I need to get better at soldering

[@Null_Experis]

tips for soldering: 1) USE FLUX 2) Use an adjustable soldering iron, you want enough heat for the job. Smaller items need less heat than large PCBs with massive copper ground planes that act as a heat sink 3) USE FLUX. I'm not kidding, this is important. Flux is a mild acid that destroys the oxide layer that forms on metal surfaces and makes the solder bond stronger and cleaner. USE IT. 4) Solder flows towards heat. You need to heat up the pin AND the PCB to get good flow. 5) Molten solder is a liquid, it has surface tension and will tend to stick to thinks in large globs. FLUX HELPS PREVENT THIS. 6) Seriously, USE FLUX.

[@Jelly420]

you can never use too much flux

[@blakecasimir]

I notice Phil pulls the iron away a little too quickly sometimes as well. Let the solder flow a little longer otherwise it can "blob".

[@SevenCompleted]

I came here to say this. That stuff is seriously magic and anyone should be afraid of using too little if anything.

[@mrhoogles]

i was literally going to scroll down and say more flux, looks like this whole thing is nothing but :D

[@jeremiahrex]

I've been soldering for 25 years and I need to get better. Soldering is a skill like any other and it's a constant journey of improvement.

[@philscomputerlab]

Thank you 😊

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

A lot of the work you already do is really clean! Practise will bring improvements!

[@tony359]

I’ve seen devices which have a sponge lid: once all the components are placed you press them with the sponge which keep them in place and turn the pcb around

[@tndabone]

I've been soldering for around 40 years and the first tips I'll give is keep the tip clean, don't over fill your board when placing components (I.e. solder a few things, clip the leads, then stuff more) this keeps you from having to fight angles to get the to board to solder. And always heat the pad and component, never just one or the other.

[@SevenCompleted]

I use steel wool to clean off oxidation just be careful not to burn your fingers. 😂

[@mrburns366]

I agree with this 💯 a wet sponge and the metal "sponge" tip cleaner thing as well. Also, use flux :)

[@the1990kman]

You can never go wrong watching Necroware's channel. He is a pure genius, when it comes to repairing old motherboards.

[@shreyaskul]

1. Use a better iron. I can see that the tip is too hot and the no-clean flux inside the solder wire is sublimating instantly when touched. I guess the tip temperature is over 400C/750F. I would recommend something like Pinecil/TS100 with bevel conical tip or a spade bit for general hobbyist use. 350-380C is the ideal range. 2. Prefer to use leaded solder 63/37 or 60/40 with good ol' rosin core. It is best when you are starting out soldering since it is forgiving and flows easily, unless you wanna sell the PCBs you made. Don't forget to use fume extractors. 3. The method you are following is absolutely optimal. The tip should touch the pins you wanna join and the solder wire should touch and melt on the pins itself, not the tip of the gun.

[@philscomputerlab]

Yes 63/37 with flux core is what I use. I've since tried a few brands and found something that's still cheap but better. I'll get a decent soldering station soon!

[@Luke-rr9po]

I have always really admired your honest and humble approach Phil, this was really enjoyable stuff, thank you! 😊

[@necro_ware]

Nice. Practice is the key. A small tip, when you solder through hole parts first cut the legs, than solder. Otherwise the long wires act as a cooler and dissipate the heat, so your solder joints will get micro cracks inside and can even loose connection over the time. Instead, after you inserted the legs, bend those to the side, so the part remains in place, then cut the legs, then solder and watch that the solder flows into the hole. If you the shape of the solder joint is convex it wasn't hot enough and you have to wait longer until it gets concave.

[@philscomputerlab]

Hey great for leaving a comment 😊 That is a neat tip with the component legs, thank you 😊

[@Tundreq]

I thought the same, and just wait a little bit longer before removing the soldering iron so the flux in the tin can do it's work and flow better

[@creopard]

​@@philscomputerlabsoldering necroware's gameport adapter is also a nice practice lesson, also with regards to order a custom PCB

[@philscomputerlab]

@creopard I'll check it out 😊

[@Paul-xs7ks]

A small moist sponge to clean the soldering tip. A dirty tip doesn't work so well to transfer heat. You want a bright and shiny tip. This also keeps tips lasting a long time. I use Servisol (green spray can) electronic circuit board cleaner from Jaycar (in WA) to clean off burned flux. Spray on, scrub with a toothbrush, clean off with paper. I have trimmed component legs forever after soldering. No problems. I use 350oC for my solder iron also. Hot iron to quickly melt and flow the solder results in lower component heating. Lower iron temp means you have to apply heat for longer resulting in component heating up more. Good luck.

[@broderperdurabo]

I used something like that, but with a lid with foam, started with the smaller compinents, like diods and resistors, just flipped it.

[@fft2020]

WTG! Phil ! Slowly you will learn and get better and better... and it is so rewarding to see your soldering skils slowly increasing I use a cheap LIDL soldering station ... it comes with different tips I melted cafonia rosin in alcohol and now use this flux with a pipet dispenser I also bought a ZD-915 desoldering station that is cheap and works ok Phil, solder melts at a really low temperature... sometimes I have my iron at 280ºC or less I only increase in case of large ground planes/stubborn solder etc You didn't burn the PCB.. that black stuff is the burnt flux.. you can clean it with isopropil alcohol

[@k9cj5]

Once you realize everything is about heat, and how its transferred that helped me a ton. Also, try wetting the tip of your iron (add a very tiny amount of solder to your iron) This helps the heat or energy get directed in the way you want. When you try to desoldering something, wait for the solder to get molten before you do anything. The SS02 Solder sucker is a game changer, the one made in Japan. Im a novice myself so take it for what it is but I love soldering. Its my happy place.

