(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best welding & soldering

Greetings all!

My main suggestion to anyone wanting to get into vaping it is to skip the ego-starter kits, MVP2 (cheapish Vv or Vw boxes), non-rebuildable tanks (Protanks, Nautilus) and just drive right into the mechanical mod / box mod world. I say this because the vaping experience is so much better with rebuildables. I went with the all of the above, and I personally wished that someone would’ve told me to just dive right in, because all that stuff is sitting around not being used. The people that I’ve talked to are typically hesitant to do so because of the coil building, but there are so many YouTube tutorials, suggestions and information on /r/RBA and /r/electronic_cigarette that it’s much easier than it seems. Anyway, if I were to start all over again, these are the things which I’d buy.

Must Haves
These are the things which I consider essential to starting off the on the right foot. I’ve purchased a lot of things, and these are the things which I suggest to my friends. Most of the links are from Amazon, because it’s what I’ve primarily used.

Battery - Sony VTC5
http://www.eciggity.com/2-pc-sony-18650vtc5-2600mah-30a-battery/

These are pretty much the standard when it comes to “safe” batteries. They’re affordable, good amp limit and have been recommended many times. If you purchase from the link above, they also give you a plastic carrying case!

Charger - Nitecore i2 or Nitecore i4
http://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-IntelliCharger-i4-Battery-Charger/dp/B005UAI372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404287334&sr=8-1&keywords=nitecore

Affordable, reliable and these won’t “overcharge” your batteries. The difference between the i2 and i4 is the amount of batteries they can charge at a single time. They also have a new fancier one out, called the Digicharger D2 and Digicharger D4. Those are nice because it has a LCD panel that displays a lot more information than the i2 and i4. I personally use an just an i2.

Mechanical Mod - Stingray
http://www.vaperoyalty.com/hcigar-stingray-mod-stainless-steel/

Now, 90% of what is suggested for an actual mechanical mod is going to be of personal taste. The Stingray is the “older brother” of the Nemesis. This is what I purchased when I first started out vaping. The unit is very easy to break apart, clean, has a locking ring, has a floating 510 connection and venting holes in case of a battery leak. Almost everyone I know has a Stingray.

Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer - Magma by Infinite
http://101vape.com/rebuildable-atomizers-tanks/309-magma-atomizer-clone-by-infinite.html

One of the best purchases I’ve made. The juice wells are very deep compared to everything else on the market (that doesn’t have a tank system). Threads are nice, easy to build on, post holes are large and the air-flow is easy to manipulate. You can run this on a single coil or a dual coil. Blows almost all the other RDAs I have out of the water. This is my main RDA.

Organic Cotton - Maxim Hygiene Products Organic Cotton Balls
http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Cotton-Balls-Triple-count/dp/B00E8T2X36/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404288337&sr=8-3&keywords=organic+cotton

I suggest using un-bleached, organic cotton. Some people take it one step further by washing them, I think thats taking it a bit far and I don’t do it. You can pick them up from any convenience store or supermarket (CVS, Walgreens, Target, Whole Foods), a 100 count will last you AGES.

Kanthal - AWG A1 26 Gauge
http://www.amazon.com/Kanthal-Gauge-100ft-0-40386-Resistance/dp/B00HALND7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404288659&sr=8-1&keywords=kanthal+26

I like to use 26g kanthal wire for my dual coil builds. 26g is a bit thicker than what a lot of people suggest (28g), but for me, because it’s thicker, it’s easier to work with.

Screwdrivers - Stanley 6 Piece Screwdriver set
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009OYGV/ref=oh_details_o05_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The screwdrivers which come with your RDAs are short, small and crappy. I like these screw drivers because they come in a variety of sizes and you do not need to mess with a drill-bit. What I really like about these, is at the end of the drill bit is a small little ledge (can’t think of a better word), where you can push your coil and scrunch it up a bit.

Ohm meter / Multimeter - Any generic ohm reader or Innova 3300
http://101vape.com/meters/170-ohms-meter.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O1X65A/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can use a multimeter to do basically the same thing as an ohm reader. The multimeter has an added benefit of being able to read the volts are your battery as well. I have both, but I prefer to use a “regular” ohm reader. This video below can teach you how to use a multimeter for that purpose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgXAmPBAO5g&index=2&list=LLU7AM2JUxXCrj4TSCDQDffw

Optional items
Things that I’ve purchased that you can probably substitute with something in your house. They’re nice to have, most people have these, but I decided to link these anyway, because I didn’t have some stuff (my scissors were too large).

Scissors - Generic surgical scissors
http://www.amazon.com/Amercian-Diagnostic-Corporation-3425-Stainless/dp/B000GHIUR2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1404289491&sr=8-5&keywords=surgical+scissors

To cut your cotton. Small, sharp and gets the job done.

Tweezers - Ceramic tweezers
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10007588/1655800-heat-resistant-stainless-steel-tweezers-for-e

Allows you to hold your coil together and torch them without heating up the tweezers.

Wire cutters - Hakko CHP-170
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For cutting your kanthal off that spool!

Atomizer holder - Plano 23630-01
http://www.amazon.com/Plano-23630-01-Stowaway-Adjustable-Dividers/dp/B000E3FKVC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1404289861&sr=8-4&keywords=plano

You’re gonna buy a bunch of atomizers. Everyone buys a bunch. You’re not going to be able to help yourself. I use this plastic case to keep everything neat and separated.

Building deck - Tenderfoot Stands
https://www.facebook.com/tenderfoot.stands?fref=ts

You don’t need this. But it makes building RDAs easier. You can also place your juice filled RDAs on here.

Torch - Mini Jet Flame 503
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007A9YSPW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This will help you get those coils nice and tight, without having to fire off your mechanical mod.

Battery Case - Bluecell
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q6PJO8/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you don’t buy the batteries from the link above, you’re gonna want a battery case. Do not keep your batteries loose in your pocket or floating around your bag. They can come in contact with something metal and potentially damage the battery.

Oh man, something I can finally contribute to on this sub, I do electronics repair and a ton of microsoldering. Sorry to hijack but I'm here way too late and a main level comment will never be seen

Solder naturally wants to stick to copper (the circular "pads" are copper or some copper alloy, and the legs should have some amount of copper in it as well) when it's liquid, so getting a 'volcano' is a lot easier than you'd think. The trick is to keep the pad, pin, and solder you're feeding in hot, as soon as it starts to solidify it becomes significantly more work to re-heat and rework. If it's not perfect, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it's making solid contact and wouldn't come loose from you tapping the key, you're good to go. Excess solder is perfectly fine as long as it's not bridging.

Another thing on solder, GET LEAD SOLDER, lead free solder is a giant pain in the ass. It doesn't melt easily, clumps and balls up, and will not heat up evenly. Also have proper ventilation, solder/flux fumes are not good.

Another possible reason for having problems is your soldering iron tip being dirty/oxidized. If it's looking black or really dull you need to clean it in a wire sponge like this. Stick the tip in and furiously move it around. If it's still dull after that/you've used the same tip for a long time, you need to tin it with a tinner, like this (lead free is totally fine for this, just dip it in while it's hot for 1-3s and clean it in the wire sponge immediately after. Smoke is normal (don't breathe it in) and it'll come out real freaking shiny.

Flux is basically a liquid-gel-ish substance that covers whatever you're working on so it doesn't oxidize and make a bad connection, although for larger scale soldering like keyboards with a ton of contact area it's not nearly as much a concern. Flux also helps a lot with more even heat distribution, as in if you need to rework/remove solder just apply a ton of flux and it'll help heat up the solder more evenly/liquefy it more quickly.

Flux is non-conductive so you don't have to worry about it bridging anything, and you can leave it on if you want to but it's always good to clean it with 99% alcohol after because it gets dry and nasty pretty quick (about the same texture and consistency as dried jizz, pretty undesirable).

Wick is a copper weave that soaks up solder when you're trying to remove it. If you, for example, bridge a connection, you would apply flux over the whole area, put the wick directly over the spot, and your iron directly on top of that. You'll be able to see the solder flow 'upwards' through the weave and the copper will turn silver.

The finer the "weave" of the wick the more effective it is, finer also means more flexible so you can tell really easily. Once a section is silvery with solder you should cut it off and unroll some fresh wick. Also copper conducts heat really well so hold it far away from the place where your iron is touching it or use heat proof gloves if you want to (not rubber/latex ones, they'll probably melt into your skin or something).

P.S. If you're having a lot of trouble removing the factory solder, that's probably because it's lead free solder. Add some leaded solder and melt it in, everything will come out easier. If you're REALLY having issues after a ton of flux, use a heat gun, be careful to not melt the plastics on the other side, although the PCB usually isolates heat pretty well

P.P.S. Don't ever heat anything for too long, if it's not coming off check the temp on your iron (you can just see how melty it is, don't need a thermometer or anything), and if it's at a good temp try adding flux or solder or both, or get a better wick. If a pad comes off the board you're fucked unless you wanna spend an hour jumping.

P.P.P.S. If you have the option, go for a blade-style soldering tip. It's really good for rougher applications like this and heats things up super fast.

ama if anyone still cares

there are about 5-6 other components that I could still replace in the horizontal linearity circuit and I will probably do this. I do think it will solve the issue but I will likely try because of how much effort and money I have invested into this set. I love the set other than the geometry problems and the geometry issue isn't really that noticeable in 3D games. I don't notice it at all when playing Super Mario 64 and N64 looks great on the JVC D201 set. Also, keep in mind that when you are dealing with geometry issues, you only need to focus on the horizontal and vertical linearity circuits which contain 20-30 aluminum electrolytic capacitors combined. Replacing capacitors isn't hard at all with the right tools. I did make sure to watch a ton of videos on how to solder and desolder and I bought my tools based on recommendations in Youtube videos and on several electronics forums.
 
I use this soldering iron and it works great, https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00ANZRT4M/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=hakko+soldering+iron&qid=1556333443&s=gateway&sr=8-3
 
I use this solder sucker and it is also great. You just have to make sure to push out the old solder with the pump after every 1-2 connections, https://www.amazon.com/Engineer-SS-02-Solder-Sucker/dp/B002MJMXD4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=engineer+solder+sucker&qid=1556333566&s=gateway&sr=8-3
 
I recommend have a desoldering wick as backup as well. Use a no-clean solder wick of 2.0mm for general desoldering. As far as flux, flux paste is easier to use as it doesn't drip. The AMTECH NC-559-V2-TF no-clean tacky solder flux is good. Any no clean liquid flux from Kester or MG Chemicals will work fine as well. Definitely get some wire cutters for cutting solder and cutting component leads.
 
I use this solder (I recommend lead solder with a rosin core and also no clean) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJOU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Any time you work on a CRT, you need to discharge the anode cap. This is very easy to do with the proper tools. For example, you could use a flat head screwdriver and an alligator clip wire to do this. You connect one end to the screw driver, the other end to a ground point on the CRT chassis (i.e. the metal frame around the CRT), slide the screwdriver under the rubber anode cap with the CRT unplugged until you hit the metal connector in the metal. Rub the screwdriver on this metal connector for about 5 seconds and it will be discharged. Retrotech on Youtube has a video on how to do this. I wouldn't say you need $80 electrical gloves to do this but at least wear a rubber or leather glove or both and only use one hand. Retrotech actually has quite a few videos on how to work on CRTs.
 
Overall, doing basic things like replacing capacitors in CRTs isn't that hard, you just have to spend the time to educate yourself, be patient and it will click. If you have any questions, just ask me or anyone else on here. If you ever work on any power circuit capacitors, make sure to discharge them with a high wattage and ohm rated resistor but using insulated pliers to hold the resistor legs to the capacitor legs for about 5 seconds to discharge the cap before you remove it.

Seconded, also consider this kind of thing: https://www.amazon.com/Aven-17010-Adjustable-Circuit-Holder/dp/B00Q2TTQEE/ - it's invaluable for PCBs. Just populate from one side, add something to hold stuff in place (like gaffa tape, or bend one lead, or clip on a sheet of paper, etc), turn over the PCB and start soldering away. I wouldn't want to miss mine.

Any soldering iron 40+W where you can regulate the temperature should do, I own a nice station but when I don't feel like breaking it out because it'd take longer to set it up than to do the job I use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/ANBES-Soldering-Iron-Kit-Electronics/dp/B06XZ31W3M/ set to 350°C. Just make sure to clean and tin your tip regularly and it will do the trick just fine Oh, but ditch the solder and get a few spools of good rosin core solder of different gauges, it's not expensive but worth it. In my experience, the solder that comes with kits like that mostly works as a deterrent.

If you're not planning on buying all-included kits also get a few spools of stranded core wire of different colors. You could use solid core wires but those tend to break if they're getting bended from movement without showing it. With stranded core some strands may break but as others don't they'll continue to work. Invisibly broken wires (i.e.) inside the isolation) are a *beeeeep* to debug.

Also, a set of tweezers are great to have, especially the kind that holds stuff together per default, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Curved-Tweezers-Cross-Jewelers-Soldering/dp/B000OVPG9A/ (only an example, I'd get a tweezers set that contains one like that).

In my experience a tool set like this one is great to have: https://www.amazon.com/Haobase-6Pieces-Double-sided-Soldering-Assist/dp/B01DLX6V3C/ - especially the bending tool is great to have, as it allows eg to bend the leads of a LED without running the risk of breaking the LED itself. It's also great in order to clean up mistakes, helps with desoldering and such

Speaking of desoldering: desoldering braid is a must. A desoldering pump can be useful, too. And yes, practice soldering and desoldering until you can do both without destroying anything.

If you're not going to buy pre-drilled enclosures then you very likely want a) a center punch and b) stepping drill bits. Those let you drill holes in all kinds of sizes without having to buy lots of drills.

Last but not least a wire cutter is a must

>I am worried about the soldering

Soldering is easy. Use this solder and a decent quality hot pen, optimally with adjustable heat that goes up to 500C, you'll need the extra heat for soldering down the 12ga power wires to the flat contacts on the hotbed. I bought this kit on a Christmas sale for like $20 and it was fantastic for my build; had everything I needed. The pen might not last a lifetime like a Hakko or Weller pro station, but it got the job done wonderfully and I'm sure it will get me through my second v3 build here in about a week. (yes, I love this one so much, I'm building a second!)

>cutting out of plastic pieces

There's no cutting anything out, everything is laser cut for you already, you just pop it out.

>is it pretty self-explanatory?

The instructions could be clearer, I'll say. They could definitely reorder a few steps to make the build a bit easier during later steps. That said, it all came together without any issues. Just make sure you keep everything WELL organized.

Now listen,

Disregard everyone on this sub that says "deltas are more difficult," including and especially those with "Rostock Max V2 w/E3dV6" in their flair! ;-) Seriously folks, the meme that deltas are more difficult is dead. Repetier firmare has advanced to the point where calibrating them is even easier than Cartesian and I mean that!

Just so you're aware, I had in my possession 2 Cartesians prior to building this delta, and the cartesians never printed 100 microns perfectly. Literally straight after I finished my v3 build, ran the calibration script, dialed in KISSlicer, and hit print, the Rostock was laying down 100 microns at 80-100mm/sec without issue. I've never had a print lift off the heated bed, and I don't use anything to increase adhesion, just the bare glass.

At .3mm layer height, I can push the speed to 160mm/sec which seems to be the limit of the 8-bit RAMBo board before it starts artifcating pretty routinely. Nothing severe, but there's definitely some imperfections at that speed. Guess what: no one on this sub is printing 160mm/sec on their Cartesians without it looking like absolute shit, and my 160mm/sec prints are passable for prototypes. You're just not going to get that much speed with that high of a precision out of a desktop Cartesian, even with a bowden. You just will not.

Much larger build volume. Lower maintenance. Awesome SeeMeCNC customer support. Higher precision. Faster build times.

Listen, I could have streched my budget and gotten 3 Prusa MK2s and had a friggen sweet little farm going for what I'm paying for two v3s, but the MAX v3 is simply the superior option if you can afford the slightly higher price over the MK2. If you can't hit $999+shipping, just get the MK2. If you can hit that target, just get the v3. It's a better printer.

I run this instead of a Dremel brand tool. I have had a couple Dremels die on me over the years, so I tried this one and it has lasted 4 years so far! I also got a lot of my bits from harbor freight. I use the cuttoff wheels (ALWAYS WEAR FACE PROTECTION WITH THESE), Sanding Drums, and grinding stones the most. Use the cutoff for cutting out large swaths of material, sanding drums for tighter areas, and grinding stones to debur and smooth it all out. Most work that needs a dremel can be done with hand tools for better control. Coping saw, files, and flush cutters can go a long way. A lot of the "pros" don't use Dremels because they can jump out of control and hit a part of the blaster you planned on leaving stock and leaving a huge gash.

As for soldering Irons, I've heard wonderful things about this model, but cheaper models will work fine. TBH, I'd grab something in the $10 range and see if he sticks with the hobby. Maybe for christmas you can get him a nicer one if he's still going at it. I use a super duper old school Weller soldering station, so really anything will work. The issue you'll get with the cheaper soldering irons is the tips will tend to not last long and the heating element might crap out after a few months. Don't go cheaper than $10 here as some of them are meant for wood engraving, not soldering and wont get hot enough to melt solder. Any size solder is fine. I personally use lead/tin solder and just avoid breathing fumes as well as wash my hands when I'm done modding. Lead solder is MUCH easier to work with and requires less heat. Look for "Rosin Core solder" as it's easier to work with as it has flux in the center of the solder.

