Jump to content

High Temperature Soldering?


Michael Render

Recommended Posts

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...