[@philscomputerlab]

I've heard of that solder sucker! They already copied it pine including the silicon tube at the front 😲

[@elmonte5lim]

I don't know if this will be useful, but it's an interesting story, I think you'll probably agree: The only substantial soldering job I ever undertook, was when I bought Sinclair's ZX80 in kit form. I had a friend who was an electronics technician at a local college who lent me: a fancy, thermostatically-controlled soldering iron/base station; side-cutters; top-cutters and whatever else I was likely to need. The ZX80 pcb was getting on for the size of a sheet of A4 paper, there were capacitors and the other discrete components, along with twenty-some ICs with their sockets - they would all be socketed. Anyway, that - cold, winter - evening, I arranged all the tools and parts on the table in front of me, sat down, switched on the soldering iron and waited for it to get to temperature. The last thing I remember is the - not unpleasant - smell of the rosin flux. It was some hours later when I stretched out my stiffness, examined the pcb, got up and walked around a little, when I realised that I'd lost all track of time - indeed, all track of everything. Perhaps it was all those socket legs and the repetition, but I was once a half-decent hypnotist and grew up in the sixties, so was no stranger to 'altered states' - one of which I seemed to have just come out of - five hours? Something like that. I socketed all the chips, connected the ZX80 to my old black and white TV and - by golly! - it worked! Some years later, I befriended a guy who was a maintenance engineer at a recording studio, who offered to carry out a modification on my ZX80 for me, to do with giving it the option of working like the ZX81 - ie: getting an uninterrupted, moving, visual display. When he gave it back, he told me he'd never seen a neater hand soldering job. I couldn't really take credit for it, as I had no memory of actually doing it. Anyroadup, make of that what you will. Could there be something useful in there?

[@carltonleboss]

Nice.

[@emmettturner9452]

The knife tip was fine. The “burn marks” were just burned flux. It will disappear with an isopropyl-soaked cotton swab while breaking up the crust with your fingernail.

[@PaulTheFox1988]

As many others have said, flux is key, it breaks down the oxide layer of both your solder and the metals being soldered, and those oxide layers prevent the solder from flowing nicely and thus weakens the joints or leads to ugly solder, so put a lot on, and put some more on for good measure. Solder flows where the heat is, so put heat into both parts to be joined and feed your solder more into the joint rather than towards the tip, after all, that's where you want the solder to go. Use an appropriately sized tip, using a large chisel tip for fine soldering work makes it harder to get the tip where you need it, so unless you're soldering large power or ground planes where you need a large amount of thermal mass, use a smaller tip. Speaking of temperature, you should be able to do most jobs at 325c, but if you're working on single layer boards or really fragile boards step it down to 300 or 280c. Only go up if you absolutely need it, and usually you don't and instead what you need is thermal mass, not temperature, so if you're struggling with getting heat into your joint you might need more thermal mass to prevent the iron tip from freezing to the work piece, and that's achieved with a bigger tip, but as above don't go too large or you'll struggle. Put your work piece at a position that is most comfortable, obviously soldering for video makes that difficult, but wherever possible reposition your work piece so that your hands rest in a natural position and where you can clearly see what you're doing. On the topic of visibility, use magnification, even if you have perfect eyesight use it, it's less tiring on your eyes and ensures you will be more likely to spot bridges and splashes before you go to power on the system. This doesn't apply to you as you said you bought some stuff already, but buy quality tools, if you're using a $10 iron that has poor or no temperature control, then buy a better iron. Seriously, the old saying of "a poor workman blames his tools" is nonsense, a great workman can make do with crap of course, but just because they can doesn't mean you should suffer crap, so just get the decent stuff to begin with, it'll make learning or relearning less challenging. And of course practice as you say, if you don't use if, you'll lose it, so put in the hard graft and keep trying.

[@philscomputerlab]

Great advice, thank you 😊

[@PaulTheFox1988]

@@philscomputerlab you're welcome, and here's some more tips, not just for you, but for anyone who might see this too. Use genuine brass wool to clean your tip, don't use sponges and don't use the plated steel stuff, the sponges when wetted cool the tip down way too much and do a poor job of cleaning, and lead to rust forming on the tip, and the plated steel wool damage the coating on the tips due to the wool being too hard. Use painters tape or even blue-tack to hold items in place until you've soldered at least 1 pin in place (I'm specifically thinking of the pin header in the video) it makes it much easier to get things in place After applying your solder, hold your iron in place for about 2 seconds, this will ensure that the solder properly flows into place and gives a neater weld. I once saw someone do this, and I shouldn't have to say this, but DO NOT FILE YOUR IRON TIPS, the coating is not just to make the tips look nicer, it actually serves a purpose in making sure solder holds onto the tip when needed, but is easy to clean off when required, if the coating comes off, replace the tip, it's no longer any good. Make sure you use a fume extractor, even a cheap fan with a dust filter is better than nothing, the fumes coming from the flux are nasty (I really need to follow my own advice on this one) and cause all sorts of health problems down the line, so don't ignore this. If you use leaded solder, get into the habit of washing your hands before you handle food, handle your pets, or touch your face, or indeed do anything other than soldering. There is no safe level of exposure to lead, and while you won't immediately die or suffer issues, it will build up and the harm it causes is immense, so treat it with the proper respect it deserves. Tip cleaner solutions aren't required in my experience but there's little harm in using them, however all I do is wipe the iron tip with brass wool thoroughly before turning the iron off which leaves a tiny amount of solder on the tip, and this coating protects the tip from rusting and helps fresh solder adhere properly when I come to use the iron again. Don't think you need expensive solder with the fancy fluxes inside, rosin core solder does the job just fine, but you should clean your work pieces properly after using it, it shouldn't harm anything, but better to be safe than sorry. Speaking of solder, I wouldn't recommend using 0.5mm solder unless absolutely required, you end up needing to feed in huge lengths of it just for a small weld which is unwieldy and hard to do comfortably, so stick with 0.8mm unless you're doing ultra small smd work, where the smaller solder is a requirement, and even then I find 0.8mm to be just fine. Don't bother with cheap flux, go straight to the good stuff, I personally use amtech/inventech tacky flux (genuine, not the knock-off stuff usually found on amazon), it's not cheap but it's worth its weight in gold, and DO NOT use flux meant for pipe welding, that stuff is acidic and will damage or even destroy the PCB. Also, for desoldering braid don't waste money on the cheap stuff, get genuine goot wick, again, it's not cheap, but it's excellent and makes desoldering a much easier process. 😊

[@xDownSetx]

My main tips would probably be use flux on everything, and get a brass sponge tip cleaner and clean the tip continuously. Don't be pressed into feeling like you need a big Weller soldering station. I have been incredibly happy with my TS100. The Type-C irons like the PINECIL* and TS101 are great and put out a lot of heat.

