Smoking Crack w/Speedball

[Mike B]

The best solder is 63% tin, 37% lead.  No silver.  Sorry.

[Grainger49]

I use Cardas Quad Eutectic solder.  I had a pound roll of 60/40 that got used up a couple of years ago.  The roll from Cardas will have to be willed to someone. 

Paully has used it on several builds he can attest that the Weller/Cardas combination makes quick flowing solder joints.  I don't think he has had a bad solder joint on any build.

[ffivaz]

I use 60 Sn, 40 Pb or 60 Sn, 39 Pb and 1 Cu and it always flowed greatly. I recently upgraded my soldering iron to a soldering station. This was my best buy along BH products.

[JamieMcC]

From a novice's point of view who only did his first solder joints a few weeks ago it surprised me that the Cardas Quad Eutectic solder used for the build was easier to work with than the standard 60/40 solder I used for practice.

[Tinman]

Thanks for all the good advice

[TontonFlingeur]

So I ordered a completely new kit, including the speedball upgrade, got it a couple of weeks ago, and am starting the build today.
Gotta believe the Doc is winding down operations, because the quality control just ain't there.

[Paul Birkeland]

So I ordered a completely new kit, including the speedball upgrade, got it a couple of weeks ago, and am starting the build today.
Gotta believe the Doc is winding down operations, because the quality control just ain't there.

I'm not exactly sure what this is supposed to mean?

[Doc B.]

You are welcome to offer specifics. Otherwise I suspect the community will take your post as a troll.

[TontonFlingeur]

Sure, I'm happy to provide specifics.
The tabs on the terminal strips for both the octal and the nine-pin required trimming, they wouldn't fit otherwise.
The screw holes on the chassis for both the octal and the nine-pin needed to be enlarged.
The finition of the chassis plate was overall poor.
I've since finished the build, and there's a background mid-level pitch that persists even when the volume's at zero. The first build was dead quiet.
This second build required more tweaking of basic components, and doesn't sound as good.
If that's trolling, call me Bert.

[Paul Birkeland]

The tabs on the terminal strips for both the octal and the nine-pin required trimming, they wouldn't fit otherwise.
The screw holes on the chassis for both the octal and the nine-pin needed to be enlarged.
The finition of the chassis plate was overall poor.
[...] The first build was dead quiet.

The chassis plate dimensions and the terminal strips haven't changed since the introduction of the Crack.  The finish, however, has changed, but can still be painted over if you don't find it to your liking.

I would suggest that the mid level pitch is an issue that may show up in the voltage checks. 

[Doc B.]

We will certainly look into the fit of the terminal strips and screws. Possibly we had a panel that was cut out of spec. I think that once in a great while the laser head shifts slightly when they are laser cut and we very occasionally see a hole that is a little off spec. I brush pretty much all of the panels myself but I certainly won't dispute than one in every few hundred might get by me. If anyone else is having this problem please let us know.

Is the mid level pitch like a higher pitched whine, or is it low like 60Hz or 120Hz hum?

Your jibe about me winding down has me chuckling to myself because we just finished the busiest year we've had in the past 20. Maybe I need a vacation.