Basic Soldering Question
T-Bone
Posts: 17
I'm getting ready to wire up my first proto board. Does anyone have a link to a good tutorial for soldering proto boards? I'd like guidance on the basics: solder type, soldering temperature, should I use flux, tips for running wires above and below, etc. Thanks
Comments
Solder Type:
As far as I know there are two solder types: leaded and lead free. And then these come in different sizes. I use leaded as the melting temperature is a bit lower than lead free and because my boards don't need to be ROHS compliant.
Soldering Temperature:
I use 300 degrees Celsius, because it works fine with my leaded solder and I try to minimize the maximum heat that my components face. I solder SMD which are allot more sensitive than wires would be :P .
Flux:
For SMD flux is a must, but with through hole you can get away without it because of the flux core present in solder. If you SMD I've heard alot about flux paste, but I just use a simple flux pen.
Other:
I would recommend both rubbing alcohol and a good brush to help clean your board from flux residue. Again this is more for SMD but should also be done for through hole parts as flux is fairly corrosive if left on the PCB.
I started with the Sparkfun tutorials on how to solder. Here is there Soldering 101 http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/213
They have plenty of others such as hot air soldering, smd soldering, skillet re-flow etc. I highly recommend their tutorials, very informative.
http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm
Good luck!!
Do a search for "Basic Soldering" or "Basic Soldering Techniques" and you will a a couple of hours enjoyment.
-Phil
One site I found very helpful in learning how to solder and to use various electronic connectors was NASA's Workmanship Standards. I learned a lot about the right way to do things and what the various components are called and how they are used.
Make sure and look at Section 6.15 about soldering wire.
One thing I learned from the NASA site that I have found very useful, was their requirement that heat-shrink tubing be transparent. After using transparent heat-shrink for a while I wondered how I every got along without it.
-Phil
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?x=0&y=0&lang=en&site=us&KeyWords=473-1107-ND
Minimizing heat to the components, I use a count of 3 seconds at each point. If not done in that time, let it cool and try again after you've assessed the problem by cleaning the tip or removing oxides from the component leads. The desired shape of a solder joint is a fillet, not a bead. With a little experience, you can read the materials and what went wrong.
Another handy device to have at the ready is a solder sucker. I prefer the hot iron type. I use mine for anything from scrounging components, connetors and such from old boards, repair projects and the occasional mis-oriented component on a new project. Solder happens?
$0
Very good point about cleanliness when soldering. The items to be soldered must be clean, bright and oxide free, generally true when using new components but if they have aged and become corded they will not solder well. Best to brighten them up a bit.
The soldering iron tip should be kept shiny by wiping on a moist sponge as you say BUT use a real sponge not a plastic one!
So here is a tip: Whilst you are in the big make-up supply store picking up the alcohol they will also have those sponges girls use to remove makeup. Those sponges are the real thing and perfect for use when soldering.
Lawson
First proto board huh? Based on experience, I would make only one minor recommendation. Solder your passives and any transistors/crystals/FETs etc to dip headers and then wire-wrap the initial project. With a little planning, you can get some pretty good work done, and the rework (again experience) will be much easier. To bad that I can not find the equivalent of an old CPM program I had called WireMaster. input the nodes, out came a wrap list organized by sizes, and best of all structured so that only three wires at most would need to be lifted to replace one of them. Wrap tools are not cheap new, but go on EBAY etc. When my Gardner-Denver cut, strip, wrap gun fried I replaced it for about 50.00 on ebay. Looked to be an escape from some telco .....
Frank
Sponge as in Natural sponge. Foam rubber is simulated sponge. The result will be obvious once the iron touches it. Natural sponge does not melt at solder temps. If not disclosed on the packaging, don't use it!
While makeup aisle sponges may be natural, I still think you need to hold a pinky in the air to make them work properly while cleaning the solder iron tip !
$0
Love your kitty there Leon. We've had a couple similar, but with deep blue eyes typical of a Blue Sealpoint.
-Phil
Wet sponge is a must. Don't use brillo pads, steel wool, any of that stuff. Like stated earlier, only a REAL wet sponge would work (stay away from any of them having a penchant to scream "I'M READY! Bahhh-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!" ... on the other hand... nahh. my 6 yr old would have a fit.). Get in a habit of wiping your tip after each component, and you will have less problems. If the tip is turning gold or getting crummy, wipe it. That is oxidization, and can cause pitting and cold joints.
Best way I found to do it is to place your tip on the solder joint first, add a small amount of solder after holding it there VERY briefly to form what is called a "Heat Bridge". This will allow the transer of heat to the leg of the component and the board correctly, and give you good flow. Once this is done, and you see the solder "sink" into the hole, add the rest of the solder.
Pay attention to your temps.. "One heat setting fits all" kind of thinking will get you into trouble more often than not. If you are soldering onto a large ground plane, often times a bigger tip/more heat is the only way to get good flow. On the other end of that spectrum, small components and small traces will fry out with too much heat or time with the iron.
Try several different tip styles, and stick with what works for you for the given application. Don't try to use a big tip on SMT thinking "Aw... It'll be ok". It won't be.
Use sockets. Since you are making a protoboard, you will thank yourself later on It is another layer of protection for when learning how to solder. Plus, if you make a mistake and fry an IC down the road while prototyping, you are not dead in the water.
I rarely use them anymore, but heatsinks are an excellent idea for beginners. This can be anything from something you purchase, to a simple alligator clip on the the lead you are soldering, on the component side of the board. This will help to dissapate the heat, and prevent components from burning up before you power them up.
The toothbrush and ISO Idea is tried and true. Just keep in mind that some components are not very friendly to getting moist, even after they dry (transformers, inductors, switches, etc.). try to clean the board, then solder these in place if you are expecting to have to do a hard scrub on the board. Many board houses solder all "Liquid Safe" components, wash the boards by submersion, then hand solder the other components by hand, then clean with the ISO. Using 30% stuff is good in a pinch, but if you find a white residue forming as you dry, you will ahve to wash it off with water.
As for the construction of the board (and this is assuming you are using perf board), save your nipped lead ends, or at least a good share of them. They make excellent traces for connecting the components, without having to exclusively use wires.
There are many, many other tricks out there, but this should get you started. And a good companion to the "NASA Standard" (J-STD-001ES) would be the IPC-A610 (for boards) and the IPC-A620 (for wire harness assemblies). Both with good acceptance criteria for pretty much anything you want to play with.
And finally, buy an extra part or two. It is a good idea to have a spare, esp. when learning to solder, or even just playing with a new component for the first time.
Good luck!