Hate Fawking Soldering

[2JSC]

I'm not that great... Not that good really... I got my FX-R today and started to wire up the battery lines. To say the least, I'm not very pleased with my self. :-(

Will this work?



The wire provided just seems too big for the posts. Am I supposed to get the wires inside the posts? Or attached as best as possible?

[See65]

I would get someone with a good iron to solder those up for you.

[syber70]

Doesn't look like you tinned the wires very good? Lot of loose braid there.

[cuzican]

I'm of no help....but I share your pain. I suck at....and hate soldering. I'd gladly pay a few extra bucks for components if you could order them with your choice of connectors already attached.

[CD13]

Always put some solder on the wire and what your soldering to,tinning,Then solder it together

[2JSC]

Originally Posted by See65

I would get someone with a good iron to solder those up for you.

No one within 50 miles of me. :-( Stupid mountains.

Originally Posted by cuzican

I'd gladly pay a few extra bucks for components if you could order them with your choice of connectors already attached.

Yup - but Tekin doesn't offer the FX-R pre-wired... a shame really. :-(


I'm gonna stop tonight and maybe try again tomorrow. What a good way to clean up the solder on the posts? I'm using what I believe is a 40w iron.

[T-Dubb]

you need atleast a 60w get the pole hot and let the solder flow on it then get the wire hot and solder it then solder them together

[2JSC]

I'll see if the local Radio shack has a better iron tomorrow.

Any way to clean the crap I left on the post?

[53 willys]

a GOOD 40w weller will work just fine.....my 40w radio shack iron was JUNK...I just picked up a $60 weller and it's 40w as well....it 100X better then my RS iron!!
a good iron is half the battle.

here is what I use....$60 from grainger industrial supply
http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brand...c=037103059963

[PEDEcrawlerguy]

I got a 180w gun from HF on sle for like $10-15... its a cheapy, but it works awesome. It came with 3 tips.. and heats up ( enough to solder with) in like 5-10 seconds.

[T-Dubb]

Originally Posted by 2JSC

I'll see if the local Radio shack has a better iron tomorrow.

Any way to clean the crap I left on the post?

if you just heat the pole in will flow on nice then just add to it and solder the wire on you need solder on there and tin the wire then melt them together but if you want to clean that up heat it then wipe it with your sponge

[cuzican]

Originally Posted by 2JSC

No one within 50 miles of me. :-( Stupid mountains.




Yup - but Tekin doesn't offer the FX-R pre-wired... a shame really. :-(


I'm gonna stop tonight and maybe try again tomorrow. What a good way to clean up the solder on the posts? I'm using what I believe is a 40w iron.

I know they don't....which is mostly what has kept me from buying one.
I have a rooster hooked up on my rig right now. I hate soldering so much that I've had a sidewinder sitting, already programmed on my desk for over a month and I honestly don't know when/if I'll get around to actually hooking it up.

It would be alot easier if the companies order forms were setup like the maxamps website. LOL....pick your wire....pick your connectors and it shows up a week later in a box ready to plug and play. I'm lazy, I know.

[Duuuuuuuude]

I struggled through soldering with two 25 watt irons used in tandem.

It sucked.

Then I saw HH has a cheapo 60w iron for less than $10.

Life is now good.

I also picked up some silver solder from CKRC that comes with a little bottle of acid resin.

Now my joints are like butter.

Some tips...

Heat and apply to each item before attempting to solder them together (called tinning). Once you do that, put them together, heat untill the solder melts between them.

Be sure your tip is clean. Once its hot you can wipe it on a damp sponge to remove the junk.

Old solder can be removed with copper braid or a solder sucker. Both are available at RS. The braid works best for bigger items (motors, escs).

Lay the braid onto the item you want cleaned, apply a hot soldering iron on top. Once the solder melts and the copper is hot enough, it'll pull the solder into it. Pull it off in a wiping motion before the solder sets up again. Keep doing it untill the area is clean.

The sucker works best on circuit boards when removing components.

[GySgt Hartman]

Put the soldering iron down, put your hands in the air and give-up!