[@retroVTuber]

You are doing great. I would say, though, that 350 C is way too hot. You should lower that to 280 maybe even 260 depending on the solder and how thick the board you are working with is. If you look on your solder it should say its melting point. I normally use that as my starting point and increase the temperature depending on how the board reacts. Thicker boards need higher temperatures which can be annoying. The goal is to get the joint hot enough for the solder to melt and flow without going overboard. Too much heat can damage the components and lift pads right off the board. This is one reason people use a preheater to get the board to a certain overall temperature so then they don't have to crank up the heat on the iron and risk damaging things. For these little single layer project boards that's not a concern but bigger multilayer boards it can be an issue at times, especially around big ground plans that'll wick away all your heat. One other thing that I saw other commenters were pointing out was keeping your tip clean. Your tip is getting a bit oxidized from prolonged use (8:53 I think is a great example you can see it turning a grayish yellow). Every now and again you want to tin your tip. All that means is coat it in a little solder then wipe off the excess on your sponge. Oxygen inhibits heat transfer and damages the tip over time. Keeping your tips nice and tinned will make your soldering easier and keep your tips in good shape for a long time! To your question about holders and legs; I'm a heathen and just solder directly on my mat. I need to get a holder. When I get desperate I pull out some alligator clips on goose necks but that's rare. That one you have looks very nice! I also cut the legs after soldering. While I'm sure that does put extra forces on the joint there are so many other things that could also do that or worse from just handling the board or even when the finished product is in use that I don't really think it matters. At least not on the level you are now. When you do get into SMD soldering if you can get a sponsorship with a microscope company that would be brilliant! I'm using a Andonstar AD407 Pro and I love it. If you could get Andonstar to help you out that would be amazing! The AD407 Pro would satisfy all your requirements that you listed in the video. Good luck! You got a lot of fun ahead of you! There are lots of techniques, tools and methods to look forward to playing around with! I'm very excited for you! Soldering and repairing things is a great hobby and I hope it treats you well!

[@emmettturner9452]

I think you are spoiled by more modern irons. ;) 260°C is much too low for that kind of iron, especially for double-sided PCBs with plated thru-holes. 280°C really only works well if you have a cartridge type iron and aren’t doing anything with heavy ground planes and other high thermal loads.

[@retroVTuber]

@@emmettturner9452 all fair points but for these little project boards 350°C is too high. My bigger point is you don't want to use more heat than is required to avoid damaging things. I'm using a Weller WE1010NA for reference.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@retroVTuber Agreed. I use a Hakko T18 clone and for this kind of job I’d probably be a bit above 300°C… 330°C if I were doing drag soldering with a knife tip. :)

[@philscomputerlab]

Great tips, thank you!

[@broderperdurabo]

I use my Weller WTCP-S (Magnastat) with a flatten round tip 3 mm wide.

[@2tailedfox711]

You can use blue tack or this soldering putty stuff to hold components onto the board when it is upside down.

[@ClaytonMacleod]

Get yourself a Hakko FX-888D if you can find one. Not super cheap, but they’re great, and you’ll likely never need another. As for your technique, it doesn’t actually look any different from what I would do. You’re placing the iron against the pad and the leg of the component, and touching the solder to the opposite side so that the heat of the pad and the leg are what melts it, rather than directly touching the solder to the iron. That’s exactly what you want to do. But as many have already mentioned, you need some flux. Get yourself some flux pens. Very handy. Nearly every single solder joint you make shows the solder barely adhering to the PCB pad. Flux will help solve that problem. Flux does two things to help you. It cleans the oxide off the metal you’re trying to solder to so that it will make a good connection. And it helps keep the solder where you actually want it to go. This makes it much more difficult to connect neighbours because the solder doesn’t want to bridge across connectors when there’s a lot of flux there. This makes soldering a big line of legs on a surface mount chip a breeze because you can just run the soldering iron across all of them in one sweeping motion and the solder will only go where it is supposed to go. Take a flux pen and slather a whole bunch of flux onto the joints you’re going to solder. Can’t have too much. And you’ll see your joints will behave much better. Then after you’re done the whole job take an old toothbrush and some isopropyl alcohol to clean off the remaining flux.

[@jothain]

I've never had issues with cutting legs after soldering. At least the car ECU's I've done have worked all just fine. Imo something has gone during soldering if it truly effects mechanically. Plus you can just touch them up again if you feel like you've stressed the joint somehow.

[@ravewulf]

I don't have much experience either but I've found a bit of sticky tack (white tack/blue tack) can hold some components in place while I work

[@WouterVerbruggen]

Get some standalone flux. Sometimes you just need more. Especially when workin on old hardware which will have relatively more corrosion on the solder surface. Do also get a (small) fume extractor and clean the flux afterwards with isopropyl alcohol. Your temperature is also a bit high for lead solder and the small boards, it can get too hot too quickly and when the flux burns it can ruin your bonds. Especially with the quite big tip you use. Would recommend to go no more than 300 here.

[@retroboby007]

There is another youtuber that you much watch for soldering skills: Epictronics,. He has a lot of soldering wintage retro pcs

[@alisharifian535]

I have 20 years of soldering experience (since i was 12 or so😅) I can say this: soldering iron is technicians best friend if you know the way it works. And the nightmare for the people who just want to play around. Soldering just needs patience and concentration. Choose the right temprature so you do not sweat from the heat and burn the board.solder melts at 183 °C so just set the Iron on 300 or there abouts. You even can have good results with a 50w pen iron if you know what you are doing.You will get used to it very soon.👍

[@modernandretrogaming]

Thanks so much for this video. I'm also thinking about learning more about soldering to repair second Radeon VE (with 143 Mhz core clock) and other things. But I want to prepare as much as possible for all that.

[@LoomSun]

For holding components without bending the legs I recommend some common sticky tack. Like the puddy like stuff used to hang posters and such. I just keep a couple of small pieces of it on the work bench and reuse it while soldering. Doesn't take much to hold something in and you can break it apart to tack multiple sides to keep it even if needed.

