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How to solder correctly (a not so brief lesson)

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How to solder correctly (a not so brief lesson)

Old 05-08-2016, 12:29 AM
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For the most part, your method will be fine for RC.

I have to solder high durability and longevity joints at work. Stuff that is expected to last year's without issue, with lives on the line. On everything from simple switches to high density circuit cards.

So my methods are a bit overkill for a hobby, but they will always lead to good results if followed.
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Old 06-13-2016, 09:46 AM
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Default Made a few mistakes

Soldered my motor & ESC and made some mistakes like not using Flux, holding the iron on too long. Hoe would I know I'd I damaged anything, other than the more obvious signs of damage. Should I redo ithe all?

Great article by the way
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Old 06-14-2016, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Miko1976
Soldered my motor & ESC and made some mistakes like not using Flux, holding the iron on too long. Hoe would I know I'd I damaged anything, other than the more obvious signs of damage. Should I redo ithe all?

Great article by the way
I hit you up in the PMs you sent, hope they helped.
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Old 06-15-2016, 07:29 PM
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Default Heat the part not the solder?

Originally Posted by marine6680
Basically you put the flux wherever you want solder to go. A light coat or a drop or two is enough. When you are tinning a wire a drop should be enough for up to 14ga wire for a 1/2 inch strip, 1 and half to 2 drops for 12ga or 10ga. A drip to tin the post and another drip to complete the joint. When soldering a wire to a post heat the side of the post close to the top, a little drop there can help heat up the post. Remember heat the part not the solder. You actually apply solder to the side of the wire opposite of the tip, solder will flow toward the heat. Flux can help the heat transfer if you have issues, you can also apply a small amount of solder to the iron tip. The air dried flux I mention using helps by staying put and not dripping off the parts, but because it is thick and more concentrated it is a little harder to clean. But the fact it will not run down the post and into the case of a component is a big plus. It also works better at tinning wires, just a small amount on the wire, about a drops worth for 10ga is more than enough, just spread it out a bit becuse it likes to stay as a glob untill heated. When it gets hot, it will thin out and flow into the wire, but not as far under the insulation as liquid will which is good.
I'm had a hell of a time soldering a wire to a motor tab. Should I have held the tinned wires to the tab with something then used the iron to make the job?
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Old 06-16-2016, 01:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Miko1976
I'm had a hell of a time soldering a wire to a motor tab. Should I have held the tinned wires to the tab with something then used the iron to make the job?
Having a device to hold parts in place, and allowing you to free up a hand is a big help in effective soldering.
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Old 07-08-2016, 10:13 PM
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how do you replace the 12 awg wires in your ESC when you buy it used and it's too short?
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Old 07-09-2016, 06:04 AM
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You unsolder from the ESC and solder on new ones.
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Old 07-09-2016, 06:47 AM
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Originally Posted by the incubus
You unsolder from the ESC and solder on new ones.
I know that ...

but what is the safe way of unsoldering the old cables without damaging the board. Does your solder have to be at a certain temperature?

how long should I hold the soldering iron on the joint connection until the solder melts and can safely pull out the existing 12awg wire?

It's this esc
http://www.hobbywingdirect.com/produ...ock-v3-1-black
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Old 07-09-2016, 01:52 PM
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There is no hard and fast rule that tells you x seconds is ok but x+1 seconds is too much.

A good iron with a properly sized tip, should be able to heat up and unsolder the wires on your ESC in about 6 seconds give or take a couple seconds. On occasion you may need a couple more seconds.

Cutting the wires shorter can help reduce the amount of heat the wire pulls away.
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Old 07-09-2016, 04:28 PM
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To add to it, if you have a hard time bringing the solder joints up to temp, you can let it cool and place a dab of flux on it and then put a small bead of solder on the tip of your iron and touch the solder joint. This should heat things up efficiently so you can get it undone rapidly. Judy be sure to be tugging on the wires firmly so they pull out quickly.

To re solder, make sure to strip only 1/16" of the wire and pre tin lightly and allow to cool. Then make sure to remove all the solder from the ESC by heating briefly and blowing from the top side so it leaves the opening clear. From there crimp your wire so it seats in the holes snugly and hold so the contact side of the board is facing up, place a dab of flux on the lead, touch the tip of your iron to the joint and feed JUST ENOUGH solder to liquify everything and lift the iron. The end result
Should appear like a shiny factory joint.
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Old 08-18-2016, 09:38 AM
  #506  
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Default Some Basic Soldering Questions - I'm a newbie

1. ESC Soldering: I connected 4 ESCs. One worked and the other 3 the motor is fidgeting as described above. I know the motors are good because the good ESC will turn all 4 motors. I cut off the ends and resoldered each of the ESC based on the advice above and the motors are still vibrating. If the ESC was ruined because of the bad connection causing too much power to be drawn as described above would the motor vibrate or do nothing? (Trying to figure out if these need to be replaced or resoldered - althought I thought a did a good job the second time.)

2. I soldered a Naze32 board. Could bad soldering there affect the ESCs. I'm using clean flight and it recognizes the board and is trying to spin the motors. Assuming clean flight can spin each motor and can accept all directions from the transmitter, is it safe to assume the soldering was successful?
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Old 08-19-2016, 07:26 PM
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Troubleshooting problems through posts is difficult.

Things to try...

Clean the ESC well with Isopropyl, to ensure no flux is the problem.

Inspect for solder drips, or small solder bits in the ESC.


It is possible that overheating the ESC or doing something improperly caused an issue. The smaller the ESC the more likely.

If you continue to have issues, contact the manufacturer.
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Old 11-03-2016, 10:42 PM
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Default About flux

RMA stands for rosin,MILDLY activated not medium. Interestingly, Kester 186, a popular rma flux is not recommended for nickel (or nickel plated steel), the stuff battery packs are jumpered with.The SR brand 99-20 flux pen also contains an RMA flux and they say it works on nickel. What are you using? I think I prefer a paste; it is easier to control. For years I used NOKARODE, which is a plumbing flux with good success but it contains acids and chloride compounds and is undoubtedly an RA, rosin activated flux and I probably shouldn't have used it.
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Old 11-04-2016, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by 6PTsocket
RMA stands for rosin,MILDLY activated not medium. Interestingly, Kester 186, a popular rma flux is not recommended for nickel (or nickel plated steel), the stuff battery packs are jumpered with.The SR brand 99-20 flux pen also contains an RMA flux and they say it works on nickel. What are you using? I think I prefer a paste; it is easier to control. For years I used NOKARODE, which is a plumbing flux with good success but it contains acids and chloride compounds and is undoubtedly an RA, rosin activated flux and I probably shouldn't have used it.
I have heard it called both through the years.


I have found that if you clean the residue well, most flux types will work.

Not cleaning flux residue can lead to corrosion, with stronger fluxes acting more quickly and with more total corrosion. So I always recommend cleaning flux, even the no clean stuff.

Some may be too strong and damage platings, but the average electrical flux should be mild enough.
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Old 12-30-2016, 11:29 PM
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Just wanted to post this here as a thank you for this writeup. For a long time folks told me to just crank the iron up to its hottest temperature but after reading this I realize that is absolutely not a good idea. Luckily I haven't fried anything yet but from now on I'm keeping it below 700f lol
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