You're right RcDawg, I did get them flipped lol.

Great stuff Marine6680... kudos..

Looks good...............

As a newbie to RC but not soldering I thought it wouldn't be an issue. HA!!!! Normal 60 watt irons and tips sold in hobby stores have proven absolutely useless for battery lead soldering. Not enough heat in these cheapies regardless of the tip! I ended up using my portable butane powered rig and making good connections quickly and easily. Next purchase will be a better unit (a friend in the electronics field recommended a 70W weller unit for this type of usage). Again don't waste your money on the $10 units. It wont give you the results your looking for in this type of work

Doing my part to spread the word on quality soldering irons.

Absolutely correct except for the Weller SP40 40 watt hobby iron. Despite its low wattage, it's hot and under $20. Does a great job if you're on a budget.

You didnt mentioned one of the most common issues with soldering:

How to remove solder if you soldered it in wrong way, or solder appeared where it shouldn't.

Usually I used one device like big pencil, but it does not operate good enough (may be because it is old). So whether there are any other easy methods?

Solder wick

I thought I mentioned solder wick...

Edit:

I didn't... I have now.

the fact that lead solder worked great is no argument against lead-free, lead free works just as well

the reason many electronics fail is shoddy and cheap manufacturing (like the xbox360) no amount of lead would have helped in that mess.
Companies that have a grip on their materials never have any problems e.g. apple products don't contain any lead, they make way more products than xbox does and they don't have massive failures.

its silly to compare a gone wrong machinated industrial process like the xbox, with adding a few connectors and wires to an ESC, if you can't solder a connector with lead free it won't be good with lead either

most people never even tried lead free in a serious way, or they used a cheap silver free lead free solder, get SnAgCu solder with 3-4% Ag and 3% flux core

stop advising people to use lead based on hearsay and false info, its not 2007 anymore the world has moved on

Yes... the need for long term reliability is lower with such a hobby as RC...

But long term reliability is in need of lead solders. Lead free solder has issues that prevent its use in high reliability/long term use cases. So no, lead free does not work just as well. It works well enough for many uses, but not all.

Apple may not use lead, but they don't expect their stuff to go for much more than a few years.


I work in an industry in need of high reliability soldering. Soldering that must last for years, even decades with no inspection or maintenance of that connection.

And lives depend on it.

We use lead solder for a reason... It is simply the best solder for long term high reliability.


Its still easier to use and makes superior connections on top of that. So it is easier for someone learning to solder to make good connections.


I get the benefits of non-toxic lead free... I do, I have switched to non-toxic or even food safe in other areas. But other than the toxicity, lead solder is superior. Proper hand washing and procedures of handling prevent lead issues.

+1, there is a reason Aerospace does not use lead-free and never will.

Consumer electronics yes, it works great. If a solder joint fails you throw it away. If a solder joint fails on an aircraft a bit more may be lost.

Success Story! i read the tutorial and watched all of the videos. I cannot say enough good things about the information contained here. I cannot express how much easier it has made my projects. The best piece of advice was to use 63/37 solder and a flux pen. The flux was easy to apply and made it difficult to over apply. you need just the right amount... and having high quality 63/37 solder made the job go quick and look professional. You really don't have to hold the wires as long, and it flows so nicely. I used a weller iron and am very happy with that choice. I am sure that i will eventually buy a track power unit,however for my small projects this was more than ample. Thanks again

Always happy to hear of successes.

Great info here, thank you!

Everything the Marine says is true except....
 

The Marine said: "Yes... the need for long term reliability is lower with such a hobby as RC..." ERRR!

But regarding what type of solder to use Marine6680 makes a solid valid point and anyone new to soldering should absolutely only use a good quality eutectic 63/37 solder to make life easier and most people as well when not mixing solder types. (Google: "binary eutectic phase diagram" that explains the awesome chemical behavior of two unmixable crystals from a mixable melt that makes a good solder work... very interesting) 63/37 should be the first solder of choice IMO.... but it's very hard to find in some locations so plan ahead and order it from the Internet and avoid cheap 40/60 lead/tin solder as I've had some that was terrible with poor quality flux used. Remember the flux inside it has a shelf life... some good brands are only 6 to 12 months.

However there are some uses where unleaded silver solder is preferred where a part like the mini EC2 connector is designed for it and a leaded solder may not have the strength needed. Anyone that has assembled brass parts using leaded solder as well as silver solder knows with using an acid flux (not for electrical work!) the silver solder is much stronger. So the first benefit of silver solder I think of is a stronger mechanical connection and on parts like battery connectors like EC2's that have a small pin with an almost flat contact area on the end (with no sides) that gets pulled on I use it for that reason and it's nice to know it won't melt as easy when it's too late and you fried something;-)

