through-hole soldering is exactly what OP is talking about.

 

[BrainEater]

Yea , I stand by my post.