When I tin a wire, I hold the iron on the bottom, and feed solder from the top. The solder flows to the heat.

Quick and easy...

But you do need to practice, all of soldering requires some practice.

The larger the gauge, the more difficult it is to work with. If you can practice with smaller wires, it will help you develop the techniques. That should make working with larger wire easier.


As far as irons. The 60w and up ceramic element ones work very well. I use my Trakpower TK-950 at work now... It does just fine. I use the largest tips when soldering larger gauge wires.

The FX-888 is a 65w iron... It should have plenty of power to do the job.

So long as it can hold the temp well, and you use the correct sized tip. But it is a smaller iron handle, and therefore the tips do not have a lot of mass. That will make technique more important when working with large wires.

Thank you for the much needed feedback gentlemen. I set the iron to 650 degrees and this being the first time the solder actually flowed, I thought the heat was sufficient. I will retry using more heat and perhaps a larger tip. If the Hakko is a dud, I will definitely look into circuit specialist iron as suggested by incubus. Well thanks all. I have to get back to soldering. Those joints aren’t going to solder themselves.

When I was using the fx-888 I found that right around 700f was a good point for most work. Only time I needed more was with larger than 12 gauge wire. I imagine at 650, with the effect of heat transfer, that may be why the joints aren't as good as they can be. :) But they look a lot better than some I've seen so you're on the right track.

Hands down the best soldering iron I have ever bought for RC!
Gets good and hot and is totally portable for track side repairs or even soldering out in the woods where there is no electricity.

https://www.masterappliance.com/ultr...ron-heat-tool/

I'm with you van bee ..but i have gone thru 6 of these the defuser gets clogged ..i have replaced and then the ignition goes ..so now it sits in a box ..best iron i have used was my unger 80 watt turn it on set my timer then 3 minutes later its ready to solder...cant let it sit there without unplugging it cuz it gets to hot..

I know what you mean about the diffuser (if I'm correct in thinking it's the same part). I was told Butane doesn't burn very clean. I stuck a small wire in there and after about 2 hours managed to get it clean enough that the gas would start flowing again. I've cleaned it more often lately and it's working well. It's a black sticky gunk that comes out of it. The thing is actual about 20 years old now. The little honeycomb catalyst has broken and I've replaced 3 tips over it's lifetime but all in all I am super happy with it since I've cleaned the diffuser. :nod:

Curios if there's a trick to removing factory installed wires? When buying let's say a LRP Flow, it comes with the wires installed. I like my wire black so I usually have to remove the wires. I noticed that even on my XR10 stock that it's really hard to remove them. I have my Hakko set at 800 degrees and it takes for ever to heat up the area to remove from the post on the ESC board. I'm assuming there's maybe a different solder used at the factory and that maybe it has a higher silver content or something. Is this what makes it difficult to remove? I removed the wires but the heat sink on the ESC was awfully warm but it still works. Just wondering what the secret is?

2 things you need to do to remove factory wires quickly…

First, place a bead of flux on the solder joints and then be sure to apply a touch of solder to the tip just before touching the solder joints.
The solder on the tip of the iron means you'd be touching the existing solder at maximum sustained heat and the flux will allow the heat to transfer more rapidly into and through the entire joint.
Shouldn't take more than 2-3 seconds each.

NOTE: You want to use at least a 3mm wide tip. A narrower tip takes longer to transfer heat. If set my iron to 700 or higher and follow those steps I'm done removing factory wires in no time.

When soldering new wire, strip just a tiny sliver of the insulation and tin the ends thoroughly but lightly. Then dip the the tinned leads LIGHTLY into the flux and present into the holes on your
board. You want the wire to sit INSIDE the holes with no stray strands of wire hanging out/over. If you're having a difficult time getting them in the holes fully, you can crimp a tad with pliers until
they seat fully and cleanly. From there, make sure you have flux on the ends of the leads and then touch your tip to it while applying a touch of solder and release.

Should result in a factory-like joint.

I'll try the flux. Never really used it but will and remove my stock wires off my LRP. Thanks

You got a good reply.

It is also possible that the specific formulation of solder used is causeing an issue. New regulations in several areas, means that most have transitioned to lead free solders for manufacturing and assembly.

Flux, and tip size make a big difference, start there.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rct...7af750c40a.jpg
Hi guys, im having some issues with soldering now hope u guys can help.

i`m trying to solder wires to my new esc. and this is my problem.
using a
20/200W gun
60/40 solder led.
tried tinning the ESC wire connectors
problem now is i can`t get the wires to sit in and there is a massive amount of solder on all of the connectors .i cant get them out despite holding my solder onto them for a long time till my ESC gets really hot.
tried putting in new solder onto the connectors to melt them but it just hardens up. that was actually how i got those massive amount of solder onto the connectors.
2 of the connectors dropped out because of the heat, causing the socket solder to melt. i managed to put them back, they melt easier.

