Soldering Snot

R

Richard Harris

Guest
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?

Thanks For Ya Time.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
 
Richard Harris wrote:
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when
your
finished soldering it?
Click to expand...
No.

should I use flucks when soldering?
Click to expand...
Are you kidding? Yes, you must use flux. Are you using plumbers'
solder or what? You should use fine, flux-cored 60/40 solder for
electronics.
Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?
Click to expand...
Yes.
 
Richard,

If the solder already has flux in its core, you should not need to add
any.

Are you keeping the soldering tip "tinned"? Keep an ordinary, wetted
sponge handy, and wipe the tip on it periodically to keep it shiny. If
it looks dark and dull, it won't make good solder joints.

Mark
 
Richard Harris <richard@casaharris.com> wrote in message
news:cs8kc2$6ra$1@titan.btinternet.com...
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I
seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?

Clean the pad and component lead with an eraser until they are bright and
Click to expand...
shiny.
Don't touch the pad or component lead with your fingers.
Place the component in position.
Lay your resin cored solder across the pad and against the component lead
just enough to cover the pad width.
Wipe the hot (320°C) iron tip on a damp sponge (the tip must be clean).
Apply the iron tip to the solder, pad and lead all at the same time.
The solder will melt and flow to cover the pad and climb the lead in 1 or 2
seconds max.
Immediately remove the iron and solder wire.
You will have the perfect joint.
Use a chisel/vee shaped tip and select the gauge of solder to suit the pad
size, 1-2mm maybe.
The solder should cover the pad and curve upwards to the lead wetting both
evenly.
Think water meniscus (sp) If you have a mercury meniscus (round blob) the
job is not clean enough/too much solder.

HTH

Gordon
 
On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 14:18:43 +0000 (UTC), "Richard Harris"
<richard@casaharris.com> wrote:

Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?

Thanks For Ya Time.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
Click to expand...
I have some tips on making PC boards at www.daqarta.com/lptxh.htm.
One thing that I always do is to tin the entire board before trying
to install any components. I have tried those "electroless tin
plating solutions" and found they make a dull coat, not bright and
shiny like you need for soldering. So I do it the hard way, which
isn't really all that hard at all for the typical small board: Get
some liquid resin flux. Polish the etched board with steel wool
to remove whatever resist you used (I use felt-tip pens), then
paint it with a thin coat of flux. Then use the side of the soldering
iron tip with normal resin-core solder and "paint" the traces.
You can spread the solder out amazingly thin this way, after
a little practice, and it goes pretty quickly. Watch you don't
cover over any holes.

I use rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush to remove the
flux. When dried the board looks like it's been chromed.
Not only is soldering a breeze, but the tinned surface is
resistant to corrosion without the need for spray coatings.

Best regards,



Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
 
Richard Harris wrote:
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it?
Click to expand...
*chuckling out loud*

Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it?
Click to expand...
I hadn't soldered since school when my PIC Programmer *Kit* arrived a
few weeks back... I went out and bought a soldering iron (cheapest I
could find!) and prepared myself to ruin it. Suprisingly, everything
worked when I plugged it in, and looking at it, it (unbelievably!) looks
pretty neat... It seems the solder sticks to the rings around each hole
on the board, and doesn't stick to "the green stuff"... Are you sure
it's a PCB you're soldering? ;)

--
Danny
 
Thanks for all your info.

I tried using the method stated, putingt the iron onto the component lead
and then touching it with solder for 1 second and my soldering improved by
about 900%. It now looks great just like the professional manufactured
board. And now my components do give of smoke. Thanks, you guys are great.
Hehe, learn to solder in 15 seconds.

"Richard Harris" <richard@casaharris.com> wrote in message
news:cs8kc2$6ra$1@titan.btinternet.com...
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I
seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?

Thanks For Ya Time.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
Click to expand...
 
Richard Harris wrote:
Made a typo "Don't give of smoke now". Sorry

Question : How do surfice mount IC's that have realy fine leads get
soldered. Is there some kind of special tool that does it or is there simply
a trick to doing them?
Click to expand...
This any good?

http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/1110
--
Danny
 
Danny T wrote:
Richard Harris wrote:

Made a typo "Don't give of smoke now". Sorry

Question : How do surfice mount IC's that have realy fine leads get
soldered. Is there some kind of special tool that does it or is there
simply
a trick to doing them?


This any good?

http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/1110
Click to expand...
Hard to control. You can buy specialized pcbs called 'surfboards' that
help with SMT breadboarding. They aren't cheap, but for a hobbyist, it
may be the way to go for those parts that can't be had in DIP.

http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T051/1322.pdf

--
Regards,
Robert Monsen

"Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis."
- Pierre Laplace (1749-1827), to Napoleon,
on why his works on celestial mechanics make no mention of God.
 
Thanks for posting a bunch of dead links.
JeffM

YOU are allowed to use your imagination
Trobador
Click to expand...
Then why bother to post links at all?
I can read the Subject line. I can use Google on my own.

This is exactly why the Submit button on Slashdot
has a label beside it that says *Check those URLs!*

I hope this isn't the level of work you present to your boss
then say. "use your imagination".
 
Richard Harris wrote:
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it?
Click to expand...
Not any more...

Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it?
Click to expand...
No, and yes, in that order. ;>)

I seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?
Click to expand...
Put the part you want to solder in place. Heat the _joint_, not the
part or the PCB pad individually. Then apply the (flux-cored) solder so
that the joint is wetted; if you get snot globs, you applied too much
solder. And _don't move_ the part until the solder hardens.

