How to Solder (Electronics)?

Answer 1

First: Use Rosin core not Acid Core solder.
Second: Heat the part, not the solder wire. After the part is heated, touching the solder to it and have the solder melted on. It should flow easily and be bright and shinny going on.
Use a proper sized soldering iron or gun so as not to overheat the components. Soldering IC chips or semi-conductors is trickier, because you have to avoid the device overheating. There are technique in the literature you can research.

A poorly made soldering joint is called a 'cold' joint, and the solder will appear dull almost hazy, perhaps even with a crack. Also remember, that the part should have a good mechanical connection before soldering. Generally, do not rely on the solder to hold things together.

Answer 2

Its simple !Just see what you are soldering, be extra careful with Semiconductor materials like transistors,diodes etc.Also hold soldering iron by the handle not by the tip coz that thing's 200 degrees hot in temp.Use a desoldering pump to remove extra solder wire from the PCB.
Just hold the soldering wire in left hand if righty or right hand if lefty then move soldering iron to the wire !However note they should be adjacent to the components lead terminal then melt wire on lead terminal !You can use solder flux for copper wire !

Answer 3

Use soldering wire and a soldering gun. Hold the soldering wire to whatever you are soldering and touch the gun to the wire for a couple seconds until it melts. Then just let it cool. To reverse it, just melt the old solder and pull apart what you are soldering.

Answer 4

How to solder electronic components to printed circuit boards (PCBs).

This How-To mainly deals with the soldering of through-hole components into printed circuit boards (PCBs). Through-hole components are those which have leads, which enter into a hole in the PCB and soldered to the pad around the hole. The hole may be plated through or not.

Soldering of other electrical items such as wires, lugs, have slightly different steps but the general principles are the same.


Things You'll Need

* Soldering iron
* Flux cored solder wire (see Tips section for information on different types of flux)


Steps

1. Bend leads correctly if required, discuss stress relief. To be completed...
2. Clinching leads. Discuss whether to cut leads before or after soldering based on whether heatsinking effect is required. To be completed...
3. Melt a small blob of solder on end of the soldering iron. This will be used to improve the transfer of heat to your work.
4. Carefully place the tip (with the blob) onto the interface of the lead and pad. The tip or blob must touch both the lead and the pad. The tip/blob should not be touching the non metalic pad area of the PCB (i.e the fibreglass area) as this area can be damaged by excessive heat. This should now heat the work area.
5. "Feed" the solder onto the interface between the pad and lead. Do not feed the solder onto the tip! The lead and pad should be heated enough for the solder to melt on it (see previous step). If the solder does not melt onto the area, the most likely cause is insufficient heat has been transfered to it. The molten solder should "cling" to the pad and lead together by way of surface tension This is commonly referred to as wetting.
* with practice, you will learn how to heat the joint more efficiently with the way you hold the iron onto the work
* flux from the solder wire is only active for about one second maximum after melting onto the joint as it is slowly "burnt off" by heat
* solder will wet a surface only if:
o the surface is sufficiently heated and
o there is sufficient flux present to remove oxidation from the surface and
o the surface is clean and free of grease, dirt etc.
6. The solder should by itself, "run around" and fill in the interface. Stop feeding the solder when the correct amount of solder has been added the the joint. The correct amount of solder is determined by:
* for non plated through hole (non-PTH) PCBs (most home made PCBs are of this type) - stop feeding when the solder forms a flat fillet
* for plated through hole (PTH) PCBs (most commercially manufactured PCBs) - stop feeding when a solid concave fillet can be seen
* too much solder will form a "bulbous" joint with a convex shape
* too little solder will form a "very concave" joint.
7. More to come...


Tips
Fluxes

There are different types of flux cores available for solder wire.

* Rosin is most commonly used by hobbyists. After soldering, it leaves a brown sticky residue which is non-corrosive and non-conductive, but can be cleaned if desired with a solvent such as isopropanol. There are different grades of Rosin flux, the most commonly used is "RMA" (Rosin Mildly Activated).
* No Clean fluxes leaves a clear residue after soldering, which is non-corrosive and non-conductive. This flux is designed to be left on the solder joint and surrounding areas.
* Water Soluble fluxes usually have a higher activity (i.e is more aggressive) which leaves a residue which must be cleaned with water. The residue is corrosive and may also damage the PCB or components if not cleaned correctly after use.


Solder Alloy

* The most common solder alloy used in electronics is Lead-Tin 60/40. This alloy is recommended if you are new to soldering.
* Various Lead Free alloys are becoming popular in recent times. These require higher soldering temperatures and do not "wet" as well as Lead-Tin alloys. Pb-Free solders require more skill to produce a good quality solder joint.


Soldering Irons

Soldering irons are usually either:

* Fixed power - e.g 25W (small jobs) to 100W (large jobs, heavy cabling etc)
* Variable temperature - tip temperature can be controlled to suit the size of the job

Most soldering irons have replaceable tips. Soldering iron tips have a limited working life and also are available in different types of shapes and sizes, to suit the a variety of jobs.