solder

[4ruggy]

whats the best solder to use on a dean plug. the stuff i'm trying to use won't even stick

[ohmyCLOD!]

Sounds like an iron issue, not the solder. Is the tip hot enough? Any flux-core will work. I use silver, personally, but only because it's a little safer than lead.

[Espeefan]

I use Deans solder, or else Novak's silver solder for building battery packs, and doing all connections and joints regarding electronics for my RCs.

Your soldering could be giving you your trouble, so check the tip and keep it clean. If it's shot, buy a replacement tip for it. Once you replace the tip, always keep it 'tinned'. Tinned = always have some solder on the tip, which helps keep it in good shape. When you put the iron back in the holder, put some solder on it. When you pull it out, wipe that solder off, which has been cooking on it for a while, and the tip should appear nice and shiny. Make your joint, then tin the tip afterward. Even when you pull the plug for the day, it's good to let the solder cool down on the tip, so when you plug the iron in the next time, you won't have to babysit the tip and worry about it cooking without any solder on it to protect it. Good joints are all about having excellent heat transfer, and good heat transfer comes from a clean, hot tip.

The other tip I will share is this. When you attempt to make a joint, like a Deans plug to a wire, tin the terminal of the plug, where the joint will be made, as well as the wire. Then, when you make the actual joint, all you should need to do is heat the solder on wire and let it melt. It'll transfer the heat of the iron, through the solder, which will eventually melt the solder on the terminal of the Deans plug, and it becomes one puddle. Then when you pull the heat off, it will solidify, after a second or two (so make sure you hold the wire in place without moving it) giving you a good joint.

[Big Mike]

Depends on your iron, I've never gotten good results from your standard 40 watt Rat Shack special. They just don't get hot enough and the tips suck.

I have a Weller station now that will go to 85 watts if needed, and it has a skinny little handle that is really easy to work with. 75 watts works good for Deans connectors, the solder melts fast so there is less heat transfer to the red plastic.

http://www.nationalaudiovisualsupply...l?feed=froogle

A good quality solder station like this is well worth the investment if you solder all the time (I use mine practically daily between all my RC stuff and my job) Espeefan makes some good points - if your tip is pitted and nasty looking, it will NOT transfer heat properly (if you look at the link, you'll see a yellow sponge on the base of the holder. You keep it damp and use it to keep the tip clean while you work) Both sides of your connection should be pre-tinned before you even think about soldering them together. And flux-core solder is a must. The flux is an acid that cleans the metals when heated and makes everything stick together

[gitovrit]

Regarding solder:

There is solid core solder, acid core, and rosin core. Do not use acid core on electronics/electrical, its for plumbing and metal work. The rosin core works best for electronics. I don't care for the "lead free" solder although it is getting harder to find anything else.

Have fun!

Dave

[NeXt559]

confuded shoes say:

"solder the joint the the solder"

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by NeXt559

confuded shoes say:

"solder the joint the the solder"

Mmm-kay.