EEVblog #180 - Soldering Tutorial Part 1 - Tools

Dave takes you through everything you need to know to do good quality soldering.
Part 1 is all about the tools you might need.
A lot of this was already covered in my general lab tools video.

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[ojkolsrud]

I think you can power a small city on this guy's energy

[holderbee]

BIGGEST TRAP FOR NEW PLAYERS.. a hot bare iron tip will oxidize and you'll lose thermal conductivity and ruin the tip! A new solder iron tip should be tinned immediately (as soon as the solder will melt onto it). From there on out the tip should never be without some solder tinned on it, you'll need to wipe and retin every so often while working (some do it between every joint)

[MyNameIsNick]

a few weeks ago i told my grandfather who works with televisions and radios i need a new soldering iron he told me he still had a few from when he owned his shop so he gave a me a weller ec1002 and i absolutely love it. although they discontinued the model i have it looks brand new as a matter of fact i dont think it was ever used but basically what i am trying to say is ask around before you go buy brand new equipment someone may have something they want to get rid of

[StereoSpace]

Sn (Latin) Stannum - Tin
Pb (Latin) Plumbum - Lead
Ag (Latin) Argentum - Silver

[hoggif]

This is still 99% up to date. There are some good cheaper brands of irons but it can be a hit and miss. I have a quality brand iron with 25 years of age and I only updated it to get some tiny details better. The detail was irons getting more power (no need for large mass thermally) and smaller pen like irons I like with smaller components.
Glasses and eye protection is rarely mentioned. I have had lead spash and glasses have been a great thing then. When you pull a component and it suddenly releaseses, it can throw molten solder.

[JamesJefferyUK]

Can you do one on desoldering please. I've ruined 2 boards trying to desolder components from them because the solder on the actual board doesn't heat up enough to melt, but hot enough to melt the coating on the board. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to desolder lol.

[Curt-]

Dave, a fully trained PBC design engineer
"You'd like to learn how to walk? Okay! Lets do it!"
Respect

[mikeselectricstuff]

Couple of points on solder. The 2% silver stuff has a lower melting point and flows a bit nicer -recommended if you can get it.
At the sizes used in electronics, it is not at all important for it to be multicored as opposed to single core - as long as it _does_ have a flux core it's fine.
You rarely see non-cored solder outside of a plumbing shop.
Multicore is just a sales gimmick by the company of the same name - might make a difference at really big sizes but not below 1mm.

[bulwinkle]

I learned to solder with a big fat iron that was heated in a gas burner. Two irons, one in use and one heating, and keep swapping them over. I guess that tells you roughly how old I am.

[michaelnjensen]

Love your videos, they really help beginners like myself.

Started out with a no name fixed temp. soldering iron some years ago for through hole soldering, and recently wanted to start with SMD stuff, so after watching your lab equipment video i got myself an hakko-888 with some different sized chisel tips, its just so much better than before, and now i regret not getting a proper iron earlier on.

Best money ever spent, next on the purchase list is that Agilent scope you reviewed earlier.

[EEVblog]

@Ghlargh The FX-888 has better thermal capacity than the 936 and the 926 before that. And the 926/936 is probably the biggest selling and most popular soldering station of all time. Perhaps only the Weller WTCP might surpass it in terms of popularity.
Sure, it's not the best iron available, but it high quality, under $100, and more than suitable for most applications.

[randomdog]

I don't care what others say, I don't find your voice annoying; I think your enthusiasm is great and engaging.

[robrobinette]

Dave, fantastic video series on soldering. I consider myself pretty good with the iron but I learned a lot of useful tips. Thank you for producing these excellent videos.

[llaymard]

Excellent. Thanks for a thorough overview. Last time I did hobby electronic soldering was in 1959.Now that I am a retiree want to get back into hobby electronics. Boy have things changed! Your blog was so helpful. Again thanks from the USA.

[limewirepro]

"Don't buy a AC Mains soldering Unit"


Well, fuck.

[Skyfox]

You've answered such a big question for me! For years I thought the smoke that comes up from solder had a resemblance to the smell of pine. Now I find out from your description that that's exactly what it is. Mystery solved!

The brush-on flux I use is plumber's soldering flux for sweat joints, and it works great for electronics. What's in the core of my solder often isn't good enough to make it stick to the metal and this stuff is essential.  I wish I had that stuff 20 years ago!

[InfiniteCraftsman]

Wow! I gave up on soldering because all I ever used what cheap plastic packed irons. Bought a hakko and I solder like a pro. It's incredibly easy like you say. Usually the tool is only half the battle but for soldering, it's closer to 90%. I've already fixed, modified, built so many things in the last month since I first watched this video. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

[TurboGreen]

11 year ago i discovered this video of yours.. and since then i have religiously watched all of them.. and honestly i can say that i owe my soldering skills to this particular video of yours.. THANK YOU!

[LimitedWard]

Well it took me two years of college, but I finally understand the joke on that T-shirt.

[prestidig]

I'm an absolute beginner and I appreciate the time you have put into your videos. I've learned alot and am excited about my new hobby. I've already made a couple of purchases based on your recommendations, including the soldering station and the UEi DM393 Multimeter. Thank you!