what to do with broken wire? and how to identify cold soldering point?

[Hugokhf]

I am currently building my crack, and it is well hard

firstly, many of my stripped wire and heavily scratched when i was trying to attach to the points. will this make a significant sound difference when i finish the product?
also, one of the wire (stripped) has broken, due to my poor skill. will it be all fine after i solder them back together again?

lastly, how do i identify cold soldering point as i am making the crack? or do i need to finish the whole thing to know if it work??

thanks in advance
hugo

[Doc B.]

What were you using to strip the wires?

[Hugokhf]

What were you using to strip the wires?

something like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-19779-Wire-Stripper-150mm/dp/B0001K9QRW/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334034299&sr=8-2-spell [nofollow]

it is not the stripping action which break the wire, it is when i try to bend the wire through the hole which break it.

[coca]

There is a good chance you have nicked the copper wire when you were stripping it. try the next size larger stripping position on the stripping tool.

Bernie

[Grainger49]

The wire in the kits is AWG rather than metric.  Find the largest hole that will remove the insulation without grabbing the wire.

Also, try forming the wire like a J first using needle nosed pliers.  Loop the J through the terminal or tube pin then crimp it on.

[Hugokhf]

thanks so much guys.
so should i redo my crack? and will the stratched wire affect the quality of crack?

if so, where can i grab those cables?

and any idea for how to identify cold soldering point?
think i mis-solder for a few place, but not sure. since it is my first time to solder anything at all.

thanks again for all the help

[Grainger49]

You can do some basic checks with your meter.  Set it on ohms and touch the leads together.  This is the resistance of your meter leads.

Now touch one lead to a resistor lead and the other meter lead to the terminal it is soldered on.  But lower on the terminal than the solder joint.  This is testing form the resistor lead through the solder joint.  If it is only a few tenths of an ohm more than the meter leads alone it is a good solder joint. 

Start with the worst looking solder joint you have.  Then check a few more.  You probably have good solder joints and this helps you verify that they are good.

[Laudanum]

Just some basic stuff here ... the joint should be smooth and shiney (fairly shiney, not like chrome), not rough and dull.   Probably the biggest thing that causes a cold solder joint is the wire or component lead moving while you are soldering it.  That is one reason why, as Grainger points out, to bend/crimp the wire over the terminal before soldering.  You'll do fine, keep at it.

[Hugokhf]

You can do some basic checks with your meter.  Set it on ohms and touch the leads together.  This is the resistance of your meter leads.

Now touch one lead to a resistor lead and the other meter lead to the terminal it is soldered on.  But lower on the terminal than the solder joint.  This is testing form the resistor lead through the solder joint.  If it is only a few tenths of an ohm more than the meter leads alone it is a good solder joint. 

Start with the worst looking solder joint you have.  Then check a few more.  You probably have good solder joints and this helps you verify that they are good.

so one end pointing at the wire, and one end pointing at the soldered convex metal point?
sorry, but i am not very good at the terms on this DIY things.

[Grainger49]

One end on the component lead, resistor or capacitor lead, and the other end below the solder joint on the bottom of the terminal.  That way you are not pressing on the solder joint when measuring.

[STURMJ]

I would recomend, since I had the breaking wire problem at one time, of checking all the wires you stripped prior to finding the correct cutter on your tool.  You may find others hve been nicked as well.  In my case, I have found this to have caused intermitant dead connections.  The wire may have snapped off but still look as though every thing is ok.  Try pullung each wire to a differnt possition ( not hard enough to break anything else) if the wire will move and dosen't break free, you should be good!  This of course will save you lots of time and headaches later, if ( god forbid ) it dose not work

[Deluk]

As a soldering newbie I think it would be good to step back a bit and think about what you are doing. It's something that needs a bit of practice before you can expect to get a good joint every time. What sort of solder iron are you using, what size tip, what solder etc. There are some golden rules to remember as well. Making sure that the tip is clean and properly tinned. Clean tip on a wet sponge before each joint. (distilled water is good on your sponge). Add the solder to the heated joint not the other way round. Take your time but do each joint quickly and confidently so you don't over heat the component or surrounding area.
Make up a small board with some pins that you can practice adding wires to. As said some small needle nose pliers as well as similar flat pliers and cutters will help. Don't buy too cheap! Clip on heatsink tweezers can also be used.
This may be useful http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm
Apologies if I'm doubting your skills but you used "newbie and first time".
Good luck with the build.

[Yoder]

Here is a NASA page on soldering (lots of images) http://www.co-bw.com/DIY_Soldering_General%20Requirements.htm
Here is a practice method http://www.co-bw.com/DIY_Solder_Practice.htm