The Living Soldering Thread

[dante]

Have any of you run into addiction issues with soldering?  You enjoy it so much that you get a little excited when something breaks or someone asks you solder a board for them?

[samwisekoi]

Have any of you run into addiction issues with soldering?  You enjoy it so much that you get a little excited when something breaks or someone asks you solder a board for them?

I've certainly used solder when software would be less invasive, yes.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[fublamchu]

For those with the Weller WLC100, what heat setting do you guys use for soldering switches?

[ReadmeDotTxt]

Desoldering -
Edsyn soldapullt III - http://www.edsyn.com/index.php?Mode=piw&pn=DS017 OR
Universal soldapullt - http://www.edsyn.com/index.php?Mode=piw&pn=US140

The links to the desoldering tools looks like they have changed. A quick search yielded the links below.

Edsyn Soldapullt III - http://www.edsyn.com/product/PT109.html
Edsyn Universal Soldapullt - http://www.edsyn.com/product/US140.html

[Tactile]

If anyone is interested in buying a temp controlled soldering station I just posted this in "Great Finds"...

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=86691.0

[FLOCKA]

So I see that Kester 44 is most commonly recommended, but I'm curious about Kester 245 (the no-clean variant). Should I stick with the tried-and-true, or is 245 equally as good? I want to avoid leaving unsightly brown puddles of flux behind, so that would be my rationale for choosing it over 44 -- have I got that wrong?

[pineapple]

As a suggestion, I would use this over the standard helping hands.

just put some electrical tape over the alligator clips and you're gucci. 

http://a.co/dqmmSTH

[samwisekoi]

As a suggestion, I would use this over the standard helping hands.

just put some electrical tape over the alligator clips and you're gucci. 

http://a.co/dqmmSTH

Thanks!  That looks nice, and it cannot be any crappier than the normal freestanding helpers.

 - Ron | samwisekoi
Auto-typed by my GH-122 keyboard.

[Rob27shred]

I finally took the plunge & ordered a Hakko FX888D-23BY solder station. I also ordered a LyonsBlue desoldering pump, a 4oz roll of Alpha Fry .032 diameter 60/40 rosin core solder, &  a roll of NTE Electronics SW02-10 No-Clean Solder Wick, #4 Blue, .098" Width, 10' Length. Which will hopefully be enough for me to get some practice in & do my 1st project. I should mention I am not a complete noob with soldering. I took an electronics course for vo-tech when I was in HS but that was about 20 yrs ago & I also have a good amount of experience with soldering copper plumbing (I know it really doesn't relate to soldering on PCBs, LOL!).

I have an old fried Intel mobo from when I replaced it in my uncle's PC that I plan on using for practice to get the feel of soldering & desoldering on PCBs again. Then my 1st planned project is to harvest the Gat greens from a MF68 & use them to swap out the Cherry blues on a KBP V60 I have. They both have LEDs that I will need to swap as well since the LEDS are on the top of the switches on the MF68 & the bottom of the switches on the V60. Also the MF68 just has plain white LEDs while the V60 has LEDs that do blue & red.

Any advice you guys think I should know before taking on this project? I believe I have all the right equipment & materials except for extra wire for jumping connections in case I blow a pad out. What type of & gauge wire do you guys use in such a situation? Any & all advice on technique, equipment, etc. is greatly appreciated! In the mean time I am gonna dive into this thread & others I have found about soldering to absorb as much tips & tricks as I can before my equipment arrives.

[captain]

Has anyone compared the build-it-yourself version of WhiteFox to the pre-built?  I'm finding that the pre-builts are really really badly put together.  Each switch reacts differently and several keys BIND or SCRAPE on every WhiteFox that I've tried.  :-/   I'm about 10% interested in trying the build it yourself if it's having no QA problems, but may just give up on WhiteFox.

