Reddit mentions of Thermaltronics FBA_TMT-TC-2 Lead Free Tip Tinner, 20 g in 0.8 oz. Container

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!

Get yourself some tip tinner.

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.

+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

Never use abrasives on the soldering iron tip. First, use a wet sponge to wipe off the tip before soldering. If there's krud building up that doesn't come off with the sponge, wipe it on a cleaning wire. If the tip gets really bad, it can often be restored with a chemical tip tinner.

Like other posters have said, to make the tip last longer leave a blob of solder on the tip when you are done soldering, wipe it off before starting soldering. And turn the iron temperature down when not using (I turn it down to 450F when it's idle).

is this a good one?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00NS4J6BY/ref=crt_ewc_img_oth_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A614WYM65K035

I will third this choice. Just buy a big spool- you will not be sorry. This solder doesn't have a plastic state- it goes directly from liquid to solid so your chance of cold joints are virtually nil.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00068IJOU/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_pLjXCbHS5HRYE

Also the Hakko 888 is a dream. Like others I got a wide assortment of tips with it so I have the right tool for each job. If I could add one other must must must have, it's this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_tOjXCbDNSRC4K

That stuff is the cat's ass. Get it.

I hate having to retype stuff. But you should have a look those posts anyway.

Also get some kapton tape and maybe some tip cleaner/tinner.

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.

yep, get this! should fix up the tip basically back to new

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.

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.

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.

Get your self some tip tinner, which is usually a combination of sal ammoniac and solder paste. Use it sparingly-- only once your tip won't wet on its own after being wiped clean.

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

I personally prefer pucks, as the solid flux stays in place until you hit it with the iron. The main concern is that flux is acidic, which is why it's important to clean it off. No-clean flux is no-clean, because it's less acidic. However most types of flux will indeed, over time, eat away at your iron. Referring to you're other comment, you are correct in assuming that lead-free solder is crap, otherwise it would have replaced leaded solder a long time ago. If you're really into preserving your solder tips (like me) you might buy some tip tinner (doesn't matter whether it has lead or not). Just tin your iron with that after use, and it'll keep the tip from oxidizing, or being eaten by acidic flux.

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

Tip tinner.