Soldering tools?

[cmai]

I just bought some fans with unconnected wires. Where can I purchase a soldering tool that will get the job done for a reasonable price?

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum.

Thanks,

cmai

 

[MangoTBG]

RadioShack. $10 soldering Iron. $2-3 Solder. Hope it helps.

 

[Mday]

and heatshrink tubing there if needed. they only have the hard kind (not flexible) of tubing at the shack.

 

[stncttr908]

AND DON'T TRY CHANGING YOUR KEYBOARD LED'S WITH THAT STUFF!

 

[cmai]

Originally posted by: MangoTBG
RadioShack. $10 soldering Iron. $2-3 Solder. Hope it helps.

Thanks! Another newbie question....what's a "solder" I can't simply melt 2 wires together?

cmai

 

[nater]

solder is a metal that melts really easily that will join your two wires...it's kinda like glue when it's hot but it dries as a solid metal.

 

[MangoTBG]

...Lol, silly thing, but make sure you're careful. I have a scar on the backside (yes, the backside) of my hand from installing modchips. I'm rather skilled in solder (it isn't that hard, but with small contact points, it was still a breeze. I installed atleast 30 chips, back in the day of 29 wire chips). Anyways, I had the soldering iron propped up on the little stand, and I went to lay the xbox motherboard down on the antistatic sheet that was behind the soldering iron...

Get this, it was so freaking out, that I didn't feel it for an hour. It melted my skin eek! 700ºF isn't something to mess with! It's right on my knockle

 

[0roo0roo]

frys, 4 dollar iron

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: cmai

Originally posted by: MangoTBG
RadioShack. $10 soldering Iron. $2-3 Solder. Hope it helps.

Thanks! Another newbie question....what's a "solder" I can't simply melt 2 wires together?

cmai

most wire metal melts at far higher temps, you wouldn't want to be close to. copper takes 2000 def f to melt alone.

 

[HiTek21]

I'd get a Spool of Silver Solder 3.99
at radio shack, comes in handy for almost all electronic projects. I'd also look for Weller products they make some of the best soldering equipment.

 

[ZimZum]

Since youre a beginner its best to get a 15 or 30 watt soldering pencil. Make sure you also get lead free solder.

 

[Justin218]

Originally posted by: MangoTBG
...Lol, silly thing, but make sure you're careful. I have a scar on the backside (yes, the backside) of my hand from installing modchips. I'm rather skilled in solder (it isn't that hard, but with small contact points, it was still a breeze. I installed atleast 30 chips, back in the day of 29 wire chips). Anyways, I had the soldering iron propped up on the little stand, and I went to lay the xbox motherboard down on the antistatic sheet that was behind the soldering iron...

Get this, it was so freaking out, that I didn't feel it for an hour. It melted my skin eek! 700ºF isn't something to mess with! It's right on my knockle

eh, I have a bunch of little scars on my fingers from soldering/burning while cooking.

 

[Mark R]

have a bunch of little scars on my fingers from soldering/burning while cooking.

Hehe. Soldering while cooking is always a bad idea.

I know that's not what you mean, but I thought I'd just mention that most solder is made from 60% lead, so is toxic. Ensure plenty of ventilation when soldering. Don't smoke/eat while soldering, and wash hands thoroughly after handling the solder.

There are lead free alternatives available now (silver based) - although when I tried them a few years ago, they needed a higher temperature and my iron wouldn't melt them satisfactorily. After that I just bought a 1 kg roll of lead solder - I reckon it'll last another 5 years.

 

[xes]

It's probably a good idea to practice on some scaps of spare wire first, just to get the technique=)

Here is a quick n easy guide.

 

[Jeff7181]

The proper way to solder 2 wires together is to twist them together so they're intertwined... heat the wire up with the soldering iron first, then melt the solder onto them so it bonds them together... don't simply place the wires next to eachother, or butt the ends together. Spread out the ends, like a fan, then stick them together so they criss cross so if you looked at it from the side it would look like a + ... then twist them together. You don't need a ton of solder to get the job done... if you heat the wires properly before melting the solder onto them, the solder will spread out very nicely... solder will follow heat, so if one wire has a lot of solder on it, and the other one doesn't, just heat the wire that needs more and it will flow in that direction.

 

[Mday]

do a google search for splicing wires...

 

[pelikan]

If all you are doing is soldering wires together, the cheapest 30W iron you can find will work well. I have a good iron that I use for volt mods and a $1.99 30W iron for fan wires and such.
It helps to wipe the tip of the iron on a wet sponge every time you use it. Otherwise the tip will oxydize, stop conducting heat very well, and it will take a long time to solder with it.

 

[Jeff7181]

Or you could take the heatsink off your CPU, lay the wires across the core, put a small chunk of solder on them, then install the heat sink and fire up the computer, lol.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: pdawg1717
How about unsoldering something? I want to take off a tiny cap from my Dragon+ board (voltage mod) but have limited skills...what would be the steps/items needed for that?

Hand soldering and unsoldering surface mounted components by hand is tricky.

You'll need a quick hand and a soldering iron with a good low temp setting and a fine point. If you want to try it, be very careful to avoid touching the solder points for any other component, or you may unsolder or damage it. You will also need the replacement component, and you will have to be even quicker when trying to install it. Excessive heat is not your component's friend.

If you have limited skills, get help. I know. I've done it.

 

[Mark R]

What cap do you want to remove, and how big is it? Is it 'through-hole' (it has legs that go through holes in the motherboard and are soldered on the bottom), or is it 'surface mount' (it has pads which sit on top of the motherboard).

If it is the latter, and you don't mind damaging the capacitor - get a fairly powerful soldering iron with a broad tip. Apply heat to both ends of the cap simultaneously and give it a shove and it will fall off - with a bit of luck it will stick to the soldering iron and not to another component on the board.

You then need to clean up the board to make sure that there are no shorts anywhere. Ideally you should use 'desoldeing braid' this is finely woven copper wire which you apply to an area of molten solder and it soaks it up like a sponge.

If your soldering iron isn't big enough to heat both ends at once, apply heat to both ends alternately until you get them both molten at the same time - then move it as above. I had to do this when building a circuit using surface mount LEDs, and I forgot to check which way round they went. By some cruel fate of luck, I'd got all 3 back to front.

If you want to replace the components, then you will need a very fine soldering iron (I used a 0.1 mm bit) and a lot of patience. This is a lot more difficult than removing the components.

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On a seperate note, if anyone wants to offer hints on SM soldering then please feel free to advise - here's a pic of my first effort - it looks a lot worse close up - but hey, it works!

Link