[zylinderhut]

Hi,

to add on what readmedottxt already mentioned, below are the updated links fot all Edsyn items:

http://www.edsyn.com/product/CL1481-K1.html - $93.50
http://www.edsyn.com/product/951SX.html - $168.50
http://www.edsyn.com/product/PT109.html - $16.80
http://www.edsyn.com/product/US140.html - $10.64
http://www.edsyn.com/product/2020.html - $466.20

Thanks for the list and this thread!

[jcoffin1981]

Just wanted to update that I received my new multimeter today, and I my impressions from it are largely positive.  Would definitely recommend at that price.  It has good reviews too in terms of accuracy (some meters have good reviews and then a bunch of bad ones because they die fairly quickly for some reason--haven't seen anything bad for this one).  Just tested every resistor I've installed on a board as well as some other parameters, like continuity resistance through LED holes.

(Attachment Link)

Great for $20 or you can sometimes find it for less, like I did.

I   have the Identical multimeter.  I'm happy with it, but it reads high.  A 120V wall outlet usually reads at about 124V.  A button battery of 1.5V reads about 1.56V.  Works fine but you get what  you pay for.  Buying a Fluke meter does not really have any value for me.

[bpiphany]

I   have the Identical multimeter.  I'm happy with it, but it reads high.  A 120V wall outlet usually reads at about 124V.  A button battery of 1.5V reads about 1.56V.  Works fine but you get what  you pay for.  Buying a Fluke meter does not really have any value for me.

Without dismissing that he meter could be out, you really Really need to find some better references than that...

[KetchyKech]

Hi, having a soldering issue, am quite the noob @ it:

Finally assembled Mech27 using TGR Jane PCB --> realized "Q" wasn't working --> resoldered thinking it was a cold joint --> still didn't work --> used my eyeballs and saw this:



Is that a missing a missing diode? (pink circle, duh-- orange circles were to show someone else the difference :> )

What can I do to remedy this? Replacements are most likely out of the question because its been so long after the gb, I probably should have checked to see if they were all there, blah.

If I can solder in the missing thingie -- Where can I can one, and any guides to soldering in a diode would be great --

thank you kind ppls 

[TalkingTree]

If I can solder in the missing thingie -- Where can I can one, and any guides to soldering in a diode would be great --

By the look of the T4 tag on the top of the other diodes, it could easily be a 1N4148WS in a SOD323 package. A large number of manufacturers make these diodes, such NXP and BL Galaxy Electrical. You can source some on eBay.

To solder it, wet one pad with solder, reflow, put the diode in place with tweezers and take the soldering iron away while holding the diode in place. Then do the other end. Diodes are polarized so double check the orientation.

[CommonCurt]

Hi, having a soldering issue, am quite the noob @ it:

Finally assembled Mech27 using TGR Jane PCB --> realized "Q" wasn't working --> resoldered thinking it was a cold joint --> still didn't work --> used my eyeballs and saw this:

Show Image

Is that a missing a missing diode? (pink circle, duh-- orange circles were to show someone else the difference :> )

What can I do to remedy this? Replacements are most likely out of the question because its been so long after the gb, I probably should have checked to see if they were all there, blah.

If I can solder in the missing thingie -- Where can I can one, and any guides to soldering in a diode would be great --

thank you kind ppls  :thumb:

I used WhiteFireDragon's tutorial the last time I tried to solder SMD diodes.

[KetchyKech]

Hi, having a soldering issue, am quite the noob @ it:

Finally assembled Mech27 using TGR Jane PCB --> realized "Q" wasn't working --> resoldered thinking it was a cold joint --> still didn't work --> used my eyeballs and saw this:

Show Image

Is that a missing a missing diode? (pink circle, duh-- orange circles were to show someone else the difference :> )

What can I do to remedy this? Replacements are most likely out of the question because its been so long after the gb, I probably should have checked to see if they were all there, blah.

