Help: skom25 learns how to solder

[alvinlwh]

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[ad456]

Good shout @alvinlwh braid is awesome, I use it the whole time. I find it works better when I run a flux pen on it first, cleans the areas a lot faster. 

[skom25]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

I sometimes cheat; for example, XT60 or bullet connections, blob of solder on the connectors, dip the wire end in flux, melt the solder in connector, stick wire in, done.

I use this, easier to use than that sucky pipe thing.

I have this, but it is really hard to remove solder. I need to try again.

[skom25]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

RoHs! 🤣

Sorry, just something I deal with everyday in my real work.

BTW, I ordered Pb from outside Europe because they easier to work with. Sod EU and their H&S rules!

It is quite interesting, because Pb solder is available without any problem in Poland.

[Pylon80]

Just now, skom25 said:

It is quite interesting, because Pb solder is available without any problem in Poland.

I think Pb solder is reasonably safe as long as you wash your hands after you done. Flux is considerably more toxic.

I used to do target shooting with C02 or compressed air. We were touching lead pellets all day long and I researched the toxicity at the time. Lead does not get into your skin and kill you (unless you get shot at, haha).

[skom25]

I know that many static modellers use Pb solder for wires etc. I bought Pb free, because I thought that there is no difference between them.

Pb solder is waiting in shop. I will collect it tommorow!

[alvinlwh]

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[skom25]

Today I had only 30 minutes of free time, but decided to do next training session, this time with 60/40 solder.

What a difference! Now I had a feeling, that everything worked as expected. Of course, there is still a lot things to learn, but at least I do not have feeling that I am fighting with material...

My observations:

- Soldering is super quick. Previously, I needed probably around 10 seconds to do each step. Everything was hot. Now it is more like 2 or 3 seconds.

- Solder flows much better. Tinning is really easy.

- There is a lot less of excessive flux

- Less flux fumes

Of course, lead is toxic but I have feeling, that I spent few times less time on soldering with Pb solder, than with Pb Free. I also found, that there were less fumes, less residue etc.

Probably if you have a lot of experience, Pb free will be fine and possible to use. If you are total amateur, Pb is much, much easier to work with.

Only downside is fact, that I bought 1.5 mm wire. It is not end of the world, e.g. in Deans connectors it is nice because I can only touch surface and I have enough material, but for tinning small part of cable, it is bit too thick.

[Twinfan]

I hate to say "I told you so", but...  

Glad it worked out for you!

[alvinlwh]

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[skom25]

I soldered ESC to motor directly in TT-02B. + wire solder is shiny but - is bit dull.

I cleaned it a bit with fine scotch brite, so it can be bit more matte than after soldering.

It feels solid and after run for 2-3 minutes on stand, I did not feel excessive heat.

Should I worry about this? I really do not want to touch it again 😐

[Twinfan]

The wire should be "in" the solder rather than sat on top. Personally, I would remove it and do it again - particularly the one on the left.

The joint should be a physical one between the two components, the solder just holds it in place rather than being a bridge between them 

[skom25]

5 hours ago, Twinfan said:

The wire should be "in" the solder rather than sat on top. Personally, I would remove it and do it again - particularly the one on the left.

The joint should be a physical one between the two components, the solder just holds it in place rather than being a bridge between them 

Except of wire position: does it look fine?

I do not want to deny what you wrote, because I totally agree, however... I have new Super Stock motor and wire position looks similar. LOL.

What can happen if I decide to not fix this?

 

[Twinfan]

If the wire isn't making contact properly you risk having a dry joint and a poor connection. The motor would then cut out, possibly intermittently.  You can always leave it as it is and see how you get on and fix it as needed 

[skom25]

@Twinfan I think I can be more than happy:

Now right now looks like poor brother, but I will not touch it.

[Pylon80]

On 1/29/2024 at 12:28 AM, skom25 said:

@Twinfan I think I can be more than happy:

Now right now looks like poor brother, but I will not touch it.

You will be totally fine. Good job learning that new skill 👍👍👍

[skom25]

In the meantime, I soldered few things with success. Now I have small issue with Super Stock motor. I removed stock wires and solder, then tried added my to not mix them.

There is an issue, because I am able only to cover plates with thin layer of solder. If I try to add more, it just flows through hole on plate. I am not sure, what to do in that case.

Add more solder on ESC wire? Use good amount on iron tip, so it will just flow on cable and plate?

[Pylon80]

9 hours ago, skom25 said:

In the meantime, I soldered few things with success. Now I have small issue with Super Stock motor. I removed stock wires and solder, then tried added my to not mix them.

There is an issue, because I am able only to cover plates with thin layer of solder. If I try to add more, it just flows through hole on plate. I am not sure, what to do in that case.

Add more solder on ESC wire? Use good amount on iron tip, so it will just flow on cable and plate?

A thin layer is fine. There is no need for a big giant blob of solder. In certain cases if the final solder joint seems a bit thin I re-heat it and add some solder by holding the solder wire to the joint like a TIG welder would do! You do have to be careful not to have the wires soak up the solder while you do this.

Edit: I am curious. What is this grey tape you have under the motor on all your cars and what is its function?

[skom25]

@Pylon80 it is Tamiya Aluminium Reinforced Tape. I use it to protect parts. I found that even on asphalt, there is a lot of dirt which is stuck between motor and chassis.

I use it in many places, where I need good protection and easy removal.

[alvinlwh]

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[skom25]

36 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

There is no need or reason to remove stock solder.

I have mixed feeling about this. I already soldered three Super Stocks and when I did not remove it, solder was dull and not smooth at all. When I removed it and used my own, connection was shiny and smooth.

[Sogogi]

On 12/21/2023 at 7:53 AM, Twinfan said:

I've no idea as I've never un-soldered the connections on a Tamiya motor.  It's easy to remove solder if you have the correct tool by the way, you just need a solder sucker:

Wow that solder sucker thing actually has a guide for the plunger.

I’ve been using old solder sucker thingy and got hit by that plunger couple times… when trying to suck solder.

(sounds weird)

[Room335]

I'm still pretty new to soldering myself, but just came across a few helpful tips:

 

Heat shrink tubing (the flat style) can be stretched, if you work it slowly with needle-nose pliers. This is really helpful if you forget the heat shrink tubing before soldering a batter connector.

 

When soldering a battery connector like an XT60, connect the corresponding male or female plug to act as a heat sink. This will help avoid distorting the plastic.