[@Llamarama100]

I've been soldering for over 20 years and you're doing it exactly right, the best way is to get cheap kits and build them! Leaded solder I find works nicer than lead free, but the lead free you get these days is actually fine. Flux is your friend, I would recommend the syringes of paste flux you can get. Also wiping your tip every few joints with a damp sponge and re-tinning it will make nicer joints. But over all, you're doing a good job!

[@philscomputerlab]

Thank you 😊

[@rasz]

Cheap kits were a good way to learn soldering 20-30 yeas ago. Nowadays in the age of multilayer heavy ground planes those cheap one sided pcb kits teach you nothing :(

[@LaserFur]

back when I was learning to solder I found that tipping the PCB over and pulling the extra solder down the wire before cutting it makes for a nice fillet and can detect defects. I also learned that preheating the PCB with a hair dryer helps. And having good flux is a must. nowadays I use Sn96.5 Ag3 Cu0.5 with rosin flux. and I have seal-able containers to wash in iso

[@philscomputerlab]

That's leadfree solder, right? I've never tried using that...

[@LaserFur]

@@philscomputerlab yes it's lead free and it has less time it can be kept hot compared to lead solder, but it helps keep the boards ROSH compliant. I also use the replacement amtech flux.

[@dazamad]

I saw the pinecil v2 on sale for $68 aud. That was almost tempting for me. From amazon

[@zungalele]

Clean the surface with IPA (Isopropyl alcohol) before soldering. The solder will attach easier on the board.

[@philscomputerlab]

Yup I bought a litre of that stuff 😁

[@justherefortalking]

Always nice to see a PCBway sponsorship. They naturally fit these communities.

[@rasz]

pcbway does tons of marketing because they are super expensive for Asian service.

[@Megatog615]

i cut the legs after soldering then touch up the solder joints with the iron afterward to make them nice and eliminate the chance of cracking the joint from cutting.

[@VShuricK]

2:23 you solder iron is overheated. For Sn60 solder iron must be around 270C. And use flux.

[@rasz]

Its a terrible iron so as soon as he touches something bigger all the heat will dissipate before thermocouple way way back inside the ceramic heater even notices. High temp is a crutch used with such irons.

[@TzOk]

If your soldering tip left a burn mark on a PCB, I think the temperature was way too high. The usual soldering temperature should be around 320-340°C, or even less (290-310°C) when using leaded solder.

[@DarkDao]

Don't forget to wash flux remains (isopropil alcohol + a tooth brush) and build a simple intake fan in a box to suck away all fumes. And you don't really need to leave solder "bumps", so use a bit less solder. And ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR EYES. Even simplest plastic glasses will do. ALWAYS.

[@masterkamen371]

Protect eyes from what?

[@DarkDao]

@@masterkamen371 Many components got a bit of springiness in them, so getting drops of liquid solder in your face while desoldering PCBs can happen now and then. Eyes are useful and we only have two.

[@chris-tal]

Eagle's developer namely Cadsoft has been bought by Autodesk since then. Time flies! :) Isn't that PCB jig too high for you on the table to solder comfortably?

[@philscomputerlab]

It was quite comfortable actually!

[@TheRetroChannel]

Weller make a PCB holder with a little arm that folds out to hold components in place. Look up Weller ESF120. They're not exactly cheap though. I have one and to be honest I never really use it. I usually populate the components starting from the lowest profile stuff, flip the board over and place it directly on the benchtop to hold them in place, then repeat with the next tallest component. Blutack or tape also works but I'm way too impatient for that, I'd rather burn a finger if something won't stay in, it'll grow back

[@SaffronWorldCR]

My recommendation, get prototype boards, the PCBs that are filled with holes that allows you to solder any circuit. Get a bunch of resistances and cheap components and solder them to these boards. Practice makes perfect! Also, get a hakko soldering station, and get up to date in all types of flux and how to use them. Both are game changing.

[@nalinux]

When you will have flux, put some on the braid helps a lot to remove solder. If you start soldering the smallest componants with the board flat on a table, you don't have to bend the pins to hold them in place. In 30 years of practice, I never used any of those supports :) In fact, I like to have my wrist stable on my bench to have more control. When you solder headers, fist solder one pin, ajust the position then only solder the others. Thin soldering wire is not always the best. I use mainly 0.8 mm. Even with SMD 1206 componants. For them I just put a bit of solder on the tip.

[@kokodin5895]

i am not a soldering expert but few things i learned over the yerars were: never put pressure on the pcb, pads, be gentle or pads go bye bye test your iron and solder before using it what temperature it melts what temperature it solidyfi how big of a joint will make it cold on your exact soldering gear and don't go crazy above that, solder won't get more flowing cutting legs is a preference, mostly but that also depends from a gear, sharp side snips can leave no damage while cutting legs with regular scizors can rip a pad and i know cleaning flux sometimes sucks but it is your friend, don't shy from using it because it really does makes life easier

[@benjaminwirth5192]

For me a better soldering iron did the trick. For more layer pcbs it needs a good amount of power. I bought the Quickoo 956 Station when it was on sale on AliExpress. Was maybe 40 € on sale with 5 t12 tips when i got it. Way better than the pencil 64.

[@neuro_davinci]

That could be the bravest thumbnail I have ever seen in my life 🤣 Your soldering looks absolutely fine, technique is text book, I wish my soldering looked liked that when I picked it back up years after school. I would stick with the knife tip though, once you get use to it, it's the best tip IMO for heat transfer and precision. I use it for everything apart from micro soldering.

[@r4z4m4t4z]

thanks phil, your years of content have been most enjoyable to watch!

[@johnwiesen4440]

Flux is you frend a smaller tip on the one you are doing. you might find it easier to do with small items.

[@dougcollins8907]

Experience in the art of soldering for 58 years, from tube sockets to surface mount. My advice is: Use more flux and a smaller tip for your iron which should be cleaned after every few joints and re-tinned. Multicore solder is the best, the joints should be shiny and smooth. A "frosty" looking joint is called a "cold joint" and will be weak and failure prone. When soldering wires create a solid electrical\mechanical connection before applying solder. Solder is after all a mediocre conductor. Practice makes perfect my friend!

[@SevenCompleted]

Flux will make the desoldering braid work like magic, stuff is irritating to use without it.

