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Adafruit Guide Excellent Soldering
Adafruit Guide Excellent Soldering
Guide Contents
Guide Contents
Tools
Basic Irons
Better Irons
Best Irons
Irons to avoid
Stand
Solder
Diagonal Cutters
Vise
Third Hand
Solder Sucker
Solder Wick
Preparation
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
13
13
14
Let It Flow
14
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Let It Cool
14
14
Congratulations!
15
Problems?
16
17
17
17
18
Let it Flow
18
Let it Cool
18
Problems?
18
20
20
Disturbed Joint
21
Cold Joint
22
Overheated Joint
24
25
27
Insufficient Wetting
28
(Surface Mount)
28
Solder Starved
29
30
Untrimmed Leads
31
Solder Bridge
32
Lifted Pad
33
34
34
35
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Tools
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Basic Irons
Better Irons
Best Irons
A professional-style temperature-controlled
iron with interchangeable tips and 50 watts or
more of power is a joy to work with. Feedback
control keeps the tip temperature at precisely
the level you set. The extra watts speed
recovery time so that you can work faster.
Interchangeable tips let you select the ideal tip
shape for specialized work.
The 65 watt Hakko FX888 (http://adafru.it/303) is an
excellent professional quality soldering iron.
The Weller WES51 or WESD51 are also
excellent choices for serious electronics work.
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Irons to avoid
In addition to underpowered irons, there are several types of irons to avoid for general
circuit-board work.
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Stand
Solder
Diagonal Cutters
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These are some other tools and supplies you might find useful when working on soldering
projects.
Vise
Third Hand
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Solder Sucker
Solder Wick
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Preparation
Heat the Iron
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Once you have prepared the your tools and the joint to be soldered, making a good solder
joint requires just a few simple steps.
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Let It Flow
Let It Cool
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Congratulations!
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Problems?
The last page of this guide illustrates a number of common soldering problems with advice
on prevention and repair.
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Let it Flow
Let it Cool
Problems?
The last page of this guide illustrates a number of common soldering problems with advice
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The photos that follow show some common soldering problems, with suggestions for repair
and prevention:
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Disturbed Joint
A Disturbed joint is one that has been
subjected to movement as the solder was
solidifying. The surface of the joint may appear
frosted, crystalline or rough.
Often called a 'Cold Joint'. They can look similar
to a true cold joint, but the cause is different.
Repair: This joint can be repaired by
reheating and allowing it to cool undisturbed.
Preventio n: Proper preparation, including
immobilizing the joint and stabilizing the work in
a vise can prevent disturbed joints.
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Cold Joint
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Overheated Joint
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Insufficient Wetting
(Surface Mount)
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Solder Starved
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Untrimmed Leads
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Solder Bridge
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Lifted Pad
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