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FDP Forum / Amp Mods, Repairs, and Projects / PCB soldering best practices?

Next 20 Messages

Mars Hall USA NW Indiana Telefunkin'	Jul 22nd, 2010 12:11 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic I have a Blues Jr. that I'm going to install some billm mods on. All of my experience is with PTP boards. I know PCB's can be fragile and prone to over heating, that can destroy the tracing. Can someone please advise on some best practices? My first attempt seems the solder joints are cold and the solder runs up the lead towards the iron. I've been keeping the heat to the lead only but it doesn't want to bond. I'm using a Weller WP35.
picturevalve Wales. U.K.	Jul 22nd, 2010 01:33 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic BY "lead" you mean "wire" right? If so "tin" the end of the wire first - clean off the end with a bit of sandpaper - or similar - and then see if it will take the solder. I assume you're using a flux-cored solder, if not then that's your problem. After you've got the solder on the wire then you can solder it to the pcb.
Stratmanx Contributing Member ******* Memphis, TN	Jul 22nd, 2010 01:47 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Two things when soldering PCB's. One, you need to have adequet heat, definatly not too much, but certainly not too little as you'll spend far and away too much time trying to heat your componets and end up dislodging your traces from the PCB. Two, you need to work quickly and with purpose. you can't futz around figuring out where your gonna put the iron. A (This message was last edited by Stratmanx at 03:28 PM, Jul 22nd, 2010)
damuniz Contributing Member **** South Jersey/USA She turned me into a newt!....	Jul 22nd, 2010 02:04 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic also use a flux pen to clean and flux the solder spot. I think this helps the new solder adhere quicker requiring less time/heat on the part.
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Jul 22nd, 2010 02:55 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic You need to supply some heat to the PCB trace, too. Just the component lead isn't enough, since the lead doesn't actually touch the copper. So you learn to have just enough solder on your iron (not a blob, just a coating) to convey heat. Then touch the iron to the lead and to the trace at the same time, then apply solder.
willie Contributing Member ** Lawrenceville, GA "Sound Service Since Sixty-Two"	Jul 22nd, 2010 03:10 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Exactly...the entire joint should be evenly heated..not just the component lead or wire...and not just the trace pad. Generally speaking there should be an attempt to have a good physical as well as electrical connection. willie musicmenders.com
Mars Hall USA NW Indiana Telefunkin'	Jul 22nd, 2010 04:46 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Thanks for all the responses. Bill your instructions say, "Use an X-Acto knife to gently scrape away the green coating over the copper around the holes you just drilled. Take care not to scrape away the copper, too." At first, I took this as just getting rid of the residue made from drilling. I take it, that I'm suppose to expose the trace? I'm thinking this is my problem because, I couldn't understand how the solder would bond and how to get the iron on the trace, when the leads fit so snugly into the holes. Will I need to scrape the existing holes that I removed components from, as well?
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Jul 22nd, 2010 06:38 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic That's right, you have to expose copper around the hole. Light scraping will chip away the green insulating coating and expose bright copper. When you see your solder run onto the copper as well as the component lead, you've got it.
Steve Dallman Contributing Member *** Merrill, Wisconsin Shoot, Winter's over already?	Jul 23rd, 2010 04:05 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic The soldering iron has to be clean, clean, clean. It has to be shiny silver, which means well tinned. If it is black AT ALL, it won't transfer the heat and solder won't flow.
Mars Hall USA NW Indiana Telefunkin'	Jul 23rd, 2010 04:32 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Thanks guys, everything seems to be flowing together now. The key, for me, was scraping off the top material exposing the trace. My only concern is, on the existing holes where I removed leads, the joints seem good, but the old solder was tuff to get off. I wanted to be careful not to be roughing up those areas too much and damaging traces. Are the traces already exposed underneath the old solder joints? Do I need to redo those? The joints look good. I'm working on the power supply stiffening mod, so I guess if I get some DC ripple, I'll know to redo those.
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Jul 23rd, 2010 06:17 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Any place where you remove a component is already tinned (coated with solder). There's no need to get down to bare copper. The old solder will flow together with the new solder and make a good joint. The stiffening cap will not eliminate ripple at the first stage. It won't even change the sawtooth waveform. But it will halve the voltage of the ripple, which gets filtered out by the push-pull output stage anyway.
rfrakes331K USA RonHalen Jokingly He Says	Jul 24th, 2010 10:23 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Bill is any of this solder silver, and why the extra heat? I have tried to remove all solder with solder wick, snd the solder on boards from Champ 600, Dunlop Wah, Snarling Dogs, H2O Liquid Chorus PCBs that the solder would not flow to the wick. I think I need to go to the small drill bit to clean the hole out after getting the component lead out. I have a Hako solder station.
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Jul 25th, 2010 07:43 AM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Some people love solder wick. I only use it in very specific cases and much prefer a simple solder sucker--the plunger-spring type, not the bulb. The bulb is useless. Don't drill out solder from a hole. Use a solder sucker and you'll just be left with a tinned surface and a clean hole. I don't understand your question about extra heat. I don't think I mentioned anything about extra heat. I don't use silver-bearing solder, just good old .031" rosin-core 60/40 solder. I prefer the Kester and Alpha brands. I use a Hakko iron too, and set it to 650 or 675°F. Solder sucker at Amazon.com
limbe Sweden Tibbe	Jul 28th, 2010 08:07 AM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Never use a file or sandpaper on tips for a Weller WP35.They are pretinned and should just be cleaned with a soldering tip cleaner or a small wet sponge. If you use sandpaper you will destroy the tip.A solder sucker of the plunger-spring type is fine except for some situations where you have to be careful not to lift the copper trace from the board for example.60/40 solder is fine for the things you do.Billm knows what he´s talking about.
picturevalve Wales. U.K.	Jul 28th, 2010 01:59 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Hi Limbe, If you're referring to my sandpaper quote in post #2, it was to clean the end of the wire, not the soldering iron tip. Agree about the dangers of a spring loaded solder sucker on fragile pcb tracks.
rfrakes331K USA RonHalen Jokingly He Says	Jul 28th, 2010 07:53 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Bill, I believe some of the boards I am trying to work on have silver solder.
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Jul 28th, 2010 08:55 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic Are you sure it's not just lead-free solder? Lead-free solder is tin and silver, but it's not silver solder. Silver solder is up to 40 percent silver, while lead-free solder is 3 or 4 percent solder. Lead-free solder is a pain in the butt. If you're having trouble removing it, feed it a little leaded solder, then it will come off much more easily.
limbe Sweden Tibbe	Jul 29th, 2010 03:29 AM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic picturevalve!You are absolutely right.I apologize for not reading your post closely enough.Here in Sweden the tips are 9 USD apiece.A trick I learned long ago to get rid of oxide on the leads of resistors,capacitors and other components is to make a small hole in an eraser and move the lead back and forth in the hole.
rfrakes331K USA RonHalen Jokingly He Says	Aug 5th, 2010 06:00 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic I am not sure Bill, but it is tough to get it wicked away from component leads. The Champ600 was a bear working on that PCB.
Billm Contributing Member ****** New Jersey, USA Hey! What exit?	Aug 5th, 2010 06:15 PM   Edit   Profile   Print Topic   Search Topic I've gotta make a video of how it's done. It shouldn't be giving you such a hassle.

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FDP Forum / Amp Mods, Repairs, and Projects / PCB soldering best practices?

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