Soldering components
Michael Popoloski
Posts: 42
How are you supposed to solder components that have large leads? I purchased some things from Jameco the other day, never realizing that not only will they not work with a breadboard, they also won't fit into any soldering boards from Radio Shack that I have lying around. How are people supposed to use them?
Comments
When you have leads that are too thick to directly push into a breadboard (or into the 1mm holes of standard soldering boards), you would normally solder a short end of solid copper wire to them, the other ends of which -can- be pushed into the breadboard. For example the LM7805 voltage regulators (in a TO220 housing) often have pins that are too thick for a breadboard, and then the solution is to solder short wire ends to the three pins.
Radio Shack should have some "doorbell" wire with massive copper core that should be suitable
Mahjongg
An·alternative with perf board is to ream the hole with a drill bit or reamer.
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Paul Baker
Propeller Applications Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
I had a problem when I received the circuit boards for the first prototype SpinStudio. I used someone else's library for a DC Power Jack. The leads on these are wide and flat. The widest being 3 mm. The Library that this person created only had small, regular sized holes.
To make a large story short.... One of the tools in my electronic toolbox is a Dremel. With a flat disc type attachment, it's easy to make large diameter leads smaller.
Also....here's a hint for you guys. If you shave enough off a standard RCA jack, you can get it into the holes in a Proto Board and solder it securely. (see pictures for proof that it can be done) next I'm going to get a stereo jack on there and some small amps, and I'll have myself a poor-man's demo-board!
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Brian Meade
"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night" - Edgar Poe
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=101178
Some of the other components include the RCA connectors and PS/'2 connectors.
It just seems kinda silly that they would make them just big enough to not fit. They could make them a tiny bit smaller to work with more applications.
The reason many of these connectors have large leads is for mechanical strength.
Pretty sure those are designed to be connected with wire; that's why the plugs have holes, so you can tie the wire on there.
Radio Shack stocks about a million of those, and almost no breadboardable components. Kinda sucks.
- try to shave them down into a manageable size
- solder wires onto each lead
- drill your own holes in a board and solder them to it
Looks like the best solution would be the second option, except that I am not very good with a soldering iron. Wish me luck.
Et voila....
No soldering involved!
Tandy should have these leads.
Mahjongg.
I too had the problem of 'too big' leads.
I needed a connector for TV out, so I salvaged some RCA audio type connectors from
an old game unit. Soldered wires at right angles to the two leads for the video signal
and ground and connected them to the ProtoBoard.
Used two clear flat 'rubber feet' to raise the module above the board, stuck to the module.
And some AWG22 solid wire to tie it down to the board. Soldered one end of the wire,
snug it well around the module body, feed the other end through a pad hole and solder.
It is fairly solid, if I'm careful when plug/unplugging the cable.
Didn't want to kill the time to search for a thru-hole part and wait shipping. Kludge works.
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Harley Shanko
h.a.s. designn