Learn How to Solder - a How to Guide with Equipment Recommendations - Repair Your Game Consoles!

On every single console / arcade repair or console / arcade modification video I get the same comment...I wish I could do that but I can't solder! Well let me tell you...if I can do it anyone can do it! Seriously...learning how to solder is very easy and you can learn it quickly!

In this video I will show you the basics of soldering; what equipment you need at a minimum, the technique of actually soldering, how to use solder braid to remove solder and how to solder a wire or capacitor in a through hole configuration.

Additionally I will show you best safety practices on how to safely solder because remember...you are literally melting metal!

But for real...it's not as hard as it seems. With a little bit of practice you will be soldering in no time.

Note : this is part of a series. Consider this the "How to Solder 101". It is NOT for surface mount components, trace repair or any other fine pitch soldering. This is to get you started!

Oh...and I am NOT an engineer. I've made this tutorial to be as fun and understandable as possible :)

Here is what I use : note....I make NO money off these links

Questions? Comments? Just leave them below and I will do my best to answer each and every one of them!

VGE

[martinevans]

Yes please, do more videos on soldering.

[shotgunl]

Nice guide. Simple soldering is not hard and 99% of people learn it without much trouble, and hopefully this video helps some people get started. In the past, I've been involved in large-scale PCB rework and production, and generally used a mix of Hakko and Weller stations for hand-soldering work. Hakko has a decent low-cost soldering station kit in the $100-120 range as well that I own personally—the FX888 I think it is. We generally had better luck with the more expensive, $500-1, 000+ Hakko soldering stations lasting longer than the Weller stations in that price range, while the higher-end Weller units tended to work more consistently over their lifetimes—we are talking usage of 18-hours/day generally, so not something most hobbyists are going to have worry about though.

Of course though, you do have the 1% that are in a position like I am. I was engineering lead at the US arm of a large Taiwanese electronics OEM/ODM for almost a decade and used to do quite a lot of soldering a various points...then I was in an accident that resulted in a moderate tremor and finger flexion issues with my right (dominant) hand. Now, half-a-decade on, I very rarely solder and then only simple through-hole jobs or other things where I'm confident my doesn't really work most of the time, but I can still do some stuff. If I have someone around that can be a third hand for handling the solder, flux, etc, I can hold my right hand with my left and get a lot more done. However, I'm usually alone when I want to solder something, so anything that requires too much dexterity, I just take to a friend or to former colleagues to get it done (and that way I get access to multiple BGA rework stations, some with x-ray imaging, wave solders, reflow ovens, etc., and people much, much, much better at hand soldering than I ever was to begin with)...it just has to be outside of main production hours—and I have to drive an hour now-a-days...

BTW, if you or anyone is ever in the market for a $50, 000++ BGA solder rework station, the ones from Martin GmbH in Germany are by-far the best quality in terms of workmanship that we ever used. They were well worth paying a small premium over one from Fonton, Weller, Pace, etc. The Martin ones were just built so well. When we bought them, they even sent someone over (at no extra cost) to set them up and help us get up and dialed in to match the profiles from our Shanghai, Suzhou, and Chongqing factories (they used Fonton-made equipment generally).

[davy_K]

Best intro I've seen because it assumes nothing and starts with the real basics. Your explanation is clear and concise too. Excellent. I've had a soldering iron for years and haven't got around to learning how to use it....I need to get a project mat though! :)

[rarsn]

Great video! Soldering is indeed very easy! It just takes a little knowledge and a bit of practice. I would like to leave some suggestions of my own (I do solder repairs on all kinds of devices including board-level repairs on Macbooks and occasionally Windows laptops). I will leave a few links at the end of this comment.

Right now, I think there isn't a soldering iron out there that can beat the Pinecil, at least when it comes to price. For $25 you get an open-source microprocessor-controlled soldering iron that uses TS-100 style tips. I personally have a TS-100, and while that iron is great, it's a lot more expensive than the Pinecil and doesn't include a USB-C port for power. Both have a barrel connector meaning they can be powered by a standard Toshiba-style laptop power supply.

The biggest reason I like these irons, aside from the price, is that the tips have the heating element inside them (you can also change these tips while hot, as the area beneath the heating element in the tip stays cool). This makes them heat up faster and stay more consistently hot than the older Weller-style tips. This can make a pretty big difference when you're soldering something with a large ground plane. With the older style tips, it's easy to suck too much heat out of the tip and force the heating element to catch up. I still keep a Weller-style iron handy, but I mostly use it for really tiny stuff, because I've got a really small tip for it that is smaller than anything I can get for the TS-100.

I also prefer to use Kester 63/37 solder and add my own flux (I use the Amtech stuff that Louis Rossmann uses), as not only can I pile on the flux like Louis, but having the thinner solder wire is helpful when working with small components. I've always found flux core wire to be rather messy and it's easy to burn out the flux too quickly. Keeping the solder bathed in flux keeps it clean and makes for strong solder joints. I use MG Chemicals Flux Remover with a toothbrush and/or Q-tip to completely clean the area when done. It's very similar to 99% IPA, which can be used in a pinch, but I prefer the flux remover because it's a bit better at loosening up gunk and getting everything clean (it works on a LOT of other stuff, too). For solder braid I like Gootwick (tends to be less messy and better at absorption than others that I've tried).

The one thing I don't care to do is use a sponge. I have found that with using a sponge over time, my tips got dirty and stained. The problem with the sponge is that it's a thermal shock to the tip and seems to eventually cause surface imperfections that will prevent the solder from properly adhering to the tip. I found this especially problematic with my Weller irons. Granted, tips are pretty cheap and easy to replace, but I got tired of changing tips and didn't want to have the same problem with the more expensive TS-100 tips. Instead, what I found to work perfectly is to use a tip-tinning compound along with the brass mesh. I just clean the tip with the brass, dip it in the tip tinner, then clean the excess off with the brass mesh again. My tips have stayed perfect since I started doing this and I haven't had to replace one yet. If you have a Weller-style iron and want to use a sponge, I say go ahead, but I wouldn't recommend it with the more expensive tips.

