Solder tip size recommendations?

[jshack01]

I've ordered my first Dongle and Express board and I can't wait to get started.  I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on solder tip sizes?  I thought I would use this opportunity to get a decent setup but I had no idea there were so many choices out there?  Any advice?

Thanks,
John

[chrisatpsu]

the smaller the tip, the more control you have, but i believe the tips wear faster.
bigger tips work well on places with lots of metal surface area, triacs middle leg, heatsinks that get soldered on, and fuse holders.

i'd reccomend getting one of those packs, where they have different sized tips to play around with.  you'll find one you like.

[tbone321]

As Chris said, smaller tips warm up faster and give more control but they also have less heat transfer capability.  To compensate, many turn the heat up which causes faster wear of the tip.  I would also suggest picking up a few different sizes to determine which one works the best for you. 

[holland lights]

Use the pencil tip working on the chip sockets and the other small solder joints.

[deanathpc]

I use a 30 watt iron for the most part myself.  It does work on the bigger connections like triacs but can be tricky.  Sometimes a 40 watt iron can be much depending on the tip you have.

Get a couple different sizes and experiment.  Everyone is different.  That's part of the DIY experience!

Dean

[jnealand]

I have a lot of different tip sizes.  I use a fine point on on my model railroad stuff, but I use "chisel / screwdriver" tips for my Lynx solder.  A small one for most stuff and ideally a bigger one when doing the things like triacs and fuse holders, etc.  But the reality is that mostly I just use the small chisel tip and turn the iron up hotter on the bigger items.  Too much time to cool off the iron and then change tips and wait for it to reheat.  But I tin all my cords for the LEs and SSR4s and for those batch jobs I do put in a bigger tip.

[rogerwh]

How do you know hen to replace a tip?

[chrisatpsu]

when you don't want to use whatever shape it is anymore. like a fine tip point will wear down and get thicker as you work your way up the point.

[Jeffl]

I think I use a 1.6 mm for most everything. An assortment is nice to have.  Order a few if you buy a station.  I have a 3.2 or 5mm (not sure) that I use for soldering wire together and things like fuse lugs.

I started with a Radio Shack pencil and was buying tips every other week it seamed like.  Since I bought a solder station, I think I have used the same tip and built over 35 Lynx/LOR controllers.

[taybrynn]

I ordered a variety of tips, but found most to be way too big for most of the soldering on these kits.  I ended up this tip, which i liked because it worked well on the smaller parts.  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

[holland lights]

Over all the best tip to use is how big the solder trace is you are trying to solder.