Am i using wrong soldering led?
how can i remove the excessive led now without overheating my ESC (causeing a desoldering effect)
attached is how it is now.

can anyone help pls.

thanks

Unless you are incredibly skilled (and maybe not even then) this is not the kind of thing you use a soldering gun for. Get a good iron. There are many that are recommended for RC electronics. I've been soldering for over 50 years and I would not use a gun for that.

I recommend 63/37 solder over the 60/40.

Once you have a good iron, here's how to get that excess solder off: Get the iron to max temp. Put a little flux on the solder posts on the esc. Hold the ESC upside down and touch the iron to each post with the iron pointing up into the post. When the solder melts, it will flow onto the iron. Flick the excess solder off (someplace safe) and do the next post.

Thanks for the advice. thing is, this solder feels like it takes a quite while before it melts. before its barely melting, my ESC gets very hot. so I cant hold onto it for too long a peroid of time.

I changed 4 soldering iron, current one i`m using is a goot TQ77 20/200W I hope this is good enough. Will it be better if i soldered off the connectors then work on them individually instead?

I`m new to this. If i were to remove the connectors and soldered them back on after, is it as simple as it seems? will it affect any electronice?

You keep talking about this TQ77 20/200. I looked it up. A) The tip is too small. B) you need an IRON with a larger tip with more heat capacity (like someone else said in the other thread you started). Your solder is probably melting slow because the gun does not have the heating capacity that is needed for the job. Among the tools I occasionally use is a Weller D550 325 watt gun. On heavy jobs it is no match for a 45 watt iron with a chisel tip.

It may be sad that you bought the incorrect equipment to solder RC stuff but there is really no point in asking for advice if you are going to refuse to take it.

As others have said your iron is not anywhere near what you'd want to be using for these electronics. You want an iron like the Hakko FX-888 or something similar. And furthermore you need a solder tip that is at least 3.2mm wide which your current gun does not seem to have.

Once you get a new iron, read the beginning of this thread and completely read the soldering advice listed here because it will make your life a lot easier during your next solder job.

so you all think its safe to try and solder wires on the esc lugs after 2 have fallen off... so no shorts inside esc .. ?? i think he melted the lugs off then the solder joints inside . the solder flowed to a location inside of esc making a dead short so lipo or any battery hooked up is now directly shorted so smoke n fire will follow. esc is now unsafe to wire up and id never connect a battery to this esc......

I'm not doubting that could have happened. But worst case he can practice on the ruined one first and go onto a new ESC when he manages to make a nice joint.

I cannot stress enough the importance of the right tools for the job.

An iron that does not have the heat capacity to heat up a large joint quickly will just slowly heat up the whole assembly.

Get a proper iron, solder guns are horrible for this kind of work. I never use them for any task.

Get a large enough tip for the iron... Solder tip size is important.

Read my original post completely... And do not think for a second you can shortcut the process, or skimp. You are already in a bind with the ESC, so you need to have good equipment to fix the problem.

chinese 63/37 solder
 

I bought a roll of 63/37 solder off eBay as I read it's a better quality than the 60/40 should change from solid to liquid qicker. However, when I'm using it the 63/37 seems to turn in to a paste before melting and comes out a dull grey colour whereas the 60/40 I have melts quickly and has a shiny finish when set.
Am I doing something wrong with the 63/37 solder?

You got Chinese stuff? No wonder. You have no idea what's really in there and if it behaves as you described it is probably not 63/37 tin/lead.

Get Kester Brand. Yes, it will cost more than the Chinese stuff but IMHO it is worth every penny.

Over the years I've gone through 2 pounds of the Kester 63/37 and it has always been great.

Something is simply wrong with that solder. That is not normal for a quality 63/37 lead tin solder.

Buy a reputable brand from a reputable source.

So from the photo dct147 showed, im not sure how or if the solder could have "flowed back into" the ESC. From the photo, it looks like some of the connections are shorted together.

I haven't read the entire thread, but at least on this last page I have not seen solder wick mentioned as a way to remove the solder. Obviously with limited knowledge and the lack of a proper iron, solder wick is probably the opposite of helpful. A desoldering gun would be best, but most don't have this equipment available to them.

What I would do with the ESC from post #571 is remove all of the solder from the terminals shown with solder wick (or as much as I could) so they are not shorted together or so there are not any globs on the outside. I would also try to get as much off the inside of the lugs themselves. Since the lugs were "loosened" or fell out, I would flip the ESC over and clean off the solder off the bottom of the lugs where they attach to the board as well. Then I would reflow those lugs from that side (this may be difficult and require tweezers or something else to hold the lug in place) with fresh solder. Once happy with that connection and that no lugs are shorted, I would allow it to cool all the way down, and prepare the wires, taking care to keep the exposed wire "small" and "not frayed looking" while tinning with solder.