The second benefit is very argumentative. I was using unleaded silver solder before the known term "unleaded" came about in audio applications where the debate still rages as to the benefits. And to that all I can say is our ears are like our eyes and not all people have the same level of hearing but you can't buy glasses for your ears and perception. I believe eliminating the lead and adding silver creates a better conductor from listening to high-end stereo gear and I used silver solder for as many connections within the system as I could whenever the opportunity arose splitting hairs. But it's not just me as some speaker companies that were forced to use lead free solder to comply with EU regulations say they noticed better performance changing over. But I'd don't thinks it just the silver and getting rid of the poorer conducting lead, but rather a better higher heat bond. Spica TC 50 speakers were known to sound better in blind demos where silver wire was used internally WHEN DONE BY ONE GUY who was a great tech and could solder silver solder properly getting a better bond and I think that's why having all the lead solder replaced (and contacts meticulously cleaned) with silver solder was responsible for the results that were subtle but quite noticeable to some in a blind test and why the inexpensive Spica speakers won the best audio system of the year award at CES many years ago used with Kinergetics Research equipment and a well designed subwoofer the TC 50's. I think the silver wire was creating some of the benefit but the better bonds were most of it and all you have to do is re-solder old cold solder joints to see how that works to hear how important good connections are. If you have good hearing and perception of course.

It requires a very good audio system to hear the difference in detail gained going from normal leaded solder connections to better ones. And practicality is always king and knowing how to setup an audio system and proper placement of the speakers within a room and dampening is by far more important as the room itself is part of the speaker's performance far ahead of getting a "better" solder bond and for most people not using a $400+ soldering station using good quality 63/37 solder and flux will likely give them the best electrical connection they'll be able to achieve and the only issue to consider is the higher mechanical strength of using the harder to use unleaded silver solder.

But for those that need a stronger bond doing EC2 connectors and similar needs Sparkfun has a "special blend" of water-soluble flux core unleaded silver solder I am using that's 96.35% tin, 3.0% silver, 0.5% copper, and 0.15% antimony and is VERY easy to use. I think it's the best solder ever made like the company says if you use a good solder station and the correct tip for the job... but I'd still use 63/37 leaded solder in my spaceship just to be safe as I'm not sure of its long term properties in deep space but short term close to Earth its the best I have found. And of course it's out of stock..... Word gets around on the Internet.

Did I ever tell you the story about the Good Doctor? It got so heavy some people tried to hide it! Well think positive. Right now its time to go fly... it's perfect conditions on the mountain and I see a few paragliders up. But when I get back I have a loose cable to put back together with the help of SLAC thanks to the DOE that funded SLAC to go back over their BaBar data showing the harmonic comma the CERN neutrino/SLAC E158 data match created was real... I told you it was heavy. No one ever believes me when I tell the truth:e{a}/t=hv

Maybe I should try out some BS mixed with gorilla glue to get that cable stuck back together... but would you use leaded or unleaded BS I wonder? I bet the Marine knows.... smart guy giving good advice.

Well... By less need, I mean less risk to life and limb, and other serious consequences.

And yes, the added strength of silver bearing solder can be a benefit in some areas.

The electrical conductivity is only about a percent better though. I think it comes down to the person doing the soldering, ensuring they make a good connection. That will have more impact on quality of the connection than silver will.

I have used some good silver bearing solder. Lead and lead free, though the lead solder with silver tended to be better to use.


Maybe I am a bit biased to 63/37 lead solder, but it is a proven solder that is easy to work with and makes great connections.

Universal Connector Soldering Jig
 

Hi Everyone,

I posted this in the Electronics forum without any responses. I am hoping someone in this thread might have used this in the past. I have tried the helping hands jigs and honestly I don't find them all that helpful. I will be using the crescent wrench as a Deans holder from now on, unless i could find a jig that would make everything easier:

http://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p...w#.VEE0bPnF-y4

I cannot find any type of manual or directions on how to use this on Integy's website. I also do not see any way to actually contact them about it without creating a ticket.

I am in the coming weeks going to be soldering my first motor/esc. Its a Trinity D4 and JustStock ESC. I am hoping to find a jig or better way to get everything lined up.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

It looks like the holes hold the various bullet connectors to allow easier soldering, and the long channel lets you set a motor on it to keep it from rolling.

Its metal and may soak some of the heat away... but it may be very handy.

$29.99 i think,i will check the same part in ebay.
maybe i can find the cheap one.

Marine - there have been a few things over the past years ha toulc have been a quick fix with a quick solder.. but moving around and not having a cheap solder gun etc was too frsutrating.. not having flux or good solder. having recently gotten back into RC I picked up a Hako FX-888D which seemed well rated.. have some battery connectors(bullets) that originally were cheap ones put on my B5 (only ones shop had left at time) and think they are giving me problems.. so glad you had the simplified instructional to remind me of my HVAC/Tech High School days some 25 years ago and a little refresher! Thank you for this..5 years later still helping people..

I am glad.

At least something I have done on the internet has been useful. :cool:

good info marine, helpful.

i don't do a lot of soldering, but when I do, I want to do it well. i purchased a small amount of Cardas solder, and will give that a try. see if it is worth the extra money over 63/37. The indium mixtures looked interesting but very expensive, and probably increases risk of de-soldering due to low temp melting.

i am converting over to Anderson PowerPole connectors, using their crimp tool and 45 Amp connectors. i like the modularity of the connectors. and since I am not good at soldering, a quality crimp is supposed to be as good a soldering.