Good flush cutters, hobby knife, wire strippers, heatshrink, wire, loctite, etc are all valuable modding supplies. We sell some on our shop (shameless plug). I would recommend for plastic to plastic bonds he use Devcon Plastic Welder (make sure it contains Methyl Methacrylate as this acts as a solvent weld to bond the plastics together chemically instead of a weak adhesive grip like putty). Putty should be used as a filler material. I use two different putties. Free form Air for large amounts of gap fill, it is 6 times less dense than normal putty so it wont make the blaster weight 8 pounds when done. It is VERY easy to sand, but sometimes requires a thin layer of bondo over top of it to leave a perfect finish. I also use Apoxie Sculpt which is a direct replacement for normal putty for gap filling purposes. It's MUCH easier to sand than JB Weld putty, and leaves a nice smooth finish when sanded down.

Speaking of sandpaper, get various grades of sandpaper from 100 down to 600 grit (I go as far as 1000 if I want a gloss sheen on something).

Other than all of that, the tools I have on my bench that I would hate to mod without now are: Helping hands (for soldering), various different sizes of needle nose pliers, numerous sizes of small to medium screwdrivers, silicone lubricant, hot glue (for securing wires inside the shell), Electric Screwdriver, and various tweezers.

A little over a year ago I desoldered and resoldered my entire CM Quickfire TK because I wanted to plasti-dip the backplate (I know did it the hard way but it was interesting to do it that way". I later desoldered and resoldered every single LED because I wanted a slightly cooler shade of white.

To this day My keyboard works perfectly. I did research on soldering and practiced on an old portable DVD player.

I bought a cheap soldering kit and [higher quality solder] (https://www.amazon.com/Alpha-AM31605-Leaded-Rosin-Solder/dp/B0044UH8PC/ref=sr_1_46?ie=UTF8&qid=1500437544&sr=8-46&keywords=alpha+fry+solder) with a rosin core made specifically for PCB's.

This is what I did for a 95% clean job. Note this was my VERY FIRST time ever soldering and I think I did a pretty nifty job.

• Set the temperature to 150C on the iron
  
  
• DO NOT USE THE SOLDERING INCLUDED IN THE KIT. Use the solder I mentioned earlier. (you can find it cheap on ebay i think)
  
  
• I found the included suction pump to work better than copper wick but it's the other way around for some other people.
  
  
• The second I saw the joint melt I sucked that puppy up
  
  
• Keeping the tip is very very important. Clean the tip every 1-2 joints you solder/desolder on a damp sponge.
  
  
• After cleaning the tip melt a little bit of solder directly on it. This is called tinning and this helps you solder a clean joint very easily.
  
  
• when desoldering try your best to not touch anything that is not solder or else you'll burn the pads.
  
  
• When applying solder, you're supposed to place the tip on the thing you're trying to solder, then you place the solder on said thing :P
  
  
• sometimes you can't get all the solder out. DONT KEEP TRYING TO MELT THE VERY LITTLE LEFT OVER SOLDER. Use a pair of tweezers and jiggle the contact until the solder of solder breaks off.
  
  Look up tutorials. They're very useful

This is my iron. There are many like it, but this one is mine. It's not a great iron, it's a good enough iron, and you can get replacement tips pretty cheap. (I'm actually wanting to upgrade to a $150 Weller, but my iron still works fine. I want better heat control and thermal capacity, but this is one of those "if you can't explain why you need it, you don't need it yet" things.) I also bought this tip cleaner on the same order apparently, I prefer it to a sponge but it's not necessary.

This is the solder I bought most recently. It's honestly a little on the thick side, and multi-core would be better, but it was cheap and works fine. Without the rosin, you'd need flux; they etch the metal to remove the oxide layer that naturally forms and would inhibit a good joint. Thin solder melts faster and gives you more control over how much you apply.

There's other stuff that isn't strictly necessary, but is useful. I have a heat antistatic may on my work bench, and a cheap fume extractor set up behind it; I won't bother linking it because it doesn't have any kind of filter in it. The rosin smoke and the lead are both kinda toxic, so a well-ventilated area and/or a good fume extractor are important. I also keep flux paste, desoldering wick, a solder sucker, and a set of helping hands on my workbench, but I use all that stuff because I do a fair bit of electronics work, YMMV.

For references, Dave of EEVBlog fame has a three part tutorial on soldering which covers all the bases pretty well. He'll also leave you saying "sohldah" instead of "sodder," which is a fun way to annoy American EEs.

Edit: This is my workbench, for reference since I'm in that room right now. There's heat shrink on the helping hands, a trick I straight up stole from /u/bulbufet. It keeps the alligator clips from digging into wires, though the heat shrink has to be replaced periodically as the teeth will eventually work their way through it. And if you don't want to slap together a solder holder out of MDF, you can buy them, but where's the fun in that?

I wish there was a very clear answer that isn't a thousand 823 words. But there isn't, so bear with me. Or is that bare with me? Regardless, beer with me.

Okay, as far as I know there are three ways to do a battery swap (as long as you aren't trying to keep your saves on the game. Then there are wires, lots of prayers, and it is a pain in the bottom). The first two methods are the guide you linked to and soldering the battery. The last is finding a tabbed battery.

As your guide shows, and as both of the first methods will follow, you need to break the connectors off the battery. Don't bust out a soldering iron just yet, these aren't soldered. They are spot welded. Unless you have a spot welder (and you don't - don't lie to me and say you do, I doubt any of us have one) you won't be able to get it back together the same way it was. You need to break the connections in order to get a fresh battery in there.

Grab your finest razor blade in order to sever the connections, and a handful of bandaids in order to stop the bleeding from your accidental cuts. It is bound to happen, maybe not the first time, hopefully not every time, but you will be poking and cutting your hands. It will suck. A sharp razor won't hurt you as much, but try to be careful anyway.

After you clean your blood off the circuit board, you can choose which of the first two methods to go down. You can use the soldering iron or tape / wire glue. Wire glue is, as far as I've been told, basically iron mixed into elmer's glue. It is suppose to hold well, but it wouldn't hurt to tape after using it. Mix it up well before using it, or else you might not get a very conductive result.

The issue with using glue or tape to hold your battery is when you get to Gannon in the dark world, or maybe battling Giygas, or vanquishing dracula, your method of holding the battery will fail. Maybe you'll bump the cart just the right way, or maybe the dog will run in and knock the SNES down, then you'll lose all that time. And be upset at the dog that just was super excited to see you, because he only knows a few people and he loves you so very much. He won't understand why you are angry, and it will break his tiny little heart.

Don't break your dogs tiny little heart. If you don't own a soldering iron, use good electrical tape and use the glue, and make sure it is as secure as possible. Some people will add hot glue in there to hold that sucker in place, and it isn't a bad idea.

So, you love your dog and you are thinking you should use a soldering iron. Well, it is going to be hard to play fetch with fido when you are blind, and you might get angry at me if I don't mention it. Hot things and batteries aren't a good combination. They can pop, spray acid, and ruin your day. Wear safety glasses at the very least, and try to keep the iron on the battery as little as possible. A soldered battery will hold in place much better, but it still isn't great.

So, you've arrived at option 3. I like to call this the expensive option, but it is the right way to do it. You need to find the batteries (and without spending a bunch of time researching, there is a pretty good chance it is one of the ones in this list )then you need to have a soldering iron, and some solder. A desoldering iron would be really handy, but soldering wick could be used in its place, or you could just not use anything and probably be okay. Buy a/some tabbed batteries, remove the old battery by heating up the tabs through the board and pull it out. A desoldering iron can be used to suck the solder away, which will make this easier for you, and a wick can be used in a similar fashion. Pop the old one out, put the new one in, solder it in place, and you'd be good to go. The batteries aren't going to be cheap, and you can't ship them (easily) via USPS because they are lithium.

As for soldering, you might need to practice the basics. There are cheap little kits at Radio Shack. Make a FM radio or something using one of them. Take your time, be careful, and keep some burn ointment on hand. Seriously, there isn't a method here that won't lead you to some sort of minor injury.

Good luck, and tell your Dog I said "Woof!"

I've started to get into electronics myself, and I can say that soldering is easy, but you need the right tools for the job.
You'll need an adjustable temperature soldering iron and 1/2 milimeter iron/lead solder as the bare minimum.

I suggest grabbing some tip tinner, solder wick & vacuum, and some cheap boards to practice soldering.

This video shows how to do the actual soldering, while this video covers the tools you'll need and explains their use. These videos are made by EEV Blog and explain soldering in GREAT detail, which is how I learned to do it.



As far as making actual circuits, you have to have an idea AND parts to fulfill your idea. The Arduino UNO is a great way to program and test circuits. It's essentially a small comptuer designed to repeat whatver task you give it over and over. Alternatively, there's the Raspberry Pi, which comes in a few different models. The difference between the Pi and the Arduino is that the Pi is essentially a mini computer. You can literally hook it up to a monitor via hdmi and slam an operating system into it.

Both boards typically come in kits like this one for the Ardunio, or this one for the Raspberry Pi. The Ardunio kits with come with a lot of peripherals, like sensors and LEDs that actually do things, while you'll have to invest more with a Raspberry Pi. These kits come with detailed instructions, code you can copy and paste, and are a great way to learn how circuitry works, and is exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, I've just done a decent amount of research to find out what's what.

There are two ways to hook up circuits - temporarily and (somewhat) permanently. Breadboards are used to prototype circuits without having to solder anything, typically using these wires to link different parts of the circuits together. Soldering components to those green boards I linked earlier is what you'd do when you have your circuit up and running and want to move it to something more permanent. I say "more" permanent because you can usually de-solder stuff if you needed a component for something.

Adafruit has a decently sized library of projects you can try. They often sell stuff in kits where you get everything you need to make something -- for example, this DIY MIDI controller.

Sparkfun has a great series of articles that explain the very basics of circuits and electricity

Hopefully I've explained everything enough so that you can venture off on your own. Feel free to ask questions!

Don't use lead-free solder, that was my lesson a few days ago. And I was pretty okay with it... but man, the 60/40 stuff is night and day difference with its lower melting point.

Use flux. Like a lot of it. Get one of the containers of it. Anything you're about to touch the soldering iron to, dip it into the flux or wipe flux onto it. I always forget this and when I remember, again, huge difference, things are much easier. I don't understand how it works, I think it conducts heat, but it definitely helps. Even if you have flux-core solder, do this, the flux inside the solder is not enough.

Keep solder on your iron. Any time you need to heat something, put some solder on the iron (if it doesn't already have some) and THEN touch it to that thing. Don't just touch it dry onto something. The solder on the iron is called a solder bridge and it vastly helps heat up whatever you're trying to heat.

When it comes to soldering tips, the bigger the better. And don't use the stupid cone ones; get one of them with one or two flat sides to it. Obviously you can go too big, but the bigger it is, the more surface/mass to conduct the heat from the iron to the thing you're heating.

Preferably get a temperature controlled iron. I heat up things like bullets (non-sensitive components) to 410 C and sensitive things like my ESC wires I drop down to 370. Don't hold it for more than about 10 seconds, if you need longer you're doing something wrong, and the heat is being conducted down the wire onto the sensitive components. You can hold it to the bullet as long as you want though. If the flux is turning black and chunking up your solder, the iron is too hot (it's burning the flux).

Pre-tin wires and bullets. Might be best to find a youtube video. For wires, basically put some solder on the very end of the wire bundle, hold your iron there and try to push your solder into the side of the bundle. When the bundle gets hot enough, you will be able to just push solder into the bundle and it'll disappear as the bundle sucks it up. Once you fill the bundle it'll collect on the outside and that's when you know to stop. For bullets, just put some solder in it and hold the iron until the solder sticks to the edges (sort of makes a U shape), that's when you know the bullet itself heated up enough. Make sure to put enough solder in the bullet, I usually underestimate so I put a little more than I think I need and it turns out alright.

Oh and learn what a cold solder joint is. Don't do it. You can't just heat up solder in the bullet, and then shove your wire into it. Always pull on your connection (HARD) after you solder it to make sure you didn't make a cold joint. But usually you'll know when you made a proper joint, the heat should be adequate and the solder should flow.

These have been my latest lessons learned, hope it helps. Soldering bullets is still a HUGE pain.

edit: (I keep editing) -- make sure to get one of these brass sponge things, basically you shove the iron into it a couple times and it 'wipes' the old solder/flux off the tip, then you tin the tip again (i.e. just put a thin layer of solder on the soldering iron). Do this between everything, and also when you're done with your iron (don't let it cool messy). And optionally get one of these too, it's a little jar about the size of a US quarter and it seems like it's full of rock or something, but you wipe your iron on it and it melts a little, cleans the iron and lightly tins it. I use this if the iron is messier than the brass can handle, or solder doesn't seem to be sticking to the iron.

I think that's all for reals this time.

Given that this is your first build, I'm wondering whether maybe you're still getting the right tools?

I use this soldering iron from BYOC. It's cheaper than an equivalent Weller, but still works well for me. I previously had a Radio Shack one with a less finely-pointed tip, which was frustrating to use. I also use a circuit board holder from Amazon that makes it easy to put a component in on one side, bend the leads a little to hold it in place, then rotate the board to the other side so I can solder it. I place, solder, and clip the leads for one component at a time. I've tried following some YouTube videos that put in a bunch, tape them down, and then solder through the forest of exposed leads, but that ended up messier than I would have liked.

I'm not sure what you mean about soldering from both sides. Looking at the project doc, it seems to me like all the components (other than the switch and pots) go on the same side. Is it about placing components on one side and soldering on the other?

For an IC socket, I follow these steps:

1. Make sure the PCB is secured in the holder, component side up.
   
2. Place the socket in its holes.
   
3. Rotate the PCB so that it's almost all the way on its side. The holder's grippy bits can swivel to make this easy. You want it rotated enough that you can get underneath with your soldering iron, but not so far that the socket tips or falls out of the board.
   
4. Solder a pin at one of the corners of the socket (don't do them all, yet).
   
5. If the socket lifted up while you were soldering it, then put down your solder and use that hand to gently push down on the socket while your other hand uses the soldering iron to reflow the joint from beneath the board. In the second while the solder is molten, the pressure on the socket will make it push down to lie flush against the PCB.
   
6. Solder the opposite corner of the socket.
   
7. With two opposite corners of the socket now secured, you can flip the board all the way upside down and have easy access to solder the rest of the pins, without fear of the socket shifting or falling out.
   
   Given that the Helios has board-mounted pots, you might also find the instructions below (from BYOC) helpful: https://imgur.com/a/6FLzV

For soldering the number one advice I can give is to make sure you always leave a little bit of solder on the tip of your iron when you put it back on its cradle. This prevents the tip from oxidizing. If you do this your tips will last a very long time and you will not have to use tip tinner / cleaner. You clean the tip before you make a solder joint and you put solder on the tip when you are done with it. That is not intuitive to a lot of people.

For protoboard vs breadboard the same "best practice" things apply. Check to make sure ground or power isn't connected where it shouldn't be before you power it up, use star grounding, etc.

For the iron the gold standard is the Hakko 888. If you want to save some money go with the Weller WLC100. The good thing about that WLC100 is that it will heat any tip that will fit in there whereas the 888 you have to have the right tip. Don't waste your money on one without temperature control. The WLC100 and 888 will last forever. The Chinese clones most likely will not.

Conical tips are terrible for most any soldering, don't use them. You want a chisel tip. My advice to practice is get some wire and solder pieces of it together without. Do it without twisting the wires and do it until your solder joints come out nice an clean without a long solder tail attached to the iron. That happens when you burn all the flux out of the solder. The fumes off solder are the flux burning and flux smoke is terrible for you. Don't breathe it. Your solder joint is good when the wire will break before the solder joint.

For wiring up perfboard I always use magnet wire. You remove the enamel with the soldering iron an a bit of solder. The fumes from doing this are really nasty is the only drawback. If it doesn't want to come off nick the enamel insulation with a hobby knife and it will come right off. I find with plastic insulated wire I am always melting the insulation.

Hopefully someone will chime in on online soldering tutorials that are worth watching. I learned my tricks from a week long IPC-610 training class years gone by so I don't have any to recommend.

Lead free solder is much harder to work with than lead solder. Only use lead free if you have to because your product is going to be sold in Europe. Not all desoldering wick is created equal. Some of it pulls solder right off your board. Some of it just pushes the solder around the board without sucking it into the braid. You want a wide braid with a good flux on it. I bought a spool of this recently and it is the best I have used in a while:

https://www.amazon.com/Chemtronics-Desoldering-Braid-Chem-Wik-10-50L/dp/B0019V5MAC/

LOL, that last part, it's happened to all of us though being honest. :P Anyways u/superuser41's suggestions are spot on. I use a Hakko FX888D myself & love it, very nice station for the money IMHO. Never used that particular sodapult but they are well regarded in the community.

Edit: This is a good tip for soldering switches & LEDs (my personal fav size/type for it). You may want to grab a few, it looks like the linked bundle only comes with one tip. Also this is a high quality solder in the right diameter for soldering switches/LEDs. This is good solder wick, This is a good flux, & I always recommend getting some tip tinner.

Thanks! Glad I could be helpful.

