unrise_lyrical Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Well I have finished soldering the CORE, DIN and SID modules for my synth :) I figured I would post some pictures up on here to see if my soldering is decent enough in more experienced people's opinions. I have only really started soldering stuff in the past 2 months, and I am using an OLD soldering iron...but enough excuses. here are the pics :) Figured I would upload biggish ones...if what I did is right, it could maybe be referenced by others in the future? Who knows...CORE TOPCORE UNDERSIDESID TOP(wanted to make it my desktop background so its a tad large!SID UNDERSIDEDIN TOPDIN UNDERSIDEAny advice greatly appreciated.Please ignore the little bits of dust looking stuff on them. Used some 100% alcohol to clean the flux up along with paper towels...takes a while to get rid of all the little paper fibres :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futureman Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Mostly good, except for where it's beaded up, like on the SID underside..hard to tell on the directly above pictures.It should be a nice curve leating up to the pins ( /|\ shaped ).. not like a blob sitting on it (Potatoe on a stick)RegardsMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 You seem to be using a bit too much solder and kinda drip it on like candle-wax. Try not to touch the solder with your iron but the component, and then let the heat from the component melt the solder. Other than that it looks good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 You're using too much solder. You should try heating the joint first, then applying just enough solder so it gets sucked into the hole, then add a tiny bit more to get a nice "tent".What might be happening is, you're heating up the lead/pin enough for solder to stick, but not heating it up enough (or for long enough) so the solder gets sucked into the hole. Sometimes you might have trouble with long leads or a pad on the ground plane (see pic).These you should do again... it hasn't formed a good joint onto the pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmosuave Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Just a note... Not a good idea to place chips on a carpeted surface you could get a static charge and fry them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrise_lyrical Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 It is a towel :) hehe, I was trying to go for something that would make it easier for the macro setting to focus :) but thanks for the advice!Thanks for all the replies guys. Yea, I had a feeling I may be using too much solder :( I really need to save up and get a new soldering iron I think...this one is at least 20 years old (decent Weller one...but its OLDDD...my dad's one). The two that you circled wilba...what do you reccomend I do? Just heat it up again and hope the solder goes down the joint? Or buy a solder sucker, remove the solder and try again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCoconut Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Heating it up won't correct anything unless you add flux, and there's too much solder there anyway. You'd be much better off to remove the solder and redo it. Since you don't have a solder sucker, if by any chance you have desoldering braid that will work, too. That stuff's indispensable, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLP Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Heating it up won't correct anything unless you add fluxexactly. Usually, most of the solder has a rosin core, but I prefer adding additional rosin (kolophonium) diluted in alcohol to all my components' pins and the PCB. This decreases the surface tension of the solder dramatically and everything goes really smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCoconut Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Solder tends to attract to the hottest point, and won't stick to anything that's cold, so make sure you're heating the pad enough as well. The soldering iron should be touching both the component lead and the pad (remember to keep a small amount of solder on the tip to act as a thermal conductor), and the solder should be applied directly to the joint, not the iron tip. On the blobs in question, it seems that the pad didn't get heated enough, and that the solder just pooled to the hottest point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrise_lyrical Posted June 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 ahh, ok, I will have to buy a solder suckermethinks, I dont have a desoldering braid. I will leave this go a week or two while I finish my exams, then I will get a new soldering iron tip at the same time...I think life will be alot easier with one :) thanks for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmosuave Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 It is a towel :) hehe, I was trying to go for something that would make it easier for the macro setting to focus :) For taking macro pics I use a curved piece of white paper form my printer makes a pefect white back drop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Getting both a solder sucker and some desoldering braid is a good idea, as they each have their uses. For example, sometimes the solder sucker will suck out most of the solder from a joint, but some might be left in the hole, then the braid can be used to get that last bit out. For a very small pad, sometimes it's safer to use just the braid and not accidentally suck up the pad with the sucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrise_lyrical Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 cheers wilba, I will pick up a braid first (don't even know what they are/look like to be honest, but I will look into it after my exams).One question I shouldnt even be asking, but I got overly excited and put them in...is how do i safetly remove the ICs again? I don't want to risk bending the legs on them...have tried removing some in the past and NEARLY snapped the legs off (didnt though...but it was close! they were like...90 degrees bent). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCoconut Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Desoldering braid is braided copper impregnated with rosin, so it will wick up the solder. It comes on a small, somewhat flat plastic spool.To pull out IC's, they make a handy tool called an IC Puller, it's like tweezers with hooked tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrise_lyrical Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Motherboard-Circuit-Board-PLCC-IC-Extractor-Puller-Tool_W0QQitemZ310146009784QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET?hash=item4836248ab8&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177&_trkparms=240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50would these be suitable? I found alot of different designs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluke Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 I find a small flat-blade screwdriver is the best tool for removing ICs. Just lever it in from from one end then the other 3 or 4 times, going up only a small amount each time so as not to bend the pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilba Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 That's for PLCC ICs, not DIP ICs.You want the el cheapo one.http://parts.digikey.com/1/parts/303249-ic-extractor-tool-t90.htmlYou can probably find it cheaper than Digikey, but this one is lucky yellow like mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCoconut Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Check out the one at the bottom of this page.This site has a bunch of great stuff on the cheap.You can find a solder sucker and desoldering braid on this page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 I see more solder than necessary on lots of joints, but they all look shiny, you can still see the component leads, and it looks like you got the bond you need.The real problem with using too much solder is that is becomes harder (if not impossible) to inspect the actual solder joint. But from what I can see, it looks like you applied enough heat, because the surfaces of the joints ("fillets") are smooth and shiny.I think desoldering is a lot of work you probably don't need to do, and in the process you could damage your board. (After you lift your first track or suck out your first plated thru-hole, trust me, you'll be cursing).If it ain't broke don't fix it. I'd bet that your boards will work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssp Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 i had a look at the pics, there are ball joints, and pool joints there, these are very very succeptable to freeing themselves from the pads. i used to work for panasonic and various other companies and when inspecting we would remove and rework anything that was not grade A soldered even through a smt paste and oven set up through to flow tanks.because a ball joint has minimal pad contact its the first one to lift when there is a thermal build up and cool down process, this is because the surface area that the solder grips to has no cohesion. the pool joints always look like they will hold and will do however 9 times out of 10 they lead to dry joints that will need re-working.as nils stated earlier in the thread the best way to achieve a good solder joint is to have a clean tip, get some solder, apply the tip to the pad and componeent leg, then gently feed the solder to the point of the tip and it will flow around the pad and component. the solder effect your looking for is a nice clean flow around the pad and leg, you can achieve this without using loads of solder, getting a full contact area with the solder achieves maximum cohesion and will ensure a good firm joint this is also known as "wetting the joint"personally i would rework some of the joints this will make sure that there is proper adhesion and flow between pads and components, otherwise if things are not working correctly when powered up you may still have to do some re-work.heres a picture of the solder joints on my core which as you can see have just the right amount of solder on them the pads are fully encased and theres a flow towards the tip of the component leg, there is no dryness to the solder its clean and not over fluxed either.here is an interesting article that can explain the process in more easy to understand laymans terms with some graphical explanations.http://www.twyman.org.uk/PCB-Techniques/Email-Article.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebula Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 On closer examination, I see you are right - but I maintain that very little, if any desoldering is required. The "ball" joints can be fluxed and heated, and a bit more flux-core solder fed into the concave joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.