How to Solder Components onto a Circuit Board

NOTE: All images used are linked to their respective sources for easy access.
Soldering can be done by anyone. Soldering is also a useful skill to have, with experience, you
can repair your electronics for cheap.

What You Will Need

To begin soldering you will first need to acquire:
• A soldering iron
• A well-ventilated area
• A small sponge
• A spool of flux core solder
• A practice circuit board (You can buy kits that contain a board and components)
• A pair of tweezers (for holding and placing small components)
• A pair of wire cutters (for clipping the leads of THDs)
• A solder sucker
A soldering iron is a tool used by electrical engineers to melt solder onto the connections of
components to provide a conductive path and secure them to the circuit board. A well-ventilated
area is necessary because solder is comprised of tin and toxic lead. The small sponge when
dampened is used to clean the tip of the soldering iron.
Solder is a mixture of tin and lead metal used for soldering because it melts immediately when
reaching a certain temperature and it hardens instantly after cooling a small amount. Flux core
solder is the same as normal tin and lead solder, but its center is full of flux which allows the
solder to form a strong bond and adhere to the point of connection. Solder suckers are tools used
to remove solder if a mistake is made. To operate a solder sucker push down on the plunger,
place the nozzle near the molten solder and press the button.

Readying the Soldering Iron

WARNING: A soldering iron gets very hot so do not touch any of the exposed metal!
WARNING: Melting solder is very hot and can release toxic fumes, so make sure you only
solder in a room with good ventilation.
1. Ensure the soldering iron is plugged in
2. Set the temperature to the melting point of your solder
3. Wait for the soldering iron to heat
4. Melt some solder to the tip of your iron to improve heat transfer (known as tinning)
Make sure to regularly tin the tip of your soldering iron. After completing these steps you will
have a hot soldering iron ready for soldering your components to a circuit board.

1
Soldering Surface Mounted Components
NOTE: When soldering components make sure not to use too much solder, for you risk bridging
the gap between two pads and creating a short circuit.
Surface-mounted components (SMD/SMT) can be much smaller than their through-hole
counterparts, so tweezers and a steady hand are advised. SMDs are characterized by having their
connecting metal pads on one side of the board pictured in Figure 1. SMDs are largely the circuit
board manufacturing standard.
SMDs can be soldered in four simple steps:
1. Cover one pad in solder
2. Pick up the desired component with tweezers
3. While using one hand to keep the solder molten with the iron, use your other hand to
place the component between the two pads
4. Cover the second pad in solder

Figure 1 - SMD Pads

2
Soldering Through Hole Components
Through-hole components (THD/THT) are generally larger and much taller than SMDs. The size
of THDs can make them easier for beginners since tweezers are not needed. THDs are
characterized by having long metal leads sticking off them that are pushed through holes in the
board and soldered on the back side as illustrated in Figure 2.
THDs can be soldered in six simple steps:
1. Pull the leads of the component through their respective holes
2. Turn over the circuit board while applying pressure to the component so it won't fall out
3. Hold the soldering iron against one of the circular pads
4. Melt enough solder onto the circular pad to form a Hershey’s Kiss shape
5. Repeat for as many leads as the component has
6. Use the wire cutters to remove the extra length of the leads

Figure 2 - THD Component Placement

Glossary
Pads – Connection points for soldering components onto a circuit board
Leads – Metal wire connected to a component used to connect them to THD pads
SMD/SMT – Surface-mount device and surface-mount technology respectively
THD/THT – Through-hole device and through-hole technology respectively