EEVblog #183 - Soldering tutorial part 2 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: pmrlondon
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 06:56:23 am
content: Once again, a great video. Doesn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, in this case, but worthwhile, especially for beginners.I once got criticised for leaving that much exposed wire behind a D connector - and it was something that kept being brought up every time personnel were called in, until, for that and other reasons, I lost that job - I actually suspect a "cheap" redundancy was what they wanted hence making their "standards" very difficult to meet.One point when soldering to connectors - many types are easily damaged by excess heat - the pre-tinning method helps to prevent that.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 07:22:56 am
content: Quote from: pmrlondon on July 01, 2011, 06:56:23 amYep, all this soldering stuff is aimed at beginners.Dave.

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 08:26:42 am
content: Good video, a lot of soldering videos out there are garbage and don't cover all the bases you need to know for beginners. Not knowing about flux does is a common thing for beginners from what I've seen at UNI.One of the really handy things that flux does is lower the surface tension of the solder so it flows instead of balling up. really makes the the secret sauce to soldering

author: Precisiontools
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 10:26:57 am
content: So...ummm...when are you going to update your cutters Dave?

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 10:54:40 am
content: Great video Dave, i'm off to fire up the Atten now!

author: pklawit
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 11:43:06 am
content: All,One remark from my side about soldering ICs in DIP packages and other"dual-line" connectors etc.When I solder such stuff, I always start with 2 pins located diagonally.For example, when an IC has 14 legs, I start with leg 1 and then 8.This way I'm sure that the part is "locked" and can not move.Best Regards,Piotr

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 11:45:52 am
content: Quote from: pmrlondon on July 01, 2011, 06:56:23 amTo be right you really need to put on a rubber sleeve. You can hardly complain about 2mm of exposed wire when you have 10mm of exposed terminal pin. Pre tinning is the only way to go in reality as thermal creep will always cause insulation pullback to some extent. Makes a nicer job too!

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2011, 01:26:35 pm
content: Quote from: pmrlondon on July 01, 2011, 06:56:23 amThat reminds me of one job I had,where even though I was officially a "technician"it was really an assemblers job.I opened my mouth about silly things they were doing,& became the target for criticism of any slight imperfection in my soldering.They really loved their conical tips,too! I found the only way you could make a decent joint on some of their boards was to heat the board up with a heat gun prior to soldering.The cruddy little tip had less work to do then to lift the joint to soldering temperature.They "sacked"me,then asked me to stay for a while.I ended up staying on for a year,but I should have gone straight away!According to the employment agency ,it was a "cruisey" job to run time down till retirement!VK6ZGOat

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2011, 10:39:08 am
content: Great video as always Dave, but i have a couple of questions.Would it be better to use a Hot Air soldering station to solder the large component or stick with the chunky iron?I did not hear much mention of thermal stress relief of the component legs?We had it drummed into us how important it is to have tress relief on all soldered legs.Regards

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2011, 10:36:46 pm
content: Just another advice for young player in soldering/desoldering.DON’T do it wearing short pants or slippers! Accidents do happens.A student of mine was filling a TO-220 transistor wearing a short pant (like Dave with the LM317 regulator) when he accidentally moved the board spilling the liquid solder on his thigh!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 12:15:39 am
content: Quote from: firewalker on July 02, 2011, 10:36:46 pmFirewalk cound not be closer to the truth, I am living proof of this with a now barely visible burn scar on my right leg from a solder blog from when I was 10ish. Situation gets worse as we tend to have 99.9% of the bench filled with tools and stuff and 0.1% of the area we actually work on and that at the edge of the table.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 12:45:05 am
content: Quote from: Alex on July 03, 2011, 12:15:39 amThe worst part is tidying up the bench. I have the bench full of stuff for 2 days now and I feel to lazy lately so I won't clean it until I get my new tools. (yay!) Right now they are in Miami standing by for their flight right to the Dominican Republic probably next Tuesday. A day in customs and I might end picking it up next Thursday!To not make my post more off-topic, I will comment that I am getting a Hakko FX-888. I will confirm if they come with a chisel tip or not. Please note that it seems to vary depending on the seller. They probably are let to choose what tip and transformer they want. Sparkfun seems to include a conical tip while Tequipment ships a chisel tip. I ordered mine from Tequipment. Hakko says that you can customize volume orders with 220V transformers on North America and probably is the opposite in Europe, Asia and other major regions with 220V mains voltage.Also I am uncertain if the brass sponge with flux is included since some photos where taken without the brass sponge in it's holder.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 02:41:09 am
content: Quote from: Precisiontools on July 01, 2011, 10:26:57 amWell, I do have a pair of Lindstrom's, is that good enough for you?Dave.