The reflow station/solder paste is just awesome. The results are so much better than the hand soldering I tried to do initially.
My tips for the hot air reflow- Keep the air speed low (I do 1.5 - 1.75 speed @ 350c), you don't want to send the components sliding around the PCB. You only need a tiny dab of solder paste on a tinned board, otherwise you'll end up with little balls of solder where the excess collects. These can be knocked off with tweezers, but you should be careful to check for them as they can cause shorts.

I forgot one of the most useful tools out there! This is maintained by one of the FB Euro SMD DIY Noobs members.

This is the repository I use for .hex files. It's maintained by another SMD Noobs member.

These are the tweezers I use for handling SMD parts.

You'll also want a flux pen! Flux pens are wonderful.

I'd also suggest a magnifying glass or jeweler's loup of some sort for inspecting the PCB for shorts. I use a 10x loupe.



Here's a pic of my current workspace in an unusually clean state.

My SMD component filing technique. A work in progress.

Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.

As Aureolin22 said, I doubt the flowerpot would tolerate very many heating and cooling cycles before it broke. Have you considered doing the same thing but lining a small charcoal grill or a cheap steel wok instead?

Serious question: Why is propane not an option? Stores won't sell propane to you, or your parents won't let you?

I ask because you might have good luck making a small propane forge using a spiral flame propane torch, a small coffee can or large soup can, and a 50/50 mix of sand and Plaster of Paris. (refractory cement would probably work as well or better than the sand/plaster mix)

There was a post here on it a short while back. It seemed interesting so I built one myself just to see how well it worked. Turns out, it works pretty good! It won't produce welding temperatures, but it gets plenty hot for forging. It worked even better after I partially closed off the mouth of the forge with three pieces of firebrick. The one I made also has a 9/16" hole drilled through the back so that I can heat round stock up to 1/2" inch diameter anywhere along its length. I have used it twice now for about 30 minutes each time and I still have only used about half of the fuel in the tank. (I started with a full tank just to see how long it would last in one of these.)

If you are interested I can take some pictures of the one I made.

If coal or charcoal is your only option and you want to stay really cheap just dig a little hole and build your fire in the hole with your air pipe poking in from the side. (assuming the powers that be at home won't lose their minds over you digging a hole and you have a yard to dig in.)

For a soldering station I would consider new unless you find a great deal on something... For example, I use this at work, it's never given me a problem and it's used quite often (we're a semi conductor manufacturer and I share the lab with another)--granted we use a set of Wellers for most of the soldering, but the Aoyue gets high use for the heat gun and occasionally the soldering iron. I liked it so much that I bought one for home, yeah it's a bit high, but if you're doing SMD or other soldering stuff you will appreciate some of the features and included items.


I'm not sure about power supplies, but one good thing there is that age is usually not a big issue, and if you're just needing standard supplies you can probably get away with a decent 12V supply and then build a few regulators for lower voltages.


I've heard that Rigol oscilloscopes are a great value, and that that the lower rate units can be firmware hacked to higher rates. Personally the trouble I have is that after using $5000 Tektronics scopes at work I can hardly even stand to step down to a $2000 Tektronics, so I can't imagine what using a $350 Rigol would feel like... but if you have nothing, this isn't bad.



I'd also check out ham radio flea markets. BTW I have to say that if you are into electronics and what to make a life/career there is no better place to be than into amateur radio. the ARRL handbook alone is an amazing reference. As a personal responsible for documentation at my work I'm blown away by the quality of the writing for those handbooks. Even older copies are great and they're usually cheap. I have a 2003 copy at work and reference it regularly for either the information I need or a great starting place for researching a topic.

I havent built that model but to answer your second question...Be cautious of build guides (or lack thereof). The one you linked has a really good guide. Step by step, clear pictures, and in color. So far, I've found Befaco, AI Synthesis, and Trogotronic to have really good guides.

Also, take your time. Its better to go slow and be sure of your work than rush. Tape! Tape helps me a lot by holding small pieces in place. If you can, get this circuit board holder. I got this magnifying headband for free (that style, not that specific one) and its been really helpful as well.

Here are my go to recommendations for beginners.

Trogotronic VCA

Trogotronic Power System

AI Synthesis

Wow thanks for such a thorough response!!!

1. yeah I figured as much, I'm thinking i'll start with Corded Hitachi , or Corded Ryobi and then if it ever breaks or if I need a cordless I'll upgrade down the line.
   
2. True, Likely worth the upgrade. Do you think I should focus on Titanium over Black Oxide? or is a reputable brand the main concern?
   
3. Thanks for the insight!
   
4. Solder , Gotcha Yeah i'll try to see if I can find anything like this locally (smaller quantity preferably)
   
5. Stahl Soldering Gun , I'm thinking this one which was linked elsewhere in this thread.
   
   6/9/10 - I think they were written into the manual as different ways in which to attach the crossover board to the bottom of the box. how do you normally attach it to the bottom of the box?
   
   I'm considering Crossover Board , just to help with organization, however i'd still need to attach it to the bottom of the box.
   
   ​
   
   I just realized I forgot speaker wire for the internals, does it matter a lot which gauge? any general guidance.
   
   ​
   
   I would really like to complete the outside of the boxes , as i may end up giving them away as a gift eventually. wondering if i'll need a Sander , if i plan on doing vinyl or some sort of wrap? I'm not against painting, just against spray painting.
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   Also forgot Snips

You should be able to clean off the pads, re-tin them, and re-solder new wires to them.

 

You'll need a few tools:

• A small brass wire brush to clean the gunk off of the pads, something like these: Mini Wire Brush Set
  
• Some desoldering wick - a thin copper braid, like this: Desoldering Wick
  
• Rosin Paste Flux for electronics: Rosin Paste Flux
  
• Some 60% Lead/40% Tin Rosin Core Solder, .062" diameter: 60/40 Rosin Core Solder
  
• A soldering iron. I assume you have one, but if not you can't go too badly wrong with something like this: Vastar 60W Soldering Kit
  
   
  
  Clean and tin the soldering iron tip:
  
  

1. Take some paper towels, fold them up into a square and get it wet with water. You'll use the wet paper towel to wipe off the hot tip between uses.
   
2. Use the rosin core solder and apply some to the soldering iron tip.
   
3. Wipe off any excess on the paper towel.
   
   
    
   
   Remove the solder from the pads on the heat bed:
   
    
   
   
4. Clean the gunk off of the solder pads with the brass brush - the brass bristles should clean off the surface without damaging it, whereas steel bristles may cut into the surface a bit much.
   
5. Unwind a few inches of the desoldering wick (copper braid), and dip the end into the rosin paste flux - you don't need a lot. The rosin helps the solder to flow and keeps impurities out.
   
6. Put the desodering wick on top of the solder on the pad, and then press the tip of the soldering iron on top of the wick until it heats up. For an adjustable soldering iron, 300F is about right - you want the solder to melt within 5 seconds or less, ideally.
   
7. The solder will melt, and get sucked up into the wick. Remove it from the pad while the solder's still hot
   
8. You should be left with a bright shiny tinned solder pad.
   
    
   
   Add some solder to the pads - you'll want a little bit of solder to cover the whole pad, with enough to make a small bump.
   
   
9. Take the solder, and touch it down flat on the pad.
   
10. Place the soldering iron tip on top to melt it. Feed a little more solder in while it's hot, if needed.
    
     
    
    Tin the wires:
    
    
11. Cut off the ends of the wire, and strip off the end of the insulation by about 1/4"-3/8".
    
12. Twist the end of the wire so that it's tight, and straight.
    
13. Cut off a small piece of the solder (~1/2"), and wrap it around the wire
    
14. Dip the end of the wire into the rosin flux - you don't need a lot.
    
15. Touch the soldering iron tip to the solder and the wire, and coat the wire back and forth until the solder gets sucked into the wire.
    
16. It should have enough solder so that it gets absorbed and you can still see the outline of the wires.
    
     
    
    Attach the tinned wires to the tinned solder pads on the heat bed:
    
    
17. Dip the tinned wire into the flux paste again - a little goes a long way.
    
18. Place the tinned wire down on top of the tinned solder pad.
    
19. Press the soldering iron tip on top of the wire, and heat it until the solder melts on both the wire and the pad.
    
20. There should be just enough solder so that the wire is attached to the pad, but isn't buried in solder. If in doubt, add a little more.
    
21. Hold the wire in place, and remove the soldering iron tip. It should cool in a few seconds, locking the wire in place.
    
    
     
    
    Also: You can use some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to clean up the excess rosin paste - it can get sticky.
    
    
     
    
    Hope this helps!

I'm legally blind and I have no problems soldering, so long as I don't get my nose too close. :P

Seriously, though, the smaller the component the harder it will be, but soldering key switches is pretty easy. Just don't rush and be patient/careful. The trick is getting the right amount of solder, which just takes practice to get a feel for (and having your iron the right temperature really helps here).

You can pick up soldering practice kits for around $10 if you want to give it a try. If you've never soldered before, I'd definitely recommend that before you dive right in to working on a $100+ keyboard.

I recommend not using the cheap $10-15 irons though. They can be a great source of frustration and put you off of the whole experience. If you don't want to sink the money into a full soldering station, something like this would probably be a great place to start.

1. The multimeter - I would switch that one out for something like the Uni-T UT139C or Amprobe AM-510.
   
   
2. FX-888D is a great soldering station. I don't remember if B+D is an authorized vendor. You have to be really careful because there are LOADS of fakes, even on Amazon. If you can wait, Fry's often has the FX888D go on sale in late July or August.
   
   
3. Not familiar with that brand of solder. Usually limit my purchases to Multicore or Kester. Also, I prefer 63/37 over 60/40 because 63/37 is true eutectic, which will lessen the chances that you get cold solder joints. My favorite is Kester 44 63/37 0.021". The downside is the value doesn't kick in until you buy around 1lb of the solder (for $30ish) which is enough to last you a LONG time.
   
   
4. For flux I recommend the MG Chemicals flux either in the Rosin or No-Clean Formats. They usually run around $9-10 for 125ml, which is a much better value than the pens. For example: https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Clean-Halogen-Bottle/dp/B00S16UAGE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1496697343&sr=8-3&keywords=MG+Chemicals+no+clean+flux. Add a syringe or applicator and you come out WAY ahead.
   
   
5. The Italian made Hakko cutters are a solid value. The OEM is the italian company Piergiacomi: http://www.piergiacomi.com/piergiacomi/ and they have an even larger line-up.
   
   
6. The helping hands kinda suck (as most do at this price). If you will mainly be working on square boards, there are other designs which work MUCH MUCH better for rework and what not. This kind tends to work much better. Plus, as you can see in the customer reviews, you can modify them pretty cheaply to make them outright exceptional in performance. The next step up would be the USA made Panavise.

Look up some tutorials on youtube. A good iron makes a world of difference. I struggled with properly tinning all the irons I've used previously which were just those cheap $8 dollar irons from like walmart. The weller that was in my dad's stuff wasn't much more expensive but they make quality stuff.

The tip tinned very well and everything was fairly smooth. If you don't have a decent stock of soldering supplies I would purchase them before you start.

Here's a quick rundown of what I would recommend:

Simple Weller Soldering Iron

Helping Hands

Desolder Wick

Kester .03" solder

Having the desolder wick saved me a few times when I had some bad flow from the parts not having adequate heat and the solder just clumping on the pin rather than flowing into the connection. You just lay the braid over the solder and press your iron on top and it will soak the solder into the braid and leave your parts clean. You'll probably want something to clean your solder iron tip with. You can buy a Hakko cleaning stand with wire brush for $10 on amazon or you can just wet a scotch brite pad you buy from walmart for a few dollars.

You can use solder you already have if it's a small enough diameter. You want small diameter so that when you touch it to the part (not to the iron) it melts quickly and you dont have to continue to apply heat to the parts. As far as actually handling the solder while you're trying to work I like to cut a small length of solder, maybe 6-8 inches and then wind it in a mini spool around my pinkie finger and leave a length of it sticking out so you have something to hold on to that will give you good control.

How-To Solder Instructable

Once you make the connections look at them, a good connection should typically be shiny and not cloudy. It's likely overkill for this project but those are good practices.

Glad to help :)

Here is EEVblog's tutorial set on soldering. Part 1 and 2 will be more relevant for your purposes. In the first part he talks about tools (which includes your actual solder), how they work, and why certain properties are important, so you know what you need. In the second he talks about the process for through hole soldering (like you need for the holtites) and how to know you're doing it properly, and things to look for. Part 3 is for SMD stuff, which doesnt affect you in this scenario, but I tacked it on just for good measure.

• Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ
  
• Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5nIHH0iY
  
• Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9FC9fAlfQE
  
  FWIW you dont need a great iron, it just makes it easier to avoid damaging your board, and do things at a speed you're comfortable with. You can absolutely get good results with a cheapo iron, it just requires some extra precision.
  
  I'd recommend picking up some extra holtites (if you have a few already thats fine you don't need a ton), and a piece of breadboard, and just practicing a bit first until you're comfortable with the process, as well as your iron and materials. A small piece of breadboard like this would work.
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0778G64QZ
  
  This is the solder I use, you can also buy it by the ounce (1lb is quite a lot). You can get it thinner than that even, too, but thats ~3-4 sheets of paper thick.
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJOU

You may have heard the old saying:

>The road to success is through experience.
>
>The road to experience is through failure.

It sounds like you have already achieved some failure, so this means you are well on your way on the road to success!

Let me add another old saying that I just made up:

>Good technique may overcome a bad soldering iron.
>
>A great soldering iron will never overcome bad technique.

You didn't mention what kind of iron and what kind of solder you are using now. But if you are getting cold joints, that is more likely a sign of bad technique rather than the wrong iron.

Cold joints happen when you heat the solder instead of heating the work material. The hot solder hits the cold metal and freezes in place instead of flowing onto the hot metal.

You need to heat the work material itself first. If it's a through-hole component, then after you turn the board upside down, touch the iron to both the component's wire lead and the board's pad. Only after both of those heat up do you apply the rosin core solder to melt onto and into them. Then you will have a beautiful shiny solder joint.

This does take some finesse and attention to timing. So I would do this Heathkit style. The Heathkits I bought when I was a teenager always came with clear instructions on how to solder, and most importantly, some extra pieces to practice with. I learned to get the technique down on those before tackling the kit itself. So practice on scrap material until you have it down.

Of course a good iron and good solder will help. If you're using lead-free solder, I might suggest a traditional lead-tin solder instead, as it is easier to work with.

For an iron, you didn't mention what you're using now, or what your budget might be. If something around $100 works for you, you can't go wrong with the Hakko FX888D. You might want some extra tips of various sizes too.

Desoldering is an art to itself. Do you have some desoldering braid? I used to use the "soldapullit" suction pumps and similar things, but the braid always gave me better results. It comes in different widths so you can pick one that fits the work you're doing.

I hope these notes are helpful. Holler back with any questions, and happy soldering!

If you are a total noob, I suggest you just get any 60 W soldering iron. Really. This one suits you and cost less than $10. Because getting a FX-888D now is like killing mosquitoes with cannons.

You also may need a stand where to rest the iron when not using it. It comes with a sponge so you can clean the iron tip from time to time (just don't forget to wet it before use).

Finally, you will need some solder. Stay away from lead-free solder, this stuff isn't for amateurs. Get a good-old 63/37 solder with rosin flux core, this one have a 0.3 mm diameter, small enough to even solder SMD components (but don't start with them, they need more practice to be hand-soldered).

Soldering isn't a difficult skill but it requires practice. So you better start small and take easy steps. In no time you will be soldering SMD components. :)

PS: you also want to get some desoldering wick and a hand vacuum pump/solder sucker, those are more useful than you might think.

DISCLAIMER: all these items are just suggestions, buy whatever you think is more useful for you. Just wanted to give you a start point.

You burned up your transformers because you were drawing way more power than they were rated for.

Every load has a particular impedance at a particular frequency. No offense but it doesn't sound like you're at the level of optimizing a load for active/reactive/apparent power.

If you want to do it semi-safely, buy a variable transformer like the one I linked. Dial it down to zero, then increase the voltage slowly and measure the AC current flowing to your load while you do so. Ensure it stays below the limit of the variac and below the point your iron melts.

If you are remotely confused by any of this then DON'T DO IT. A soldering iron is something you hold in your hand - great way to get more than your recommended daily value of electricity.

Best, cheapest, and safest option.

What a beautiful shot! Sometimes sacrifices must be made haha.

If you dont mind me making a small suggestion, I would try using an abrasion resistant polycarbonate infront of your lens because its the least likely to scratch or pit from debris. You can get just basic polycarb for like $5 so you could also just buy 10 and use them as disposable parts. It would save you a lot of money in the long run, and polycarb is the least likely to warp your image and if you get the thin stuff (under 0.5") it will have minimal effect on your light.

As for dew, you really just need to make sure youre above the dew point. If you have a power source, I would just buy a heat gun and point it at the edge of the poly carbonate, about a foot away. This way air is traveling along the surface of the polycarb and the lens. This would whisk away anything on them, heat them above the dew point preventing any of it, and wouldnt blow any dust in the way.

Anyway, great to read these detailed accounts from first hand photographers. Than you so much for sharing!