Get some desoldering braid; it's basically pre-fluxed copper braid.
You lay it on your snot globs, then heat it (on top, not the joint) with
your iron. It sucks up the excess (you "lead" the solder up the braid).
If you leave it in place too long, it sucks up too much solder (unless
you're trying to remove the part, which is what the stuff is actually
designed for). Takes a little practice to avoid soldering it down, too.

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?
Click to expand...
Pretty much any solderable part. Sounds like you're leaving the iron
on the joints too long. All you want to do is fuse the solder into the
joint between the part and the pad, not make everything red-hot.

Thanks For Ya Time.
Click to expand...
Google for soldering +tutorial and pick one you find most readable.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
Click to expand...
Soldering is a skill pretty much anyone can learn, not a talent some
fortunate few are born with. Making a bad joint takes just as long as
making a good one, so you might as well learn to do it right.

Mark L. Fergerson
 
"Richard Harris" <richard@casaharris.com> wrote in message
news:cs8kc2$6ra$1@titan.btinternet.com...
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I
seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on soldering
you have for a newbee?

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?

Thanks For Ya Time.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
Click to expand...
Try:
FAQ about Hand Soldering
http://www.kester.com/faq_hand_soldering.html
FAQ about Flux
http://www.kester.com/faq_flux.html
FAQ about Solder Alloys
http://www.kester.com/faq_solder_alloys.html
Kester Solder Alloy temperatures (great chart for the workbench)
http://www.kester.com/alloy_temp_chart.html
Reflow temperature profile of 63/37
http://www.kester.com/reflow_profile.html

search in: www.poptronics.com
Google for weller +"better soldering"
Google for "Apogee Kits Free guide to electronics soldering"
Google for "soldering for hams"
The last three were very helpful (as well as the Keester FAQs)
 
Made a typo "Don't give of smoke now". Sorry

Question : How do surfice mount IC's that have realy fine leads get
soldered. Is there some kind of special tool that does it or is there simply
a trick to doing them?

Thanks

"Richard Harris" <richard_harris_2@hotmsil.com> wrote in message
news:cse6ij$b16$1@titan.btinternet.com...
Thanks for all your info.

I tried using the method stated, putingt the iron onto the component lead
and then touching it with solder for 1 second and my soldering improved by
about 900%. It now looks great just like the professional manufactured
board. And now my components do give of smoke. Thanks, you guys are great.
Hehe, learn to solder in 15 seconds.

"Richard Harris" <richard@casaharris.com> wrote in message
news:cs8kc2$6ra$1@titan.btinternet.com...
Hi,
do your pcb's look like some one has sneezed solder all over it when
your
finished soldering it? Is this normal I do I just royaly suck at it? I
seem
to have lots of fun trying to get the solder to stick to the pcb, should
I
use flucks when soldering? Is there any help full information on
soldering
you have for a newbee?

Also is it possible to burn out PNP and NPN transistors?

Thanks For Ya Time.

And I thought making the pcb would be the hard bit.
Click to expand...
 
On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 17:58:59 +0000, Danny T <danny@nospam.oops> wrote:

Richard Harris wrote:
Made a typo "Don't give of smoke now". Sorry

Question : How do surfice mount IC's that have realy fine leads get
soldered. Is there some kind of special tool that does it or is there simply
a trick to doing them?

This any good?

http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/appnote_number/1110
Click to expand...
Most parts are still available in through-hole form factors. Some of the
more recent goodies (e.g., some microcontrollers, CPLDs, FPGAs) are not
but there are breakout boards. Some examples at
http://www.web-tronics.com/breadboards---prototyping-boards-ic-board-protoyping-boards.html
http://www.web-tronics.com/scecibubl.html

For soldering large'ish surface mount parts, I've had the best results
with a "wipe and wick" method. Use a small (but "normal") wedge-shaped
tip and tack down two opposing corners. Solder bridges are OK at this
point; what you want to do is ensure the part's leads are centered over
the pads. Then "wipe" all of the leads on one side with a more or less
continuous solder bridge. Allow to cool and repeat for the other sides.
Allow to cool again and then go around the leads using solder wick to
soak up the excess solder. If you don't put down too much solder to
begin with, don't try to wick up every last bit (just enough to clear
the bridges), and inspect it afterwards with a lens, then you can get
"good enough" results pretty quickly. Not suitable for production work,
clearly, but OK for the occasional home project.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
 
"JeffM" <jeffm_@email.com> wrote in message
news:1105815009.965486.326980@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
faq_solder_alloys
alloy_temp_chart
etc
Trobador

Thanks for posting a bunch of dead links.
Click to expand...
with little effort:
http://www.kester.com/en-us/technical/knowledgebase.aspx?cid=68

poptronics is definetely dead. Sory for that one.

first Google hit for weller +"better soldering" =
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~harris/docs/WellerSoldering.pdf
Results 1 - 10 of about 86 for weller +"better soldering". (0.41
seconds)


Google for "Apogee Kits Free guide to electronics soldering" first link:
http://www.apogeekits.com/ApogeeKits_Free_Guide_to_Electronics_Soldering.pdf

Google for "soldering for hams" was not good, but Google for "soldering
+hams" came out with a bunch, too many to list.

YOU are allowed to use your imagination and common sense when researching a
subject. Was I suposed to spoon feed?
 
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