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Soldering 1.5mm pitch pins — Parallax Forums

Soldering 1.5mm pitch pins

John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
edited 2011-06-06 23:47 in General Discussion
Hello there,

I have a casual soldering gun (or pencil) and did quite ok with those 2.54mm pitch pins (the usual, DIP ones).

However, I have ordered some Bluetooth to Serial modules, and they are 1.5mm pitch, instead of the 0.1" ones.

Should I need a finer soldering tip, or with the soldering braid? :)

Comments

  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-05 06:56
    I use a Metcal soldering station and they recommend a cartridge with a tip about the same size as the object being soldered, for optimum heat transfer. I'd get a new tip if there is a big difference, it'll make soldering much easier.
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-06-05 07:46
    Leon wrote: »
    I use a Metcal soldering station and they recommend a cartridge with a tip about the same size as the object being soldered, for optimum heat transfer. I'd get a new tip if there is a big difference, it'll make soldering much easier.

    I see. Hmm, but getting the Metcal Soldering Station here in SE Asia isn't easy. The nearest product I could get now is the SLD-936 (Hakko clone) soldering station.

    I may find some fine Hakko compatible tips for that. :)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-05 08:09
    I wasn't suggesting you buy a Metcal system, although they are affordable if bought second-hand on Ebay. I was quoting their recommendation for tip selection.
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-06-05 08:15
    Leon wrote: »
    I wasn't suggesting you buy a Metcal system, although they are affordable if bought second-hand on Ebay. I was quoting their recommendation for tip selection.

    Thanks for the suggestion though - the Metcal is really good, but can't really find it in local stores. All they stocked are those Hakko clones.

    I believe, the size of the soldering tips are measured as the pitch size? That means, if I need to solder the 1.5mm header, I will need to get the 1.5mm diameter tips? :)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-05 08:27
    That's right. It isn't critical, of course, just don't use something too small or too big.
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-06-05 08:35
    Leon wrote: »
    That's right. It isn't critical, of course, just don't use something too small or too big.

    I see. Hmm, I will show you the bluetooth modules I'm ordering now. It's in http://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=402. The pins are 1.5mm, and the holes are only semicircular.

    So those stuff requires controlled temperature during soldering? :)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-05 08:39
    It would be a good idea, to avoid damaging it.

    Are you sure it has pins? It looks more like a surface-mount device, like most similar ones I've seen.
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-06-05 08:50
    ^ Sorry, it doesn't have pins. It's just a surface mount device. Right now I'm planning to etch a board which I will place the thing on it and solder, or I'll manually attach the wires (if it's small enough) to the headers.
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited 2011-06-05 15:59
    Leon wrote: »
    I use a Metcal soldering station and they recommend a cartridge with a tip about the same size as the object being soldered, for optimum heat transfer. I'd get a new tip if there is a big difference, it'll make soldering much easier.

    I bought a soldering iron station from Elenco that takes a 1/64th of an inch tip. I'm still assembling part of the kit that regulates heat but it was the cheapest I could find. It is basically a 40W soldering iron that plugs into a station.

    I think the size of your soldering wire also matters when soldering small stuff.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-05 19:01
    I've got a 1/64 inch cartridge for the Metcal, I don't use it very often.
  • John A. ZoidbergJohn A. Zoidberg Posts: 514
    edited 2011-06-06 19:42
    Ok, I'll consider purchasing a soldering station, with a temperature-controlled one, and a small soldering braid if there's mistakes done during soldering.

    So what is the optimal temperature should I need to solder SMD parts? And could I use a smaller 0.8mm solder instead of 1mm? Thanks. :)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-06-06 23:47
    Metcal recommends a temperature 40C above the melting point of the solder. The standard 600 cartridges for lead solder have a temperature of 350C.

    You need thinner solder for SMD parts, of course. It depends on the size.
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