/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.116171]

Hey /diy/ I was wondering if you could help me come to some sort of consensus on whether or not I should begin a journey into the fine art of soldering...

First of all, I have a background in music and computer science but I am pretty much lower middle class and don't have tons of money to sink into a new hobby, but I do have some funds available for use. Basically my interest in soldering comes from the basis that I could use it to fix/make headphones, effects pedals, and various cables.

But I was wondering, what are some of the easiest projects/applications soldering ? What sort of / do I need separate tools for working with electronic boards vs cables vs costume jewelry vs etc ? How much do expenses run for this sort of hobby ? What are some related skills I should have ?

Any replies will be appreciated, will be monitoring the thread.

[Anonymous No.116175]

A soldering kit, Velleman kits are pretty good and are usually sold at local Fry's. Soldering is a skill you can learn in a day.

[Anonymous No.116190]

>>116175
Just something basic like this ? http://www.frys.com/product/4825190?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

What's good to look for ?

[Anonymous No.116201]

>>116171
>what are some of the easiest projects/applications soldering?
You have a computer science background, you say? That's like asking "what are some of the easiest projects/applications for programming?" It is quite wide open, and the repair things you mentioned are just one facet. If you have any interest in building or modifying electronic devices, soldering is a very important skill to have.

>What sort of / do I need separate tools for working with electronic boards vs cables vs costume jewelry vs etc ?
I'd say a soldering iron for boards and electronics, and for jewelry I lean toward a pencil torch. This is because pin point heat that is easily removed is better for soldering pins and components without over heating. For things like wire wrap jewelry using silver solder, you can safely deliver higher heat over a wider area, and may need to do so when soldering larger pieces (since a soldering iron generally doesn't deliver enough heat to work across a wide area).

Other things you'll want is a solderless breadboard kit, which allows you to build and experiment with circuits without soldering them. This allows you to build things quickly and test them before you decide to permanently solder things in place. I tend to use prototyping perfboard for the final version of my projects. While circuit boards look nicer and you don't have to use wire for the traces, using perf board means you don't have to deal with masking and etching the board.

[Anonymous No.116205]

>>116201 continued
>How much do expenses run for this sort of hobby ?
When you first start, a cheap soldering iron and desoldering tool (either wick or solder sucker) is just fine. A soldering iron, solder sucker, and electronics solder can be purchased for around $30.

Later on, if you continue the hobby and develop better skills, a higher quality soldering station would be handy. While the tend to be more expensive, they offer better temperature control, sturdier construction, and there are higher quality tips available for them.

What are some related skills I should have ?
For electronics, you should know what common passive components do and have an understanding of basic circuitry. Knowing how to read a schematic is essential. This isn't difficult at all and will not take long to learn.

After that, start learning about transistor circuits and common ICs. If can program in C, you may also want to consider microcontrollers for more complex projects. Most of my projects revolve around LED lighting, and it is nice to have a microcontroller to control them. The Arduino is a good starter one, but is rather expensive at about $35. The TI Launchpad has a bit less capability, but is far cheaper at $4.30 If you offload direct control of the LEDs to LED driver ICs, it does quite well.

http://e2e.ti.com/group/msp430launchpad/m/project/447779.aspx

[Anonymous No.116211]

>>116201
Very helpful post, thank you.

I was reading that it's useful to have an adjustable watt iron if I am not sure exactly what sort of projects I would be into, is this pretty much accurate ?

I was thinking about getting this:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=374-100

"Many different soldering tasks are accomplished easily by using the adjustable 5 to 40 watt (150°C to 450°C temperature) adjustment. The lightweight pencil iron features a fatigue-reducing rubber grip, and a Bakelite-ringed holder keeps the iron at the ready. A field replaceable, precision ground, iron-plated solid copper tip provides maximum heat transfer, minimizing cold solder joints. Includes 1.5mm conical soldering tip and cleaning sponge. Additional tips available for a variety of soldering applications. Stahl Tools—The Technician's Friend™."

Is that a good general use tip to have ? Should i make sure it is compatible with some other specific style tip?

[Anonymous No.116212]

harbor freight has a $3 iron. It's not too bad, it works for me. Their solder sucks though, it's best to get that somewhere else.

[Anonymous No.116220]

>>116212
Thanks for the tip. I will probably end up buying online since I really don't have any good stores like fry's or something near me.

[Anonymous No.116228]

>>116211
Mine doesn't even have that much, it's just a selector switch between 15w and 30w. I leave it in 30w all of the time.

I presume 1.5mm is the sizes of the very tip? I am not sure what size mine is, it's about 4mm in diameter and comes to a point with an angle of 45 degrees. I don't think they are particularly standardized across brands, but I would expect the tip that it comes with would be suitable for GP.

[Anonymous No.116236]

>don't have tons of money to sink into a new hobby

Soldering is relatively inexpensive. Investing in a quality soldering station and materials will be your biggest expense and for hobby use this shouldn't cost more than $200 even for the good stuff like a quality Hakko.

I'd also recommend some clamps or "helping hand" devices as soldering is a three-handed job.

[Anonymous No.116242]

>>116228
>>116236

thanks guys.

[Anonymous No.116245]

>>116211
>Is that a good general use tip to have?

Conical tips are general purpose but not particularly good for most tasks. For electronics you'd strongly prefer a chisel tip, for instance.

That iron seems to have a collet for tip retention instead of a side screw like really cheap irons, which is good. Side screws wear and strip easily (esp. with thermal expansion), after which your tip will just keep falling out.

Most tips work just fine for splicing wire as all you need to do is drape the joint over the side of the tip to heat it.

I'd look into the availability of replacement tips for any iron you consider, both so you can have more variety in your tip shapes and because if you're new to soldering you're probably going to ruin a couple.

New tips will have some kind of sealant on them that burns off the first time they are used. You must tin the tip with solder and keep it tinned for the rest of its life. If oxygen gets at the tip at these high temperatures, the surface will be destroyed and heat transfer reduced to the point of uselessness.

[BSO No.116247]

check out sparkfun.com

[Anonymous No.116251]

>>116211
It might be the size of the tip's thread. It helps to have a variety of tips, but you should be able to find any style in any size.
That iron looks good, but I wouldn't invest in one any fancier than that, get some accessories like desoldering braid, a microcontroller programmer, a helping hand, etc.

>>116245
Oh, and some files to take off the oxidized coating.

[Anonymous No.116255]

>>116211

I just watched the video for that and I really hope the ceramic heating element can be detached and isn't actually part of the tip. If you have to buy a new element with every tip, they're probably expensive.

Also don't confuse variable power with variable temperature or temperature control. That iron will put the dialed wattage into the tip but won't make any effort to maintain a constant temperature. You'll have to adjust output for larger/better heatsinked workpieces and make sure to turn the thing off if the tip is going to be unused for any length of time.

[Anonymous No.116273]

You will get bored of the idea just like the rest of /diy/? I mean they also buy the Ardruino boards and they don't even know what to do with them...

Would be better if you had a set plan like fixing old Apple computers...

[Anonymous No.116283]

>>116255

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=374-102

huh... actually not all that expensive.

Only thing that worries me is that the $16 iron in >>116211 is not ESD safe. It could damage the workpiece through static discharge if used on microelectronics.

Aside from that it actually looks quite capable for sixteen bucks.

[Anonymous No.116324]

>>116273

I have tons of effects pedal kits