Thanks for the invite! I love barbecue. 🤤

I don't have any kit recommendations, but you'll need:

• Soldering iron (duh, haha; just find something with good reviews that fits your needs with a medium chisel tip)
  
• Solder (this is a good one: https://www.amazon.com/Kester-24-6337-0027-Solder-Alloy-Diameter/dp/B07KWFLHBD)
  
• Rosin flux paste
  
• Soldering iron tip cleaner (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-sponge-needed/dp/B005C789EU)
  
  That covers everything that you'd basically need for a job like this.

I've used both the WESD51 and a few Hakko stations, they're both great. Personally I have the WESD51 because its easier for me to get tips, but either way hakko and weller and both pretty good, definitely go for the digital if you can afford it. Also I'd get a few spare tips and a tip cleaner along with some no clean flux. But I wouldn't get just a reflow, unless all you do is SMD, which you can totally do with a slightly steadier hand and an iron.

> eBay

Thanks. Never heard of that brand before but it looks legit! I have two cheap soldering sets, a gun kind and pen type. They work alright but I imagine they wouldnt compare at all to the Hakko. I will keep my eye out for good deals on them. Wouldnt it be too late if I already purchased it after emailing Hakko the SN? Or would I be doing this prior to buying it via messaging the seller ?


Right now the solder im using is "rosin core 40/60" .

Im not sure if you meant this ratio or the one you said. Im pretty sure this isnt the fine gauge rosin because I have another roll of solder that is like 1 tenth the thickness of this one.

Do you have a link to the best all purpose solder for small electronics or your go to brand? The only reason I got into soldering is because I always end up breaking things and soldering fixes a lot of the things I break lol

Heres the items I have for soldering:

• Electronics soldering gun kit
  
  
• Larger Universal soldering gun
  
  
• Circuit Board Holder
  

Like others have said, unfortunately, yeah it's dead, but don't let that get you down! My first desoldered job, I did some serious butchery to the board. Luckily I was able to fix it so that it's functional, but it ain't pretty. But now I have no problems with desoldering. Like /u/anthonyooiszewen said, it could have been a few things. Definitely make sure you use a good leaded solder. I, personally, like this stuff. Next, definitely make sure you have a soldering iron with temperature control, and DO NOT RUN IT TOO HOT. Lastly, do yourself a favor, and get one of these.

> Knowing next to nothing about assembling something like this, could a complete newbie make one?

Providing you can follow instructions it would be like constructing a more advanced Lego set.

If /u/progidek shares his EAGLE design you can print it onto some double sided copper PCB using a DIY etchant kit and an inkjet printer or finding something similar.

Parts should just be a matter of searching part numbers into Jaycar, Amazon, Sparkfun, Element13 or other similar sites.

Assembly can be done by following pictures, just make sure polarity is correct. Usually one side is different to show the polarity; silver ribbon on 1 side, longer leg, deformed side. This will be the most time consuming step, but mistakes can be undone using solder wick.

Soldering is easy to do, but not so easy to keep as clean as /u/progidek did, it's really quite gorgeous. There are a few youtube tutorials on how to's and improving technique.

You may want to start on a pre-packaged kit to build up some skill

Could be a few things but mostly likely the wrong wick for the job. If you get wick from the hardware store it won't work well. That wick is designed usually for plumbing size jobs and higher temps.

For PCB size jobs and SMD components getting the right wick is important just like using the right solder. Something like this may do well for you:

MG Chemicals #3 No Clean Super Wick Desoldering Braid, 0.075" Width x 5' Length, Green https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00424S2C8/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_Fe5Dzb8XT56FK


I also use this wick and like it:

Aven 17542 Desoldering Wick, 2.5mm Width, 5' Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E48ERU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_9g5Dzb43FFNZ3



As far as technique, clean then tin your tip, heat the solder you are removing, re-tin your tip quickly and heavily, apply the braid and your tip on top. Solder should flow into the braid very quickly now that the solder was pre heated on the bottom of the wick and the tinned iron tip on top heats and flows into the braid sucking up the solder from below the wick.

I'd check the tip of your iron; if it's silver and shiny, it's fine; black and pitted, it probably doesn't conduct heat as well, and it's time to get a new one.

There are also other irons, like this Hakko that are higher wattage for about half the cost of the mentioned station.

I'd suggest switching to silicone hobby wire; a lot of the nerf stores like OutOfDarts, FoamBlast, and Containment crew carry it. It will handle high heat will, but is still pretty reasonable to strip by hand. You can also check out PVC coated wire; it's cheaper and a little thinner (though a bit less flexible), but it will burn much sooner than silicone.

Lead Free soldering is a bit more challenging, but it's certainly doable.

I use 67g zilents and they are pretty good. I like them. Personally, I'm currently using T1 switches, but these are pretty loud.

As for soldering, what equipment do you have right now? All you need is a steady hand, a good soldering iron/station and lots of patience.

And make you sure you have the right solder too - this is highly recommended - it's thin solder (0.031 inch diameter) - and 60/40 - do not get lead-free solder. it just doesn't work as well

https://www.amazon.com/KESTER-SOLDER-32117-24-6040-0027-Diameter/dp/B00068IJPO/

Questions asked by chat during stream:

1. What solder wick do you use for desoldering?
   

• https://www.amazon.com/Chemtronics-Desoldering-Braid-Chem-Wik-10-50L/dp/B0019V5MAC
  
  

1. Where can I find what services you provide?
   

• /u/anthonyooiszewen 's services can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechmarket/comments/694pg6/ustx_h_001keyboards_custom_keyboard_assembly_and/
  
  

1. He got a new switch removal tool from mehkee.com: https://mehkee.com/products/switch-removal-tool
   
   
2. Do all poker and GH60 plates have screws at same place?
   

• Yes, they do. That's why they are really popular!
  
  

1. Cherry vs Costar?
   

• Mostly Cherry, they are easy to mod and know what to do with them. The fittings and dimensions are the same and easier to work with. But in terms of best stabilizers he has ever used, were lubed Costars.
  
  

1. The flux that was on the PCB after using the solder wick to desolder, is that stuck on there or can that be wiped off?
   

• (Chat contribution) You can clean flux off with 90%+ iso alcohol
  
• Or flux remover, but very time consuming (could also rub off flux to rest of PCB)
  
  

1. what size of solder you use?
   
   • 0.8 mm
     
     
2. what temperature did you have to turn your soldering iron to to desolder the vortex solder, vs. soldering zelios switches
   
   • Desoldering Vortex solder: 690
     
   • Soldering Zelios switches: 660
     
   • For faster soldering: 690 - 700, but have to be careful
     
     
3. how are zealio tactile when compared to Gateron Brown... in terms of bump and sound... ?
   
   • Sound: Zelios later rounds sounds a little better because they fixed the rattle in newer rounds
     
   • Tactile: Gat Browns are a little more tactile than Cherry browns, but Zelios is a little more tactile than Gat browns
     
     
     Question by /u/anthonyooiszewen:
     
     
4. How do I make my webcam focus properly?
   
   • Chat: put your hand behind it like makeup gurus
     
     
     ------
     
     Will edit comment if more come up, and of course corrections if I took notes incorrectly :D

I'm still pretty new to this myself, but like you I have some electronics experience in the past. I just got this Weller 40w iron station with a desolder braid/sucker and a solder tip cleaner. Oh and a more precise tip for the solder iron

I'm really happy with it all so far, and couln't imagine needing more for a while. A heat gun would be nice for de-soldering and reflowing premade boards (like modding Boss pedals), but that can also be done with a regular solder iron as far as I know. You can get the above for about $60 total, so it's a nice way to get your feet wet without a huge investment. Then you gotta add on components/enclosures/pots/switches etc. Maybe get a helping hands and/or circuit holder if you need

Oh and get a good multimeter. I went a step up from the $20 ones and got this one which I'm also really happy with.

I do a back yard show too and I find the board method too cumbersome. I now use the duct tape/bag/stake method.

1. Duct tape: You've googled 4 cakes that you could hypothetically stick together because they "jive well". Duct tape them together with the fuses facing outward. Fuse so they all go off at once, or fuse in series. Use different speeds to accomplish your goal. You now have the stability of four cakes all in one. Gluing to a board is too much effort for me.
   
2. Bag: get a garbage bag over the whole thing once fused and you have a waterproof cake pod ready to go.
   
3. Stake: (IMO optional) Wrap Duct tape around the bag and stake to the ground for added stability
   
   Not a fan of roman candles. Dont waste your money.
   
   Make sure you test your fuse and know what speed it burns. My white fuse burns super fast. My green fuse burns faster than my yellow. My yellow burns much faster than the Pink. The pink is slower than the Shiny green fuse. That wasn't always the case. My green fuse was always the slowest and yellow was the fastest.
   
   I also don't like the idea of reloading shells during the show. If you must, you can prep them by zip tying the fuses together in groups of 8 or so. Throw 8 in the tubes and light the bunch. Dont put your head over any part. Stick the rest of prepped shells in a ready box. A ready box is designed so it cannot be left open. You lift up the lid, grab a bunch, the box has a string so that closes itself after opening
   
   Invest in zip ties and metal tape. Use this to tie your fuse together.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/3M-Foil-Tape-3381-Silver/dp/B00A7I5L86
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Aviditi-CT422E-Nylon-Length-Purple/dp/B00DY98M1I/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1525752899&sr=1-3&keywords=4%22+zip+ties
   
   I cant begin to tell you how much I love these fuse cutters. This tool changed my fuse cutting life. I spit on scissors now.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-Edge-Utility-Cutter-9-37309/dp/B0037IX2BG/ref=sr_1_12?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1525752808&sr=1-12&keywords=handi+cut
   
   This fuse igniter will change your life. Lighters might as well be flint. Thats how next gen this is. Get some propane or MAPP
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-TS4000-Trigger-Start-Torch/dp/B00008ZA09/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1525753004&sr=8-3&keywords=berzomatic
   
   This headlamp makes flashlights a thing of the past and changes your life. Make sure you get one that doesnt have a third strap along the top. If youre not using it you can wear your headlamp on your neck and not lose it.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Spot-Headlamp-Octane/dp/B06W9HPY25/ref=sr_1_6_twc-13d22461-ce_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525753147&sr=8-6-acs&keywords=head+lamp&content_id=13d22461-ceea-426c-b620-9fe11db17513&ascsubtag=13d22461-ceea-426c-b620-9fe11db17513&tag=ospsearch-20&widget_name=expert_recommendation&content_provider=osp&ingress=search&content_type=story
   
   Also invest some money in some eye and ear protection. I can't tell you how many times I went to bed with a "reeee sound" in my ears, and have gotten pyro shit in my eyes.
   
   Build yourself some real racks if you're up for it. I just recently built myself some and it was a snap.
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p7J4HV4Gak

typcially id agree that you'd wanna spend a bit more and get a really nice iron, but if you're just doing casual stuff I have a mudder soldering iron kit with variable temperature and multiple tips and it's done a great job. It feels a bit cheap but I've used it to build mic preamps and a microphone with ease. Also the case is nice to have.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H1IFT54/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1491221370&sr=8-5-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mudder+soldering&psc=1

This looks like the same kit but the brand name has changed for whatever reason.

Yep you're correct.

When soldering there are a few basic things you have to consider. The main idea is that you want to heat up the wire and the contact point to the point that the solder will "wick" to the parts. You don't want to just melt the solder on the iron itself and have it drizzle on the parts.

Here are some other basic tips I wish I had been told when I was learning to soldering electronics in no logical order:

• USE A WELL VENTILATED AREA. DO NOT BREATHE IN FUMES!!!! That stuff is really bad for you. Do it in an open garage, or under a kitchen hood.
  
• Make sure you use solder with rosin core flux. NOT ACID CORE FLUX. That's for plumbing.
  
• Thinner solder is easier to work with, you can always use more.
  

3. Use the appropriate size iron for the job or you risk problems like the OP. For something like the 3DS, I'd probably go no bigger than a 35W iron.
   
4. You want the solder to look shiny when you're done. If it's dull looking, it's a cold solder point and a bad contact point. Any movement while cooling frequently causes this problem.
   
5. One of these makes a huge difference. It's cheap and worth buying if you plan to do much electronics soldering.
   
6. Keep your soldering iron tip clean. Frequently wipe it down on a wet paper towel or a wet sponge while using it.
   
7. Don't reuse solder. It's cheap, and the flux inside is important to help it flow.
   
8. Tin the tip of your iron with solder as well as the wire you plan to solder. It's easier to just hold the tinned wire down with an iron where you need to solder than to use another hand to hold solder.
   
9. Don't bother with those gimmicky solder removers to take solder off. Just buy some solder wick and watch it suck all solder off using the solder's wicking action as you hold it on with an iron.
   
   But most of soldering is just practice. It's a pretty easy skill to get proficient at. After a few projects it'll be almost second nature.
   

Hard to say... I personally enjoy doing little electronics projects from time to time, so in my case, I already had a soldering station on hand, and I use it probably once a month or so for various things. Chances are if you haven't needed a soldering iron in your life up to this point, that you will rarely have a use for one later on.

While it's certainly easy to spend a decent amount of money on a nice soldering station, a cheap iron like this one on Amazon would be fine for jobs like this. A small spool of solder will run you about $4 dollars. You could find similar prices to these at Radio Shack as well.

I suggest this:

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Practical-Soldering-Project-Kit/dp/B0002LUAL6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1406761425&sr=8-4&keywords=learn+to+solder+kit

It's a very good kit, and will give you plenty of practice before you solder your Poker 2. No frills, and will give you plenty of practice for through hole soldering.

Combine this with a practical, but good quality soldering station:

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_3?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1406762091&sr=1-3&keywords=soldering+iron

A desoldering pump:

http://www.amazon.com/Sucking-Vacuum-Desoldering-Solder-Remover/dp/B005GIPKOW/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1406762167&sr=1-3&keywords=desoldering+pump

And some solder:

http://www.amazon.com/Alpha-AT-31604-60-40-Solder-Ounces/dp/B00030AP48/ref=sr_1_1?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1406762345&sr=1-1&keywords=solder

To learn, there are plenty of Youtube videos, I recommend you also solder the Elenco kit, then desolder everything to get a feel for how the desoldering pump works (it's super easy, you can't really screw it up). Then, solder it together one more time for extra practice.

All together, about $66 bucks. Add in the cost of the switches, and you're looking at a little over 100. Still a bunch cheaper than the Poker 2 from Massdrop ($143.50), and you've just learned a life skill. For me, that's totally worth it, but then again, I'm an engineer, and learning useful skills is what my entire profession is based on.

---

EDIT: Get this soldering kit instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SP3B-Practical-Soldering-Project/dp/B0002LUALG/ref=pd_tcs_compl_t_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=00RQRQTCJ767WDS4D7KV

Cheaper and has more soldering points. The other one has a shitty speaker which doesn't add much to the soldering lesson, but drives the cost up.

solder connections are on the bottom of the board. It's going to be a bitch to get off without burning or peeling up leads - those boards are not meant to be re-worked. I'm pretty handy with soldering, this is not something I would attempt except as an absolute last resort, and if I did, I'd go into it prepared to have a ruined board.

If you want to have a crack at it:

• check if they've epoxied the bottom of the board - if they have you can try to get it off, but you might be fucked.
  
• that connector may have some metal tabs that are bent under the board for extra stability - those will be easy to take off
  
• you need a good soldering iron with a fine tip and adjustable power
  
• you need desoldering wick
  
• flux will come in handy
  
  
• you want to have your iron at the lowest possible power that will melt the solder on the board - too hot and you're going to burn the board or detach the contacts.
  
• give the wick a tiny dip of flux, or tin it.
  
• you need to touch the wick to the solder on the board, and heat them both up at the same time. The solder will liquify and the wick will wick it up. Cut off the end of the wick as it soaks up solder
  
• Be very gentle with the wick on the board - it will have a tendency to get stuck or soldered onto the board and if you're not careful you'll pull off a contact pad
  
• don't overheat - liquefy the solder, then pull the iron away, let the board cool down. It's a tedious process, you have to be patient with it.
  
• it's really hard to wick up all the solder out of a joint. Some might go easy but others will be soldering. Shoot for getting 80% of the solder out of the connections.
  
• Once you've got the bulk of the solder out of the joints, you're going to start to lift that socket off the board. Work one side of the socket at a time - lay your iron across 2-3 legs and gently pry up on the socket as the solder liquefies. Work your way up and down the socket, prying little by little. Eventually you'll get one side of the socket up, then work the other side.
  
  But here are some better ideas:
  
  
• Find a male connector that fits into that socket and wire your leads up to the appropriate pins. take that board into a computer shop (they kind where they build and fix desktops) or an electronics supply place and see if they have the connector you need - shouldn't be hard to find.
  
• if you can't find a connector, the next easiest thing will be to solder your aux leads onto the socket pins on the bottom of that board. They're going to be small pitch pins so you'll need a good fine tip iron and some small gauge solder, but shouldn't be too tricky.

Soldering iron: https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-FX-888D/dp/B00ANZRT4M

Edit: most people recommend getting a chisel tip for the soldering iron. Big tips for big jobs, small tips for small jobs. Just having the pencil tip and one chisel will get you by for a long time.

Desoldering braid: https://www.amazon.com/Aven-17542-Desoldering-2-5mm-Length/dp/B003E48ERU/

Desoldering pump: https://www.amazon.com/WEmake-WM-SP4-Solder-Sucker-desoldering/dp/B0002KRAAG

You want both the pump and the braid. Get thin solder for electronics. You should probably use lead-free, but I like good old 60/40.