If I can solder in the missing thingie -- Where can I can one, and any guides to soldering in a diode would be great --

thank you kind ppls  :thumb:

I used WhiteFireDragon's tutorial the last time I tried to solder SMD diodes.

Awesome, many thanks fellas!

[66klaus]

Hi,

I desoldered all switches of my Ducky Shine. Unfortunately on the other side of the PCB, I lifted some pads. Do I have problems with these, because of the other side (double layer pcb)? So, what to do?

As you can see in the pics, I have three problems with lifted pads on the not soldering side.

[vvp]

You have a problem. It is bad but not critical. You just need to make the same connections the lifted pads provided in an alternative way. E.g. a thin wire from the switch pin to the lifted trace at some place where it is not lifted any more. Just provide the connection. Make sure the connection is insulated from the thinks it is not supposed to connect (which the lifted pad/wire did not touch). Notice that the lfited pad was providing also a connection between the top a and bottom part of the PCB. If a pad is not connected to anything on one side of the PCB tan you do not need to bother with that side.

[TalkingTree]

So, what to do?

What I would do is to plug the board in and short the keys pads with tweezers or anything else conductive. See if the keys register correctly, if not, you can follow the trace and solder a jumper wire to the next adjacent pad. Know that some pads might need to be soldered to the corresponding diode.

[66klaus]

You have a problem. It is bad but not critical. You just need to make the same connections the lifted pads provided in an alternative way. E.g. a thin wire from the switch pin to the lifted trace at some place where it is not lifted any more. Just provide the connection. Make sure the connection is insulated from the thinks it is not supposed to connect (which the lifted pad/wire did not touch). Notice that the lfited pad was providing also a connection between the top a and bottom part of the PCB. If a pad is not connected to anything on one side of the PCB tan you do not need to bother with that side.

So, what to do?

What I would do is to plug the board in and short the keys pads with tweezers or anything else conductive. See if the keys register correctly, if not, you can follow the trace and solder a jumper wire to the next adjacent pad. Know that some pads might need to be soldered to the corresponding diode.

So, what to do?

What I would do is to plug the board in and short the keys pads with tweezers or anything else conductive. See if the keys register correctly, if not, you can follow the trace and solder a jumper wire to the next adjacent pad. Know that some pads might need to be soldered to the corresponding diode.

Thx for your help! I fixed it with jumper wires. All switches are working 

[_GMK_]

Hello, any update to the recommended tools?

I'm considering:
hakko 888 station, with the chisel tip because apparently it is the best choice for switches, used at 350° C.
a 63/37 0.031'' diameter wire (please recommend a brand, not kester, because in Europe it is difficult to find). It seems that the version with lead is easier to work with, but it requires a fume extractor.

Do I need a tip tinner?
Any suggestion for a guide or youtube video?

Also, what's the use of a Desoldering braid?

[Squarism]

I was a complete beginner before handwiring my first keyboard. I probebly have cheapest soldering iron you can get($30). I managed to solder switches and 2  arduino pro micros with it. So one don't need pro gear for that at least.

[Wood_Cables]

Does anyone here have experience doing SMD work at home without the "proper" tools? Solder paste yes, but maybe while using a heat gun or something?

[HaX]

I have a hakko fx-888, any suggestion on a good solder tip? Right now I have the T18-D16 tip on it. Wondering what everyone who has a fx-888/d uses.

[jamster]

I have a hakko fx-888, any suggestion on a good solder tip? Right now I have the T18-D16 tip on it. Wondering what everyone who has a fx-888/d uses.

Totally depends on what you're soldering. For general PCB through hole stuff, a chisel tip is good, and you already have one.

[hasu]

I'm happy with hakko T12-2BC for most jobs,  and occasionally T12-3BC for large thermal mass like connector.
I also have D16 and D24 but seldom use them, just personal preference. I have trouble to keep both sides of the tip wet properly for no reason.

T18 series doesn't have BC type unfortunately but T18-2C will work equivalently for FX-888.