Soldering help

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Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=23760
Printed Date: May 01, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Topic: Soldering help

Posted By: mindctrl
Subject: Soldering help
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 1:56 AM

Hi,

I'm just starting to get into car audio/security, and so far for all my connections I've been using Tap-In Squeeze Connectors from Radio Shack for splicing into wires, and regular crimp connectors to splicing two wires together. My dad said I should solder my connections to make a better, long lasting connection... And I really have no idea where to start. I know pretty much how to solder a connection, you get the iron heated up, then hold the solder againt the tip over the two wires that you want to solder, let the molten solder drip onto the wire and then dry... but that seems a little risky in the car, plus how do you keep the wires together while you solder them? Do you twist them together beforehand? Any tips or a tutorial would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

--mindctrl

Replies:

Posted By: superchuckles
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 4:16 AM

check it out - those connectors you're using are the absolute worst thing in the world. nothing against soldering, but go to any auto electrical shop and you wont see them soldering a wire unless it's some kind of specialty repair. if you don't have a biger electronics supply house or store near you - like frys electronics or something, you can go to almost any hardware store and get yourself some crimp caps (they're usually white or clear, and look similar to a wirenut, except there's no threads, and you use crimp pliers to secure them) and some red, blue, and yellow slim insulator butt connectors. all these types of connectors are what you will find in your stereo shops, auto electrical shops, etc - good crimpers and wire strippers are also a must have. crimp caps make things quick and easy, you just strip the ends of the wires, twist all wires needing to be connected together, slip the cap over them, and crimp. on the down side, crimp caps can be bulky. butt connectors on the other hand, allow wiring inline, but - well, get both, once you use them enough, you'll know which application you'll need which type. soldering is good, but unless you're using heat shrink tubing, tape will eventually loose it's adheasive during a summer, and then its just a matter of time - plus it will take you forever to do a simple install if you're wasting time soldering unnecessarily.

Posted By: outtaluck72
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 7:35 AM

for the past 11 years i have used solder and tape and never had any problems. when you first start out soldering, there will be some instances of cold solder joints but as you get more practice the cold solder joints will be few and far between.

butt connectors or soldering? both have pro's and con's. it depends on how comfortable you are with each type. i know many people that use butt connectors/ t-taps that don't have any problems. if you solder you should use heat shrink ( which can be a pain if you solder many wires at a time) or good quality electrical tape like 3M. i use 3M 33+ tape and it doesn't unravel over time.

it is all up to you. this is like the question "what brand amp should i use?" everyone has their own choice.

Posted By: Teken
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 10:27 AM

mindctrl wrote:

My dad said I should solder my connections to make a better, long lasting connection...

Your father is correct, and also very wise.

mindctrl wrote:

I know pretty much how to solder a connection,

Technically you do not. You do however have the general idea of how it is done.

mindctrl wrote:

you get the iron heated up,

Actually you select the proper soldering iron with the temperature rating you are solding with, or adjust the temperature to the job at hand. Then you install the appropiate soldering iron tip.

You then ensure the tip is clean by wiping any residue off with a wet sponge. And will recoat the soldering iron tip with solder.

Cleaning the tip each time you use it, and reapplying solder to the tip.

mindctrl wrote:

then hold the solder againt the tip over the two wires that you want to solder, let the molten solder drip onto the wire and then dry...

Actually no. What you do is take the soldering iron and touch the one side of the wire. You then place the solder on the opposite side, and let gravity pull it in along with the heat from the iron, which will suck in the solder through the wire.

Once the solder is properly fused to the wire, it will appear to be very shiny, and you can see the outlines of the wire, which is a good thing.

There are 3 things to always remember, it is HEAT, TIME AND MASS... Which dictates how long it will take to solder something.

You must not move the joint while it is in the *plastic* state, which is when it is still wet and cooling. Doing so, will create air pockets and cracks within the joint, thus causing cold solder joints.