[SDheavymetal]

I will see if I can help. If you have a Home Depot or ACE go there and get flux. I use Nokorode regular flux it about $2.00 white contianer. I use it at work. I have been soldering for 30+ years. See if your tip on your soldering iron is tight! They usually tighten clockwise-only check unplugged. I personally use a Weller 140/100 Watt gun style. They heat very fast.----TIGHTEN YOUR TIP---it will work much better!
-Get the soldering iron hot-
-Get a rag wet with water not dripping but wet-
-There is mostlikely black stuff on the tip of your iron-
-Now clean the tip of the iron on the wet rag/towel/paper towel/napkin-
-Dip the tip in flux(it will smoke) and clean again, there should be no black stuff on the tip.
-Now touch the solder on the hot tip(called tinning)
-Dip the wire in the flux. You need very little flux and tin the wire.
-I found if I have some solder on the tip of the iron it transfers the heat to the wire faster when soldering.
Hope this helps everyone. Practice on spare wire first-Matt-Don't use ACID flux-will eat the wires. Youtube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm28j...eature=related

[ScalerLover]

I used to hate soldering also, i bought a 40W iron from RS (for $7.00) and havent come across anything i cant solder yet. The trick to it is as stated before to tin (or put solder on) both items you wish to join. Then i find it easier to #1 heat the wire till the solder melts so its up to temp pretty much, then #2 heat the connector till it melts then #3 join them and heat them both.

[freetimecrawler]

Originally Posted by 2JSC

I'll see if the local Radio shack has a better iron tomorrow.

Any way to clean the crap I left on the post?

Radio Shack has a digital soldering station for about $65, WELL worth the money. You'll actually enjoy soldering with it.
You need more heat.

[Narly1]

OK 2JSC, I know you can do this and I am prepared to walk you through this step-by step to get it right.

1. Let's assemble what we need to do the job:

Soldering iron (you say you have a 40W, perfect for this job)

Resin flux core solder (NOT acid flux core.....that's for plumbing and sheet meat work. The acid is too harsh on electronics.

A damp sponge or rag to clean the iron tip.

Pliers/wire strippers/ scalpel (to prep wire)

Very fine sand paper / pencil eraser (to clean items to be soldered)

Something to hold the ESC from squirming around:...vice, 3rd hand tool, tape, whatever works.

Safety glasses.

2. First of all cleanliness is key. That means the solder, iron tip and surfaces to be soldered all have to be bright and shiney. After your iron is warmed up wipe it on the sponge/rag to clean off the old dull solder. Tin it with a dab of new solder and wipe that off too. Then it's ready to go.

Clean the parts you are going to solder. I find that sometimes the individual strands of wire are oxidized (dull looking). Fan them out and clean w/ sand paper/eraser until they look nice and shiney.

A word or two about wire prep: I like to use a scalpel blade to gently score the insulation and then bend it make it separate. This way I am not nicking or cutting off any of the individual strands.

3. Now you are ready to tin the wire & ESC posts. Remember that the point where you touch the iron to the work is where things are going to get the hottest, and that solder always wicks (on a clean surface) towards the heat. (As a note of trivia, solder will even wick uphill against gravity under these conditions.)

To get that old solder off of the ESC terminals, heat up the pins from the top just enough to get the solder molten, and then "flick" the ESC. MAKE SURE YOU ARE WEARING YOUR PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT!!!

(Note to self: soldering in (under)shorts....not a good idea.....naked even worse...oops, sorry too much info, LOL!)

4. Tin the ESC posts with a dab of new solder. You can wipe off any excess with the damp rag.

5. OK, now you are ready to solder the newly prepped wires to the ESC. Secure the ESC so it can't move around. Now comes the tricky part where you have to hold the wire to the post while applying heat to both parts where they come in contact with each other.

When you see that the solder from the tinning process is starting to melt, add a modest amount of new solder to the joint to secure the parts.

You don't want to use too much...just enough to get a smooth surface on the joint, not an ugly blob.

In all, you want be like a mercinary: Go in, do the job, and get out quick.

After things have cooled off, inspect your joints. They should be smooth and shiney, not dull, dirty or crystalline looking. If it looks crystalline you probably have a cold (insufficient heat applied) joint.

You can also do a pull test on the joints (Use common sense regarding how hard to pull) for good measure.

That's about all I can think of for now, don't be afraid to ask if you have any questions or if my ramblings don't make sense.

Narly1

P.S. Those joints look like some of my first attempts back when I was, oh maybe 12......I'm 48 now so I've been doing this for a while.....made a career out of it.....I know what I'm doing, LOL!

[Narly1]

Hey, I forgot about using braid or a solder sucker for removing excess solder, both are a better alternative to my "flicking" technique LOL!

Narly1

[Narly1]

One more thing: when you are done, cover your nice work with heat shrink to help prevent electrical shorts.

Narly1