There are a ton of suggestions on multimeters. The exact right one for you depends on what you eventually want to do. Dave Jone's EEVBlog has some good suggestions. As does Adafruit. Anything Adafruit recommends isn't too far off the mark. If you just want a suggestion: Extech EX330 for $45 https://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-Autoranging-Multimeter-Thermometer/dp/B000EX0AE4 Cheaper ones will do the job, but this is a better one. The next step up are True RMS meters for about $100.

Hey! Glad to help. This Is the exact soldering iron I use. Extremely effective, I keep it at a 3 at all times, seems to be a legit temperature for everything Gameboy related.

The Solder I use works really well, rarely sticks to the soldering tip (like many other ones I've tried) and seems to be the most consistent. It's also supported by HHL - so you know it's solid!

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the reply, /u/naturalorange!

• definitely hit the connector with some 150 grit sand paper! =)
  
• i'm using 60/40 solder with 2% flux, so I got that part covered
  
• this was the big problem, imo (along with the shiny plating on the so239). between this and roughing up the so239's surface, I was able to get a good solid solder joint
  
  And I agree with the copper/brass mesh cleaner: I bought this one when I placed the order for the new iron. Bonus iron holder, too =)

The following are the parts I'll be purchasing for this build. I think I've covered everything, but as this will be my first custom loop if someone could give it the once over and make sure I'm not forgetting something it would be GREATLY appreciated!

Link to current build

Item | Vendor | Price | Quantity |
---|---|----|----|----
[CE 280](https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-ce-280-dual","EK-CoolStream CE 280) | EK | 75.99 | 1 |
[PE 360](https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-coolstream-pe-360-triple#ow_alert_box","EK-CoolStream PE 360) | EK | 79.99 | 1 | 1
Corsair SP 120 2-pack | Amazon | 27.99 | x2 |
EK 140 Revo D5 | EK | 163.99 | 1 | text
EK Supremacy EVO | EX | 78 | 1 | text
EK Pump Bracket | EX | 13.49 | 1 | text
MSI GTX 1080 Sea Hawk EK| Newegg | 569.99 | 1 | text
ATX Bridging Plug | EX | 2.49 | 1 | text
Alphacool Silicon Bending Cord | Amazon | 8.49 | 1 | text
EK-CSQ Plug | EK | 3.49 | x2 | text
EK-AF 6mm M-M Extender | EK | 2.99 | x2 |
EK Ball Valve | EK | 19.99 | 1 | text
EK X Splitter | EK | 8.99 | 1 | text
Heat Gun | Amazon | 17.71 | 1 |
Step Bit | Amazon | 10.85 |1| text
Pipe Cutter | Amazon | 7.99 | 1 | text
EK-HDC 16mm Gold Fitting | EK | 8.99 | x10 |
EK PETG 12/16 Tube | EK | 8.49 | x4 |

My goal is to try and get a job (I've never had one before, and as this is the summer between my 2nd and 3rd years of college, I think its about time I get one). So far I've been tracking down one at a music store. My hobby is playing and learning instruments, as well as repairing them, so the employee discount at this store would be incredibly useful to me. I've followed up several times, and just recently I called again and they said that they have me on their list. So hopefully that means I'll eventually get the job.

465

Here's something less than $5-$10

Here's something that is in the $5-$10 range.

Good luck on your goal. I took up that goal awhile back, made moderate progress and then loss sight of it in the hectic mess of schoolwork, sports, and clubs. That's not to say I'm mean now, it just means I made progress, and haven't made anymore. Hopefully I can pick that back up soon! I'm sure you'll be fine!

Oboy, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. However, /u/BriThePiGuy recommends Joe Knows Electronics boxes, and /u/NeoMarxismIsEvil recommends the following:

> I would order some cheap assortment kits from people on aliexpress. These are the sort that come with like 10 of most common values of resistor, capacitor, etc.

> Other stuff:

> - WeMos d1 mini or mini pro
> - small i2c OLED displays
> - small LCD display
> - tacswitches (buttons)
> - SPDT switches
> - 74HC595 and 74HC165 shift registers
> - either bidirectional logic level shifter modules or mosfets and resistors needed to make them
> - 7 segment led displays (individual)
> - 8x8 led matrices
> - various environmental and physics sensors (often come as a kit of 20+ different modules)
> - extra breadboards
> - jumper wires
> - male and female header strips (for modules that lack pins)
> - cheap breadboard power supplies
> - voltage regulators (both LDO ICs and buck converter)
> - possibly some 4xAA or 4xAAA battery holders
> - trim pot assortment

> Those are just ideas. Some things like 7 seg led digits are pretty cheap and worth having a few of but not terribly important if you have a real display of some sort.

I personally like the assortment of bits I got in my Sparkfun Inventor's Kit, but found that I wanted more of the following:

• Jumpers, though it's since been recommended to me that I just use solid-core 22 AWG wire so I bought this wire kit and these automatic strippers
  
• Breadboards, both self-adhesive and solderable, and maybe some mini ones of each type.
  
• LEDs (RGB and single-color)
  
• A good selection of potentiometers and trimpots, both slide and radial, plus knobs for them if applicable
  
• More buttons of varying types, both clicky and quiet momentary ones (here's a quiet button that's nice)
  
• A good multimeter and maybe some extra probes
  
• Some power supplies, both 12v and 5v. Here's one that's supposed to do both simultaneously, but you'll need a molex plug (which Sparkfun inexplicably doesn't carry) unless you want to strip the end. You might also want some barrel jacks, and this cheap extension cable provides the male end.
  
• A variable power supply would probably also be very useful, but I haven't yet invested in one of those so I can't make a recommendation at this time.
  
• A good selection of resistors
  
• Alligator test clips, plus some with pigtails for prototyping on a breadboard with components that won't fit in those little holes
  
• Some heat shrink tubing and a heat gun that you should only use on the lowest setting for this purpose. When selecting heat shrink tubing, pay attention to it's shrink ratio and what size it'll end up being when you're done.
  
• A soldering kit and some solder. Note that all solders aren't created equal but the one I linked is supposed to be decent.
  
• If you get into larger gauge soldering (for home or automotive wiring), a propane torch will be handy, but you can get something like that for $20 with a propane tank at your local hardware store
  
• Some project boxes

The microswitch looks to be a Omron switch. Would make sense since Razer also sells gaming mouses that use this switch. As far as the joystick, I have to agree with /u/ScryptHasher and say that this is more than likely an off the shelf part. For this I would just search on Ebay for replacement Xbox One joysticks and find one that matches closests to the original.

For desoldering I highly recommend watching some videos on YouTube. Take your time. Also pick up some decent desoldering wick with flux, such as Chemtronics Desoldering Braid.

Good luck on your adventures repairing this controller and hopefully many more electronic projects in the future!

Check YouTube for soldering tutorials. Plenty out there.

Definitely tin the tip of the iron everytime you solder. I also use some of this to help keep the tip clean.

I know you don't want to go for a more expensive iron but my hakko iron is awesome and it really makes soldering more enjoyable. Worth the investment if you stay in the hobby.

You definitely want to get a soldering station. So something that can control the temperature of the of the iron. The reason being is the ones that just plug into the wall usually fluctuate between extremely hot and very hot which can become if you’re trying to solder next to very delicate transistors on the pcb.


I know people say you can get away with the cheapest everything but that’s usually not the case at all and sometimes dangerous to your health.


Getting good solder, tip tinner, brass sponge, flux pen, and a fan with a carbon filter will do you great things.


The fan is extremely important when your desoldering as that will give off a tonne of chemicals.


This is what I personally have


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BSW69LI/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074J6R1KQ/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001W2XZOS/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FZPGDLA/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NS4J6BY/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The soldering iron is overkill if you’re just using it for trains

By esteps I mean extruder steps. The number of steps the stepper motor has to turn to push out 1 mm of filament. Generally you can calibrate this by telling it to extrude 100 mm of filament and measuring how much it actually extruded. I don't know specifics of your printer but you should be able to find information about your specific printer indicating if that is something most people do. Here is the procedure for a different printer, it will give you some idea what to look for for yours: https://3dprinterwiki.info/extruder-steps/

To clear out a potential clog take off your nozzle and hold it in front of a heat gun on high with pliers. The filament will pretty much evaporate away. Can use tiny nozzle cleaning drill bits, you can get on amazon or aliexpress, to clean out any that doesn't evaporate.

If you don't have a heat gun you can get them for $10-$20 at Harbor Freight or Amazon. This is the one I bought and it works well (looks like it has went up in price since I bought it though):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EU2T8GG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> its thicker than I remember

How old is the nozzle? Maybe it is worn and the hole is now bigger than 0.4mm? (brass nozzles are consumables if that is what you are using)

Whoo, loaded question with tons of opinions, hah.

The "best" lube is highly subjective, and it also depends on the type of switch. If you're lubing linear switches, my personal favorite is VPF 1514 oil. It's not cheap, but it gets the job done (you can order smaller quantities of it from Mehkee. For tactile switches, I use Krytox GPL 205 (which you used to be able to buy DuPont brand on Amazon, but no longer appears to be available).

Best solder for building keyboards is Kester, 0.8mm, hands down. Quality stuff, flows and bonds well, and the size is good for switches or LEDs.

Soldering iron recommendations: This cheap kit is acceptable for building a keyboard (I built 4 or 5 with it prior to upgrading). If you know you're going to be building multiple kits, and you think it's possible you might do re-work or try to desolder boards, just go ahead and spend the money right the first time and get this one: Hakko FX888D. Basically the gold standard of soldering irons.

How long does this thing need to run? Using AA or even a 9 V is very heavy, a LiPo is expensive.... Do you really need it to last a week?

The 5 V pro micro consumes 19.9 milliamps in active mode, so using 6 SR416SW watch batteries (8 mAh) in series will provide an operating life of (8 mAh / 19.9 mA) = .4 hr = 24 minutes. Using 6 watch batteries of a higher capacity (SR44SW) could get you up to 8.8 hours of operating time. Using AA batteries would get you over 100 hours at a significant cost in weight.

There's no sense in carrying any more battery than required. You can always use solder-glue to connect wires to the batteries, which is probably easier than figuring out how to hold the batteries in some sort of clip.

When finding batteries you just need to take the battery capacity in mAh (current*time) and divide it by the current draw you plan on giving it - the quotient will be the operating life of your device in whatever unit of time you chose to do the math in (probably hours).

Your strategy should be to start with a desired operational lifetime, and then from this number work backwards to find a battery capacity that suits your needs. Don't forget to add some margin - so maybe buy the size up from the battery your math specified.

Hey, best tip i can give you to get better is to find junk printers, motherboards, ect... and just practice de-soldering and re-soldering caps, resistors, anything that just has two pins. Also I would also suggest lowering the temp on the Iron (if you can) I use about 320 C for most of my stuff, and I would also recommend getting a good soldering iron it helps a lot. The soldering Iron I would recommend the TS100 with the D24-Tip, then look online for how to set it up.
If you like you can contact me by discord, and I can help you with what ever you need, (my discord Demi 소금#9026)

One last thing is that Twisting and pre-tinning the wires is almost a must when soldering anything.

Soldering Tip(D24-Tip) : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XYR3VTJ/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A2FGAWCX62OR7U&psc=1

Soldering Iron: https://www.amazon.com/NovelLife-Mini-TS100-Soldering-Digital/dp/B07D35B75T/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1PGZOPAOX1MUO&keywords=ts100+soldering+iron&qid=1557599888&s=gateway&sprefix=ts100%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

1st, heat the component and feed the solder into it.

2nd, If you have a cheap low wattage solding iron, objects with alot of metal will be hard to solder as it wicks the heat away too fast and doesnt get hot enough.

3rd, strip the wire a bit shorter, too much exposure especially without heat shrink allows for shorts

4th for removing solder as per above, sometimes you can just heat up the solder and tap the object against the table and the hot blob will fall off, i recommend though to either have solder wick or a solder sucker.

5th, for solder, use 60/40 lead - tin flux core solder, thinner the easier it is to work with.


soldering can be done cheap and easy but nothing beats having the proper tools.

Practice, practice, practice.

Although i will say when i was younger i also had joints look like that too.


If you continue to do this alot, here are the tools i recommend

Solder Wick

Solder

Iron and Solder Sucker


although if you really do alot of solder, get a good temp controller one like this

Weller Soldering station

These are all pretty solid Personally I'm a fan of Aoyue's products too, though both the units I've owned have been on the expensive side, I can link those if you're interested. For solder, I always use this stuff, it works great for switches and stuff like that and is small enough to work alright for SMD work.

I've never soldered before, but I was embarrassed by how ridiculously easy it is. I still practiced on a $10 kit first.

Soldering kit

Tip cleaner

Thin solder wire

Solder wick optional, but way easier than a vacuum for a beginner.

Practice kit optional but nice for initial confidence boosting

EDIT: OK, I went back and looked at the torch I bought, it says Propane only. I returned it and and got a Berzomatic TS8000

Ok, thanks for the replies!

I picked up this flux: Harris SSWF1 Stay Silv Brazing Flux, 1 lb. Jar, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002075B0U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_790RCb2K2T97F

^(And this torch head: BernzOmatic Basic Use UL2317 Brass Pencil Flame Propane Torch Head) ^(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008ZA0C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_N.0RCbY4860NK)

^(And did buy propane, but it was only like $6 for 2 camping cans so no big loss.)

I'll grab a can of MAPP.

I assume that because it's only 12 gauge wire and a 20 gauge "solder" it won't take long at all to heat up. As I understand it:

• Clean everything thoroughly. I'll use sandpaper and fine stainless steel brushes.
  
• Apply flux to wires Heat wire until red hot.
  
• Heat "solder" a bit and dip in flux
  
• Heat wires a bit more and touch solder to area.
  
  I've also seen people cut little bits of the soldering wire and place it on the target, then heat the wires until it flows. Is that incorrect?
  
  Thanks again!

A couple of things come to mind:

A) Cool.

B) Instead of drilling through your stencils, I recommend using a finishing nail or an awl and banging pilot divots. This centers and guides the drill bit, and keeps you from killing your stencil, just in case.

3) Try heat shrink tubing. It's not terribly expensive, it's fun to use, and it makes you look clever.

D) In the event that you ever want people to think that you are very clever, get a decent soldering iron. If you have a lot of extra money to throw around, get a fancy Weller station. If not, I recommend the adorable Hakko FX-888. Now that the analog version has been discontinued, it's hard to find on sale, but... they're fantastic. If you want to feel fancy, you could get something like this. Look at all those bits! I don't know either!

Okay, I've never tried this but I would recommend trying to use 1206 SMD LEDs, they're about 1/8x1/16 of an inch. The one I linked makes a red-orange when lit and runs about $10 for 100 LEDs. Since you need it to look like trailer lights I'd connect them with hard steel, like a paperclip bent/cut how you need it. 1206 is pretty big for SMD LEDs, but in case you can't solder it you can use electrically conductive adhesive. Just dip the end of the wire in there and get it to stick to the LED or apply with a toothpick.

Heated PCBs are hard anyway because they are a weird combination of heatsinking and thermally insulative. If you are ever going to solder a second thing, just get a good Hakko or something. I have the analog version of the linked iron, and love it. I leave it at 350C constantly ... it gets to temp in like 20 seconds and holds it rock solid.

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Digital-FX888D-CHP170-bundle/dp/B00AWUFVY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421772043&sr=8-1&pebp=1421772044939&peasin=B00AWUFVY8

Also:
http://www.amazon.com/SRA-Soldering-Flux-Low-Solids-No-Clean/dp/B008OC0E5M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421772121&sr=8-1&pebp=1421772121985&peasin=B008OC0E5M

I'd highly suggest you plunk down and get both. You'll feel like a wizard from now on with soldering. For the flux pen, just drown your connections, wire, pads, etc in flux before soldering. Within a very generous reason, you cannot overflux things, and it makes the solder actually behave like it should. It globs where it's supposed to, doesn't make those stupid little peaky points that bridge everywhere, and so on.

Soldering is one of those tasks where it really pays off to invest a little bit more in your tools at the beginning. /u/1-11 mentioned the Weller WLC100 - I second this recommendation. I've had one for almost 8 years and it's never let me down, though I bought a nicer iron a few years ago (Aoyue 968A+) and the Weller hasn't seen much use since.

The kit you posted is probably not very high quality. I would steer away from it and spend the extra money to get something you know will perform well for years. You do want some of the things from that kit, though:

• Solder sucker
  
  
• Solder wick
  
  
• Tweezers
  
  
• Various tips
  
  
• Flux (I use a flux pen similar to this one for most things as it's a little easier to apply)
  
  A good way to practice is to get some perf board (the tan-colored breadboard-looking PCB prototyping boards), a pack of random wires and/or resistors/capacitors, and just start soldering things in. SparkFun sells some good kits for beginner soldering, and they have a few good tutorials as well.
  
  Always use flux, always tin your wires before soldering them to anything, and always hold the iron on the solder long enough for it to completely flow. Learn how to use solder wick and you'll be able to repair just about anything. Finally, always tin your tips before storing the iron - don't want the tips to corrode!