A steady hand, and proper cooling time, will create a strong and reliable bond...

mindctrl wrote:

plus how do you keep the wires together while you solder them? Do you twist them together beforehand?

Yes, you do . . .

There aprox 30 things you need to know about soldering, if you want to know the exact method and the reasons behind it. I will explain them to you.

But what I have written here is the most basic things you need to know.

Regards

EVIL Teken . . .

Posted By: Focusedonsound
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 12:49 PM

Teken,

If mindctrl doesn't I sure would. I have been slodering connections for a long time but really never put any thought in to what I was doing. (I just no that a solderd connection is a whole lot better than just twisting them tape them and thats it.

Thanks
Nick

Posted By: mindctrl
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 1:54 PM

Thank you very much guys, I do appreciate the help. I just wanted to clarify one thing, I do use butt connectors for my radio and I am very familiar with crimping... I think I probably just phrased that sentence wrong. Thanks again!

--mindctrl

Posted By: Teken
Date Posted: January 02, 2004 at 5:51 PM

Focusedonsound wrote:

Teken,

If mindctrl doesn't I sure would.

Alright, not a problem. I will however not include some of the information that pertains to board level repairs, or that which applies to surface mounting techniques.

As it does not apply here directly. But the basic principles are still valid, and hold true.

========================================================

CLEANING:

There are (5) five things which the technician will observe for each stage of the preparation.

1. Cleaning all components, circuit boards, tools, and materials to be used for the soldering process, this includes the solder itself.

2. Selecting the flux.

3. Determining the heat to be used and the length of time to do the jo, which are based on thermal mass of the parts to be connected.

4. Selecting the solder.

5. Choosing the flux remover.

Cleaning the soldering iron tip: The soldering iron tip should be bright silver with no flux residue or solder on it. Any major buildup of oxide on the tip is removed by wiping the tip on a damp wet sponge. With the cleaning stroke in a form X

The process of wiping the tip of the iron onto the sponge is called *Shocking*

The act of shocking the tip, steams off the oxides and leaves the tip clean and free of any contaminates.

*Anytime the iron is left to cool, or placed back into storage. Place a large lump of solder on to the tip of the iron. This will prevent corrosion, and protect it from external damage.*

FLUX: Prevents oxidation and removes the thin layer of oxide and the atmosphere gas layer from the area to be soldered.

When the flux is applied to the area, it permits the solder to flow, or wet, smoothly and evenly over the surface of the lead or wire being soldered.

Flux also promotes the flow of heat, resulting in a faster heating of the items or areas being bonded.

There several types of flux on the market, some can be used on board levle electronics, and some cannot.

The following are the most common types of flux and I will indicate which ones cannot be used on the board level.

Acid or zinc based fluz should NEVER be used on the board level repair. It is also known as RA flux.

The acceptable forms of flux are pure roslin flux, and mildly activated roslin. Which is also known as R or RMA flux.

There are also flux that is made from lemons, which makes it very easy to clean, but must be thoroughly cleaned, if applied.

WETTING: If the correct flux is used and applied it will greatly assist in all aspects of the soldering and desoldering process.

What it does is improve the intermetallic bonding and solder flow.

HEAT - TIME - MASS

The heat to be used, time on a connection, and the mass of the joint. Because not all connections are the same, consideration must be given to the differences in the mass of the joint and adjusting the heat and time accordingly.

In terms of heat, the hotter the iron the faster the rate of oxidation. So it does not benefit anyone to use a iron that is 800'C unless the high heat solder is being applied.

The standard iron is 25-30 watts, which is more than reasonable for automotive use.

To give you an idea of oxidation and the rate of it, for a given heat range they are listed below.

600'F <-- Standard iron, oxidation forms on the tip of an soldering iron, uncoated with solder.

700'F <-- Is 10 times more oxidation.

800'F <-- Is 100 times more oxidation.

=======================================================

I will write out the rest later, I am tired.