[@BobbyS1981]

I upgraded to a Hakko FX-888D several years ago and I highly recommend it. For desoldering, I invested in a Hakko FR-301 vacuum desoldering gun. It’s been a big time saver. I always cut the legs after the solder has cooled briefly and have had no issues to date. Regarding your soldering iron, clean the tip frequently and “tin” it with solder. You can also buy tip tinner in a small tin that works well.

[@rasz]

888 is using technology from seventies, its super outdated and under delivers on modern multi layer heavy ground plane pcbs. Good enough for hobby tinkering, soldering wires, arduino kits that kind of stuff.

[@AndrewFremantle]

The magical ingredient for holding down thru-hole components during soldering is capton tape.

[@philscomputerlab]

Great tip! So far I've heard if using blutak, clips, foam...

[@neaguali2010]

What soldering kits do you recommend or what have to purchased?

[@philscomputerlab]

I'll post some links in the description. I started with really simple ones, like beeping sounds and flashing LEDs. Then moved to more substantial ones like a Tetris game or FM radio. I'll do a video in soldering the Tetris game because it also features a LCD microscope review!

[@bjorn_wiberg]

Hi there Phil! My suggestions would be to trim the length of the legs down to approx. 1 cm after placing the components; to make sure that the soldering wire has built-in flux cores; to use a pointed soldering tip (no need for large tips for small components); to keep the soldering tip to the component/pad for another 1-1½ second in order for the soldering wire to melt and form a "capillary" form rather than a drop-shaped "blob"; and to use enough heat, e.g. 450°C (most components are not very sensitive, with the exception of transistors/semiconductors and the like, in which case you should turn down the temp a little and let things cool for 10-20 seconds between each leg). Other than that, you're doing just fine! Thanks for your videos!

[@philscomputerlab]

@@bjorn_wiberg Thank you ☺️

[@jonsmith5087]

i use a sequre S60 micropencil at 350c maybe 400c for nearly everything now - and a andonstar microscope with mechanic solder wire and low melt for the ground plains - im in vic park if u want to come and have a look - im down to replacing the legs on voodoo 2 chips

[@philscomputerlab]

Oh nice! Vic Park is beautiful ❤️ I'll showcase a microscope in the second next video, it really helps once you adjust for the lack of 3D vision. Also Handy for recording footage. 3DFX repair: Nice!

[@plasmar1]

my biggest tip is use a blob of solder(size as needed; tin the tip of the soldering iron) on the tip of the soldering iron as a means of transferring heat rather than the actual surface of the tip of the iron as it's more likely to actual transfer heat quicker and makes it far more controllable....:)

[@shaneeslick]

G'day Phil, You are doing a good job with nice neat & consistent joints, getting into a rhythm helps with that. I like that PCB holder & I look into getting one, what I currently use is a mini vice that has a ball joint so I can rotate it to any angle I need for best access. I get impatient from frustration sometimes too especially when things go wrong like that one joint that wouldn't take or when my head gets sore making it hard for me to concentrate, it's at these times I just need to take a break for a cuppa or even put it away for the day to start fresh when I feel better.

[@Dukefazon]

I use a pretty small tip but it's pointy, not a wedge shape. I tried ceramic tips but they just burnt so I'm going with a metal tip (I don't know what kind of metal it is). Got my soldering iron from aliexpress, it's an iron and hot air combo, pretty basic but gets the job done. When I was a kid I used a soldering gun which only heated up when I pulled the trigger and had a copper tip. It was annoying to use, later I switched to better ones. The one I have has heat setting buttons, I usually run it at around 300-360 degrees celsius. I also have a desoldering gun with a built in pump, I run that at around 400 degrees celsius. Make sure you apply some solder on the tip of your soldering iron, it helps transferring the heat from the tip to the part you want to solder. Heat up both pieces, the via and the leg, solder only sticks to the surface that's hot. If needed, you can apply flux, try to get flux that you don't have to clean, the other type is slightly conductive. If you are desoldering with solder braid, cut off a short piece, apply flux to the soldered part and hold the braid with a tweezer, perferrably a ceramic tip that doesn't transfer heat so it doesn't suck away the heat. Once you soldered in something, you can go over again with the tip to make sure the blob is "adhering" to both surfaces. If you make a bridge, don't panic, flux can help, if you applied too much solder, wick away some with flux+braid. It's pretty easy but practice makes perfect. I'm soldering since I was a little kid but got a bit more serious about soldering around 10 years ago. I don't have a serious setup but I repair a lot of broken parts on broken electronics as a hobby. The "chisel tip" you switched to at 2:50 seems to be pretty cool, I like those solder joints. Make sure you clean up with alcohol after you finished soldering. I like the Pinecil but it's pretty expensive. It can run on USB-C and an external power supply as well. I have a similar holder but usually I just place it on my table. I got a map not long ago that can withstand the heat but I didn't really use it much. I also bought a little clamp that has 4 holes where I can screw in posts that can keep the board in place and the clamp itself is weithed, solid metal so it doesn't move easily. I also got an electric microscope from aliexpress, it helped me three times already finding tiny faults on boards that I coundn't have spotted with my bare eyes. I was able to repair a Sega Game Gear, a NeoGeo Pocket Color and a Nintendo DSi's card slot with the help of that microscope, best purchase ever!

[@Autumn_Able]

I'd recommend checking out some of Voultar's soldering videos. He does a ton of game console modding work and makes it look easy. I think his main soldering iron is a KSGER T12 that you can adjust the temps quite easily, and uses T12 tips that you can switch out depending on the job. Just be warned that not all KSGER T12's are equal, and internal components and build quality can vary quite a bit.

[@raysmith5124]

i usually use a piece of captians tape or tape a piece of card over the components to hold them in place while i turn the board over to solder them. if its a heavy component i use plastercine or hot glue . hope that helps

[@ItIsNot1984]

Get yourself a TS100 iron. Lots of good tips you can get to go with it, and they heat up very fast. You'll need a laptop charger to plug into it, but I'm sure you've got one.

[@SidneyCritic]

Eagle is on the way out, ie, all projects had Eagle files in the old days, now it's all totally free KiCAD on all projects. I kind-of liked the way Eagle looked over KiCAD, but now everything is KiCAD so you kind-of have to learn it anyhow. If you are doing simple stuff EasyEDA is fine.

