WTB- some to solder my stuff... vonk vonk

[remixsam]

Anyone close to chicago willing to solder some things for me? 

I have done (soldered) a couple kits from Radio Shack... but they don't look very good.

I'm just not confidant enough in my "skills" to solder the parts that make my lights blink..

i know everyone is busy.. but I thought I would ask...

Thanks 

 

[zwiller]

Maybe someone local will step up for you and i dont know what kind of rat shack iron you have but FWIW I found when I finally invested in a good soldering station my results radically improved.  Remember to apply heat/tip to BOTH lead and trace, a touch of fine solder with other hand for a second or two and that's it.  I now find assembling my kits immensely gratifying but I'm a weird dude...  I enjoy sequencing the most of all things blinky.   

[urthegman]

Remix, what exactly do you have that needs assembly?

[remixsam]

@ Zwiller: i have a decent 40 w iron and i have worked on some kits that resemble the the kits from DIY... just to practice...  i will just be super bummed if I ruin these from DIY...

@ Urthegman: I have 10 SSC, and 16 port active thing and lynx combiner that I need soldered...

[zwiller]

Unless you are 100% sure you are done after building those kits I would seriously encourage you to upgrade to nice station before you give up trying to roll your own. I dragged my feet and caved after I ruined a kit with a cheaper iron.  Wasnt too bad though, got some new parts and pcb and used rest of kit to complete  Although I had soldered a few things before I was basically a complete noob to this stuff.  Was a night and day difference to me.  Lastly, desoldering braid is your friend.

[WWNF911]

remixsam,

I understand it's a big investment and your concerns about being "super bummed if I ruin these from DIY...".

However, everyone here has at one point and time had the same concerns and have gone on in the spirit of DIY to be able to wear the badge (so to speak) and have the bragging rights to say I built these from scratch".

Having said that, if there is some reason why you can't,.. i.e Handicap, lack of hand eye coordination, or just plain having trouble due to age, I'm sure someone would be glad to step up and help you.

If that is not the case then as was previously mentioned, a little investment on a proper soldering station, and pic programmer would be in order. Then just take the plunge. Don't worry about it cause we've all been there and were all here to help.

There's a reason why we DIY and it's more than just cost savings.   

Leon

[bwhite505]

This is a very good low cost solder station.  I have two of them and they work great.  Like others have said you will notice a huge improvement in the quality of your work with a solder station. I had never soldered anything before I built an Aeon Clock.  Take your time.  DOUBLE CHECK PART PLACEMENT!!!!

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Brian

[zwiller]

Here's mine for $30:  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login. As mentioned, grab a pickit 3 from j1sys.

[DonFL]

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Another good one. I've become a big fan of hakko irons/systems. This one can be found for under 80 bucks with a little bit of searching.

[Penfold]

I have the same station that Zwiller stated.  It works like a charm!  I would also suggest that you get yourself .31 63/37 solder.  That stuff is awesome.  I used to use lead free solder.  NEVER AGAIN!!!

[njKeever]

I also have the CSI station and love it. Had zero experience soldering when I got it and used it to build 5 expresses and a SS hub!

But, if you are looking for a friend that can solder, this is probably a good place to look: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

[duane.mosley]

IMO, if you don't build it yourself, it takes all the fun out of it. i have heard a lot of talk about having a "station". i bought a 40w iron from radio shack for 12 bucks and it has worked great to build 11 express kits and an active hub. i have replaced a tip already, but they're only 2 bucks so it is worth it. a good magnifier really helps too! just my opinion.

duane

[JonB256]

I would also suggest that you get yourself .31 63/37 solder.  That stuff is awesome. 

My preference has been .020 gauge rosin core solder. 63/37 is the better choice over 60/40 because it goes from molten to solid much faster as it cools.

I like the small gauge solder because I easily control the amount of solder by how much length I feed into the joint.

[taybrynn]

Last year I bought a new soldering station from CSI before starting my DIY kits.

I had previously never soldered much and only had a 40watt radio shack soldering iron.

I was very nervous about building stuff because I don't have a steady hand and had virtually no soldering experience.

I did watch a few videos on soldering and also the videos RJ put out, which seemed to build my confidence to try it.

In the end, everything I built worked.  I was in shock.  I built many different things. 

The biggest thing was having that nice soldering station ... wow, compared to my rat shack iron, which was hot in 2-3 minutes
and very little to no control ... a nice soldering station was ready to go in 10-15 seconds and had such great temp. control that I felt
in control ... and with that, built confidence.

I also highly reccomend those LED magnifying lamps ... got one at the local office xxxxx store and it was another $50 well spent.

Good luck!

[sabie]

YOU MAY TRY CLEANING THE TIP OF YOUR IRON OFTEN WITH A WET SPONGE OR WET PAPER TOWEL