IMAGE 1:

1 - OtterBox Drybox 3250 (Keeps my stuff dry when hoofing it through the rain)

2 - Oakley Juliet Carbon, Black Iridium, with Pouch

3 - Victorinox SwissChamp XLT with Pouch (I've disassembled and repaired laptops using only this tool, it's got everything)

4 - Sony Earbuds (Galaxy S4 Active does not have an FM radio, earbuds acts as antenna for HTC phone's FM radio)

5 - Toshiba Canvio Connect 2TB Portable Hard Drive (There's a complete backup of my PC as well as about 1,200 movies on it)

6 - Dayan GuHong 3x3x3 Speed Cube 6-Color Stickerless V2

7 - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Pocket, Plain Paper, Hard Cover, Black, with Zebra F-301 Ballpoint, Sanford Protouch II Mechanical Pencil, and Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser

8 - Rechargeable Backup Battery (Got it for $10 at Micro Center, great for a quick top-up when I'm in the field, or in a field)

9 - Armani Exchange Leather Logo Embossed Card Case

10 - SanDisk Cruzer Fit 16GB USB Flash Drive x 2 (One Bit-Locker encrypted with PortableApps, and one YUMI bootable with PCLinuxOS, BackTrack, HIREN, and LiberKey)

11 - Importer520 Micro USB OTG Male To USB Female Adapter For Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (Allows me to plug almost any USB device into my Galaxy S4)

12 - Samsung Charger, with retractable USB to Mini-USB cable, and Mini-USB to Micro-USB adapter (Charges both phones, bluetooth headphones, bluetooth keyboard, backup battery, and connects hard drive to phone or PC)

13 - Honest 503 Butane Jet Pencil Torch (Also doubles as a quick and dirty soldering torch)

14 - Rii Touch 330 Bluetooth Keyboard

15 - HTC Inspire 4G (Backup Phone)

16 - Hybrid Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (Taking Photo) (This thing is a beast, water and dust proof, it has pretty much negated my need to carry around a laptop, especially with TeamViewer installed. I was also able to wade across a river with it fully submerged in my pocket while on vacation last year.)

17 - Quikcell S160 Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Headset

18 - Casio PRW2500-1 (Solar powered, with every environmental sensor that my phone doesn't have)

IMAGE 2:

Packed Armani Exchange Ripstop Messenger Bag

Packed Otterbox (Goes in bag)

IMAGE 3:

Thermos E20600 (Goes in bag, quite literally keep ice for 24 hours, utterly amazing)

Not a bad idea - you're much less likely to electrocute yourself!

I can't stress enough the importance of good solder joints! Don't glob solder onto the iron and then apply to the piece of work. It's important to thoroughly heat the work until IT melts the solder and the solder is allowed to naturally flow into the nooks and crannies of the work.

Also, you are embarking on a way of life. This is a serious commitment of time and money. Do yourself a favor and buy a GOOD soldering station - not a cheap soldering pen!!!

It'll be blackened, solder won't stick to it, and it'll have poor heat transfer.

Properly tinning and caring for your tips is one of the first things you should learn--use the bronze puff (or less ideal sponge) to clean off flux and excess solder during use.

If it's a good quality tip, the black stuff will only be burnt on flux, rather than full oxidation of the cladding (at which point, you should replace it). To quote myself from another post (n.b. don't use sand paper to try to clean up your tips):

> I use a scour pad (keep a small part of one in your toolbox, inside a ziplock) on my tip when it gets really carbonized, and then follow it up with Weller tip tinner / activator. As many others are saying here, a low-abrasive bronze puff is better than a damp sponge for cleaning your iron when in use, since it can better wick solder and doesn't subject the tip to as much thermal stress.

I've done a few NES console builds and a few more NES cartridge builds. This album isn't mine, but for the port access I HIGHLY recommend using the decora keystone wall plate. You can get a gray one on Amazon that comes decently close to matching, and with some good glue work you'll barely notice it's there. Since you'll be using a dremel anyway to get rid of screw standoffs that are no longer necessary, cutting that opening should just take some patience.

I was a complete idiot with a soldering iron, and after getting some reps with it doing projects like these it's kind of amazing what you pick up. I found this site hugely helpful, since a lot of what I was doing was desoldering USB cables from PCB's (for the cartridge builds) and resoldering microUSB heads. You won't be doing a lot of desoldering, however everyone makes mistakes and sometimes fixing those mistakes involves removing solder. There are plenty of youtube vids out there for soldering, but all you need to get started is something like this. It's not the best iron in the world, but it's temperature controllable and something cheep to get you started. The only thing I'd add to that is a little flux, it will help tinning wire ends immeasurably.

Something else that's going to help you out a LOT for the console build: RELOCATE THE MICROSD CARD. Buy one of these, I routed mine to the left side of the cartridge opening, set vertically against the opening and at an angle so i can get the SD card in and out. You really don't want to rip apart 6 screws to open and close the unit, and if the SD card gets corrupted or you just want to change something on there that's exactly what you'll have to do. Move that sumbitch to the front and you'll never have to worry about it.

Thanks for sending the video along. I never knew what that little syringe was for until now.

I'm pretty sure the solder I'm using is for electric work. Here is what I've been using. I'll admit I pretty much never clean the solder tip which probably is having an impact on the ability of connections to stay put.

Me as well.
Also consider one of these. They get recommended pretty regularly.

But, honestly, my zippo+jet drop-in like what /u/katmaipinnacles recommended has worked just fine so far.

This: http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-Variable-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM/ Best cheap iron I've played with. Tips are a bit rough and seem more prone to heavy oxidation than my normal Weller ones (or maybe people just liked to crank the temp all the way up), so you probably want this too: http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-sponge-needed/dp/B005C789EU/ A sponge mostly just cleans off excess flux and solder. The brass shaving ball scrapes off oxidation really well without damaging tips.

Don't cheap out on the solder either. Buy a 1lb. spool of Kester "44" 63/37 (old school 60/40 works too), should last a normal DIY lifetime.

60/40 rosin core should be good.

Alpha Fry AT-31604 60-40 Rosin Core Solder (4 Ounces) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00030AP48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BhXXzbASH0FHM

Use solder wick and a wide tip to clean the old solder off

NTE Electronics SW02-10 No-Clean Solder Wick, #4 Blue, .098" Width, 10' Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195UVWJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9eXXzb1S3RHKS

Use lots flux. Coat the area before you use the wick and again before you solder. It helps bond the solder to the metal.

MG Chemicals No Clean Flux Paste, 10 ml Syringe https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00425FUW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_mgXXzbTRM5G78

A good iron helps so very much. This is what I have

Weller WES51 Analog Soldering Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RiXXzb76H6WDS

However this should do for occasional use

Vastar 60W 110V Welding Soldering Iron with Adjustable Temperature Dial, 5pcs Interchangeable Different Soldering Iron Tips and Solder Tube for Soldering Repaired Usage, Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RCB7KB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_slXXzbQRJVVZ2

When you are done clean with 90% or above isopropyl alcohol and let dry before you use.

Watch some videos on how to use the wick. Its a great tool to have and works so much better than the crappy suckers.

Far and away my favorite is this from Amazon. The 503 torch is sold by a ton of sellers, holds a copious amount of butane, easily adjusts flame height, and includes a soft flame.

Its pretty much perfect and even fits snugly in my herfadors.

+1 for the Hakko FX888D-23BY

Some solder wick and a desolder pump is something else I would add. Also a cheap tip thinner for a noob (like me). Helping hands are cheap and can be useful. Also a cheap variety pack of tips. Nothing expensive till you are comfortable with keeping them clean and tinned.

These are all things I bought when I purchased my Hakko FX888. All have been useful.

Desolder Pumps and Wick

[Tip tinner] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_k1kZDbJ5TS5Q6)

Helping hands w/magnifying glass

Various Tips

Hakko FX888D-23BY


All of this cost me $146 shipped. Right now, it'll all total to $139.83 shipped if in the US

I was thinking something like this:

http://www.frys.com/product/2931025

but I have not actually done it.


I once broke off the end of touchpad ribbon cable for a laptop -- I scraped the new end with an exacto knife and inserted into connector and another soldered to a board.

they also have conductive greese:

http://www.frys.com/product/4707359

If you do that you would need to put little bit on the traces and then drops of super glue on both sides and between each trace.

Or this on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Sciplus-Electrically-Conductive-Soldering-Wire/dp/B000Z9H7ZW

and maybe you can find something like this in the auto parts store

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-21351-Electrically-Conductive-Defogger/dp/B000HBGKWE


And, oh yeah, that stuff you linked at RadioShack looks good, too.


The scraping part will be hard to do without breaking so be carefull.

My WhiteFox recently started getting chatter on the R and the 2 keys, so from what I've read it seems like I need to desolder the switches and put new ones in? So for desoldering, do the Engineer SS-02 and this desoldering braid seem good, or is anything else someone might recommend for desoldering? Also wondering for putting the new switches in, if there's any specific size or type of solder I should get?

Thanks!

edit: figured out the solder, but what would be a good flux? what are the different types for and why is flux important?

Definitely does!

This flux pen look good?

Also, I have what seems to be a slightler version of a phillips head as my solder tip, it came with the gun.

Is some like this better to use in my case or what solder tip type would you recommend?

I do not know if he got you the links but here they are all on Amazon. The funniest thing is that I have it all ready for when I get enough money for this and the Hakko FX-888D.

Solder is the Kester 44

Solder sucker

Desoldering wick

Hakko cleaning tip wire station

Surprising! That's the first good thing I've hear about the K tips! Sounds like a lot of people toss em or basically never use them after getting some chisel tips.

As for solder, I was originally going to order some off Aliexpress, but it sounds like that's a terrible idea. Kester 245 No Clean 63/37 in a 0.031" (0.8mm) sounds like a good balance for genera purpose solder. I'm afraid 0.5mm will be too narrow for soldering THT, splices, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Kester-Rosin-Core-Solder-Spool/dp/B00068IJPO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421246616&sr=8-1&keywords=kester+44+rosin+core+solder

I've been soldering for decades and I have never found a lead-bearing solder that worked better overall. I use 0.031" for through-hole work, 0.020" or even 0.015" for SMD and touch-up. The flux is fast-acting enough that I can use Weller 800F tips and a quick-in-quick-out soldering technique, completing the joint before the heat can spread far. In any case, you get best results when you touch the tip of the solder to the junction of iron and wire, aimed such that the flux spits straight into the joint as it boils.

add: Using 63/37 rather than 60/40, you minimize the paste period where the lead has chilled but the tin is molten, thus reducing the chances of a cold solder joint due to movement.
> The 63/37 is a eutectic alloy, which:
>
> 1. has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361 °F) of all the tin/lead alloys; and
> 2. the melting point is truly a point — not a range.

-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder

Good background info: http://www.kester.com/knowledge-base/faq/

Opinions on these three soldering irons? It's only use will be for keyboards, and I don't anticipate building them as often as we all dream, haha. But I do want one that'll do the job well without going over the $100 mark, and preferably under $80 if any of these are decent.

Hakko Dial type temperature limiting soldering iron FX600 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006MQD7M4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pBXMAb3DXH857

Hakko FX601-02 Adjustable Temperature Controlled Soldering Iron, 67 Watts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FZPSX3G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UDXMAbYNHEAWS

UY CHAN Upgraded Original TS100 Digital OLED Programmable Pocket-size Smart Mini Outdoor Portable Soldering Iron Station Kit Embedded Interface DC5525 Acceleration Sensors STM32 Chip Fast Heat (B2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDTO6X7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CEXMAb7A2CDNW

I've been soldering for 20 years and I still can't quite get it down all the time.

Take an evening, beer up and go watch the PACE International soldering tutorial. Get a good soldering iron from a local electronics shop or Amazon; I like the little $30 Weller "student" irons because they're adjustable and have good tip variety for cheap. SMT soldering needs two basic kinds of tip: point and a flat. With some practice, you can easily drag-solder gull-wing packages like the Atmel here.

You also don't seem to have

• ruined the board
  
• actually caused damage to the gull-wing
  
  A small amount of solder wick or just GENTLY dragging your iron across the pins will get the bridged pins cleaned up, just make sure to add some flux when you solder again, if your solder doesn't have flux baked in. Then, the big glob of solder should just pop off the board -- it isn't wetted to anything Wick off the board.
  
  I will agree with whoever said you're using too much solder: you're dripping. That's too much. The PACE videos will get you oriented in the right direction as to when to stop.
  
  Solder wick is cheap to the point Amazon demands you buy it with something else. Get some. It's like a towel for solder. Heat, soak, and repeat.
  

If you get the small propane torch, make sure to get the "clicker" kind that automatically light. This is the one I use.

It is SO nice to just click the button and shove the flame into the smoker and three seconds later it's lit perfectly.

http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-TS4000-Trigger-Start-Torch/dp/B00008ZA09/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1395417266&sr=1-1&keywords=propane+torch

Well, if you can use the lab and it has a scope in it then you just scored big time.

As far as $100. I would get:

(amazon links for convenience, use any supplier you wish)

• DMM (digital multimeter) - must have diode check, DC volts, AC volts, Ohms, and continuity. Extech EX330 ($50) or Equus 3320 ($20)
  
  
• clip leads for the meter such as these - these are important because you will need to take values while the amp is on, and you don't want to be poking around a live amp
  
  
• variable power/temp soldering iron - cheap one good one better one
  
  
• 60/40 leaded solder - I like this kind
  
  
• desolder braid
  
  
• rosin flux
  
  
• contact cleaner
  
  
• (de-oxit d-5)[http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B00006LVEU/]
  
  
• flush cutters
  
  
• solder sucker
  
  
• shrink tube of various diameters
  
  
• 92%+ isopropyl alcohol
  
  
• windex
  
  
• q-tips
  
  
• paper towels
  
  
• needle nose pliers
  
  
• nice set of phillips head screwdrivers
  
  
• standard screwdriver
  
  
• miner's headlamp
  
  
• digital camera for taking many many pictures before and during disassembly
  
  
• printer for printing service manuals
  
  
• heat gunor hair dryer
  
  
• canned air
  
  
  EDIT: Light bulb socket, 100W + 60W real light bulbs (not the hippy engery saving kind), electrical outlet - these are for making a dim bulb tester.
  
  All I can think of right now.

For anyone reading this, a standard heat gun has a lot of uses, but is the great for efficiently cleaning the stock of cosmoline.

Starting out with a basic 20W handheld iron is fine. You dont need a complex temperature controlled one for you first few projects. Get a little stand so you can put it somewhere safe after each step.

Use leaded solder while you are learning as its easier to work with. Just avoid inhaling the smoke (or even get a small fan filter) wash your hands after working.

Get a basic handheld solder sucker to correct basic mistakes.

A kit like this actually looks pretty solid to start with!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H1IFT54/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1493103880&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=soldering+iron&dpPl=1&dpID=51YRK651M%2BL&ref=plSrch

Use the soldering tip to heat the PCB pad and leg of the part at the same time for about a second and then touch the solder to the opposite side of the leg to the iron. Solder should flow even and form a gentle cone shape.

Edit: Please make sure you turn off and unplug your power supply before cutting any wires.

Parts / tool list below, this what i used but there are substitutes out there.

Note: Main thing that is slightly challenging is soldering the XT60s, basic idea is to “tin” (soldering term) the wires and the XT60s first, then heat the connector with your iron as you put the wire in to get a good fusion. Decent video on soldering them:solder XT60s


My soldering Iron:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ANZRT4M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Soldering Flux:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZIV85A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Solder (60-40)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071G1J3W6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

New XT-60’s and Shroud:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074PN6N4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Helping Hands (not required, but def helpful)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RB38X8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bought this a while ago, but any heat shrink will do:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFA3OFA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wire - If you’re new to soldering and need practice, or you’re going to split your cables for Rasberry Pi, or other components, etc:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ABOPMEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll just give you a list of the items I've been using (and like):

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-T18-D08-D12-D24-D32/dp/B00C1N30DI Hakko FX-888D. The extra tips may be unnecessary, I only ever use the one chisel tip

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJPO Leaded solder

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SPGFT8 Brushes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K Side cutters

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00425FUW2 Flux

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O9VLA2 Solder Wick

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013HT2QW KimWipes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B5JT8C Isopropyl Alcohol

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CU56KM Acetone spray (use carefully/sparingly)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G5T9M0 Jewelers loupe

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019SLLOMY Tweezers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P8Z4RPG Hot air station (works well despite Chinesium)

Also, I noticed in Dave's videos he rarely adds flux, just the flux that's built into the multicore solder. I don't know if I'm alone on this one but with flux I always felt the bigger the glob the better the job. Just have to clean it afterwards with the solvent, tissues & brushes.

Edit: Okay that's a much bigger list than I thought, this stuff can get expensive!

I'm not sure what you mean by "...more controlled way to connect each button to ground".

As far as connecting wires to pins, soldering is often the best way. A tutorial on soldering would probably be useful if you've never done it before. I recommend lead free solder, some flux, and a cheapo soldering iron with a finer chisel tip. Such as, this one. Or, something comparable. Flux: Rosin Flux. You want to make sure it's a thick rosin based flux otherwise you may have to obsessively your joint and the surrounding area.