Those helping hands... argh! Not so much of a help! I struggled with those things for a while, and they never seem to stay in place. I have found two alternatives, both of which work well but not necessarily for every individual item. The first one is a board holder and is actually really great for medium-sized PCBs, anything from a laptop motherboard down to something like a cartridge PCB. It's cheap and I got mine from Microcenter as I was wandering around buying tools that looked cool. The other alternative is what the helping hands SHOULD be, and it's called Quad Hands. If you've got the space to use it, it's good for lots of different things, but what I found that I REALLY love using them for is tiny PCBs, like doing USB thumb drive repairs. Tiny PCBs can be so annoying as there's little room to clamp onto them, and sitting them on the table and touching them with an iron is an exercise in frustration! But with the quad hands, I can bend them around and get a good grip from either side, keeping it perfectly in place! They're also good for larger boards, of course, but I love using them for small stuff!

I apologize for the length of this comment, as I did not intend to write this much, and I was deliberately trying to limit it to things that are useful for basic, first-time soldering like you did in the video. Having said that I'm going to stop here and just leave some links about some of the things I mentioned for anyone that wants to check them out. I'm not affiliated or compensated in any way by the companies involved, I'm merely linking them because these are products that I use and like.


*Please note: I am not trying to tell anyone what to do or what to use, I'm simply offering some advice from what I've learned over the years. Just trying to pass on the info like much of it was passed on to me, and save the hassle of figuring out what works and what doesn't.

[goodun]

The basic "helping hands" shown at 7:00 tip over easily because the base is too small and/or not heavy enough (especially if it has a magnifying glass attachment on it). Glue it to a 6" x 6" piece of metal, or even wood, and it'll be far more stable. As for the springy holder for the soldering iron itself, I glued some heavy lead fishing weights into the base so it wouldn't be so tippy.

[scottmccoy]

Hi, this was a great video. Do you happen to have any videos that go into trouble shooting? For example identifying faulty components with a multimeter?

[mdtaylor]

Found your video from your Reddit post and I'm glad I've watched your tutorial. I'm planning on soldering my first mechanical keyboard in the next couple of weeks. Just wish I could find leaded solder in Europe but either way I'll definitely be keeping safe distance and plenty of ventilation.

[kevincoleman]

A solder sucker and a hot air rework station are not interchangeable, they are different tools for different purposes, but you referred to them as if the hot air rework station is a more advanced alternative to a solder sucker. Hot air rework stations are basically just hot air guns with more precise tips and temperature control so you can remove SMD components and are good to quickly shrink rubber tubing with, etc... Solder suckers are plungers to remove solder. I think you meant to say a desoldering tool in general, sorta like a HAKKO FR301-03/P or something like that, as an alternative to a solder sucker.

Additionally, you should upgrade your solder to eutectic solder, even easier to work with, especially because you don't have thermal core style tips (like a Hakko T12 does), will make your life easier due to being able to use much lower temps.

Additionally, the advice to change out the tip while it's hot, the tip is still hot so I don't know why you would make your video like that, that's really dangerous potentially.

[goodun]

Good quality solderwick has powdery rosin flux on it already---- but off-brands may not. Buy quality namebrand solder-wick from a trustworthy source; using the cheap stuff will require more heat applied to the circuit board for a longer period of time, leading to damage of the copper foils and traces on the board. Solderwick may also deteriorate with age and exposure to air or moisture, and the color may start to look like an old penny; be sure yours is fresh! If you have a separate tin of rosin flux it is often helpful to dip the solder wick into the flux before desoldering. Also clean the tip of the iron immediately prior to desoldering anything with solder wick, and put a tiny bit of solder at the junction of the solderwick and the iron tip to ensure quick heating of the solderwick and the connection to be desoldered.

PS, some fluxes are formulated for plumbing or sheetmetal work and are too corrosive for electronics work. Unscrupulous online sellers have been known to sell such fluxes to unsuspecting electronics newbies. Read the label carefully!

[LusRetroSource]

Great video! Really informative. First time I soldered was putting better pickups on a cheap guitar, wasn't difficult at all.

[ofmannotmachine]

This was absolutely beyond helpful! Thank you!

[keagenkuhn]

I remember soldering for the first time I picked you up like a pencil.... Yeah 😂😂😂

[adventuretaco]

Oh crap! Was looking up soldering tips and see my homie already made a vid
Aboot it !

[jayvinstreet]

Just asking for a sanity check, but wouldn't you want to use a fan to solder with to catch all the fumes from soldering? I thought that was usually preferred over a mask

[sinistral]

This is an extremely useful video. Thanks!

[GenesHand]

I already knew how to solder but thanks for reminding me to wear a mask, i always knew that it was toxic but since i don't do it that often i didn't gave it much thought. A good option for beginners is to get a Yihua 947-II, it comes with 6 interchangeable tips, you can regulate the heat and it heats up in less than a minute, not near as good as a Weller but leagues better than any fire stick that i have used and it cost the same as those.

[SuperBlackmen]

How do you keep your iron tip in such good condition? Mine gets dark and with solder residues real quick, so heat doesn't transfer properly after 2 or 3 jobs

[SqUidx]

is it ok if i use lead free solder or no?

[inubass]

Protip: definitely don't make your first soldering project recapping a Sega Game gear. No matter how many YouTube tutorials tell you how easy it is, nothing prepares you to the smell.

[johnr]

when i was a kid i used to destroy things with one of these