Soldering tips

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rmt38

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#172067 10-May-2015 19:43

I did my first soldering today, at least since a youthful attempt with a Dick Smith starter pack way back in the day. And while it seems to fixed the problem for now, there were things I could do to make it easier next time. The primary difficulty was the limited space I had to work on the circuit board because of nearby large components, and the overly large size of the soldering iron tip.

The soldering iron is a duratech 25W TS1465. The various web sites in NZ have replacement tips for it, but not different sized tips. They do have different sized tips for other more expensive models, as far as I can tell. Are these things a standard fit generally, or do I need to get another soldering iron? Is there any way to get a thinner tip which will work with the TS1465? I see this one has a "thinner tip", will it be any better?

I also had an anti-static wristband on, which connected to an earth terminal in the kitchen wall. But the alligator clip on the end of it kept slipping off the terminal endpoint (which is a short round cylinder shape). Is this a common problem? Whatever the shape of the terminal endpoint, I can't see this problem being easily solved - not unless theres a wire hoop or something I wind on there to clip it onto.

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#1301591 10-May-2015 20:10

Clip the wrist strap to a metal earthed appliance. an earth on the wall is probably part of a 70+ year old antenna for a tube radio that has been long disconnected and noones bothered to remove it from the wall when redecorating.

Without an antistatic mat to work on tho...

Also, get a real iron. Even one of these.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24789__Soldering_Station_with_Adjustable_Heat_Range_with_AUS_plug.html

will be a massive amount better than a fixed output low wattage iron with no control on the temperature. There are compatible "hakko" style tips all over ebay etc for cheap as in various sizes and shapes.

Richard rich.ms

Niel

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#1301666 11-May-2015 06:48

You get a special cable that clips onto the round fitting on the wrist strap. Check Jaycar.

The soldering iron Rich pointed to is a cheap version of a Hako soldering iron which retails at about $150 or so. There are a range of tips available. Our factory uses them, however I use a $600 Metcal soldering iron (at work) which is fixed temperature, but it is done right with a magnetic switch in the tip regulating the temperature rather than just a heating element (Weller and Magnum have models of the same design).

Be aware that you should not mix leaded solder and lead-free solder. They melt/solidify at different temperatures causing cracks if you mix them. The mixture also form all kinds of intermetallic compounds which are brittle.

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Disrespective

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#1301709 11-May-2015 08:59

Niel: Be aware that you should not mix leaded solder and lead-free solder. They melt/solidify at different temperatures causing cracks if you mix them. The mixture also form all kinds of intermetallic compounds which are brittle.

For this reason a solder sucker can be useful to remove the existing solder, but from experience they aren't perfect.

In addition, you can, if desperate, modify an existing tip to better fit the situation you will use it in. As in, if you were going to be have to solder around and under larger nearby components you could bend a straight tip (or just buy a bent one) which will fit better. Make sure the tip is solid metal before you do this though.

richms

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#1301715 11-May-2015 09:04

I got an electric solder suckered off aliexpress. It's basically a cheap style iron with a tip that has a hole and a vacuum pump on the handle. About $90us from memory.

Once it's hot it's really fast to get even chunky components desoldered.

Richard rich.ms

rmt38

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#1301752 11-May-2015 09:41

richms: Clip the wrist strap to a metal earthed appliance. an earth on the wall is probably part of a 70+ year old antenna for a tube radio that has been long disconnected and noones bothered to remove it from the wall when redecorating.

Without an antistatic mat to work on tho...

Also, get a real iron. Even one of these.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24789__Soldering_Station_with_Adjustable_Heat_Range_with_AUS_plug.html

will be a massive amount better than a fixed output low wattage iron with no control on the temperature. There are compatible "hakko" style tips all over ebay etc for cheap as in various sizes and shapes.

Sounds good, will plug in the toaster and clip the strap to that. Sound like it might stay on there better, in fact.

How do you know whether you're buying a tip which will fit the given iron? I looked into hakko tips and they seem to have different sets for different models of their product.

rmt38

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#1301754 11-May-2015 09:49

Niel: You get a special cable that clips onto the round fitting on the wrist strap. Check Jaycar.