[@philscomputerlab]

Thank you 😊

[@joonglegamer9898]

Just get a Weller soldering station with Temp Adjustment. They have a reasonably priced starter model (still 5 times more pricey than the cheap clones or wannabes), but you can't go wrong with a Weller. I've got a ton of soldering stations, and been doing electronics since the 80s as a service tech. Weller is the one that you'll bring down your family line to your future kids.

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

7:45 Kapton Tape. Tape the component to the board.

[@nalinux]

Or solder on a flat table, smallest components first.

[@JoCrt]

I bought a relatively cheap binocular microscope. (Not the ones with an lcd). Since then I've been amazed at the small things I can solder.

[@nalinux]

Which one is cheap ?

[@JoCrt]

It was an Amscope SE400-Z, but a youtuber might want a trinocular model with a camera mount built in. I read the LCD based scopes give you no depth perception so it's easier with a true stereoscopic scope. ​@@nalinux

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Always use top quality solder. Cheap solder is the biggest detriment to soldering. Also scrub new solder joints with spray alcohol, hot water, and a plastic brush. Then scrub with soap and water. Board comes out spotless.

[@cesaru3619]

25 years Engineer/Technician with vast experience in analog, digital, and microprocessor electronic circuitry: LOL, i always LOL'ed when those pc reviewers praised the quality soldering made by machines.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

Machine soldering is one of the main failures of late 90's and early 2000's tech. If I had a dollar for how many Playstation-based arcade games (using same chipset) I've fixed by resoldering the QFP240 CPU and QFP240 GTE I'd have a lot of dollars hehe!

[@cesaru3619]

@@g4z-kb7ct Talking about flagship videocards LOL

[@masterkamen371]

Not to mention the ban on leaded solder. Turns out, lead was there for good reason for the last few thousand years. There are literally no advantages to using lead-free solder, it's not even any healthier, you cannot vaporize lead with a few hundred degrees.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

@@cesaru3619 What? The OP comment was about machine soldering. The chips are the same types, high-pin-count QFP chips, same technology as used in Playstation.... you may want to do some research and get a clue about circuit board manufacturing and components before commenting on things you clearly know nothing about LOL!

[@broderperdurabo]

"rosin" smells like pinepitch.

[@stamasd8500]

To keep components in place: use kapton tape, or a putty (blue tack)

[@BenWillock]

I love rosin core solder, but its no substitute for absolutely dousing your board in just an obscene amount of flux. I use the MG Chemicals stuff, its expensive but its what the pros use so meh. I use a Silverflo 8586D station, it comes with a temperature adjustable iron and a hot air gun, was £48 direct from China, does the job. There are much better ones and it's probably worth paying extra for a name brand. For holding stuff, i just use a "helping hands" thing thats just a bunch of crocodile clips on bendy arms. It lets you move the thing you're soldering around to any angle, but it's probably a lot less stable than your fancy board holder. One of those pots with the steel scrubber in it is useful for cleaning tips, works better than the old wet sponge lol The last thing on the list is a microscope, I've seen people get on really well with those cheap LCD ones, but I'm saving up for a proper trinocular one from Amscope or Swift.

[@wildmanjeff42]

FLUX helps a lot, Always need both the thin type in a little bottle with needle tip and the dip type! solder wick to remove if you get excess or have need to desolder. A fine tip that is tinned well will help. have a sponge with water, load the tip heavy with solder and leave it on a few seconds, then wipe on the sponge. The soldering iron looks a little too low on output. If you use a non-adjustable iron they sometimes get just a little too hot or too low try to get good contact with the board and wire , and keep it a little longer after you add the solder to let it "flow" cut legs after soldering. mosfets and some semiconductors can be damaged by the shock from cutting, it has been recommended to use a scissor type cutter. That being said , I have never had problems with it. Same with heat issues...some components are sensitive, though I have had few problems even though I rarely use locking forcepts to block the heat or the little heatsinks you clamp on the board between board and component. Most of your joints look really good I have no problems with at all ! I was typing while your video some but I did not see any cold joints to the point you would have problems. I am Electronics Engineer since I was a kid, my AAS in Electronics Engineering Technology is almost 35 years old. My eyes are old too, and though I don't need often I really wish I had one of the magnifying lights on arm you mount to your desk! Thanks for video, I think keeping your soldering iron contact a bit longer and flux will solve most of your problems, an adjustable iron with great tinned tip the rest !

[@Dukefazon]

When I'm soldering a header or anything that has a lot of spikes that's held together with a big chunk of plastic I always plug in something. When I'm manufacturing a DIN cable for example and I'm working on the female end of the plug I alway plug in the opposite side so the legs don't move out of alignment. The plastic that holds together the legs usually melts pretty was and no longer hold them right, resulting in crooked legs that makes it harder to plug in something after soldering is done. Try this next time! Put in smaller components first and work your way up. If you have a short legged component that can fall off, put a piece of tape on it to keep it in place. I usually solder stuff in and only when it's in place I cut off the legs. If you are serious about repairs, get yourself some thin wires (around 0.2mm) for trace repairs and UV curing solder mask paint. And a digital electronic microscope is essential if you are working with tiny trace repairs.

[@cheater00]

don't bother with those usb soldering irons, they're nice but they don't have many kinds of tips and they're expensive. get a soldering iron that can take T12 style tips and get an assortment of chinesium T12 style tips. they're really good and you get allllll sorts. it'll last you a lifetime. get a good soldering iron, i use the aoyue int2930 which i modded to take T12 tips, but nowadays there are many good types. aoyue takes a part that snaps onto the soldering wand, it's a metal pipe connected to a silicone rubber tube that then goes to a filer and a diaphragm pump. this sucks smoke right out of your tip, so the smoke exits the tip of your iron, goes for 7mm, and then goes in the tube. so you don't get any smoke in your lungs at all. you can buy the part as a spare part from aoyue and adapt it to your iron (you can just ziptie it on, it's really nothing special) or you can look at how it works and try to build your own, it's really simple, literally just a thin steel pipe going to a rubber tube. the rubber tube is connected to the soldering iron cable with small clips that look like a pair of back-to-back letter c, they clip the cable together with the tube nicely. might want to 3d print those or just use a bit of twine. REGARDING YOUR EYES. what you want is better light. while the light in your studio is BRIGHT, it is not HIGH CRI and it is not very PARALLEL. the BEST light you can get for soldering, bar none, is when you put your soldering on the windowsill during a nice bright day. your eyes will THANK you. daylight is just so much better, for your eyes to make out details, you have NO idea. by doing that i could solder 01005 metric components with no magnification... so that should tell you something. that's about the size of a single poppy seed.