At that point one should be able to place the wire on the lug and solder it down easily without heating the lug off the board again. To me the ESC in question doesn't look fried or anything, so as long as no attempt was made to power it up, if it is fixed correctly, it should work just fine.

A couple of things to note, in any instance, if not already noted, is that if you are heating a solder joint in an attempt to remove something (a wire, lug, etc), if you flow a little bit of fresh solder on the joint first, it will flow the rest of it faster and make removal easier. Also, one shouldn't be afraid of using high heat, even on a circuit board as long as one knows how to use it correctly, and when to use it. Depending on the amount and thickness of copper on the board, more heat might be necessary for whatever you are trying to do. In this hobby, I would say for the most part a high heat isn't necessary because the copper foil on most boards isn't very thick. Note that too high a heat for too long a time can and will burn a circuit board and can cause a foil trace to "pull" off of the board.

I use a corded Hakko FX-600 for my rc stuff and for the most part it does a fine job. I had to purchase a larger tip because the one it came with was too small, but all together it was under $100. Small and easy to fit in the box. I think its 75w? I'd like a higher wattage but thats personal preference, and Hakko makes quality stuff. If I need bigger, or more wattage for something, or more precise, I have the tools at work. All Hakko.

I guess that works too, and maybe you aren't saying this, but I solder wick and desoldering guns are not miracle products or solutions. They are tried and true methods.

For me, the issue with the "drop" method is that you stand the chance of splashing hot solder somewhere you can't see that would create damage to other components. Besides the fact that other damage might happen from dropping something. Oh, fwiw, you can remove solder from wire using wick or desoldering guns. You won't get it all, but you can get to back to the correct amount.

I'll just agree to disagree with you and leave it at that. What you say is true about the wire, but I wasn't speaking to the flexibility. That said, if your removing solder from the wire, there is less of a chance that solder will wick further inside the insulation, at least not enough to make a measurable impact on flexibility. Again it depends on quality of tools and the skill level of those operating said tools.

Maybe so, maybe so. I've been doing this for over 20 years though, and I have yet to see anyone take this approach, even early in my career, even before that in my much earlier hobby years. Guess I just hang out with the wrong people lol. :) No lie though, not once, not ever.

I will admit to using a method like the drop method mentioned. Usually when not at a bench and not having wick with me.

Such a method does remove most of the solder very quickly though.

Solder wick works very well when the amount of solder is fairly small. Large amounts saturate the wick, and you have to move to a fresh section of the wick.

Wick also needs fresh liquid flux applied before use. The small amount of flux already in the wick is usually old and dry by the time you go to use it. Fresh solder makes wick work very very well.

Desolder guns... They work ok. They can remove larger amounts than wick, and more quickly.

But a heated desolder tool is best, and better still when equiped with a button controlled vacuum pump.

So long as you haven't globbed on a ton of solder, wick with fresh flux is a good method.

I have more respect for my electronic equipment than to drop it on the floor when a simple flick of the wrist will do the same job.

Or maybe I just don't have as much money available to replace stuff I've broken on the floor.

A simple flick does work usually. Dropping onto a surface isn't necessary most of the time.

Yes, I have this available to me and is a preferred method (to me anyways). I've flicked my share before, but usually just excess off the tip of the iron. Everybody has their own methods though. :)

This thread needs to be front and center again as soldering skills are not improving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GLeCt_u3U8

Watch this video. Then watch it again.

Not a bad video. I would use the video to determine what a good joint looks like then read the first post of this thread so you know what equipment and temps to use.

The method shown in the video for solder cups works. It is plenty fine for most solder needs.

I don't use that method for aerospace though, not considered reliable enough for critical connections.

I just bought the 5mm chisel tip for my hako clone...
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!

going from the 4mm chisel tip to the 5mm tip made such a massive difference doing motor and battery wires.... best mod ever

the ebay 63/37 is JUNK. i bought a roll and did two joints with it and saw it was junk.. looked like a dull dry joint... throw it out and buy some kester 63/37

when im removing esc wires i always cut them down to 1" from the esc... this lessens the heat sinking of the wire and improves speeds up the melting of the joint.

( youll need to pull the wire wiith needle nose pliers or youll have burnt fingers)

change your tip to a 5mm chisel tip. they are MUCH better to work with doing motor and batt wires...

also stop pushing down so hard on the wire. that is causing the wire to splay out. the wires should still be cylindrical. i suspect that your tip isnt big enough which is causing you to push down hard to try and get it to melt.