Soldering An X2.3b Light., Need advice on soldering equipment. Options

[Ozy]

Hi, I was one of those people who was going to buy a solderless modchips untill I heard the horror storied of them moving and damaging the console.
So I have decided to solder to make it safe a surcure to lob it to me mates house when I please.

Now at the moment I have got hold of a 30w Soldering iron with some 145 degree C solder.

Now I was going to plan on doing a pinhead istallation as it looks the easiest as I can upgrade the chip without further soldering.

My concern is that a soldering iron will be too big and hot for the small parts on the xbox and I was worried about buring componants by heat transferred along the printed circuit.

I'm I over worring or not? I did try looking for a solder pen/pencil, but is like does not exist in the UK.
I have searched everywhere and can not find one.

Will I be OK with a solder iron or will I have to search high and low for a solder pen? I don't really want to spend too much as I have already paid a £10 for this iron and £10 for the screwdrivers and £10 for the flux. It is started to be as expensive to pay someone to do it.

Help with this will be much apreciated.

[Ozy]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the head of the iron is a little over 1mm think and gets increaingly larger as you go up the iron.
Will this be fine?

I sort of need o know quiet soon as I was planning on doing this mod to me box on wednesday because I'm going away on sunday for me holidays.


This post has been edited by Ozy: Jun 28 2004, 12:17 PM

[falken98]

While the 30 watt iron would be okay, if you aren't too sure about your soldering skills on the small parts I would suggest you pick up a 15 watt iron instead - you will be able to leave the iron on the board longer before you run into problems.

Just touch the tip of the iron so it touches the board and the pin on the pinheader, apply your solder, and remove the iron. Make sure you have applied a good amount of flux first.

No matter how much easier you think it looks if you apply the solder to the iron then touch that drop of solder on to the pins, don't do it, it isn't going to work how you might think.

On the other hand, for the underside D0 point you can get away with that if you have a low wattage iron, it may not be the worlds best solder point but it seems fine for that one connection considering it is the hardest point to make for a first time solderer.

[Ozy]

So a 30w wil be ok. No droping is your advice, gotya .

So put the iron on the pinhead and board and then put the solder between the iron and pinheads?

Also I have flux paste, not pen. Will this be allright?

[Ozy]

I'm not so sure now. I don't want to have to pay £75 for a new motherboard. I want a solder pencil, but I can't find one anywhere.

I don't want to burn anything out while at the same time not spend too much money.

[gsgleason]

take an old circuit board from some broken thing and practice.

[Ozy]

I've done PCb soldering before, but not on anything as valuble and as complex as a motherboard. My school projects were just like bike alarms and morey games. If we broke them we just got new componants for free. I didn't brake them however. I will practice before a solder it, I just hope I don't blow anything near the LCP points like a capacitor or resiter or something. That it my main fear.

[gsgleason]

30W shoudl be okay. just don't use much pressure, and don't hold it there for more than 3 seconds.

Here's how I do it. I remove the extra pin in the pin header thing, put it in place, and use scotch table to tape it there. Flip the board over, and put your ironat an angle so it's both touching the solder pad on the board and the pin. Touch the rosin core solder to the opposite side of the header pin as the soldering iron, enough to fill the hole. remove soldering iron. don't blow on it or anything.

I solder the opposite corners to keep it in place, then remove the tape and do the rest. here's a pic.

[Ozy]

Thanks, I think I know how to do it now. I'll clean the lcp and the D0 with alchohol and then taoe the pinheader down and flip the board over. Then I need to put the solder iron on the pinheads and the board and dab the solder on the oposite side of the pinhead but not hold the iron doen for more then 2 seconds.
Is that right?

[gsgleason]

right.

[Ozy]

How much flux paste should I apply? I put it around the joint, the pinheads and the LPC holes? How much do I need and what does it actually do?

Thanks.

[Ozy]

Damn royal mail! I was suppose to get my chip today but the extremely unrealiable postage system in the UK is crap.

[Ozy]

Sorry, just the answer to flux paste use and will let this topic die. Thanks.

[Ozy]

Doesn't anyone know how to apply flux paste?

[gsgleason]

you really don't need it if you use rosin core solder, but it certain never hurts. just dab on enough to coat the pin header and hole.