I doing 1/8 truggy, so hopefully 10awg wire and these connectors will not create too much resistance. I still have to solder the ESC and engine leads, so I do need to do some quality soldering.

just ordered a "used-like new" TrakPower 950 soldering station off of Amazon for $60 shipped. the seller is actually Amazon, not an individual, so hopefully it is in great shape. Great deal. Look forward to using it. I was tempted to buy the HobbyKing.com unit which looks identical, and is only $18. I saw a video that compared it to a Hakko, and they noticed a few shortcuts on assembly, slightly lower quality components on inside, and it seemed the heating light stayed lit longer, indicating that its transformer may have been slightly smaller, causing slightly longer recovery times. The reviewer said they were satisfied. Just wanted to share.

John Hendry, solved the riddle above.

Lol i just have one of the big weller 2 temp solder irons that is kinda big and heavy but i paid $5 and it gets the job done well and its kinda heavy but i can deal with it

inside your tk-950. i thought i had better pictures of the inside

Handle
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps944f1db6.jpg

PSU
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps455ed2e9.jpg

I've ordered a ton of stuff where amazon was the seller, and the condition was "used-like new". Not one time has that been an accurate description. Cause everything i received was actually brand spankin new, it might have damaged packaging or not in original packaging but it was new. So hopefully you have the same luck as I have had with them and it's brand new.

Sorry, I have been not online much lately.

A quality crimp connection can work very well. Quality being the important part. Standard lugs and crimpers tend to not fall under that category, but serve well enough for their intended purpose.

My crimp connection experience is with the specialty tools we use in aviation. High dollar tools and connector pins. Not being directly involved in the hobby anymore, I am not familiar with the terminals and crimper you mentioned, but if they are designed as a system to work together, they should be good.


I would think 8ga wire would be better as well if possible.

Thanks for the great thread. You have convinced me to give up my old 25w 'stick' that got the tip filed every time i had to solder...

I have purchased a Hakko 936 clone.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/251726595...84.m1439.l2649
I understand that its not going to be as good as a genuine one, but anything name brand is around $200 here in Australia.

I have looked everywhere to find some 63/37 solder, but no joy... The only Australian distributors for kester solders i can find only stock the 60/40 stuff.
Amazon wont ship it to Australia...

Only other option is e-bay, where a 1lb roll is $75 shipped... or Chinese stuff.

Do you think the Chinese 63/37 solder is going to be the real deal? or will it just be some random solder type stuff?

I have done plenty of soldering in my time, and i can defiantly appreciate the advantage of the 63/37 stuff not having a plastic phase, but i dont really want to spend more than my motor and esc combined for a roll of solder...lol

Edit, finally found a somewhat reasonable priced supplier in Australia
http://www.mektronics.com.au/

They dont have the Kester stuff, but it looks like a quality product:
http://www.mektronics.com.au/solder-...0-032-dia.html

I would suggest adding to the thread that when you are done soldering and the iron is still warm that you should take a brass or steel bristled brush and lightly wipe the tip because a sponge isn't going to get off flux and other things that have burned to the tip

That solder looks like it will work.


As far as a cleaning the tip, if you tin the tip well when you turn off the iron, the old residue will wipe off with the extra solder the next time you turn it on.

A brass brush or special brass sponge can be useful for neglected or abused tips though. They are there to fix problems from poor tip care.

Hakko fx-888d are being sold at frys electronics for $69 if u have one local.
frys.com/product/7550776?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Soldering Temp
 

I am a total newbie to soldering, and so I have read this thread to get some tips...

Long story short I "tinned" the ESC wires @ 750 before I realized I should be down around 650... I used 63/37 rosin core from Radio Shack as well as some of their paste flux. Do you think I caused any heat damage to the ESC? The wires got pretty warm, but they did not melt the solder at the ESC, so I assume it is fine?

It works too so that is probably a good sign huh? LOL!

Thanks!!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weller-10...0PKS/100085564 i have an older version of this. it works perfect and costed me $5 used. as for the wire heating you should be fine i melted the wire coating once on accided while heating the wire (first time soldering) and the esc still works fine but may depend on brand

You should be fine... A length of wire can take a while to transfer the heat, and 750* isn't horrible.

Soldering is a learning experience. It can be forgiving or brutal, just depends on the day.

Great thread, very informative. I've always hate soldering, thought I didn't have any "natural ability". Turns out I was just doing a few things incorrectly.

Here's my latest attempt, Very happy with the results!

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/...ps56dab3dc.jpg

Not too bad... a little more practice and you will have it down.

Always glad to see people improving their skills.

Thanks for this.

Will lightly sanding the tabs on a deans conector help the solder take?

Will plumbers flux work? I have tons of that.

No need to sand, plumbers flux may be for acid core based solder or other. If you want to try it and see if it is compatible do so on a test piece. Some flux and solder compounds are not compatible.

Thanks. Ill just go get some flux when i get the right solder....

Update

When i went to radio hack to get solder a dad and his boys walked in looking for solder....for deans plugs....having the same problem.....shared the knowledge i learned here....about 63/37 solidifing faster....about flux.....felt awesome to pay it forward.....