Stupid Noob Problem

[Spucknit]

Why can't I solder Deans???? Every time I try, by the time posts are hot enough to melt solder the plastic housing melts. The contacts move a little and they dont line up. Is my gun just too hot. I'm using the basic weller pistol style 40watt.

[Unholy]

Get an Iron style, or let your tip heat all the way up before you touch it to the terminals.

Also, plug the deans into another deans to keep it aligned even if you over heat it.

You can still heat it enough to destroy it, but it helps to have it plugged into another one.

[CD13]

your tip needs to be real clean and try putting a little soder on it before you start

[Brandon M]

Originally Posted by Unholy

Get an Iron style, or let your tip heat all the way up before you touch it to the terminals.

Also, plug the deans into another deans to keep it aligned even if you over heat it.

You can still heat it enough to destroy it, but it helps to have it plugged into another one.

Thats exactly what I do. When I started solder my battery packs to deans I had that problem of them moving then I started plugging them into another dean and I haven't had that problem since

[Spucknit]

Originally Posted by Unholy

Get an Iron style, or let your tip heat all the way up before you touch it to the terminals.

Also, plug the deans into another deans to keep it aligned even if you over heat it.

You can still heat it enough to destroy it, but it helps to have it plugged into another one.

I suppose thats what a smart person might do.

Thanks for the tip

[Mnster]

What I do is apply solder to the connector. Then apply solder to the wire, then melt the two together. The two puddles of solder fuse together fast.

[Destroyer]

Make sure to get the iron nice and hot, and then wipe the tip with a damp sponge while still hot and then apply a little solder or tip tinner to the tip immediately. With a good fresh tip surface, you should be able to get the connector tabs and wire ends tinned real quick. Then just solder the two together.

[Turps]

Wish I had read this thread 6mths ago. I melted one plug and the alignment sux's.
Such a simple fix. Mind you I aint the best at soldering.

[mrmaxxman]

this is why i try to get them with leads already soldered on i cant count how may deans plugs i have trashed trying to solder to them,

[P47TBolt]

Originally Posted by Mnster

What I do is apply solder to the connector. Then apply solder to the wire, then melt the two together. The two puddles of solder fuse together fast.

This is called tinning.This is the best way to solder two
connections together so you don't get a "cold joint" that
can break apart fairly easy.

[Thorsteenster]

to tin, when my iron is at temp, 40 watt, i hold the face of the tip against the end of the tab and usually after a few seconds the solder flows. then tin the wire, hold the wire on top of the tab and hold the iron to it until i see the solder turn liquid. how thick is your solder? maybe try somthing thinner, i use .022 silver bearing solder from radio shack.

[Turps]

Originally Posted by thorsteenster

to tin, when my iron is at temp, 40 watt, i hold the face of the tip against the end of the tab and usually after a few seconds the solder flows. then tin the wire, hold the wire on top of the tab and hold the iron to it until i see the solder turn liquid. how thick is your solder? maybe try somthing thinner, i use .022 silver bearing solder from radio shack.

Looking at the type of solder is probably something I should do. I generally just grab what ever first ends up in my hand. Oh and most of my stuff has to do general soldering also.
And I use a butane soldering iron which puts abit more heat into the plugs. But I find with the butane it works well when I go camping etc and need to fix some wiring

[Spucknit]

Thanks for all of the advice guys I spent a little dough on a new soldering station and ditched the pistol. I got some "tinning" flux, and plugged the connecters into each other... SUCCESS I finally soldered some deans connectors when the pigtails I ordered show up in the mail. Oh Well, at least I shouldn't have to worry about connectors for a while.
Thanks again

[montereycrawler]

Make sure to get the iron nice and hot, and then wipe the tip with a damp sponge while still hot and then apply a little solder or tip tinner to the tip immediately.

The above is probably one of the most important steps eliminate the problem you experienced.

It is very important to have a fresh bit of solder on your tip before trying to heat the plug or anything else for that matter. The difference in heat transfer is huge. When you touch a tip to another surface and the tip is dry (no solder) there is only one very small contact patch. If the tip is properly tinned the liquid solder on the tip conforms around and to the surface giving a much larger contact area (better heat transfer). This definitely works best if you wipe the tip off before tinning it and then just after applying the solder to the tip (tinning) move to the surface that you are going to solder (work somewhat quickly). It seems to work much better if you don't let the solder sit on the tip for for very long.

Repeat these steps everytime you touch the iron to another surface to solder. Start fresh every time.