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What type of solder should I use? - Page 3

post #31 of 38
1/12/10 at 10:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattcalf View Post
Cardas Quad Eutectic Solder, you can get it cheap off eBay and I really enjoyed using it.
X2, low melting point ftw
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post #32 of 38
1/12/10 at 10:20pm
I used to solder with Kester until I discovered TRT's Wonder. Kester's prices went up so high (at least found at Digikey) that it was also the same price as Wonder (although now Wonder discontinued Ultraclear and replaced it with the more expensive Signature - I stocked up on UC) . Wonder flows much easier if you ask me. FWIW, and not that I think it matters but it has the silver content. "Fat" for point to point tube equipment - "thin" for pcb's. For cables, either. Lastly, I only use leaded.
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post #33 of 38
1/12/10 at 10:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
Just regular 60/40 you can find pretty much anywhere. I prefer Kester because I can get big spools of it at the local shop.

Silver can be a total pain in the rectum. I've been soldering stuff regularly since '98 or so, and I've tried a few different solders.

As attractive as it might be to go for the silver, specialty, etc. etc. types of solder, the only thing that really matters is a solid physical connection.

With silver and other types of "specialty" solder, I've had cold joints, lousy flows and problems. If you make 300 joints on a PCB and three or four of them are marginal because the solder didn't flow leading to a few joints that aren't working, you aren't going to hear the alleged benefit. Tracking down what went wrong can soak up hours and hours of time. I wouldn't use it on cables, either, because cables get moved a lot.

If something moves and flexes, it is critical that you have the best possible physical connection. I would not want to have to cut a cable open every few months to re-solder it.

Further, like all the cable and power cord controversy, and much of that sort of thing, there's no demonstrated benefit to all these specialty solders. Yeah, it sounds like you're doing something special by having metals other than lead and tin, but you really aren't. Soldering is more like a bolt that holds something together. Insisting on using a silver bolt for might not be such a good idea when what you really need is a steel bolt that is considerably stronger. Nothing flows and works better than 60/40. If you want physical reliability, that's what you use.
I disagree, from my brief research prompted by this thread silver used in solder is not some voodoo riled up by snake oil companies. It’s been used in solder way before any of these companies got hold of it for strength.

I suggest you start here:
Solder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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post #34 of 38
1/13/10 at 12:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
I've been soldering stuff regularly since '98 or so, and I've tried a few different solders.
Just curious, how many pounds of solder would you say you've used?
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post #35 of 38
1/13/10 at 8:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pila405 View Post
What is this "plain old 60/40"?
Modulo manufacturing quirks and if it has a flux core or not, 60/40 solder is 60/40 solder (hence the name).

Go to you electronics store or online web shop, go to the solder section.
You will most likely find at least 5 different brands of solder all with "60/40 SOLDER" written in big letters on the front.
Just pick the cheapest one that also says "rosin cored".

In addition buy a flux pen or a squirty bottle (like the one Tangent has on his store).

Edit: grab some isopropyl alc as well for cleaning up the flux after you finish. I found a great place to get large quantities (read: up to 20L) is from any online RC hobby web site (it is used when painting with an airbrush).
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post #36 of 38
1/13/10 at 4:18pm
I put this in my soldering collection thread, but feel free to discuss it here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SiBurning View Post
If you want to make your own decisions about which solder to use and how to solder, you need to know what factors to consider. A few random things to consider are:
  • The materials you're soldering, including coatings on boards and parts, and how the materials in solder interact with them
  • The solidification behavior of different solder compositions, in both eutectic solder and solders with a plastic phase
  • Properties of solder, such as adhesion, wetting, flow, and the structure of solidified solder
  • How solidified solder and joints behave over time, and what can go wrong
I don't know of any really good guide to it all. Instead, here's a bunch of random documents that together should give an idea of the variety of issues, and steer you towards asking the right questions and maybe how to get answers. I haven't vetted these, or even read all of them through, because what's important is that it exposes you to concepts. They vary from "scholarly" research (phd crap) to more understandable stuff, so don't be put off by a few--give them all a look first.

There's nothing here about how solder sounds. That's a different discussion.

Soft Solder Navigate back from there for info on soldering copper.
A Comparison Of Tin-Silver-Copper Lead-Free Solder Alloys
Fracture of a Lead-Tin and a Tin-Silver Solder Under Combined Tensile Shear Loading
Tin Plague
Traditional Solder Materials
The Impact of Reflowing A Pbfree Solder Alloy Using A Tin/Lead Solder Alloy Reflow Profile On Solder Joint Integrity

One thing I couldn't find was a comparison between eutectic and plastic-phase solders. I'd suggest that if a part is moving because you're holding it by hand, a eutectic solder could lead to a less secure joint that looks good, while a solder with a plastic-phase could lead to a more reliable joint that looks bad.

Some solder melting temperatures. I don't believe these numbers are all correct.
Code:
                              Plastic Temp  Liquid Temp
%Sn     %Pb   %Ag   %Sb  %Cu    C    F       C  F
  0     100    .     .           .    .     327  620
 10     90     .     .         224  435     302  576
 38     62     .     .         183  361     242  468
 48     52     .     .         183  361     218  424
 60     40     .     .         183  361     188  370
 63     37     .     .         Eutectic     183  361
100      .     .     .           .    .     232  450
 95      .     .     5         232  450     238  460
 35     63     .     2         187  369     237  459
 27     70     3     .         179  354     312  594
 40     57     3     .         179  354     312  594
 62.5   36.1   1.5   .         Eutectic     179  354
 96.3    0     3.7   .         Eutectic     221  430
  0     97.5   2.5   .         Eutectic     305  581
  0.08  97.5   1.75  .         Eutectic     310  590
~61    ~35    ~3     .   ~1    Eutectic     190  374  Cardas Quad Eutectic

Sn = Tin     Ag = Silver     Pb = Lead     Sb = Antimony     Cu = Copper
While I'm at it, here's a few other useful things related to soldering techniques. This is the practical side of the same issue.
Soldered Electrical Connections
Through-Hole Soldering Terminals
Through-Hole Solder Joint Evaluation
Solder Quality Factors
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post #37 of 38
1/13/10 at 4:49pm
This IPC-training thing is awesome!!

Thank you very much!
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post #38 of 38
1/13/10 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pila405 View Post
This IPC-training thing is awesome!!

Thank you very much!
The NASA Workmanship Standards stuff is even better, or at least a lot more comprehensive. Unfortunately, they're redoing the web site, and a lot of stuff isn't accessible. Most of it also lacks in pictures, and there's an awful lot of boring reading to sift through. It's worth digging through there, and coming back to it next year or whenever they get it back together. Might be worth checking out the internet archives for the old site.

Also check out
http://www.boulder.nist.gov/
http://www.ipc.org/

And snoop around http://www.circuitrework.com/guides/guides.shtml
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