Soldering best practices

[smeighan]

Hi all;

i have a pile of hardware now. 4 Lynx Expresses, 1 ether dongle, 2 wrieless boards, 3 aether's

I will add the smart string hub and controllers whenever a coop opens.

This pile is for my first christmas..

I do have a question on soldering best practices. I used to work for Hughes Aircraft Company in El Segundo, Calif. I got Nasa certified in soldering then to work on the radar units.

These were some of the "rules" for soldering.

1) Cant use wire strippers that cut the insulation, must use thermal strippers. Nicking a wire could lead to failure in the radar. I assume, this really doesn't matter in our hobby.
2) When tinning wire, the solder could not go under the insulation.
3) When wrapping wire around a post it had to be 3/4 wrap,
4) You had to use a ant-static wrist strap when assembling.

There were more about how to heat the write, how much solder to use, how to check for cold solder joints, how to trim the wire, how to clean the connection afterwards , .etc.

I was wondering about (4), do people use an anti-static wrist strap when assembling these kits?

something like this:
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It has been 40 years since i soldered, methods may have changed.

wow i feel old...

[tbone321]

I don't and hve never had a problem.  I guess that the need really dpnds on the enviornment that you are working in.  The oter rules sound like minitary spec where there can be no chance of failure due to human error and again, that's really not the case here. 

[peteandvanessa]

Yep that's similar to the one I use.
Also make sure that the soldering iron / soldering station is grounded.

My anti-static wristband is grounded to my soldering station and my soldering station is grounded at the wall socket.

I wonder sometimes if some of the issues we see on the forum is down to static damage.

I know some folks don't use a ground strap and just earth themselves by touching say a waterpipe or something similar, but I prefer to have the wristband.

[pk]

Sean -

I do not use a anti-static strap and have had no problems and you know how much static we have here in CO due to the low humidity.  However, I am careful and touch something that is grounded, (i.e. computer case) then the work surface and then the parts.  The key is to be at the same potential as parts.  As I recall the esd wrist strap is a wire with a 1 MEG resistor connected between you and earth ground.

My solder station is grounded. 

Rules 1,2,3 are not necessary in this hobby. 

[JonB256]

I went to a Navy School for advanced soldering, repair and troubleshooting. Those were their rules also.

I don't do wire wrapping - ignore that one!

Solder under the insulation is a question of making the wire more "breakable" due to vibration. Not really a problem here, so I ignore that one also!

I will look to see if I nicked a wire during stripping. A wire will break at the nick very easily. This is a good rule.

I don't use a strap. When handling PIC chips, I'm careful to touch something grounded first. With most other chips, I'm pretty casual.

My instructors would be upset with me, but that was 30 years ago and they may not be around to yell.

[caretaker]

The most common problems I have for myself and see in some other posts is solder joints that need touch up because not enough solder was flowed the first time. I guess if I were to offer any advice take your time, double check your work as you go and have fun as this is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby.

[SteveMaris]

The one thing I would add for soldering is this:
A hot iron that touches the pcb for minimal time is better than a cooler iron that takes longer to heat the joint.
I use a 40 watt radio shack soldering iron over my adjustable soldering station because the hot iron just seems to work better for me.
I haven't had a single issue on anything I have built.  And I never soldered a thing before finding this place last year.

[urthegman]

The biggest difference maker for me was using the right size .032 solder, especially in the tight places.

[taybrynn]

I don't use the anti static and don't follow 1-3 either.   Built 7/le 13/ssc. 2/ssh 4/tx 5/exrx 2/dongles 2/ph 1/dmxsplit and spliced about 100 ss connections ... And it all worked ...

To me the good quality soldering station made all the difference ... I will never use a cheap rat shack iron again.   Mine is ready to go in 10-15 secs.   The .32 solder is perfect.

The pair of precision clippers and pliers from HD is a must have.  I also think a good led magnifying lamp is very very useful, ESP for seeing what your doing and inspecting your work.

[SteveMaris]

The biggest difference maker for me was using the right size .032 solder, especially in the tight places.

Yes, this size is best for sure.

[combustionmark]

+ 1 for a good soldering station and good solder...

I even have a 24 volt battery station, so I can use the same tips in the yard..

Have fun

[kgustafson]

I solder in a location that is carpeted.  I absolutely wear an anti-static guard that is properly grounded.

[chrisatpsu]

i use .032" for normal soldering on the kits, and use .015" for hand soldering surface mount stuff.

[rimist]

I use an anti-static wrist strap attached to an anti-static mat, and an esd safe grounded temperature controlled soldering station. The strap and mat came together, and I felt the small investment was worth it.

-Rimist (via Tapatalk)

[thestig]

You guys are making me feel careless. I solder in my office which is carpeted. The only thing I do is touch my grounded soldering iron before I handle any of my parts. I can't say that this is fool proof by any means as I have only built 3 LE's and a few dongles. However so far so good.

+1 on the right sized solder. As far as soldering stations I just use the weller100c it was like 50 dollars at frys.


Grant