Soldering: Help a chap out.

Swapping out speakers in cab -OR- putting a hammer though your Line6 Spider? Tell us about it.
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Greg_L
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

WhiskeyJack wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:26 pm My shit should be arriving friday !!!! :like: :like: :like: :like: :like: :happytrees: :coolstorybro:
:coolstorybro: :coolstorybro: :coolstorybro: :coolstorybro: :coolstorybro:
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Tadpui
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Tadpui »

SweetDan wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:29 pm I'd start w/the computer-side of things first. Got linux? If so, see what you can dig up for troubleshooting help: https://www.google.com/search?q=ubuntu+ ... ot+working . This looks good: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Sound ... gProcedure (PM me if you start to dig into this but get stuck somewhere, since I had to do this kind of troubleshooting once-upon-a-time when I was recording into Audacity on Linux!) Only after investigating all that would I dig out the soldering iron (and even then I'd take out the board & sockets and double-check there wasn't a blown capacitor or loose wire or something).

Of course, I don't know if this helps you or your friend, assuming neither of you is using Linux for audio, but at least it might help you determine if it's truly a hardware issue or if there's a software/configuration gremlin adding to your troubles.
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Thanks Dan, sorry I totally forgot to reply to you! That's pretty illustrative of my online social skills...

Anyways, I cracked open the chassis, took one look at the Superman III style supercomputer innards, and I closed it right back up. There's a whole bunch of nope in there.
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Greg_L
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

Tadpui wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:14 pm There's a whole bunch of nope in there.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by JD01 »

Tadpui wrote: the Superman III style supercomputer innards
Lol. How on earth do I remember exactly what you're talking about.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by WhiskeyJack »

Wow. On time delivery how about that!!! Tomorrow ill go grab some of the solder yall recommended. I am not so sure this is the stuff.

Very obviously made cheaply in China but heres hoping it does the trick!!!

Stoked!!! ImageImageImageImage
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Greg_L
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

Nice. Is the solder in that kit no good?
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by WhiskeyJack »

Greg_L wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:34 pm Nice. Is the solder in that kit no good?
To be honest, I only glanced really quick and and it didn't give me any particulars. I will look again when i get home and see what it's made of. I am sure it is perfectly suitable for getting going.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

WhiskeyJack wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:14 pm

To be honest, I only glanced really quick and and it didn't give me any particulars. I will look again when i get home and see what it's made of. I am sure it is perfectly suitable for getting going.
It will probably be good practice solder at the very least.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by muttley »

Yeh it will be fine.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by WhiskeyJack »

I dont think i can do this. This warning indicates i can not even turn it on. I am also unable to personally adjust the tempreature.

My neighbor used to be an electrician? Shoukd i get him to help me turn it on amd adjust the tempreature?

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Greg_L
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

Lol it's a soldering iron, not a lightsaber. wtf.

You might want to find a way to see what the temp is though. Too hot can nuke a PCB pretty fast. Too cold makes bad solder joints. I keep mine around 700F-ish. That's plenty enough heat to do whatever us hack musician repairmans would ever need to do.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Minerman »

Greg_L wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2018 2:29 pm Lol it's a soldering iron, not a lightsaber. wtf.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by muttley »

You'll be OK as long as you correctly install and wear you energized welding head... :like:
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

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First attempt didn't go so well. I decided against trying to do anything at the kitchen table as i am guessing the smoke and vapours emitted might not be good for the wife and dog? So my only choice beyond that was to go to the garage. my unheated garage. The temp was about -21C in there and my sponge iced over and got crunchy after about 10 mins. I managed to get to little pieces of braided wire soldered together but it took a while. I also thought i tinned the tip but i don't think i did that correctly.

I'll try again later on.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by WhiskeyJack »

While it is fresh in my mind. i'm sort of confused on the tip tinning stuff. Is it a procedure i am supposed to before starting? Before i shut everything off? between each weld?

In my mind if i tin tip and as i work wouldn't tinned tip just melt away as i start to perform work? Which would mean that before i stop working i would tin the tip before powering down?

Also a few tutorials i watched some guys use plumbers flux with the 60-40 rosin core stuff and some other guys don't.

Any of you got any thoughts on this?
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

You can work inside. The "fumes" are not enough to worry about. Run a little fan if you want. Your wife and dog might smell it but it's not going to kill any of yall. It's no worse than burning popcorn or lighting a match.

Tinning the tip....you want to tin the tip before you stick anything together. That means you might be tinning it multiple times. It's not a do it once and forget it kind of thing. Tinning the tip helps the solder flow quicker when sticking things together or desoldering. You really should probably tin the tip before you touch the iron to anything at any time. It just goes better that way. Tinning the tip just means you melt a tiny bit of solder on the iron before you do whatever you're about to do.

As you solder, the tip gets dirty and gunky from impurities within whatever you're working on. It's not unlike "slag" when welding. It's just mucky shit in the materials. Use the sponge or a fine wire brush to clean the tip as you work. Then re-tin. All of this makes soldering much easier and you get better solder connections.

Also, heat the parts a little before you touch the solder to them. Like one or two seconds then add solder. You're not just melting solder onto whatever you're working on. You want the solder to actually flow into the parts and join them together.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by muttley »

Only prolonged exposure to the fumes would be hazardous. We are talking daily over years here...

Tinning is before every operation so my routine goes.

Start of session a light sand on the tip to remove old crud.
Tin with solder.
Wipe off on wet sponge.
tin again and apply heated iron to parts and then run the solder from the coil to the area next to the iron.
Remove tip, and solder simultaneously
Clean tip on sponge and set iron aside safely.

Its the crud and old solder that stops the area heating up to temp so a clean tip and fresh tinning is your friend.

You will see the solder flow where you want it to go when the area is hot enough.

I will try a do a short video of the process. In the mean time just practice soldering some wire together or getting the solder to flow along some stranded copper.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

muttley wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:06 pm Only prolonged exposure to the fumes would be hazardous. We are talking daily over years here...

Tinning is before every operation so my routine goes.

Start of session a light sand on the tip to remove old crud.
Tin with solder.
Wipe off on wet sponge.
tin again and apply heated iron to parts and then run the solder from the coil to the area next to the iron.
Remove tip, and solder simultaneously
Clean tip on sponge and set iron aside safely.

Its the crud and old solder that stops the area heating up to temp so a clean tip and fresh tinning is your friend.

You will see the solder flow where you want it to go when the area is hot enough.

I will try a do a short video of the process. In the mean time just practice soldering some wire together or getting the solder to flow along some stranded copper.
Yes to all of that.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by Greg_L »

Another thing about tinning....when you can, also tin the wires/leads of whatever you're soldering prior to actually sticking them together. When the wires and iron tip are all tinned, they go together easily.
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Re: Soldering: Help a chap out.

Post by muttley »

Greg_L wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:17 pm Another thing about tinning....when you can, also tin the wires/leads of whatever you're soldering prior to actually sticking them together. When the wires and iron tip are all tinned, they go together easily.
Yes to this also. Especially if you are using coreless solder. With a flux core not so much but still good practice. Sometimes it's easier to get the wire in there without tinning it because you can bend it round lugs etc...but what gerg says is best..

Also if you are soldering to a large area such as a pot case or trem bloc its good practice to scratch clean the surface before you flow solder on there. I do it on baseplates and pretty much all heavy duty joins. Luckily most of them are earth or ground so you soon get to know if you have not got it done right. Use a bit of 80 grit or emery cloth...
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