Hows my soldering?

ilovesound · 236

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Offline ilovesound

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on: December 07, 2024, 07:12:17 AM
Hello everyone.
I'm a first time builder. Im just beginning my journey into this hobby and I was wondering if I could get some feedback on my soldering. Such as possible cold joints or too little solder, etc.  I'm using some old Radio Shack 60/40 rosin core solder (.050).
Thanks in advance!



Online Paul Birkeland

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Reply #1 on: December 07, 2024, 07:19:58 AM
A bit more heat and a bit more time will let those flow out all the way. 

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline hmbscott

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Reply #2 on: December 07, 2024, 08:51:22 AM
Definitely watch the Vid Paul posted. It took me about 3 viewings to completely get all the points touched on.

Your pre-solder setups look good. Your soldered joints suffer primarily from being a little cold. This is especially evident in images 5201 and 5202. The tell-tail is the fillet shape between the tab and solder. In both images, the solder blends with the tab in a sharp angle. The solder should flow out to a very flat blend with the tab. Other joints exhibit a lot of lumpiness which is an indication fo the solder hardening at different rates while you are still manipulating it with the iron, which again is a sign of the joint being a little cold.

The idea is to get the tab, wire and solder all heated well above the solder melting point. That does two things that should eliminate both problems I mentioned: 1) it will allow the solder to wet and flow smoothly on the tab and wire without starting to freeze up because they are a bit cold. 2) the solder will be fully molten when your iron is moved away and so it will solidify into a very smooth looking joint, rather than starting to freeze at cold areas further from the iron even though the iron is still contacting part of the joint.

Generally this will be much easier if the iron temperature is cranked up to max for your solder station. If you are using a cheap single-temp iron, or one of those infernal solder guns , which are total crap IMO, you might want to consider investing in a proper solder station.

Scott
[U-Turn Theory > Ortofon 2M Bronze > Eros II] & [iPhone via USB > Denafrips Ares 2] >> Moreplay >> Stereomour II >> Hsu ULS-15 Sub >> DIY DML Speakers
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