[@JimLeonard]

There is no easy way to clip the leads before soldering, so just clip them afterwards. If you're worried about cold solder joints in the future, you can reflow the solder quickly after clipping one lead at a time, but this is almost always not necessary and can result in the component falling out, so I wouldn't do it. 99% of everyone clips leads after soldering the component in.

[@chanakasat1]

I use t12 soldering station and bunch of tips suited for various jobs..

[@supergoofy123]

flux is the king! Thanks for the video.

[@mitchkramez]

I'd highly recommend picking up a used Metcal station - once you use an induction based system you'll really wonder why you ever used anything else! The PS5200 is very nice, but you can have the MX500 for much less - and if you ever get a good deal on a non-working one, they're usually very easy to repair :)

[@atheatos]

Yeah, get a better solder Iron. Yours is old school. The heating element is not integrated to the tip. This is problematic. You do not need to go crazy, something like the TS100 will do. Other than a microscope, a magnifying glass with light is very handy.

[@xDownSetx]

My friend has a Hakko FX888 and I just can't justify using it over my TS100. It's such a nice compact soldering iron with few limitations.

[@ShofarGuy]

Try using some blue tack to hold the components in.

[@airmicrobe]

Hey I do the similar practices some soldering for vacuum lamp amplifier. If U am good at it I may fix the four cpu pins desoldering and then solder again with anew part on 760gm-p23 board recently broken.

[@Viczarratt]

Judging by the intro video, your soldering work looks good enough, really. The only thing i can say by my own experience is that Flux will always make things easier. I buy the hard rosin flux in tins by Termopasty because its cheap and it works, but you may find paste flux easier to apply and use.

[@GigAHerZ64]

My recommendations, available from china: * A cheap soldering iron with integrated suction pump - around 5€ * Good flux, that is a paste, not liquid. I tell you, this is maybe the most important thing! Available in syringes and in small cups. It must be thick to make work easier. * Soldering tin is all good in general, but for copper braid, don't buy the cheapest ones. For whatever reason they just don't take any solder. Good ones are matte brown copper, bad ones are red-ish shiny ones. But you don't see the proper color before you receive them, unfortunately. * Good soldering iron tips! That is 2+€ per piece. Don't buy those 10pc/5€ kits, they are awful. * JCD-8898 - for almost no money, you'll get amazingly good soldering station together with heat gun. All mentioned things together will cost you under 50€ and is basically providing full set of "heat-work" equipment. And maybe you will not want to upgrade anything for another few years. ;)

[@rasz]

that station you recommended uses exact same soldering iron he already has.

[@myleft9397]

Mmm the smell of brunt PCB. Thank for for sharing mistakes and successes, it's the only way we'll all learn. What equipment are you using, such as the vice/holder thing?

[@JukkaX]

I should finally learn to use FLUX in my far and apart solderings..

[@TzOk]

The flux contained within the soldering wire should be enough for soldering new THT parts on a clean board. Repairs and SMD soldering are other stories.

[@hiredgun7186]

dont trust the flux in the solder, there's no such thing as too much flux, use a good flux as well . blue tack or polyimide tape to hold your components in, and practice. also get into the practice of using 99% ISO to clean the board before and after soldering

[@ChrisJackson-js8rd]

just keep soldering somethings we have to learn with our hands all the tips and suggestions below are great- but reading them wont make you any better soldering soldering will make you better at soldering

[@philscomputerlab]

Yes, you are right 👍

[@ErrorMessageNotFound]

Take advice but don't put too much stock in what people tell you. You will work out your own habits and likes/dislikes as you go. Smaller blade tips are easier to handle for me, you don't need a huge chisel tip unless your doing something large. I use 0.6mm 60/40 resin core and that works very well for me. And remember, the only important thing with soldering is: Does it work when you're done with it. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just needs to work.

[@philscomputerlab]

Very true!

[@danielgreenaway1587]

At 350c silver solder will bond more readily. Acid etchant and liquid flux are handy but can be substituted with water sponging the tip clean more often, should be silver not black. Should not be using leaded solder without catalyst and extraction. Low temp solder will stop you lifting pads.

[@danielgreenaway1587]

Also clean the work area with white tissue, you are creating a lead vapour cloud. It will go grey and that residue is all over your hands as well.

[@sebastian19745]

A good solder practice is to heat both the compunent and the pad, at the same time and then to apply the solder. And this you are doing perfectly. The tip are you using depends many times with what you are used to, in my oppinion but ofcourse you should not use a small tip for a large pad or viceversa. The use of flux is welcome but not mandatory if you use a flux core soldering wire and I always try to use the rosin type flux whenever is possible (I use to dissolve it in alcohool and apply it with a small brush). As far as I see, all you might need is some pratice but your skill is not bad at all, I have seen worst soldering jobs on KZbin. I always cut the excess legs after I solder the component and if they are cut gently, i.e. without forcing the leg, there are no adverse efffects on the solder. Well those are my opinions and maybe I am wrong but anyone can correct me.

[@scherge]

It's true that the tip shouldn't be too small because then it can't convey enough heat to larger areas, but it shouldn't be too large either. I could not solder such small PCBs with a tip that long. Seriously, that's like trying to write while holding the pen 15 cm (or 6in) away from the tip. Ever tried that? ;) I highly recommend a smaller soldering iron like the Sequre sq001 or the Miniware ts100 (same internals) or any of their predecessors or clones. I've been using an sq001 with cfw for higher temperatures in combination with a simple 65W laptop charger for years and I can't recommend it enough. And as many viewers already pointed out, flux is our friend! (as in extra flux, not just the stuff in the soldering wire ;)

[@rasz]

Have you tried changing capacitors on a motherboard (heavy multilayer ground plane) with those portable 60W irons?

