Soldering Help....

[godale03]

Hey Guys,

It has been a few years since I have soldered anything and I am a bit apprehensive just diving into soldering a $150 speed control. I was looking at the tekin mini brushless system last night to see what it was going to take to hook everything up. Unlike the Novak full size setup nothing is pre soldered. The speed control seems to have solder tabs.... but I have never worked with those before. The other question I have is how do you connect the battery to the speed control? I bought a couple of those Reedy 1400 Mini stick packs and the connectors that came with the Speedo and the 18T kit do not match. How do I connect the batteries? I guess what I am asking is if there is anybody that can give me a refresher course on soldering as well as hooking up a speedo battery combo on an 18T? Thanks guys.

Tom

 

[HeartBreak]

You may want to look into the Deans Micro 2R plugs. I have them on both my 18B and my Nightranger, they're pretty nice little connectors.

Soldering, that's a trick to learn, but once you master it, you'll never forget it. I would recommend that you practice first. It's not hard to do, but it's real easy to short circuit something that small if you aren't careful.

The method I use would make others' cringe. I put a little solder on the tip of the iron, pre-tin the connectors and wires (using a dab of flux) with 60/40 solder, then hold the wire and connectors together, then touch the tip of the iron to the joint until the solder melts. Then, remove heat and hold joint still. The shinier the joint is once it's cooled, the better.

You want to use the least amount of solder possible; just enough to make the wires silver; not a gi-normous blob.

It helps if you plug the connectors into each other, so they brace each other. Also, don't forget on the batteries; snip wires one at a time, put shrink wrap over the wires (all the way to the pack, as far down the wire as you can), then strip, solder, and insulate one wire at a time.

I also use a little tape to hold the connector to the table while soldering.

For the shrink wrap, it comes with the micro 2r's, pre-cut (if memory serves right.. been a while since I bought any of 'em).

The last, and most important tip, is use a good quality iron; not that el'cheapo "cold heat" thing ya see on TV.

oh yeah... do NOT!!!! use acid core solder. That stuff is nasty on electronics!!

 

[godale03]

Thanks for the tips... I will give it a shot... I just want to be very carefull.. I have never worked with anything so small before.... or expensive. You only get one shot at it and if I screw it up... I am out a whole bunch of cash. Thanks again.

Tom

 

[FastEddy]

The basics are covered above.
Solder will always flow to the heat source. To get a good solder, Heat at one end and solder at the other.

To an extent the hotter the iron is the better. If you need to heat the entire object to get the solder to melt you will possibly damage the unit you are working on. This is why people invest in good soldering irons.
Not trying to sell anything but this is why I carry the Hakko irons.

Tinning:
Pre soldering the ends individually before soldering them together.
Hold the heat source to the wire. If its a small wire hold the iron on the bottom of the wire and immediately start to tap the end of the solder on the top of the wire. Once the wire is hot enough to melt the solder it will absorb it like a sponge. Quickly remove the heat when this happens. You dont want a ball of solder, just to make the wires shiny with solder. If you get to much, heat the wire with the iron jut till it melts and give the wire a "Flick". Its time to brake in the walls of your new shop. All the extra solder will come off the wire. With the wires, I like to strip away a little extra insulation. Once the wire is tinned, I cut it to the proper length.

On a solid unit like a motor tab, ESC, or deans plug, its a little different.
I like to do it like this.

Heat the iron up till its at peak temps. If you are using a not so good iron and just soldered something, let it sit till its hot again. less expensive units will dissipate heat quickly when being used.

Touch the solder to the tip of you iron. You will get a little ball of solder on the end. If you get to much, flick it, wipe it on a wet sponge and try again. Use small diameter solder if your working on small stuff. Once you have the ball on the end of your iron, let it hat up for a moment then touch the tip of the iron to the part you want to tin. The solder will flow to the part when it gets up to temp. Just as soon as it flows, remove the iron. The solder should look like a smooth pillow on the tab. If there is to much, heat, flick, and try again. Never try to smooth out the solder. Flick and try again using new solder.

Once both parts are tinned, Place them together and apply the heat to the top of the wire. Its like magic and a beautiful sight when they simply melt together. Try not to move the parts for a few seconds after they melt together. You know when you have it right because everything will look smooth. If you happy, wiggle you joint to make sure its solid and wont come apart.

Let the iron do the work. Bushing on the tip rather then just touching it to the parts does nothing but cool the iron faster. Just the weight of the iron should do the trick. A bit of pressure to keep it in place is fine but go easy.

Practice on some spare wire of the same size. If you have an old motor practice on the tab as well its a good size to learn with. Its all about the look and feel. Once you get it right you will know and it will become second nature. The difference between a 10.00 iron and a 30.00 iron is night and day. The difference between a 30.00 iron and a 100.00 unit is a beautiful thing. Good tools make life easy and can save money in the long run.

 

[godale03]

God it has been a long time since I have done this. Some of it is starting to come back to me though. I had to buy and new iron and I just bought a weller. I think I paid like $65 bucks for it. I am sure at that price it is not a great iron, but I am hoping it will work. If not let me know and I will just have to wait until I can afford a nicer one. Thanks for the info Ed... good stuff.

Tom

 

[HeartBreak]

Snap a shot of it and we'll tell ya if it's a good one or not. The one I use is a Weller "Super Iron". I paid $45 for it (that was near cost, of course), and it makes some nice solder joints with little effort.

 

[FastEddy]

I'm sure in that price range you will be just fine.
Its the 5.00 and 10.00 units that will drive you crazy and ruin a 200.00 ESC or a 60.00 pack of batteries.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

I picked up one of these from the Rat Shack about a year ago. It has been invaluable when it comes to soldering (also works great to hold small parts when I'm painting or cleaning them).

They're called Helping Hands.

 

[godale03]

Thanks for the info guys. I will give it a shot.

MW... I should look into one of those stands... looks like it would help with the small parts on that 18T.

Tom