soldering iron heat

[ax10]

I've been looking at different irons at the local hardware store. What would the minimum temp. i would need to solder wires to motor tabs? The ones i'm looking at are all non-adjustable. They are between 700 and 1200 degrees. Don't have the money to buy an nice adjustable one

[Failedabortion]

I use my adjustable one between 600-700* 99% of the time. Only time I use it any higher is when soldering deans on those 5200+ 8ga turnigy pack wires.

[WIDELOAD]

I just use mine on the hottest setting which is 900*f all the time.
Hotter iron is better ive found, you just need to work quick.

[losikid]

This is a nice one, but be solder quick cause it tends to melt deans and stuff if you don't solder fast enough.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...Id=50663867783

[JohnRobHolmes]

750f is recommended for most 60/40 lead solder. 800 to 850f is used on lead free.

[Serolf]

I used a $17 Weller (40watt) soldering iron from Home Depot- the cheapest one they had. It got the job done for me. You don't need a fancy adjustable iron.

[Sharkey]

Originally Posted by Serolf

I used a $17 Weller (40watt) soldering iron from Home Depot- the cheapest one they had. It got the job done for me. You don't need a fancy adjustable iron.

you dont need it but it does a much better job. i use an 80 watt adjustable iron for all my rc stuff, never melted a deans plug, never overheated a cell (anyone remember soldering packs up?). the thing with a low watt iron is, yes itll melt the solder, but to get the wire, plug, cell, ect hot enough for the solder to melt on you have to hold the heat on it for a while, and that can damage sensitive parts. with a hot iron it heats up what your soldering much quicker and reduces the risk of overheating.

[ax10]

Thank you for all the replys. It makes the decision much easier. What are the advantages/disadvantages of using 60/40 vs. lead free solder?

[Manning]

The temperature isn't as important as the thermal mass of the tip. Using one of those tiny 1/8" pencil tip irons to solder a 12 gauge wire to a dean's plug is next to impossible since the tip cools off rapidly once you touch the wire and plug. But using one of the classic Weller 40 watt irons with the 1/4" chisel tip, it's easy. The tip stays hot since it's bigger than what you are trying to solder.

The 60/40, or better yet, 63/37 leaded solder melts at a much lower temp than the lead free stuff. Easier to work with.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Yeah, 60/40 is just plain easier to work with. I hate working with the lead free. It doesn't flow well, it oxidizes easy without a dross preventer, and in general it is a pain compared to leaded.

[scatterbrains]

ive been using a good adj. from team checkpoint it comes in at @ $79. Not sure if its out of your budget but well worth saving up for if your considering getting a $40 iron. 60/40 solder all the time too, i use .032 dia from radioshack.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by Manning

The temperature isn't as important as the thermal mass of the tip. Using one of those tiny 1/8" pencil tip irons to solder a 12 gauge wire to a dean's plug is next to impossible since the tip cools off rapidly once you touch the wire and plug. But using one of the classic Weller 40 watt irons with the 1/4" chisel tip, it's easy. The tip stays hot since it's bigger than what you are trying to solder.

The 60/40, or better yet, 63/37 leaded solder melts at a much lower temp than the lead free stuff. Easier to work with.

+1......the temp melts the solder (60/40 melts at a lower temp), the thermal mass determines how long it hold the heat.
A very fine pencil tip is GREAT for small IC's & wires, but SUCKS for big wires.
Sooooo.....a soldering gun is good for big wires onto a motor tab. A medium to big iron is also good.

A small 45watt pencil can do motor leads, but it is a PITA. A 100watt pencil is better, but heat soak is there.
A 800-1200watt gun gets it done quick with minimal heat soak.

[rock addict]

rebadged hakko 936, had mine for years and has never failed. hade by hakko, so all hakko tips work and heats up in about 11 seconds, spend the money once and get a true soldering station. heres a link to ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/SOLDERING-STATIO...item58840c4dcf

[Coley]

Originally Posted by Serolf

I used a $17 Weller (40watt) soldering iron from Home Depot- the cheapest one they had. It got the job done for me. You don't need a fancy adjustable iron.

I've got a 10 year old Weller 35W that works great. I was having trouble last night soldering on some new deans connectors and my ESC to brushless motor until I realized it was just a loose tip... tighten it up and it was golden.

No need to go expensive, but 700 degrees (around 30-40W) will be fine.

[BrentH]

I use a cheap $20 soldering pen from Radio Shack. I think it's 40watts and has worked great for me. I solder batteries, connectors, motors etc. I personally don't see the need to spend more than 20-30 bucks on a soldering iron/pen.