Need soldering help

[kernal]

Ok, my patience and soldering skills are at a all time low.  I have 2 Expresses that need to be put together...   please  anybody willing to help me out?  I have ruined 2 DSC's so far, and dont want to ruin this, or the wife will never let me order again!  Will ship to and from and compensate for time! Please please please!!!!!   lol

kernal

[urthegman]

Where are you located? Maybe someone nearby could help you out?

[arw01]

I've considered the same thing as I have too much to assemble and test, whomever is interested in that send me a me too message so I can weight my time vs my wallet.

Thank you for posting this thread.

[MazdaFan]

Dropped a PM to both of you with my address.

I enjoy soldering and putting the boards together almost more (ok.. maybe more) than sequencing lights!  Most of all, I just love the feeling of accomplishment when it all comes together and makes "blinky flashy"

Jamie

[tbone321]

Ok, my patience and soldering skills are at a all time low.  I have 2 Expresses that need to be put together...   please  anybody willing to help me out?  I have ruined 2 DSC's so far, and dont want to ruin this, or the wife will never let me order again!  Will ship to and from and compensate for time! Please please please!!!!!   lol

kernal

It really sounds like you don't have the heat on your iron hot enough or you are not keeping the tip clean. 

[rm357]

Number one error for beginners - either iron is too small for the job or not running it hot enough.

[kernal]

Both of you arecorrect!  Inexpensive iron and not clean.  I watched videos last night to the wee hours of the morning and will be buying a solder station for the next season.  I will be practicing until then!  I will not fail!    To alll those who think nothing of this anddo it...  but, if anyone needs a bowling ball drilled...  im your man!  Lol...    thanks to all!

Kernal

[drlucas]

O'Reilly published a small guide called Learn to Solder. Brian Jepson is the author...I found it helpful when I was starting up this year....also the soldering station and good tip made my life easy....in the past I tried to mod a few Xbox's and it was messy...since I've read this book I got a lot better and quick.

[t.jo13]

Just remember the soldering station you use doesn't have to be expensive. The (mpja in the wiki )station work just fine. I used it until I upgraded . One of the important thing to look for is adjustable temps and the option to replace tips. ( my opinion)  I stepped up to a digital readout to help simplify setting temps

[isellgum]

I purchased a station on Ebay for $60 and really regret not seeing the station that had a hot air gun with it for $119.  At our shop we use a $24 heat gun from Lowes to reflow boards.  It works really well.

[kernal]

Ohhhhhh....    heat gun.  Do tell me more!

[isellgum]

We have an employee that reflows surface mount chips on Game systems.  That takes a special touch.    Sometimes when I need an extra capacitor from a motherboard  I use the Wagner heat gun from Lowes to get it off.  You can set it on the 1000 degree setting and just heat the backside for about 30 seconds to a minute.  At that point you can normally tap the cap with a screw driver and it falls right out.  It can cause surface mount chips to fall off if you are not careful.  Wrapping with a heat shield such as aluminum foil can help.  Just leave the area to heat exposed.  Most boards can take the heat no problem but if you don't use common sense you can discolor the PCB a little.  It will still work but it is visually unappealing.

Something like this on Ebay gets the job done.
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Having the right soldering iron has made it so we can work 10 times faster.  They heat up in 30 seconds and the tips are way more precision.

I would imagine your not working boards could be easily fixed.  I have repaired PCBs with fire damage.  They were literally blackened.  You can just follow the damaged trace till you find another solder point and attach a small piece of wire. 

Good luck.