//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Paper: Putting Together a Soldering Kit and Soldering Basics
//// By: iTpHo3NiX //// Rev: 0.0.1
//// Date: 10.25.15
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////ContentsPutting Together your Soldering Kit1.1 Solder
1.2 Soldering Iron
1.3 Soldering Iron Stand
1.4 Wire-Modifying Tools
1.5 Clips and Clamps
1.6 Liquid Flux
1.7 Heat-Shrink Tubing
1.8 Tip Cleaner
1.9 Exhaust Fan
1.10 Safety Goggles
Learn Soldering Basics2.1 Soldering Wires
2.2 Soldering a Circuit Board
2.3 Tinning
Who is This Tutorial For?Before you continue reading, I would like to say that this tutorial is geared at the ABSOLUTE novice. Absolutely no knowledge of soldering or soldering equipment is necessary. If you are looking for a more advanced guide, this is not it. I wasn't kidding when I put basics in the title. If you're already a pro-solderer, go ahead and either skip or feel free to add input.
Put Together a Soldering KitSoldering is playing with fire, or at least with hot metal. So we need to be sure we have the right tools. If you're working on electronics projects, chances are you'll want to connect lightweight metal objects like wires, and soldering is the way to get that done. You heat pieces of metal with a soldering iron, then join them together using a molten filler, or solder. Once it cools and hardens, you're left with a strong, electronically conductive bond.
SolderThis is the good stuff - the material you'll melt to connect metals. Traditionally, solder was a mix of tin and lead, but these days look for lead-free types to avoid nasty health risks. Choose thinner solder for delicate projects, such as attaching wires to a circuit board, and thinker solder for projects involving heftier wires or bulkier pieces of metal.
Soldering IronThis tool has a metal tip and an insulated handle. When it's powered on, the tip heats up so it can melt solder. There are low- and high-wattage versions: Low wattage is useful for fragile projects, while high wattage is better for projects involving bigger pieces. There are also different types of tips available for the soldering iron.
Soldering Iron StandBuy a stand that fits your iron so you'll have a place to put it down safely when it's hot. (Leaving this thing lying around when it's turned on is a good way to burn down the tool-shed before you've even made anything with it!)
Wire-Modifying ToolsYou'll likely be soldering a lot of wire, so it's useful to have wire cutters, wire strippers, and needle-nose pliers on hand so you can manipulate the wire. Before connecting wires, you must peel back their insulation to expose the wires, so wire strippers are definitely a must.
Clips and ClampsSoldering requires both hands, so you'll need something to hold the materials you're soldering in place. Clips, clamps, and even electrical tape can do the job.
Liquid FluxSoldering works best when the items being soldered are squeaky clean, so have liquid flux on hand, it chases away oxides and other goop that can make soldering difficult.
Heat-Shrink TubingYou can use plastic heat-shrink tubing to insulate wires before you apply heat and solder them. It's available in several diameters for projects with various wire sizes.
Tip CleanerYour soldering iron's tip will get a bit nasty as you work, so keep a wet sponge on hand to periodically wipe down the tip.
Exhaust FanThe fumes from soldering are not healthy to breathe, so you need good ventilation from a fan or an open window to help clear the air
Safety GogglesBits of hot solder can go flying as you work, so don't do it without wearing safety goggles. Or do, what do I care.
Now that we have a good idea on what we should include in our Soldering Kit, lets get on to the basic steps of soldering.
Learn Soldering BasicsAs its most basic, soldering is simply attaching wires to wires. The process is a bit different when you're soldering directly onto a circuit board, but don't worry, I got you covered with info for each.
Soldering Wires- In a well-ventilated space, with your safety goggles on, plug in your soldering iron to heat it up. Be careful not to touch the tip, which heats up fast
- Prepare the materials you want to join with solder. If you're connecting two wires, peel back any insulation about 1/2 inch (1.25cm), and twist the wires together. Place your materials on a surface you don't mind burning a bit, like scrap wood
- Cut a length from the spool of solder and coil it up at one end, leaving a short lead. You can hold on to the coiled end as you apply the solder
- Touch the iron to the point where the wires are twisted together. Leave it there until the wires are hot enough to melt the solder (about 10 seconds), then touch the solder to the wire joint every few seconds until it begins to melt. Allow enough solder to melt onto the wires to cover them, then pull the solder and soldering iron away. Don't touch the solder directly to the soldering iron during this process, that will melt the solder onto the wires, but won't form a firm joint.
- When you need to fix a mistake, you can reheat your joint, melt the solder, and reposition the components. If you want to break the connection you made for any reason, you can desolder a joint. For connections like joined wires, you can often simply heat up the joint and pull the wires apart, or cut each wire below the join and resolder as desired.
Soldering a Circuit Board- Place the component that you wish to solder in the correct spot on the circuit board and clamp it down, then push the leads for each component through the holes on the board
- Solder the leads to the bottom of the board. (This is easier to do with a fine-tipped, low-wattage soldering iron.) Press the soldering iron to the lead and the metal contact on the board at the point where you want them to connect. Once they heat up enough to melt the solder after a few seconds, melt a small amount of solder at the connection point. Too much solder can cause a short, too little solder won't make a string connection.
- Pull the solder away, then remove the soldering iron a second or two later. Once you've soldered all the leads onto the circuit boar, trim off excess wire with a wire cutter.
TinningIf you're working with components that have to be surface mounted on a circuit boar, such as ones that don't have leads, you can thread through to the back of the board, you'll need to use a technique called "tinning"
- Touch the soldering iron to the point on the board where you want to attach the component. Melt a small drop of solder on this point, then remove the soldering iron.
- Pick up the component with tweezers, heat up the drop of solder on the board, and carefully place the component on the solder.
- Hold the component in place for a few seconds until the solder cools.
- If you need to desolder joints on a circuit board, use a soldering pump with your soldering iron to melt and remove the solder.
ConclusionWell I say a job well done, with this guide you learned what you need to get started soldering and how to do the basics.
