Michael Render Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 I needed to rewire a XLR5F to 2-XLR3M splitter. (It turns out that DMX pin assignments are not the same as audio) I normally keep my Hakko at 750F, but that didn't even make a dent in the solder joints. I had to go to 850 and barely got flow. Is this normal these days? Has anyone else experienced this? I am a not great with solder, but I usually don't have this much trouble. Any advice from experienced solderers would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 how many watts is your iron? i use a 25w iron that is fine for xlrs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 Maybe it’s lead-free you’re dealing with. Bump up the temp and add some flux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Render Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 hour ago, rich said: how many watts is your iron? i use a 25w iron that is fine for xlrs 70 Watts - variable temperature. Hakko FX888D-23BY. 39 minutes ago, Derek H said: Maybe it’s lead-free you’re dealing with. Bump up the temp and add some flux. I think you may be right. I need to pick up some flux and desoldering wick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Patterson Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 Try to find some that doesn’t say “ non toxic”. The toxic makes it flow easier and shine. Just wear gloves! I have a couple different brands of solder. The really good stuff is no longer available. Use a wick, flux and 99% alcohol. Do you have a magnifying glass with alligator clips for arms? Take pics. You can crank up the heat just don’t melt the xlr pin loose from the insert. Less solder is more. More solder doesn’t make it better, solder only holds the wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Render Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 Dalton, thanks for the good advice. I have accumulated solder over the years. I have the “good stuff” in a variety of sizes. 5 hours ago, Dalton Patterson said: Use a wick, flux and 99% alcohol. Do you have a magnifying glass with alligator clips for arms? What is the alcohol for? I’ve never used alcohol whilst soldering. And, of course I have the little stand with the clips and magnifying glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Patterson Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 I stumbled across these videos on youtube some time ago. They are the best I have seen. "If you go to page 3 of your NASA handbook". Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Render Posted March 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 Wow, thanks again. That video was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 18 hours ago, Dalton Patterson said: I stumbled across these videos on youtube some time ago. They are the best I have seen. "If you go to page 3 of your NASA handbook". Lol. While these may be the way it is done out there - a LOT of it is overkill for the work we do with the equipment we handle. Some of the good practices - keeping the iron tip tinned, using the ideal quantity of solder for a joint, care in tinning the cable, et al. Some of the things not really needed for what we work with - frequent cleaning procedures with kimwipes - the soldering iron tip, the solder itself and multiple cleans of the job work (the item being soldered)... Having said this - a lot depends on exactly what is the job at hand... (if one is doing SMD IC replcements - a lot of what is in the video applies. if one is just doing XLR connectors - no...) As for your predicament - the information is not enough to provide a sensible remedy. I would want to know: Which Hakko unit? How old is the tip? What solder are you using/how old is it/how was it stored? Need to know composition and gauge Did you clean and tin the tip before attempting anything at all? Did you use a liquid flux from a flux pen or a syringe before trying to melt the existing solder junction? So many questions... TO Dalton: OF COURSE the real good stuff is STILL available. I wonder why you say it isn't. cheers -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borjam Posted March 25, 2021 Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 Be careful with high temperature soldering. I learned the hard way! I had to solder some female SMA connectors to PCBs and I decided to use lead free solder. I just had got a brand new temperature regulated soldering iron... And I badly botched it. The temperature damaged the connector dielectric material (and the circuits were supposed to work at 1 GHz) and the result was a complete disaster. Lesson learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Render Posted March 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2021 7 hours ago, soundtrane said: As for your predicament - the information is not enough to provide a sensible remedy. I would want to know: Which Hakko unit? How old is the tip? What solder are you using/how old is it/how was it stored? Need to know composition and gauge Did you clean and tin the tip before attempting anything at all? Did you use a liquid flux from a flux pen or a syringe before trying to melt the existing solder junction? So many questions... It was a brand new tip on a FX888D. The problem was not soldering the wires on, it was removing the current connections. I ended up setting the temperature to 850 F and removing all the current solder using flux and desoldering wick.. Then I tinned the new wires and connected using 60/40 solder and flux. It now works a treat. I just never had to go through that much effort before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted March 28, 2021 Report Share Posted March 28, 2021 seems like your earlier soldering was leadfree SnPbAg - hence the requrement of higher temperature... and now you are on 60/40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Render Posted March 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2021 6 hours ago, soundtrane said: seems like your earlier soldering was leadfree SnPbAg - hence the requrement of higher temperature... and now you are on 60/40. I am thinking you are correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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