Anyone hate soldering as much as I do?

[Szczerba]

I cringe at the thought of soldering. I get pissed and it takes me like 30 mins to solder one deans plug. I've gotten by so far but today, I had my thinking cap on.

I had an extra Mamba Max ESC around and just got a new-to-me clod tube chassis. Figured I would try the two brushed Integy 55t clod setup with the MM.

Ok, to the good part. Found some wicked cheap connectors at good ol' radio shack. Hope this doesn't come back to haunt me. I had to try it. Plus, just thinking of soldering two 12GA wires on one motor tab?! Cancel that. I took off the plastic protectors and started crimping. I figured these would work on a crawler since efficiency isn't too big of a deal for me. Put some shrink tubing were I could, hooked it all up and it worked great! I still need to cover some exposed areas with shrink tubing. I will get it on the rig in a week or so.

Mamba Max
Two Integy Brushed 55 turns
Koolflightsystems UBEC-6VC
Cheap servo, Rx/tx, and battery for mock up.

If anyone has dealt with these connectors or know of some good crimping style connectors let me know. If this will never work, let me know. Questions, comments.

[Natedog]

I solder all my stuff and use Dean's plugs....takes longer but don't have to worry about it.

It'll work, you want to use a good pair of crimpers not the auto parts store cheapies. A good crimp will last much longer and make better contact with less resistance. FYI that 12 gauge wire is overkill for a crawler motor as most of them don't draw many amps. Make sure you put some electrical tape or shrinkwrap over the connectors once they are plugged in or you'll let the smoke outta something.

Learning to solder well is an art like welding or anything else. Takes good information (reading or somebody who really knows what they are doing) and lots of practice. One of the most valuable things for RC though. I've done alot of electronics repair over the years too...saved lots of money.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Soldering just takes time to learn. As long as your connectors stay tight you won't have problems for a while. For battery connection, Sermos are a great crimping style connector. You should still solder direct to the motor tabs though, I don't know of any solid way to connect to the motor blades otherwise.

[Szczerba]

Originally Posted by Natedog

I solder all my stuff and use Dean's plugs....takes longer but don't have to worry about it.

It'll work, you want to use a good pair of crimpers not the auto parts store cheapies. A good crimp will last much longer and make better contact with less resistance. FYI that 12 gauge wire is overkill for a crawler motor as most of them don't draw many amps. Make sure you put some electrical tape or shrinkwrap over the connectors once they are plugged in or you'll let the smoke outta something.

Learning to solder well is an art like welding or anything else. Takes good information (reading or somebody who really knows what they are doing) and lots of practice. One of the most valuable things for RC though. I've done alot of electronics repair over the years too...saved lots of money.

Thanks for the info.
"you want to use a good pair of crimpers not the auto parts store cheapies" Are you talking about the connectors or pliers? I have a good pair of electrical pliers. The connectors were $2 for 3 pair! That 12GA is what I had in my tool box, I never even though about the size. I ran out of shrink tubing tonight, I will have to put it over the +/- to the ESC for sure.

I figured I would try this setup to see if it would work. I guess I'll need to get a better soldering iron and keep at it.

[Natedog]

Talkin about the crimping pliers.

Originally Posted by JohnRobHolmes

.... Sermos are a great crimping style connector. You should still solder direct to the motor tabs though, I don't know of any solid way to connect to the motor blades otherwise.

Forgot about the Sermos (Power Pole) connectors, they are nice and are made to be crimped or soldered onto the wires. Don't get motor cleaner spray on the plastic because it will disintegrate, unless they've changed the plastic formula. Not as much of a problem for crawlers as racers. I still have a few from back racing days. Dean's are smaller though and that can really matter if you're tight on chassis space.

[frdtrkguy]

Actually soldering is one of my favorite RC chores. Bodies and beadlocks suck the most IMO A good hot iron is a must. I have had really good luck running the Sermos style connectors for alot of years but Natedog is right about the solvents will melt em Although, Ive never heard of anyone crimping them, JRH

[Greatscott]

I agree with frdtrkguy. Soldering is one of my favorite things to do. To be fair though, I have been trained to solder and it is something I do at work. Beadlocks on the other hand...

[luis]

soldering is fun especially when you have your friend mr flux

[noRCal]

i dont see the big fuss about soldering....get this sh*t hot, let the solder build up then when it sucks into the wire take the heat source off. Hold for a couple seconds, then just give it the old tugg test and your good.

[Tanis]

A good soldering iron makes it much more pleasant, and clean surfaces help immensly.

[mudrinner4ever]

I don't care for soldering but I do now how to solder and make it hold. Here are a couple tips for you to get a good solder...

1. You need a good hot iron or gun. I use a craftsman soldering gun and it will turn the tip red, plenty hot.
2. Flux is a must. You need flux to clean the parts before you solder them. Without, its like trying to stick tape to dirt, it just doesn't work.
3. Get everything hot first, then add the solder. When working with deans, heat the deans plug first. Then add a little pool of solder. Finally add the wire and a little heat and you should have a perfect solder.

You may not be a completly new at soldering, but I figured I would share what i've learned. It is an art and it takes time to learn it. Good luck and I hope this helped a little!

[Szczerba]

Thanks for info everyone. I probably will just buy a better solder setup and practice some more.

[Mnster]

Yeah throw the dough down and get a Hakko solder station $125 iron worth every penny because it works. Cheap irons just don't do it, especially for pack building.

I used to solder ok, got the new iron and I solder like a pro now.

My dad could never solder, got the new iron, he solders like a pro now too.

[onespeeder]

I agree, I just got a Hakko 936 off the bay for like $80 shipped! Made all the difference in wanting to solder. I'm also a trained solderer and just like anything, having the right tool for the job can make all the difference in the world.

[Fracture]

I love soldering, just need some good flux, expensive solder and a powerful iron... And then theres the blowtorch for that structural stuff

[BlueMonster]

I struggled with soldering for a long time until I dropped some coin on a nice adjustable temp iron, It all turned around and now my joints are perfect every time.

[red jim]

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXTJ21&P=M

For those that can't solder,this is the best alternative,IMO

[TRA3905]

I just started soldering when I got my new emaxx. I dreaded it but had to do it because i had to install traxxas plugs on my batteries. I did the soldering for my motor, esc and batteries on the axial and it got easier with each one I did. Flux is more than a friend, its a must. I bought a High Temp Weller gun from the Home Depot and it works well for what I need it for.

[freetimecrawler]

Although I've sweat thousands of joints doing plumbing, soldering electrical is much different. I've gone through several cheap soldering irons, and hated soldering my Deans too. After the last fiasco trying to solder Deans, (I literally tossed my cheap iron out the window) I went to Radio Shack, and spent $65 on a nice digital readout soldering station. Adjustable temps are a must for soldering electrical. Mnster's right, you'll go from crappy soldering, to looking like a pro. The best $65 I think I ever spent on this hobby. Nickelpimp was over last night, and we did the DX3, 3 position switch mod to get ready for the sweet new VF AX-10 dig. A nice soldering station sure made the mod job it easy
Also, like some are saying, use flux, or I use Rosin-Core Solder for PC work, it works very well for this hobby soldering.

[fishmasterdan]

Just a note.

You need to find out the current rating of your connectors. If they are cheap ones you will get ALOT of resistance in your connections. Low amp rated connectors will SEVERELY reduce your power.

Adding resistance to any high power circuit will reduce power, stress your electronics harder, and may even melt (I have seen Radio shack connectors melt together and ruin battery packs) the connection.