​

Google images:

http://slagcoin.com/joystick/pcb_diagrams/gc_diagram1.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy4Wdbp3cpM/VRYTb7T4fGI/AAAAAAAAAbU/AcAbPTgP05g/s1600/2015-03-27%2B17.22.34.jpg

http://gc-forever.com/mega/Ashen/Controller_Trimming/1.png

​

The button work by closing the circuit to ground. Personally. I would just solder the wires to the corresponding contacts on the PCB simply because it would make trouble shooting easier on an unknown board. A daisy chain could be fine, but only if all those grounds are a common ground, but with signals I'm not sure that can be relied upon. If they aren't a common ground, linking them could lead to unexpected/undesired behavior. You could probably use a voltmeter to carefully explore if they are a common ground, and if you find that they are, your daisy chain idea would probably be fine. I would use solder and cover joints with shrink tubing.

When your lighter runs out of fuel, it is important to purge and refuel properly. This may be the problem. Who knows? I got a lighter with a 5 pack that also sucked.

This lighter is a pretty good deal, a few of us have one. I have a $60 lighter, but to be honest it's not that much better for doing the same job. I have had this lighter for over a year, it does the same thing. My old standby is a $5 torch from walmart.

I would encourage you to give wood matches a try.

I typically go over all of the pads with a flux pen

Then for every set of pads, I solder a small amount on one side.

Then I get all of the diodes ready and with a pair of tweezers in one hand and the soldering iron in the other, I hold them in place and reheat the solder and contacts to tack them down on one side.

After they're all soldered down on one side, I put the tweezers down and grab the solder wire and solder down the remaining sides.

This build guide for the Helidox actually shows pretty well.

https://github.com/foostan/crkbd/blob/master/corne-cherry/doc/buildguide_jp.md#%E3%83%80%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89

Actually, I'm really excited to try something ...


I want to lay out the board in plastic, maybe 1mm, with grooves for wires to run. Then, I want to leave holes, probably 2mm diameter, that will fit two wires, or 1 wire and one pin. If I can design it on one layer, or at least with minimal overlap, I can make a second piece that glues down to it, and make all the solder connections with solder glue (http://www.amazon.com/Sciplus-Electrically-Conductive-Soldering-Wire/dp/B000Z9H7ZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426020527&sr=8-1&keywords=wire+glue)


So, ideally, I could spend all my time in design, and end up with something that can be printed/assembled in about an hour.


I'm thinking I could use the 3D printer to emboss the logo over the battery-cover, and leave the micro-controller and Flash chip bare.


Like I said, I think I've probably gone too far down the rabbit hole on this one. I've got the whole thing laid out in my head. I'll probably just order parts this week, and start working as soon as they get here.

A desoldering braid is the way to go. Not very reusable, but very effective and easy to use.

This is the one that I use, its been holding up pretty well. Just be sure to keep the tip clean and tinned, it's a pain when they start to oxidize. I use something like this. Also be sure to get the right sized tip(s) for your projects.

Good question, and it pains me a bit that I have a small box of unused tools that were purchased when I began. I'm sure I missed a few things, but here you go:

• Lamp I love this thing, and it's silly how much it improved my craft.
  
• Utility knife (Stanley) with many replacement blades. I flip then toss these frequently.
  
• Shovel knife
  
• Beveler
  
• Burnishers
  
• Microfiber clothes
  
• Granite block
  
• Stitching pony (handmade and based upon http://www.instructables.com/id/3rd-Hand-Leather-Stitching-Clamp/)
  
• Awl
  
• Diamond Awl
  
• Wing Divider
  
• Pliers
  
• Craft scissors
  
• Thread snips
  
• Bone folder
  
• Mallet
  
• Cobbler hammer
  
• Ruler
  
• Cutting mat
  
• Detail brushes
  
• Needles
  
• Tokonole
  
• Glue
  
• Glue brushes
  
• 50/50 neatsfoot oil and beeswax (double-boiled)
  
• Heat gun
  
• Ritza Tiger thread
  
• Chisels I use these as pricking irons because they leave a massive hole
  
• Dremel
  
• Bulldog clips
  
  If links weren't provided then I already had the item.

I personally think you should've gone for one of these. A much better experience and a better price, I use it for everything and is super convenient because of how small it is.

I meant like the one in the video, but I just realized it's probably not your video :/

I'm a bit slow XD

EDIT: Looks to be custom made, this is the base.

I'm shocked no one has mentioned the 503 torch that we all love and adore here. While only being a single torch, it holds a TON of butane. It's really a great product.

unlimited budget? challenge accepted:

backup vitaprep base, multiple backup vitaprep tops. another robot coupe, with the extended housing and specialty blades. extra robot coupe blades. extra circulator or two. whatever size the professional kitchen aid mixers are these days - one of them, with all the gadgets and gizmos. depending on the size of the gear you have, large and small immersion blenders.

more pans. a few of something like these that will stay flat for searing fish. more pots. more plates. more plastic squeeze bottles. one or two of these. if you're also in charge of glasses and silver, more of that. more china caps. more chinoises.

more cambros. more lids. more 1/9,1/6, and 1/3 pans - deep and shallow, with enough false bottoms for all sizes to cover 25% of the pans. more pan spacers for the service coolers. more sheet trays. more 1/2 sheet trays - perforated and non perforated. more hotel and 1/2 hotel pans - 2, 4, and 6 inch; perforated and non perforated. more ladles, particularly 2oz and 4oz. more cutting boards. more buss tubs. more lexans, both perforated and non perforated. lids for those lexans.

if a tilt skillet can be a thing, one (or more) of them. or a steam jacket kettle. just something you can conveniently roll stocks in. garbage disposals in the dish pit. couple of blowtorches.

butcher's twine, cheesecloth, blue (or whatever color you choose) tape, sharpies, and pens - enough that finding any one of those items shouldn't be an issue. a case of bic lighters to keep in the office. more clipboards, because they're fucking useful.

Nice. Get yourself a ceramic tip tweezers and a torch if you don't already.

It makes building coils a lot easier by not having to put your atty on a mod to heat up the coil. You can just hold the coil with ceramic tweezer and heat it up with torch.

Happy vaping!

A torch is better for this because a soldering iron concentrates the heat in a very very small area. And since metal is so conductive and has a high thermal mass, it looses heat faster than you can apply it with a soldering iron, so it will never get hot enough to actually solder. Flux comes in a paste (or sometimes liquid) and is a weak acid that etches the metal to clean and roughen the surface so the solder wets to the metal and bonds better. It also helps keep air out of the connection to prevent oxidation while you're soldering, which would weaken the joint.

The steps would be to clean each piece, position or clamp them together, apply a good amount of flux, heat it all up with the torch, then touch the solder to the hot metal so that it melts on. If you need to apply heat directly to the solder (ie, the solder doesn't melt on its own when it touches the metal) then your metal isn't hot enough and it will make a cold solder connection that will be weak, or completely non-existent if it's too cold. It may look like it joined things, but the smallest bit of force (even from just normal handling) would break the joint and you would need to start all over by first cleaning off all the solder, then cleaning the metal, applying flux, and trying again.

Here's the torch I use:

Torch

Fuel

Optional extension hose so you don't have to hold the cylinder the whole time

Solder and flux. This kit comes with some emery cloth to clean the metal a bit before soldering.


EDIT: Here's a video about soldering copper pipe. Same process for small sheet metal parts.

Soldering is a good skill to have, in general.

And if you're careful, there's not much you can screw up.

Watch a YT tutorial or two and you'll be good to go.

For tools you'll eventually want what is in this kit, but probably not that kit itself.

I bought a Weller WLC100 40 watt kit (definitely get a norrower ST2 or ST3 tip as well), a solder sucker tool (you can use desoldering wick, but the solder sucker is worth the money), a Helping Hands and 60/40 rosin-core solder.

In addition, I like using tip tinner, a wire tip cleaner like this because I found that using a wet sponge reduced the tip temperature too much.

Also, solder fumes are not great so only do this is in a well-ventilated area. I like to use a small fan to blow the fumes away from my face.

The only thing you'll need to do is desolder/clip the existing swtich and wire up the replacement. You don't have to mess with the pots or caps unless you want to.

Phostenix Tele diagram page.

edit: fixed solder type

Consider [this Aoyue soldering station] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006FA481G). It's really great for the price. I've been using one for a couple of years for through-hole and surface mount work, and I've been very happy with it.

> along with a soldering iron to do repairs.

Totally agree. I would suggest any of the Weller pro series models(Indicated with the light blue chasis like the Weller WP35). Even their most inexpensive model is better than anything I have used off the shelf at Home Depot. Consistent tempuratures and fast heat up.

Additionally, I would also recommend a solder sucker and a flux pen. You could splurge for something like a Haako Desoldering gun which works great but unless you are doing entire board repairs the simple spring loaded ones work fine and costs considerablly less.

I bought this a while ago, which has been fantastic for filling boards and soldering components. It gets tough if you have components really close to the edges, but that's why I also use a regular old helping hand tool.

Good hardware store might have one, any pluming supply store, online .

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Taco-334-3-Taco-Cast-Iron-Pressure-Reducing-Valve-Dual-Control-Sweat

learn how to solder pipe. lots of Utubes out there, you don't need a fancy rig for homeowner stuff, this is good enough for homeowners.

https://www.amazon.com/BernzOmatic-Basic-UL2317-Pencil-Propane/dp/B00008ZA0C/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1481992375&sr=8-6&keywords=propane+flame+torch

Basically clean the fitting with a fitting cleaning brush, clean the pipe with plumber sandcloth, flux the inside of the fitting, the outside of the pipe, assemble, apply heat , when the flux stops boiling apply the solder to the opposite side of the heat and let it run around.

Don't over heat the fitting if the flux turns black you got it to hot, I usually move the flame around a little when heating the fitting.

If making up adapters solder them to the pipe ( short piece ) before screwing them to the valve.

Buy some extra pipe and fittings and practice, ells are pretty inexpensive, practice on them.

I typically use 60 40 0.031 lead solder, which is cheaply available from amazon, including prime. One of these spools will last a very long time for only $30. These tubes are available for smaller quantities.

The main concern with solder is the flux fumes, which are actually worse with higher temperatures and lead free solder. One simple solution to solder fumes is a pc fan with some sort of filter on it, such as this one. I made one for around $4, and it works very well. It also helps to mount it on some sort of arm, such as solid copper wire or one of these. There are many types of fume extractors that would work.

As for the soldering iron, I use a weller wes51, but a hakko fx888 is also good.

The counterfeit isn't a bad counterfeit, some people even like it more than the original. If you can get it for significantly cheaper then go for it, just don't buy it for anywhere near the price of a non counterfeit item.

There is another one you can get for about 60% of the cost called the TS100, it's a pretty quality iron https://www.amazon.com/Programmable-Pocket-size-Soldering-Interface-Acceleration/dp/B01MDTO6X7/

This is the lead free solder I am using... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B61TWGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And here is my flux... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZIV85A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It wets the tip of my iron just fine, but if I hold the iron against the wire lead I'm trying to tin the wire lead never seems to get hot enough for the solder to flow. It's really maddening. I clean the tip of the iron frequently, and it always comes away from the sponge shiny silver. It's definitely getting hot (and I can show you the spot on the back of my right thumb where I learned that lesson the hard way). I will check for tightness of fit on to the iron whenever I get home, but I don't think it's loose.

https://www.amazon.com/Kester-No-Clean-Core-Solder-Spool/dp/B00068IJOU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469107079&sr=8-3&keywords=63%2F37+flux+solder

Is that a good solder to use if I'm soldering switches for my Planck? Also do I need a flux pen and should I get better tips for my iron?

I just got the Hakko fx888 station if that helps.

This is a pretty awesome iron

https://www.amazon.com/X-Tronic-Model-3020-XTS-ST-Soldering-Station-Complete/dp/B079VVHPPS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=xtronic+soldering+station&qid=1572960802&sprefix=xtronic&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1SDY4UVpHMkNEOEomZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzNjMxNDRKQVlBOUE0WkRYMUcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDYzMTgyNDFRNEdPRUZIV0g3NVgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

And add the solder https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00030AP48/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o1_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Never burned solder with these two. Never over heated or melted anything that wasn’t supposed to be heated up.


Ec3 connectors

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XC7QKF2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Yes heat guns arent designed for the high heat of roasting. I found this one to be pretty good. The plastic sheath falls off though. I keep a spare and alternate them when back to back roasting. I do a lb at a time in a breach machine. Takes 12-15min or so depending on beans.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EU2T8GG

thanks. something like the Hakko CHP CSP-30-1 Wire Stripper, 30-20 Gauge Maximum Cutting Capacity should work right?


solder wick

fume extractor

All good?

https://smile.amazon.com/Tekpower-TP13-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B00Z81A4Y8

I actually use one of these for all of my PCB soldering. Good enough "temp" control and replaceable tips that work well. Grab something like https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B076V14SRC since it's better than a sponge, and something like https://smile.amazon.com/Kester-24-6337-8800-Activated-Solder-No-Clean/dp/B00068IJOU, maybe one of the 1oz packs if you can find it. Kester is a good brand with their 245 being their "no clean" which leaves basically no flux mess on a board. 63/37 is easy to work with and .031" is a good middle ground size for our usage. 1lb looks a little pricey, but the 1oz packs of it are basically half as much as the full pound so it's worth paying if you're ever gonna solder more than a few boards.

I have an aouye 968A+, it has very precise controls for both the heat gun and pencil. great value. amazon and sra soldering have complete kits including parts, it's better to buy from them than on ebay.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006FA481G

This is the one I have. Have used it several times to fix tops and wet spots and it works great! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EU2T8GG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It looks like people have mostly got you started here in terms of supplies. In terms of tools though, this is what I keep in my rebuilding stuff (linking to Amazon just because its easier):

• Small screwdriver set OR Hex set OR a combo set. Which one will depend on the RBA you get, but eventually you'll probably find yourself with ones that have Phillips and Hex screws.
  
• Butane Torch. You can get this same one on Fasttech for $4 if you don't mind the shipping time.
  
• Wire cutters, either full size or micros
  
• Pliers, I also have a set of channel locks accessible, but not in my normal kit, mainly to try and get my Bombshell Stinger apart
  
• A generic desk light or something like helping hands can save a lot of headaches.
  
• Cheap multimeters can be found from $5 - $20
  
• Exacto knife because knives always come in handy at some point (rule #9)
  
  Other generic stuff:
  
  
• Toothpicks (great for wrapping coils around)
  
• Cotton swabs, cotton balls and paper towels
  
• Bic lighter
  
• Scissors for cutting wick (I use the wire cutters, but if you have micros, 3mm wick might get messy/frayed)

You probably broke off the ground wire. Unscrew the jack plate and have a look. If there's only one wire attached to the jack, there's your problem. You'll need a soldering iron, but the repair is super easy.

I recently bought one of these for myself and I couldn't be happier as a DIY hobbyist:

Hakko Dial type temperature limiting soldering iron FX600

I only use it for hobby stuff such as Quadcopters, 3D printers and electronics kits but it's way better than the 8watt USB powered I was using before.

Pair it with this and this and you should be good for a while and roughly within budget.

The BEST value IMO, is this. After I got this, I regret getting my hakko.

2$ .7 over Cartridge Restoration

4$ .27 over New Wish List

6$ .26 over Movies/TV

8$ .40 under Cartridge Restoration

thank you for the contest!!!!

The nicest one I have ever used was [this one by Otto Frei.](
http://www.ottofrei.com/Store/Soldering-Stations-Third-Hands/GRS-004-570-Double-Soldering-Station-With-2-Third-Hands.html) I really liked it when I borrowed it to do some wire harness and cable modifications, so much so that I looked it up afterward, but I couldn't handle the sticker shock.

For pedal making/modifying, I would recommend a circuit board holder and a typical helping hand (with or without magnifying glass) so that you have both hands available to use the iron and feed solder.

If you plan on taking it further than just simple mods a couple times a year, I recommend spending a little more if you can. You don't have to go crazy either. I know that a lot of people go the Hakko or Weller route, but I've been very happy with my Aoyue 9378. Here is the Aoyue 937+ which is cheaper (45w vs 60w and a couple other things). Like others have said, get some wick and grab one of these over the sponge crap.

EDIT: Oh, and pick up some flux. There are flux fans and some that use it sparingly, but just pick it up.

Also, this goes much further than just installing a battery holder, but check out Voultar's videos to watch some technique. He's also a liberal flux / No Clean user and you'll see why.

Alright, so you basically have 3 options depending on how much soldering you plan to do. If you're just gonna build one or two keyboards and and will never try to do SMD, I recommend this:

• https://www.amazon.com/Tabiger-Soldering-110V-Adjustable-Temperature-Welding/dp/B01H1IFT54
  
  If you think you're gonna do this a lot, OR you've already had the cheap iron and want something better, you have two choices:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Soldering-Station-599-029/dp/B00C2BHTBI
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WESD51-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000ARU9PO
  
  The Hakko is recommended by basically everyone here, and is widely used in the hobbyist world. I've used the Hakko a few times at TechShop, and it's a good station. However, I've never seen anything but a weller used commercially. I picked up a weller for my own station, I couldn't be happier with it.
  
  No matter which of these 3 you end up you'll be happy.

Don't use lead free solder, ever. Use rosin core, use a good solding iron.

