Soldering connectors

[Lee]

I'm about to solder my first battery connector. It's a 901 and there doesn't seem to be a lot of space on the centre connection. Any tips on the best way to go about this?

Also any soldering tips in general would be good, it's my first time!

[Perpetua]

Well, if I had a shred of advice to give you Lee, I certainly would . . . sadly I'll have to pass completely on this.

[vereybowring]

Soldering is easy and not easy all at the same time.
I've been soldering stuff for 30 years and still make mistakes.
I would say you don't need expensive tools but don't scimp by buying cheap solder - always get good quality silver solder for the kind of fine work you need for mods.
Flux can be useful, but unless you get no-clean flux it corrodes the soldering iron so you need to keep the iron clean or replace the tip regularly.
You are going to melt things that you will swear about, you will swear even more when you get your first bad dry burn. Just keep at it and you'll learn loads.
There is a soldering video and other stuff over at the ECF modders section that may prove useful to you.

As usual most of the things I should be mentioning have run and hidden in my head so read, watch and study before soldering too much.

[grizwald56]

I always push out the the centre pin from the connector and solder my wire on then carefully push the silicon washer back in before pressing the centre pin back in.

[Lee]

Thanks for the pointers, I am going to practice on some scraps until I feel confident I won't screw up. Despite not having a clue I have really caught the modding bug.

[johnnyjames]

A clean and well tinned tip is very important. You should also tin any bare wires. As far as the the atty shell clean it well, some fine sandpaper or steel wool. If the connector is the silver shiny type, file it till you see brass.

I like and use type RMA rosin flux.

[clockworks]

I do the same as grizwald - push the centre pin out, solder the wire, then put the pin back.

Use an good iron with a fine tip, preferably a temperature-controlled solder station. Clean and tin the parts before joining them.

[Lee]

Thanks again, will be having a go today to see if I can get the battery connector done.

[thescot]

I agree with Johnny in that it's a good idea to sand/file the vconnection before soldering.

Good Luck

[Lee]

I had a go and after a lot of ugly soldering I managed to get the battery connector wired up. It's too ugly to show a picture. I couldn't get the solder to flow so I had to blob solder on the parts where I needed it. The only place I got it right was right on the centre pin, which was lucky.

Anyway thanks for all the advice everyone, onwards and upwards from here!

[clockworks]

If you can't get the solder to "run", either the components (or your iron) are dirty, or you aren't getting them hot enough.

Sanding, followed by a wipe with isopropyl alcohol (or vodka) takes care of the cleaning. Don't forget to clean the tip of the iron - a damp sponge or tissue is good for this. Don't sand the iron, as they are usually plated.
Getting the work hot enough means using a 20+watt iron, and holding the work in something that won't conduct the heat away. Wooden blocks, or strips of wood between the jaws of a small vice, work best for me. Holding the work directly in a vice, or using pliers, means you need to use a much bigger iron.

It's vital to tin the parts before you try and join them. Tinning just means applying a thin coat of solder to each part.
Clean the part and the iron, touch the solder (use multicore electrical solder with the flux built-in, not plumber's solder, which needs separate flux) to the iron, heat the work with the tinned iron, and touch the solder to the work, not to the iron. The solder will flow, leaving a nice shiny coating.

Once both parts are tinned (the connector and the wire), put a little more solder on the iron, and touch the tip to the connector. As soon as the solder starts to flow, touch the wire to the connector, keeping the iron in place until the solder flows into the joint. Remove the iron, and hold the wire in place until the joint cools.

[vereybowring]

Flux helps with the flow of solder you just have it on the places where you want solder.
Pen flux is easiest but be sure to get the no-clean flux since it won't corrode your solder tip.
You should also have de-solder braid or pump to get rid of excess solder at a joint.

Don't be hard on yourself, nobody is great a soldering first time out - iut takes patience and practice and more than a few mistakes.

[Lee]

Thanks for that Clockworks, I tinned both parts and my second attempt was much better! Is too much solder on a joint a no no Verey?

[vereybowring]

Jun 8, 2011 13:31:15 GMT Lee said:

Thanks for that Clockworks, I tinned both parts and my second attempt was much better! Is too much solder on a joint a no no Verey?

Too much solder can start to cause resistance problems in the circuit.
You can get hot spots on the solder joints which leech a little amperage.
It is always good practice to only use the minimum amount of solder needed to make a connection.

[Lee]

Oops! I think I'll be ok. I didn't use that much. I'll be sure to use less next time though. Luckily the only soldering I have to do is on the battery connector. Practice makes perfect as they say.