Souldering, what to get for begginers Options

[NadeMaster]

Hey everyone, I bought a set of controller port lights and lights that light up the jewel in the middle, and to put it together it requires minor souldering. I have never souldered before and i was wondering the size i should get and where do they have the best ones

thanks
matt

[Stagg]

Solder

You'll need a Soldering Iron,Solder Rosin Core, Flux, And maybe Desoldering Braid.

RS has a Nice kit for starters.

[import_lover_1989]

hey mate i had the same prob, i got given a 100w soldering iron and i fryed my motherboard, lol but thats in the past, just buy a 15 watt soldering iron and some thin solder, i bought these and had no problem. i dont know were they sell them were u are because im from australia.

[NadeMaster]

Yea thanks guys so RadioShack is my best bet and i'll stick with a 15 watt SOLDERING iron, lol

Any other advice please feel free to post

thanks
matt

*EDIT*


Can you please specify wat a flux is, sry i'm new at this soldering

This post has been edited by NadeMaster: Jul 27 2005, 02:14 PM

[Stagg]

Check Radioshack.

[SICKdimension]

Yep, RadioShack. I recommend a 25W iron and .015mm solder. You might also want to get some 30awg wire. You won't really need flux or braid for this project.

[th3rdeye420]

the smaller the tip the easier it is to solder. I guess thats obvious. I dont use low watt soldering irons like 15watt cause Its time consuming and it can get frustrating when things wont tin right or the solder wont melt. Thats when you mess up when your frustrated. I would consider taking up smoking if plan on doing serious soldering jobs like a hip pad. I use a weller 35watt but I have some experience I like it becuase it heats up fast and im in an out on those joints leaving little time to burn up resistors or cause brown spots on motherboards. Just my preference and im not saying that 15watt wont do you good if seen people use the butane soldering irons and its come out perfect. Its the hand not the iron as long as the irons in the acceptable range under 60watts.

[NadeMaster]

Yea the only thing is i'm such a noobie at this perticular thing i don't want to screw it. So is it good to practice on like an old CD player, cut the wires and solder them back, with like a 25 watt? If that is n e thing like connecting the controller ports and the jewel light, that would be good.

matt

[.:Dino:.]

yeah i would use 20/25 watt. Although 15w is ok, it is not enough really and holding the iron for too long will damage circuit boards. You would actually be safer using about a 25w iron.

[IAmCanadian]

I used a 15/30w iron from RS.. I used 30w to solder to the xbox mobo.. no burns, no nothing. Worked perfect.

[NadeMaster]

All right, a couple little details i need to no. Ok along with this 25 watt solder, i need a solid rosin core about how many mm? AND wat else am i going to need for a successful project

thanks
matt

[halofreak007]

well the smaller the job the thinner you want the solder to be

[Venom7]

I just did this mod a few days ago for the first time. I had never soldered anything before that. Its a fairly easy job, you just need to be patient and try not to get frustrated like someone said. One piece of advice I could offer is that when you are messing with those metal casings that enclose the wires to the controller ports, be very careful because the edges are sharp and I got a pretty big slice in my thumb. Oh yeah, another thing: When you get to the jewel lights, and you are about to wire them up, you might consider just melting away the insulation from the wire on the spots where you are going to solder instead of stripping all of it off. I found this much easier because the wires stay together a lot better and you have a lesser chance of the two wires touching and shorting out. Well I hope my advice will help you. Good luck bro.

[NadeMaster]

Hey thanks a lot everyone, you were a big help

stealth thanks lol

[kevinlekiller]

Btw flux is acid , acid cleans metal, so its easier for them to bond together. If you use flux , clean it off after or it might start to corrode (clean metal + oxygen = rust).