Good solder
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DKF13JY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_KQKdAb2SRMP17

Good soldering iron
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDTO6X7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8TKdAbNTRP60A

Thanks. Here's a link in case helps anyone else. Currently $12.95 and it looks like a gadget that could be used for other one-handed activities. (Now there's a phrase normally used for other activities on Reddit)

propane and butane and the mixture of the two gasses have the exact same combustion temperature with air.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flame-temperatures-gases-d_422.html

the combustion of propane and butane is an oxidation reaction, thus a more complete oxidation to CO2 is actually a good thing. neither propane or butane is more susceptible to incomplete oxidation than the other.

properly functioning propane and butane torches producing ideal burns present no danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

http://www.propane101.com/carbonmonoxideandpropane.htm

as long as sufficient oxygen is present (the 21% present in the atmosphere is more than sufficient) both propane and butane are safe to use.

on a side note, a propane torch like the one linked below is much better built and thus safer to use than the crème brûlée butane torches most people use.

http://www.amazon.com/BernzOmatic-Basic-UL2317-Pencil-Propane/dp/B00008ZA0C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1451884928&sr=8-7&keywords=bernzomatic+propane

It sounds like you need to learn how to clean and tin your tip. There’s lots of tutorials on YouTube.

Try whipping your tip with a soldering sponge. When you’re done using it for the day dip the tip in flux to clean off the oxidation then coat the tip in a big glob of solder.

Also you can buy new tips for your iron instead of buying a new iron.

You really don't need anything special. Just make sure it has a good pointed tip. This or something similar should be good if your just changing LEDs every now and then.

Also don't for get flux!

J&L 60 Watts Soldering Iron, UL listed by J&L http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_tjKXtb0TK5AQQ

MG Chemicals 835 Liquid Rosin Flux, Non Corrosive and Non Conductive residue MG Chemicals http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080X79HG/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_WlKXtb1MS6ZZ8

I think its pretty funny nobody knows for $2 on Amazon you can order some de-soldering braid used by electronics repair people and never have this problem again.
https://www.amazon.com/Aven-17542-Desoldering-2-5mm-Length/dp/B003E48ERU/

If you need to solder on a pcb you'll want a temperature controlled soldering station, other essentials are rosin core solder, some flux to apply before soldering, and a helping hand to hold the pcb/component and wire in place when soldering. I leave my soldering station at a little less than 350 when I'm tinning wires and soldering on a pcb. Wipe excess solder off the iron, heat up the spot you want to solder to with the wire in place, then apply solder to the wire when the flux has smoked off, it should flow into the joint. You don't want to keep heat on a pcb for too long as it can damage components on the board. Make sure you tin the tip/s of the soldering iron with solder before and often during use, or the tips will oxidize and refuse to tin until you scrape the oxides off with a razor knife. Typically a problem at high temps, around 300C solder will melt and oxides form very slowly and the tip will stay hot without needing a retin for a 5-10 minutes. I usually set my temp on max when I first turn it on and hold a bit of solder to the tip and then turn it down when the solder melts. Saves a few minutes of warm up between use.

If you need to heat up a larger surface area (like a battery terminal) for tinning or soldering it helps to bump up the heat - sanding a large surface also will help. Steel and other metals may require use of a corrosive flux made specially for that.

That's about all I know XD

Easy fix. Anyone saying to cut the loop off has never actually strength tested these loops.

Watch the end of this video.

To fix your loop instead of cutting it off, buy polyolefin tubing. 3-5mm should be about right.

Next, buy a heat gun.

Cut a short length of tubing, slide it over the end of your line, and waft the heat gun so the tubing shrinks and the line inside it liquefies but does not burn. Let it cool, then peel the heat shrink back off (use a pair of tying scissors to snip it and get it started so you can peel it).

It'll be good as new. You can also cut that one off and make another if you want a new loop. Fly lines have about 2 feet of level tip material to allow for this kind of cutting.

No knot is as strong as a welded loop. Welded loops were about 3X stronger on average than every knot I tested, sometimes more. Here is my original thread on the tests I did.

Here are the results of my strength tests for the Fly Rod & Reel article:

Knot Break Strength - Tested to failure with Boga Grip using 20 lbs. monofilament

|Knot | Test 1 | Test 2|
|---------|----------|----------|
|Nail Knot (5 Turns) | 10 lbs. | 10 lbs.|
|Albright Knot (5 Turns) | 12 lbs. | 12 lbs.|
|Doubled-Line Nail Knot| (6 Turns) 8 lbs. | 10 lbs.|
|Double Surgeon’s Knot | (20 lb. to 20 lb.) 14 lbs. | 18 lbs.|
|Castwell Knot | 13 lbs. | 12 lbs.|
|Welded Loop | 20 lbs. X 3 attempts (see video)|

If you've got a nice hefty budget, if recommend a Hakko soldering iron. If you wanna go cheap, make sure you get one with a temperature control. [Here] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1IFT54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YA2CzbK19K8S7) is a cheap one that would do the job. I've used that model to build two let's splits. Go to YouTube and watch some "how to solder" videos

Any old iron will work. I used this $9 iron to fix my Hubsan many times.

I have a Hako now and it is MUCH nicer and easier to use but a pencil iron will get the job done for small projects like the Hubsan. If you plan on doing scratch builds or other projects that require soldering I highly suggest getting a variable temperature iron with integrated thermostat.

The process is easy, just tweeze (long handles help, it gets hot fast), torch until it glows, and cool off (15 seconds or so).

Cheap option on amazon here (<$9) : http://www.amazon.com/BBQbuy-Pencil-Welding-Soldering-Lighter/dp/B007A9YSPW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395645522&sr=8-1&keywords=butane+torch

RipTrippers uses this one: (has a standard cheapo lighter under the hood, $20) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Turbo-Torch-Combo-Pack-LTT-110CP/203456954

I use the torch from my creme brulee kit, but a simple torch lighter would work, as well.

This is the best cheap iron I've ever used. Won't replace a quality iron but much better than $20 should get you.

Tabiger Soldering Iron Kit 60W 110V-Adjustable Temperature Welding Soldering Iron with Tool Carry Case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1IFT54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Di7HAbT8K8W6F

what kind of flux do you recommend? is this good? how about what solder to use? someone said that .8mm is better than what i'm using.

I think a lot of people have trouble because they don't have a hot clean tip. My friend who "can't solder" has a 20+ year old soldering iron with a corroded tip. I use a wet sponge, cleaning wire, and tip tinner interchangeably to keep it clean as I go.

Also having one of those magnifying glass/alligator clip holders is extremely helpful.

you are overkilling it for that little furnace. You could just use a propane tank and burner from home depot like in that imgur album. You dont need to go crazy with it if that small. you will focus the heat on the little crucible and the wool will hold in the heat. so you wont need to make a burner or use a 20lb tank to melt an oz or two of metal. you could buy a 15.00 bernzomatic setup and start on this right away.

​

also - maybe look into spin casting (centrifugal casting) as that's the right method for casting precious metals into smaller shapes like a ring. its kinda different and comes with its own way of doing things that means different PPE than typical metal casting.

Nice!

​

But invest in one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q2TTQEE/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_syT0DbPDK5FM5... 10 bucks and will save you time

I have a bernzomatic ts4000 that can be used for mapp or propane. Has a decent sized swirl tip on it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00008ZA09?cache=1e7ae5e33b54b847bd2ca8af21498496&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1405599047&sr=8-1

Sorry about the huge link. I'm on my phone.

I also have an extension hose I found at home depot for $17. I love that thing.

Buy a soldering iron and take the dive!! I bought this: Tabiger Soldering Iron Kit 60W 110V-Adjustable Temperature Welding Soldering Iron with Tool Carry Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1IFT54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JcZyCb5EPZ0J1 and have used it on multiple projects happily. I’m sure better soldering irons are worthwhile, but this is all you’d need to fix that switch. Oh.. also a replacement switch... details

Here is a short build inventory for people who may want to perform this mod in the future:

• 1x 0.5oz - 2oz tube of Krytox GPL 205 Grease. This will last you a long time.
  
• 1x Victorinox Multi-Tool Oil or any plastic-safe, high viscosity oil.
  
• 1x 100pc bag of 68g Cherry MX compatible springs
  
• 100x Plate mount Cherry MX Clear keyswitches. You could also buy a KUL ES-87 with Cherry MX Clears, but just be sure to have extras in case of damage during the modification process.
  
• 1x KUL ES-87 of any Keyswitch/color (black or smoke black) variety.
  
  Lube and replace switches based on WFD's guides. Get two small paintbrushes and a pair of forceps or tweezers to help manipulate the components during the lubrication process. You should also whip up a couple of these guys. They make opening the switches a hell of a lot easier.
  
  This was only my second time desoldering so I learned a lot along the way. Quality, flux-treated desoldering braid and a temperature controlled soldering iron with a chisel tip was the most reliable method I found to desolder. I used the Hakko FX888D soldering iron and station with a 2.4 mm x 14.5 mm Hakko chisel tip. I used Chemtronics' Chem-Wick desoldering braid to remove the solder from the plated through holes on the PCB. You have to take extra care when using desoldering braid not to heat up other components on the board, but with enough practice you will be a pro!

I've been using this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q2TTQEE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_K3x8wb1ZQJWX1

It works great. You can easily flip your project over and see both sides of the board. I'm not sure how much smaller it is that the one you're looking at though.

Aven 17010 Adjustable Circuit Board Holder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q2TTQEE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_-VVGwbCQ5C8GA

I got this a while ago and it's pretty good.

This. You can find decent starting irons on Amazon with solder. You might consider buying a few ”learn to solder" soldering kits from Amazon. They come with all the parts needed, and the instructions teach you how to assemble the components (you then have to solder them in the board it came with)

Iron set example: (good for basic /beginner projects) https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01H1IFT54/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1523313329&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=soldering+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51rAt23O28L&ref=plSrch

Electronics kit beginner example (these are fun to do imo)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002LUAL6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523313465&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=elenco+soldering+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=519bj4ev-jL&ref=plSrch

Is even one like this too expensive? Pretty much any iron is usable.

I have this torch and use MAPP fuel. I would recommend:

• Pat all of the surface dry; as dry as you can get it,
  
• Brush a thin layer of butter to cover the entire surface (for bonus points, throw some goodies into the butter (shallots, garlic, thyme, etc.) while melting it),
  
• Keep the flame moving at all times,
  
• Hold the flame such that the very tip is touching the surface of the food,
  
• Do multiple passes, instead of trying to get it dark the first time you visit a spot.

I'm using a Yihua 936B (a Hakko 936 clone that is reportedly alright) and this Hakko tip.

Yes, I have this 60/40 solder and this rosin paste flux handy.

Parametrek suggested lifting the board off the heat sink before desoldering (seems obvious in retrospect), so I'll try that. Any other suggestions will also be appreciated.

Build Your Own Clone

I doubt you'd keep track of any more websites I could mention above once you find a few kits there. As far as equipment goes, get:

A decent soldering iron ... Alternative (please also get this with the alternative)

Solder

Micro Cutters to trim leads

Hopefully you have a small flat-head screwdriver to set knobs and a small flat pair of pliers to attach hardware to the enclosures.

I doubt you'd need to but if you ever need to get any components that aren't supplied with a kit, go to Tayda Electronics for nearly any part (they tend to be cheapest for hobbyists, you can find anything from passive components like resistors and capacitors, to knobs/switches/audio and power jacks, etc.).

This is why I love amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/60-Watts-Soldering-Iron-listed/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719530&sr=8-1&keywords=soldering+iron

I've used what's essentially this kit for something like 9 boards so far, and it's still going strong.

You don't really need to spend a lot, if it's just for a few little projects.

Thanks for the information. This is the liquid flux I ordered. Would you recommend something different?

Seems like theres a leaded one too (which seems to make a better connection?) https://www.amazon.ca/Kester-Rosin-Core-Solder-Spool/dp/B00068IJPO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486408969&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Kester+44+Rosin+Core+Solder+63%2F37+0.80mm+%280.031+inches%29+1+lb.+Spool

I wanna be unhelpful, too!

• A decent video for beginners
  
  
• Soldering irons are pretty cheap
  
  
• Gonna need solder
  
  
• And some flux...
  
  
• Finally the motors, I don't know what motors you want or where to get them. I've always used u/Duke_Wintermaul.
  
  I suppose I could've been less helpful...

You can try something like a conductive glue and apply it with a toothpick.

http://www.amazon.com/Sciplus-Electrically-Conductive-Soldering-Wire/dp/B000Z9H7ZW

In the reviews on there some guy talks about how he fixed an internal connector on his phone with it so worth a shot I suppose. I think taking it to a professional might cost you enough to warrant actually buying a second hand replacement phone if you so desire.

Yes - that Ebay link is probably the same thing. Here's exactly what I bought.

The base rods are steel, so these magnetic arms also work well as helping hands.

The blue uprights of the PCB holder are plastic, and one side is spring loaded. It allows for several different mounting positions. It also allows you to spin the board back-and-forth, which is good for this kind of work. Note that it barely fits the length of the Planck, and if I were doing anything longer I would need to hold it sideways instead, which would mean the flipping wouldn't work.

It's not heavy duty like something from PanaVise, but for this kind of thing and smaller boards it works fine.

I was hoping it didn't have to come to this.
Do you think this tool would be enough for one time usage?
https://www.amazon.com/Hobbico-Soldering-Iron-60-Watt/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1475078341&sr=1-7&keywords=soldering
I'm not sure what else I can use a solder for.

Thanks.

Do you mean something like this pencil solderer and this solder?
I've never done any soldering before so I'm not quite sure what I need to do. Would watching guides on youtube be enough for a simple soldering job like this?

As cute as that is. My god the hits are going to be harsh! Try using a soldering iron for clean vape hits!

Hakko makes good ones. My dad's experience with Wellers are they die fast. (He solders all day for his business/I do it as a hobby). There is one that has a temp adjustment on the unit itself, which is pretty good. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006MQD7M4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this is the one I got him. he has been using it for four months, daily and all day. Still on the same tip.

Yep! This is the solder that I use, but 1 lb. of it is definitely a lot for 1 board... I've soldered 8 boards since I bought it and still have a decent amount of it left.

You're using one of those "kitchen" torches aren't you? They're garbage. Get a real torch and it'll be easy as can be.

http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-TS4000-Trigger-Start-Torch/dp/B00008ZA09

Seriously. It's pretty much impossible to use those kitchen torches for anything beyond lighting candles.

Ones similar to this are recommended a lot on this sub.

Some people like Xikar lighters because the lifetime warranty.

I've used both of these for a couple of years without any problems.

I have an old thing of Radio Shack brand tip tinner but you can get it from Amazon by just searching "tip tinner". My Radio Shack stuff looks a lot like this.

This maybe, or this. I spent no more than that on mine and it's seen me through 6 builds/rebuilds so far, and it's still working.

A proper soldering station is nice, but you can definitely get by with cheap stuff, especially if you don't plan on using it a ton.

i love this

Kind of off-topic, but if you end up needing a kitchen torch regularly, I'd suggest upgrading to something like this.

It'll run for what seems forever on a canister of propane camp fuel. Propane is a lot cheaper than butane as well.

Plus, it's a multitasker all around the house. I can go from finishing a sous vide steak to loosening the lug nuts on my car's tires. It has also replaced all the flaky lighters in my house.

Why not both? Literally. The 503Torch does both a torch and soft flame. Although, I rarely use it for a torch since I have a Vertigo Cyclone torch.

What I have started doing lately is toast the foot with my torch and then switch over to a soft flame to finish lighting it. I have found that I get a great burn that way and don't overdo it lighting it with the torch.

Not too spendy and works great.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007A9YSPW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1394249757&sr=8-2

this little thing has worked great for me.

I got this one. it works great

Tabiger Soldering Iron Kit 60W 110V-Adjustable Temperature Welding Soldering Iron with Tool Carry Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1IFT54?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Works great. Most everything you need is included.

Hand vise: IRWINQUICK-GRIPOne-Handed Bar Clamp, Heavy-Duty, 6", 1964711 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VND4X0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_SKWbD2mBTHRZ9

Steel plates: Round Hot Rolled Steel Plate 1/4" x 4" Diameter Circle (Pack of 2!) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YWBU1P2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Mdufzb3Q4YDXK

Epoxy: J-B Weld 8297 HighHeat 550 Degree Epoxy Putty Stick - 2 oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PP26RI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ieufzbQD017AS

And turns out my stove is way easier to heat up the steel plates. But if you're interested in a heat gun I bought this one: Genesis GHG1500A Dual Temperature Heat Gun Kit, Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EU2T8GG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pfufzbAPGCZ11


Sorry about the formatting, I'm on mobile

Hi all, my goal is to construct a fluid bed roaster capable of roasting a half-pound of coffee per go.

For the motor, I'm looking at this electric leaf blower, and for the heating element, I'm looking to dissect this heat gun.

I'll use a pyrex baking tube, and a cocktail shaker to cap it off at the base. And then some machining magic to couple it to the mounting pipe.

Does it seem like this will get hot enough to roast a 1/2 pound?

I'm trying to upgrade from my current popper setup which can roast a max of 60 grams at a time (and that's with me constantly agitating with a shish kabob stick).

Edit: One possible improvement could be increasing the wattage of the heater to 2000W. Does anyone have a recommendation for a really cheap blower (or just the element itself)? Or would this water heater element work?

If I reclaim the air from the exhaust back into the pump, would this allow a 1500W heater to work?