author: MrPlacid
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 04:29:15 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 03, 2011, 02:41:09 amOOooh!!... Lindstrom is one hell of a good side cutter. Lindstrom's cutters cut like laser, quick and painless. I should know, I have used it to cut off skin tags

author: Precisiontools
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 11:17:04 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 03, 2011, 02:41:09 amThose old ones (Lindstrom) were quite good so I'll let you off this time. If you ever want to upgrade the ones in the vid you just let me know...have a nice set of Knipex looking for a home...Great video too by the way. Have been in the industry for 20 years but still picked up a few tips.

author: Jope
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2011, 02:10:57 pm
content: Regarding straightening and aligning IC pins and resistor legs, I use an IC pin straightener similar to this one shown here:http://www.futurlec.com/Tools-IC.shtml.For bending resistor legs I use this:http://www.reichelt.de/bilder/web/xxl/B400/BIEGELEH.jpg

author: Mercator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2011, 06:18:20 pm
content: I'm still a beginner regarding quality soldering. So: Awesome video! Helps a lot, thank you!Quote from: PeterG on July 02, 2011, 10:39:08 amCan someone explain for me how this is done? Is thermal stress relief really that important?

author: LEECH666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2011, 12:46:04 pm
content: Mercator, I've soldered a lot in my life, and I never heard of this. It should be neglectable for most hobby applications.Cheers,Florian

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2011, 02:10:41 pm
content: Thermal stress is caused by components heating and cooling. This stress can lead to joint failure over time due to the component expanding and contracting. Mainly applies to high current devices.Regards

author: Mercator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2011, 06:11:44 pm
content: Thank you!

author: Rowland
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 05, 2011, 09:53:01 pm
content: Hi Dave,Thanks for the recent soldering videos, Please could you tell me what the make is of the magnifying bench lamp. Is it LED illuminated?I have been looking for a magnifier with large lens without a large metal surround for some time but have never been able to find one.RegardsRowland

author: Mercator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 03:12:35 pm
content: Hi again,Is it important to have a soldering station that is antistatic or has a special ground connector?

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 06:37:32 pm
content: Quote from: Mercator on July 07, 2011, 03:12:35 pmAlmost every recent (and decent) soldering station will have antistatic protection. I like the Hakko FX-888. It is small, cheap, good quality, is marketed as the replacement of the popular 936, and it was designed by someone who seems to be an industrial designer; in fact, my sister called it "pretty". Remarkable. They probably replaced the 936 to be one step ahead of the cloners.Be careful if you have mains wiring problems at home (for example, if the fridge shocks you) your should be really careful, because the plastic in the iron itself is conductive. They use a normal ground connector, so don't use one of those "cheater plugs" (if you use American plugs, you know what I mean).This will not just eliminate the ESD protection of the iron, but it is quite dangerous too!Ivan

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 06:58:36 pm
content: As long as such an adapter is used as designed (connecting the lug to a grounded screw in the socket), it should be fine. Not great, but not terrible either.

author: Mercator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 08:44:18 am
content: Quote from: ivan747 on July 07, 2011, 06:37:32 pmI like it too, but the problem is: It's much more expensive in Germany. In the US a FX-888 costs $94.97 = 66€ at amazon.com. In Germany the exact same station costs 168€ = 241$ and to my knowledge there is only the official tiny store that sells them. I even thought about buying it in the US, but with shipping costs and an additional voltage converter it still costs about 140€ = 200$.Even the soldering stations from the German manufacturer Weller seem too be a lot less pricey outside of Germany.US:http://www.amazon.com/WD1001-Digital-Channel-Soldering-Station/dp/B000UMBAU2/ref=sr_1_16?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1310113388&sr=1-16Ger:http://www.amazon.de/Weller-WD1000-L%C3%96TSTATION/dp/B0019PQVH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310113552&sr=8-1It's like the manufacturers of soldering stations have made arrangements for every part of the world.Back to topic:The reason I asked is because there are two types of an Ersa soldering station (much cheaper than every other name brand) I would like to buy.One is antistatic the other is not:Not antistatichttp://www.ersa.com/art-0ana60-358-1910.html(140€ = 200$)antistatichttp://www.ersa.com/art-0ana60a-358-1913.html(180€ = 258$)(Those stations also seem to be the cheapest name brand soldering stations you can get in Germany)

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 03:26:53 pm
content: Quote from: Mercator on July 08, 2011, 08:44:18 amThe 0ANA60 "non antistactic" doesn't seem to be "non antistatic". From the web pageQuoteThis sounds like this "non antistatic" can be properly connected to ground to make sure the tip doesn't carry any static. I would say this is good enough for almost all tasks.

author: ipman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 05:00:07 pm
content: Same for 0RDS80 digital one. The plus is the Europlug - two poles, non-earthed, but it has a separate grounding point on it's front side.

