My first soldering!

[Elecmox]

Let me show you my first soldering.
This is my first attempt:

This is my second attempt:

Please, be gentle.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

How to solder to my standards. Another example: 6mm² tap into an unbroken run of 16mm².

The strands of the main run are parted, 3 to one side and 4 to the other, and the tap cable passed through the gap. The gap is then closed up with pliers and the strands wrapped around the main cable, again split into 3 & 4. The wraps are tightened with pliers and soldered. For this demo I have set the tap cable at right-angles for clarity; it can just as easily be soldered in a Y-position.

In this case I used a stick of tinman's solder (40/60) and a touch of Fluxite. My choice of iron here was the trusty 240W Henley; it's a good allrounder and when working on the bench its weight is not much of a hindrance. OTOH the heavy tip stores a lot of heat and can raise a large job to working temperature very quickly, so anything that is too large for this tends to be blowlamp or pot territory.

After soldering, the work was cleaned of flux and residues with a rag and thinners, then the tap cable dressed into the Y position to enable the adhesive-lined heatshrink to be fitted. Note that with just ordinary heatshrink, it is not possible to make the joint watertight, as there will be a void between the two parallel cables. Either a Y-boot or some additional hot-melt is needed to seal it fully. Finally a cable tie holds the tap cable to the run to avoid stretching the heat-shrink while handling.

I'll write about desoldering from a PCB next time.
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[DPG]

Nicely made joint that. Cable tie is a good touch.

 

[Elecmox]

View attachment 59109

I think it's too small for PCB.

 

[Mike Johnson]

But perfect for zinc gutters.

 

[Elecmox]

He must've used 1 kg of solder for those wires.

 

[Elecmox]

I have bought solder wick and I managed to desolder LED diode I previously couldn't with sucker (in red circle).
I have tried to desolder mouse buttons (in green circles) with wick but it just didn't absorb solder. Solder just didn't want to melt, I then added some solder on all joints and then I used pump and I managed to remove solder but I still can't remove buttons, there are some small fragments of solder holding component legs.

I solder two wires onto LED diode to practice, I hope I did it right. I first tinned wires and then I just put soldering iron on diode's legs and joined wires. Is that process ok?

I tested connection, LED diode lights up! Yeah!?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I then added some solder on all joints

This is often needed, I do it all the time.

I still can't remove buttons, there are some small fragments of solder holding component legs.

Maybe not enough heat, but this is another common problem. Try moving the component slightly as the residual solder cools, so that it makes a weak bond. Sometimes it helps to push the component lead one way or another with the iron, to stop it pressing against one side of the plated-through hole to which it will tend to bond again even with very little solder. If there's just 0.1mm clearance, the solder bond will be much weaker. It's always a compromise between damaging the PCB with too much heat while removing the solder, and damaging it by pulling the tracks and vias off because too much solder is left behind.

I first tinned wires and then I just put soldering iron on diode's legs and joined wires. Is that process ok?

Yes, for connections that can be completed quickly. Tinning is really to prepare the surface, ready for fresh solder to be applied to make the joint, and with that fresh solder comes fresh flux. Always tin both parts if possible. In this kind of situation where you are just lap-jointing two wires, you can usually leave enough solder on the wires that no more needs to be added (and therefore do the work with two hands instead of three. But for this to work properly, the flux still needs to be active, not burnt or oxidised, when the parts are brought together and the solder re-flowed. If you can tin the parts in under one second each, the flux should still be OK, otherwise you will want to add a touch more solder or flux to re-flow. Half a second to tin and one second to re-flow is about the maximum.

 

[Elecmox]

I am not sure if my soldering iron has enough heat, since this is my first ever, but I couldn't melt solder of components.
I am not sure if my 30 watts iron really gives 30 watts of power, it's a cheap iron from local DIY store, its Womax LP-30.
When I do tinning, tin melts right away.

 

[DPG]

The iron probably has enough power for the PCB work you are doing, but I would try a bigger tip for the bigger joints. A bigger tip transfers more heat to the joint.

 

[pc1966]

When I do tinning, tin melts right away.

If you have a reel of old style 60:40 tin-lead solder then it melts at a lower temperature than the lead-free used on most electronics these days. That might be a reason.

 

[Elecmox]

If you have a reel of old style 60:40 tin-lead solder then it melts at a lower temperature than the lead-free used on most electronics these days. That might be a reason.

Yes, I have 60/40 1mm tin.
What temperature or soldering iron power is needed for lead-free solder?
[automerge]1593504645[/automerge]

The iron probably has enough power for the PCB work you are doing, but I would try a bigger tip for the bigger joints. A bigger tip transfers more heat to the joint.

Unfortunately, tip is not replaceable.

 

[DPG]

I'm pretty sure you could change the tip on that by loosening the screw at the side.

 

[Elecmox]

I'm pretty sure you could change the tip on that by loosening the screw at the side.

I can, but there aren't different tips in DIY store for this iron.
I don't know if there are some generic replaceable tips for irons.

 

[DPG]

I can, but there aren't different tips in DIY store for this iron.

It would be worth you getting hold if one to save struggling. Can you order from Ebay or Amazon?

 

[Elecmox]

It would be worth you getting hold if one to save struggling. Can you order from Ebay or Amazon?

I've never change tips before, do you change just tip or whole pen?
There are tips here in stores, but I don't know if they are suitable.
For example:
Vrhovi za lemilice - InterHIT electronic - http://www.interhit.rs/1461-vrhovi-za-lemilice