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Old 10-30-2011, 12:40 PM   #1
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Default Soldering

Hey everyone, one thing I have always hated doing was soldering deans plugs on my speed controls and batteries. I think part of it for me is that I only have the $5 radio shack gun. Does a good gun really make that much difference or is it just technique?
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Old 10-30-2011, 06:08 PM   #2
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How many watts is the gun? I recommend over 45 for 12+ gauge wire.

Hobbico makes a great 60W iron that goes for under $10. Most lhs's sell them.
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Old 10-30-2011, 06:20 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tycoonman View Post
How many watts is the gun? I recommend over 45 for 12+ gauge wire.

Hobbico makes a great 60W iron that goes for under $10. Most lhs's sell them.
^^yeah that^^ +1. Your iron shouldn't be any less than 40-45 watts. Make sure you plug the other end of a deans plug onto the plug you're soldering (a loose one that's not attached to anything) as a heatsink. It will also help keep the plug from deforming so it will go back together when you're done. The key is to TIN EVERYTHING first with the solder. The faster you can get the heat on and off (while still getting the solder to flow), the better. If your joint looks frosty, the solder joint is weak and can break off. You want a nice shiney solder joint. A hobby vise is also a very helpful tool to have for soldering Deans plugs. Good luck!
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Old 10-30-2011, 07:38 PM   #4
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Then I guess that's why I was having so much trouble, it was 25 watts.

I'll pick up a nice 60 watt one soon. Is it best to have the pencil type, or the gun type?
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Old 10-30-2011, 07:38 PM   #5
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Haha this is funny I just souldered a deans for the first time on my goat 3s with 2 BEC'S . I used a $5 30 watt iron from Harbor Freight and my joints ended nice and strong but a higher wattage iron would have been nice. I don't really have to much experience but hope this helps
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Old 10-30-2011, 11:18 PM   #6
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i used all kinds of guns/pencil type irons and when i bought my hakko 936, i'll never go back now ....only cost me 69 bucks on sale and was the best 69 bucks i spent........bob

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Old 10-31-2011, 04:27 AM   #7
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Personally I prefer either pencil or gun type as long as the neck is fairly short.
Not that easy to solder small joints with a 15'' long pencil.
Somewhere between 3 and 5 inches should be good and about 60 or so watts.
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Old 10-31-2011, 06:32 AM   #8
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a good soldering iron is the single best investment i've made in this hobby. i bought the team checkpoint TC950, which is a rebadged hakko iron(model 936 i believe) and it has yet to fail me. every time i use it i'm glad i bought it. so long story short, yes it makes a difference
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Old 10-31-2011, 10:37 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by tarmo120 View Post
Not that easy to solder small joints with a 15'' long pencil.
the wand on my hakko is not 15" long, what iron are you speaking of.........bob

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Old 10-31-2011, 11:14 AM   #10
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quality equipment matters. You dont need to get a really bad ass one but it helps. A technique that works for me with the deans is use sandpaper to rough up the deans surface and apply some flux. then strip wire and put a dab of flux on that also. clean soldering tip and get a "tin" it up(get a small drop of hot solder on there) and put that on the wire. It should melt the flux and drop of solder will absorb into wire. Then clean tip again and get another drop of solder and hold wire to deans and touch the deans and wire at same time. it should bond in like 10 seconds if not less. make sure you remember heat shrink.

the trick is the solder on the wire... that way you dont need 3 hands to hold wire, gun, solder.
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Old 10-31-2011, 09:10 PM   #11
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a good iron makes a big difference, but technique is important too. Heat it quick, use flux every time, tin everything first, roughing the surface up, etc. all great ideas, all will really help make it an easy experience instead of a chore.
I actually quit using a soldering iron completely, and started using a little butane pencil torch. I actually like it a lot better for doing things like connectors. It heats the wire, the connector and the solder much more quickly so there's less deformation of the plastic. You've got to be careful of course with the open flame...it's easy to melt something adjacent or behind your joint if you're soldering it in place on the truck.
lots of options...but the best first step is definetly a better iron
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Old 11-01-2011, 10:24 AM   #12
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All of the above tips are good ones. Another thing is to apply a small bit of solder onto the hot tip before applying it to the surface you are heating in order to make a "solder Bridge" between the iron and the part. And as it was stated above...rough up the surface a bit and it can never be clean enough...clean, clean clean! Also don't forget to clean off the excess flux after the job is complete, alcohol and a trimmed up acid brush work great.

Last edited by ceedawwg; 11-01-2011 at 10:46 AM.
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