[@philscomputerlab]

I think you're referring to the length. I meant the width or shape of just the front part of the tip...

[@yomboprime]

I think the solder you've used is not the best quality. Other than that, heat the pad and the component a little more (1 second)

[@philscomputerlab]

Yes, I've got a better one now!

[@RetroTinkerer]

All I can say is I hope we can learn together. 😂

[@filipetmarcal]

Nice video

[@Super123456789Kuba]

Sadly I lack any tips for soldering... Sorry. For some reason that seems to be stressful for me, I really don't wanna blame myself after a botched job for something I cared about and ruin it completely unknowingly, and for now I'm glad that I was lucky enough to build myself a few PC Desktop machines without doing that.

[@philscomputerlab]

Hmm I strongly feel that you learn most from failures.

[@Super123456789Kuba]

@@philscomputerlab Sure, But I just Realize that I'm just too anxious about doing such a thing and I tend to think that as soon I could be able to that (After some prep, that is.) there's a chance I could ruin it and the only thing left would be... I guess throwing away the broken thing I tried to fix.

[@philscomputerlab]

@Super123456789Kuba Maybe, but you will have also learnt something. You could be smarter than me and practice on broken stuff first 🙂 I tend to just dive straight in and it often gets me into trouble 😂

[@Super123456789Kuba]

@@philscomputerlab Well... I guess I have some broken parts that just came literally dead on arrival, so maybe I could try something... 😅Also... Welp... Perhaps? 🤣

[@csabasanta5696]

For PC motherboard capacitor replacement learn how to solder near very large ground planes.

[@rasz]

This kit and similar are good for learning absolute basics, but will not prepare you for modern motherboard/graphic card PCBs. Kits are 1, at most 2 layers with big nice traces/pads and THT components. Modern (past ~1998) boards are heavy on multiple large ground planes and those soak heat like there is no tomorrow. Its like soldering to a radiator. This is why you need proper modern soldering iron (T12 or C210/245 cartridge style tips) with enough power to not worry about it (100W is nice). Avoid ifixit new iron, its declared 100W output turned out to be a scam as seen in EEVblog review showing it barely does 40W :/ Forget toy kits, get a piece of salvage electronics for soldering practice, broken modern PC/laptop/phone motherboard will be perfect. You will immediately recognize the problem no amount of those 1 sided kits are able to prepare anyone for. Dont like that holder, you were soldering small pcb and it was already bending. Personally I prefer holders that grab pcb with long rails or in multiple spots. Put a fan behind your work piece to at least redirect fumes. Solder is fine, but breathing burning flux is a one way ticket to respiratory system problems. Cheapest Hotair ($30-40) is a good idea as a handheld preheater, will help with bigger boards that sink all the heat away. Buy flux, even the nastiest Chinese one (just dont breath it in), something like a $5 flux pen will be good for a start. Will help with oxidized solder joints on older boards. Cheaper the flux lower the smoke point, smoke means flux is burning , burning flux doesnt work. Worse the soldering iron higher the temp you must set. Its all a balancing act :)

[@philscomputerlab]

Yes you're right! I worked with a Slot 1 board recently and it's so much more difficult. I'll be upgrading the soldering iron for sure. Thanks for the pointers 😊

[@mapax5]

I'd say watch some of Adrian's digital basement, and watch what HE uses. He does some great work, And also doesn't claim to be a master

[@philscomputerlab]

I do! Still, you got to practice and what you see on KZbin, well they have a ton of experience and make it look easy 😊

[@mapax5]

@philscomputerlab trust me, I was just promoted to electronics testing tech at work...and Y.T LIED to me! This isn't a cakewalk AT ALL! I want a refund. LoL

[@maitotechlab9035]

A proper pointy tip is best for this kind of soldering. For the solder its good practice to roll like a meter or 2 into a pen or something like and use that to apply the tin, not straight out of the full roll of tin. You can use more tin, you seem afraid to use too much, the tin should fully cover the pad in a way it should look like a blob and not a cone (hope you understand what im saying). Usually you can immediately apply the tin, no need to "pre-heat" the pad/leg like you seems to be doing. If some solder doesnt seem to be right you can dip the tin inte some flux, or apply a little flux and it most likelly will make it stick, if the tin ia not sticking its most likelly because of rust or resin or something else, clean the board with alcohol and / or scrap/sand the leg to make sure is clean. The microfissures thing may only be relevant when soldering high power stuff (5Amps or more).

[@rasz]

Pointy tips are pretty much useless unless you are doing real microsolering (like fixing iphone long screw damage).

[@tytus_de_zoo_]

bad tip on the soldering iron, You should use something like 900M-T-B

[@boardernut]

you should do a collab with Bits und Bolts

[@iraito8356]

i would suggest higher temps (350/400C) flux for almost all steps and clean the tip as much as you can.

[@WouterVerbruggen]

Not with these small parts and lead solder. Things will get way too hot quickly and the flux will burn

[@iraito8356]

@@WouterVerbruggen You need to be fast, staying under 300 would be detrimental regardless, never burned a single thing at 400 and i modded a capture card into a 3ds which implies a ton of soldering on flats with direct contact on the motherboard and sensible chips.

[@WouterVerbruggen]

@iraito8356 starters dont have a feeling for timing, going high temp and telling to be fast will het them loads of bad weak joints. Also tip for you, drop the bragging. It will only make others dislike you

[@iraito8356]

@@WouterVerbruggen I don't understand the animosity, i need to explain what i did and how, to prove that your statement isn't an absolute truth. Listen, you need to learn by breaking stuff, he should learn on broken electronics, warming an electronic piece even at low temps like 200 (horrible for soldering) is actually a better way to kill electronics. If you thought i was bragging and you disliked me for it, meh it was not intended and i would start growing a thicker skin.

[@iraito8356]

Thank you for the heart phil! I truly recommend again temps of at least 350C, in the past i soldered at 250 and my results were horrible, you just need to spend less time on the part to solder (it's always good practice to never spend too much time on a piece), once you get a feel of when the solder melted well you will get faster and more precise.