[ppl]

I use a 15 watt soldering Iron as well as a Controled heat one
The 15 water is just right for PC board Work. Use Good solder like the Rat shack 2% Silver. if you want to absolutly garrenty sticking Dip the Iron Tip as Apheared Recomended, Then get some of that Liquid Flux and wet all Conections upon the Board Then all conections will be Cleen and Good. BTW The Cynch: Method of applying Heat to both the part and solder atthe same time althought not Texbook Correct Still Works fine. Deffintly try the liquid Flux. try Norvac electronics in Portland.

 

[Neruda]

well this is downright embarrassing.

I think I'm catching on. Don't know why it wasn't working before, but I've just soldered about 15 good connections. I'm going to practice some more...

Oh, and if anyone says anything like "bravo!" I'm going to beat them with a stick.

 

[Neruda]

okay, here's the deal: this works fine when I'm soldering wire to a ratshack board, but when I try to do it on the hansen pcb it doesn't. What's the deal with that? Do I need more practice?

 

[JMT]

Quote:

What's the deal with that? Do I need more practice?

Yes


You will get to a point where you just know where to place the iron on the component/board to get the solder to just "dive" into the hold. But it takes repetition.....and a well tinned hot iron. Keep at it.

 

[Neruda]

'kay.

 

[Apheared]

well, mmm kay, I should point out one thing:

There's a spot on the hansen board that you might think you're doing something wrong; the solder might take an hour before it flows correctly. Well, ok, not an hour... but a crapload more than two seconds. Might take ten seconds... fifteen...

The C+ & C- resevoir /slash/ filter caps, on the ground side. The ground area is so thick and wide right there, it'll just 'sink the heat right off that lil 15w tip.

Every other spot should solder up just fine; but here... take heart.

 

[JMT]

Quote:

the solder might take an hour before it flows correctly. Well, ok, not an hour... but a crapload more than two seconds. Might take ten seconds... fifteen...

The exact opposite is true when you solder the op-amps. The pins on these suckers only take about a millisecond of contact before the solder flows. If it is taking any longer, remove the iron and start again. Suggestion: you can get DIP sockets to solder into the board, the op-amps then just plug into the socket. These are handy if you want to experiment with different op-amps too.

 

[Budgie]

Never hurt to clean the board solder pads, first. I use a "Scotchbrite" pad to LIGHTLY buff the board before I get to the soldering. It will clean off the layer of oxide that tends to build up. A nice shiny pad is easier to solder.

 

[Neruda]

update: I've been practicing soldering, but I think I'm going to make my first amp from scratch, without the hansen pcb (mainly because it's easier for me to get breadboard from ratshack then order pcb's from carl hansen). Which one should I use?