The soldering iron Rich pointed to is a cheap version of a Hako soldering iron which retails at about $150 or so. There are a range of tips available. Our factory uses them, however I use a $600 Metcal soldering iron (at work) which is fixed temperature, but it is done right with a magnetic switch in the tip regulating the temperature rather than just a heating element (Weller and Magnum have models of the same design).

Be aware that you should not mix leaded solder and lead-free solder. They melt/solidify at different temperatures causing cracks if you mix them. The mixture also form all kinds of intermetallic compounds which are brittle.

Yes, I have a cable and wrist strap. It's the alligator clip thing which was having trouble staying on the earth terminal in the wall. It'll likely sit better on the toaster or the back vent of the microwave so it's touching the inner metal.

I looked into hakko stations, and see they sell here (FX888D) for ~$250, where I can get one shipped with around five different tips from the states for $200. But from what I understand it'd need to have a converter to work properly, or the transformer and plug changed which is beyond me. So I flagged it and went for the one richms linked to which has the AUS plug already.

Thanks for the tip on the solder. In retrospect knowing this now, I should have removed the existing solder before doing the various fixes. Hopefully it won't be a problem. Both fixed devices seem to work now. In my research on fixing the devices, someone recommended putting glue on the solder to prevent future problems due to movement (volume / whatever controls). Is this wise?

kiwitrc

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#1301761 11-May-2015 09:59

Wet a bit of sponge to wipe the tip on now and then, makes soldering easy and clean.

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richms

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#1301868 11-May-2015 11:49

Many people say the thermal shock of the water damages the plating on the tip. Not seen that happen to mine yet but I got the brass sponge thing in any case.

Richard rich.ms

bonkas

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#1304639 13-May-2015 16:33

Am I reading the correct price.. $18 for a soldering station? Or is this just the tip...

mdooher

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#1304642 13-May-2015 16:37

kiwitrc: Wet a bit of sponge to wipe the tip on now and then, makes soldering easy and clean.

damp toilet paper works even better

Matthew

rmt38

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#1304652 13-May-2015 16:44

bonkas: Am I reading the correct price.. $18 for a soldering station? Or is this just the tip...

$18 USD, with $46.12 USD total sent by international air mail. So ~$64 NZD.

Will see what it's like.

kiwitrc

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#1304654 13-May-2015 16:44

mdooher:
kiwitrc: Wet a bit of sponge to wipe the tip on now and then, makes soldering easy and clean.

damp toilet paper works even better

So do wet apprentices

kiwitrc

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#1304655 13-May-2015 16:46

rmt38:
bonkas: Am I reading the correct price.. $18 for a soldering station? Or is this just the tip...

$18 USD, with $46.12 USD total sent by international air mail. So ~$64 NZD.

Will see what it's like.

Thats crazy cheap

richms

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#1304707 13-May-2015 17:58

kiwitrc:

Thats crazy cheap

When you look at what they actually are, its about the right price.

Simlar pricing to ones on aliexpress etc, but hobbyking at least send you a legit looking AS/NZS3112 plug on it since you really do want to make sure that soldering irons have a proper earth on them.

Richard rich.ms

SepticSceptic

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#1304922 14-May-2015 09:36

richms:

Also, get a real iron. Even one of these.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24789__Soldering_Station_with_Adjustable_Heat_Range_with_AUS_plug.html

will be a massive amount better than a fixed output low wattage iron with no control on the temperature. There are compatible "hakko" style tips all over ebay etc for cheap as in various sizes and shapes.

The only niggly issue could be heat recovery time (check the reviews) - soldering in a row of IC pins could be a bit iffy if the tip neets a few seconds between pins, and if not hot enough, you wont get a decent flow between a pin and pad. A good iron should be able to handle a 16pin DIP with about 1 second per pin, without getting the heat sucked out of it. If it needs recovery time, you are applying the tip too long to the part, possibly resulting in heat damage to either the part, or the PCB track.

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