Budget Soldering Station

[CECAA850]

I used mine again this week as I finished up a couple SS amp kits that I've been working on.  The station works really really well.  I enjoy using it.

[CECAA850]

in each instance, one speaker sounds great, the other side sounds dull, about 3 db down from the good sounding speaker.

 

It's probably orientation not soldering skills that's getting you.

[paul79]

Solomon SL-20 has been a real workhorse for me. Been using one for decades. MCM has one with Tenma branded on it. Highly recommend this one!

 

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/TENMA-21-147-/21-147

[wvu80]

 

in each instance, one speaker sounds great, the other side sounds dull, about 3 db down from the good sounding speaker.

 

It's probably orientation not soldering skills that's getting you.

 

 

Let's leave my sex life out of this.

 

That being said I checked the pos/neg connections probably 20 times over because I thought the same thing as you.  No success. 

 

As you know, it is hardest to spot your own mistakes and I couldn't find mine, so I concluded I have a cold solder somewhere due to my cheap underpowered $8 Radio Shack soldering pencil and my lack of skills.

 

I'll double-check again, but I feel like I want a more orderly XO board (actually two, HP and LP then wired together).  Since the failed DIY efforts I picked up my Klipsch speakers and now I have a much better idea of what a crossover should look like.

[CECAA850]

I concluded I have a cold solder somewhere due to my cheap underpowered $8 Radio Shack soldering pencil and my lack of skills.

 

Be sure you have a good mechanical joint before you solder and check through the connection with an ohm meter when your done.

[jimjimbo]

Dave, one of the tenets of good soldering technique (as opposed to sexual technique....) is to "get in and get out" as quickly as possible, and not to overheat the joining components.  As soon as the solder starts to flow, back off on the iron.  

[WMcD]

Let me say:

 

The Hakko gets good reviews in the ham radio world. 

 

The Stahl looks cost effective.  Still . . . I didn't take the chance. 

 

I bought the Weller somewhat out of brand loyalty and because they are so widely used over time.

 

The variable power jobs are not what you want.  You'd think that variable power is good.  You wind up with baby bear, momma bear, and poppa bear of heat power but that still leaves problems.

 

What you need is constant temperature which is high enough to melt the solder but low enough to not harm the attached components. The thermostat near the business end takes care of that.  About 600 degrees will do that, within reason.  I don't let them cook.  But you can pretty sure the solder has reached the correct temperature if you hold the tip to the joint until the rosin has boiled off.

 

The virtue of a good mechanical connection, i.e. crimping the wire to a lug, is the wisdom of ages in point to point wiring.  But in "through the hole" circuit boards we don't have that and things can be fine.  Surface mount technology (SMT) we don't have that either.

 

I believe the issue is that a good mechanical connection prevents movement when you remove the tip of the iron from the joint.  A wire can move just as the solder is solidifying.  That can mess things up and form a type of cold solder joint even it is okay just before.  Just be gentle and recognize the problem.

 

The technique of "tinning" the tip is always good.  The little film of molten metal sticks to the work piece and transfers heat.  And they say to apply solder to the workpiece (and wire) and not the iron.  This is good advice because it guarantees the solder to workpiece action is good . . . but.

 

The overall goal is to have the solder up to temperature and the work-piece (wire too) up to temperature and move the iron's tip away without causing motion.  So I will put the tip of the solder wire at the junction of iron tip and work-piece and let things flow.  You will get the liquid solder build up a capillary bubble.  If you hold this for a count of five alligators you'll be okay if you see a shiny blob and the resin boils off (no more smoke).

 

"Getting in and getting out quickly" is what you have to do when using a non-temperature controlled iron.  It describes an approach necessary if the iron is not temperature controlled.  It is more of a description of the problem rather than a solution.  Getting out quickly just causes the above mentioned motion issue. And you wonder if the smoke is coming from the rosin or coming from that Ultra Wonderful Green Light capacitor you just bought.  (Ahem.)

 

The non-temperature controlled iron is too hot going in because it has been sitting on the bench running wide open (with a temperature control iron the little indicator light pulses once in a while as the control circuit does its job), then it cools down as the work-piece absorbs heat and the iron tip cools.  And then the joint comes up to temperature.  Rosin cooks off (probably proving some cooling) and then when temperature goes up you hope you judged things correctly and pull the iron away before a component overheats.  With experience this can work.   

 

It just shows that neophytes need a temperature controlled iron more than old timers.  The neophyte thinks "I don't need anything expensive because it is just one project and I'm learning."  Totally wrong.  (And old timers don't put up with cheap tools -- they've learned the hard way.) 

 

With a temperature controlled iron there is a lot less drama and less possibility for damage.  The temp is just a hundred degrees or two above the melting point of the solder and will not damage components unless you really leave things in contact too long. 

 

I think that overheating the solder is another problem because it begins to oxidize.

 

The 60/40 mix solder is widely used.  It has a lower melting point than just tin or lead but has a slushy stage as it cools.  The 63/37 has a still lower melting point.  Also, it does not have a slushy stage.  It is more expensive.  I can send you (any board member) a few feet if you PM me. 

 

The cheapo bulb type solder sucker works when you've created a hopeless blob.  (There are the piston types too but I've not used them.)

 

A good workplace can help.  Working with small printed circuit boards I use a Luxo magnifying lamp.  Some of this is an age thing.  You'll find it helpful on other projects, believe me.

 

The "third hand" rigs can be helpful. 

 

Wear eye protection.  I once "pronged" a wire which catapulted some solder into my eye. 

 

Overall:  The right tools for the right job.  "The stingy man pays the most."

 

WMcD

Edited April 22, 2016 by WMcD

[jimjimbo]

^^^^^^good stuff!!!^^^^^

[mustang guy]

I have a milliohmeter at the shop if you want to check your solder joints. I still have your remote too. BTW, I got the turn signals working on the 550. 

Edited April 23, 2016 by mustang guy

[wvu80]

Dave, one of the tenets of good soldering technique (as opposed to sexual technique....) is to "get in and get out" as quickly as possible, and not to overheat the joining components.  As soon as the solder starts to flow, back off on the iron.  

 

That is my goal always, soldering technique or otherwise.    

+++

 

I already know my cheap soldering iron never got hot enough.  I would hold it on the wire but it never got hot enough to melt the solder so I would just touch the iron to the solder because I didn't know what else to do.

 

What to do is to get the right tool for the right job.  

[Marvel]

Radio Shack is still in business here...

[DrWho]

For speaker xover work, you don't need a fancy iron at all...That $20 weller is more than adequate.

 

The thing about soldering irons is the quality of the tips is the largest factor. The more advanced heating mechanisms are really more about convenience 90% of the time. Things take less time to heat up, and you can handle longer dwell times without damaging components, but you don't need that for speaker xovers. Just crank up your iron to the maximum temp and finish your solder joint in under a second. If it takes longer, then fix how you're holding things so they don't pop apart on you.

 

I have a $3k Weller station at work....it even has a touch screen interface with a screensaver (why? I have no idea). I wouldn't trade it for the world, but the reality is this iron is worse than the $20 weller once the tips go bad. The benefit of my iron is that it goes from cold to hot in a few seconds and I can do longer dwell times without damaging my tiny components (tiny as in the size of a grain of sand).