author: Mercator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 08:58:38 pm
content: Thanks a lot!QuoteI won't manufacture any aircraft parts in my basement, so the non antistatic should work fine indeed.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 09:37:30 pm
content: Quote from: ipman on July 08, 2011, 05:00:07 pmWhich is just fine, since the point of anti-ESD is to make sure everything is at the same potential. Whether that potential is at ground or 115V doesn't matter as far as ESD is concerned. Earth is just a convenient potential and saves you from wiring everything together.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 09:49:26 pm
content: Quote from: PeterG on July 05, 2011, 02:10:41 pmWhen I went through tech school we were given a special set of round pliers and were taught that in some cases ie high current resistors to put a loop in either one leg or both legs of the resistor for thermal stress relief. I have seen it rarely since then. I suspect in the commercial world you are not likely to see it.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2011, 09:55:41 pm
content: horay i received my chisel tip. the price is very cheap (~usd1.8 per tip, i ordered 4). what surprised me is the plastic showing Hakko label etc, its like true original, but there's no Hakko etching on the tip body. quite an effort from cloner. can someone spot/state the difference of cloned with the true original tip or plastic packaging? i have another tip with Hakko name etched on the tip, but i forgot how the plastic packaging looks like, still i'm not sure if its original.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2011, 05:39:03 am
content: Quote from: gregariz on July 08, 2011, 09:49:26 pmYeah,I remember that ,too!If I'm replacing a resistor that has obviously cooked the PCB under it,I will sometimes do this in DC or 50Hz circuits.Here,though the resistor is the source of heat,& hopefully the looped lead will act as a sort of heatsink to protect the PCB,not the resistor.If the leads are sturdy enough,I usually just mount the resistor further off the board.I think the mechanical stress on the resistor when making the loops is probably worse than the heat stress it is meant to reduce.VK6ZGO

author: PeterG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2011, 10:06:43 am
content: I still use the curled legs on the 5watt resistors and keep them off the board. It just helps to stop the resistor from breaking.Regards

author: Harvs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2011, 06:05:44 am
content: For those also owning a Hakko, check out their "tip selector" pagehttp://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selection/Not only talk about each type of tip, but they have videos for how to solder each type of joint with each type of tip.Seriously cool...

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2011, 05:11:20 am
content: Quote from: Harvs on July 10, 2011, 06:05:44 amOK, on that Hakko page I see this text about the "cup" shaped tip:How to use Shape BCM/CM and examplesThis type differs from Shape BC by the addition of a hollow to its cut face, providing high solder retention capability.It is used for drag soldering and correction of bridging.* Shape BCM/CM are not available for sale or use in the U.S.ASo here's the question: why not to be used in the USA? It is worded like some kind of legal restriction. A patent issue?

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2011, 05:32:40 am
content: Quote from: IanB on July 19, 2011, 05:11:20 amA patent issue would be my first guess, too.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 12:34:13 am
content: I have watched the all video today.It waked up memories 25 years old.When I got invited to work as trainee in one shop with electronic repairs,the first thing that they told me was : Son we need to see what you can do about soldering ?They gave to me four cables half meter long, and they asked me to solder them, from end to end.I did so.Then they tried to separate them by pulling is the opposite directions.All four cables did pass the test, and I got the job.( at 1986)

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 03:02:45 am
content: Quote from: Kiriakos-GR on July 20, 2011, 12:34:13 amFirst rule of soldering: first make a mechanical joint, then make an electrical joint. I trust you twisted the wires together before you soldered them?

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 03:53:45 am
content: Quote from: alm on July 07, 2011, 06:58:36 pmGenerally, who buys these kind of adapters and don't ground them can't figure out their 50 year old house need to be rewired.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 04:00:01 am
content: Quote from: Mercator on July 08, 2011, 08:44:18 amI was pissed off too when I realized the Atten rework station Dave reviewed costs something like $120 with a 110V transformer. Normally, it would cost $60. It is twice the price! I will look for a 220V line at home. They are used or air conditioners here. (those that hang in the middle of the wall) The only problem is that they use two live wires, one phased 180º to the other. I hope the Atten can perform well with that wiring.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 04:09:02 am
content: Quote from: ivan747 on July 20, 2011, 04:00:01 amThere are some 110v availablehttp://cgi.ebay.com/ATTEN-858D-SMD-Hot-Air-Rework-Station-Solder-110V-AC-/220796808609?pt=BI_Electrical_Equipment_Tools&hash=item336883eda1

author: nzo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 03:40:32 am
content: Holy smokes Dave! I really enjoy your hi quality vids but...if I download a few of these (at around 500 to 600Mb each), it sure bites into my monthly bandwidthWhy not run them through something like Sorenson Squeeze. You could easily halve the size and bandwidth of each vid without sacrificing quality.

author: chrisstra84
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2014, 02:52:03 pm
content: Hello! Thank you for the great video! I have made a new version of my isp connector after your video.New and old version!

author: jgalak
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2017, 07:27:22 pm
content: In the video, there's a text overlay saying there are better cleaners for removing flux residue. What are they? Just alcohol? Something better?