so far how does it look

[mr-awesome]

you might remember my earlier post saying i am working on a cmoy for my physics class. i have started it, and i have some pictures. please give comments, i am using probably the worst soldering iron ever, using a lighter would probably work better.

are the spots in the middle row where the solder is touching a problem, or just aestheticly unpleasing

p.s. m jumpers are fricken impossible took me 15 minutes to do one

 

[colonelkernel8]

it looks pretty messy, use a little less solder.

 

[heatmizer]

solder looks a bit cold. not flowing good

 

[Joshatdot]

yes, use less solder, and use a hotter iron (or clean your iron). what brand and model of iron do you have? post pics of the tip.

 

[NelsonVandal]

Is this silver solder? If so, try use common solder, it's easier to get a good result.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr-awesome /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... snip ... p.s. m jumpers are fricken impossible took me 15 minutes to do one

Hi, mr-awesome! Solder joints on leads that are up in the air like that can be a lot harder than it looks. There's a secret however: tin the leads on each portion that you're trying to solder together before you try to solder them to each other. That's melting a bit of solder onto the exposed wire tips and to the LED leads. When you do this, all you have to do is hold the leads next to each other and apply heat. A third or fourth hand is not needed.

If you don't have a set of helping hands, a plain ol' alligator clip can hold the leads together while you apply heat. Don't get the alligator clip to close to the joint, though, or it will act like a heat sink and you will not be able to get enough heat to the joint.

 

[mr-awesome]

its not my iron its a friends its a stanley model, with a giant tip, bigger than an 8penny nail (ill post pics in a lil bit),most likely im gonna call this first attempt curtains and redo it since i dont have much on the board.

for some reason when i solder, i dont think the tip of the iron gets hot, i have to kind of melt the solder higher up on the tip and push it down. i do clean my tip after every set of joints i do, but its just a bad iron.

also it smokes ALOT set off my smoke detector twice when soldering

i am using 63/37 solder, but its .050. i could only get 63/37 in that diameter. i really want to get the .025, or .016 because i think i could guide it better. (i have shaky hands)

wow this picture makes it look really dull, its not that dull

 

[TzeYang]

i really really don't think that the tip is huge by default.

The tip just broke off and you didnt know it. Electronic soldering iron should have a sharp pointy tip.

 

[balou]

the solder joint in the middle isn't really a problem, both the middle lanes are for ground in the cmoy layout.
and 45W is to high for soldering electronic components... you can easily fry components, especially if you haven't got much experience.

a 15w soldering iron with a pencil tip costs less than 10$. maybe a wise investment

 

[splaz]

Is the resistor for the LED a little toasted or is it just me ?

 

[koike]

well if it works it wouldnt really matter...
maybe he just likes his resistors burnt?

 

[splaz]

Well I do love the smell of resistor in the morning.

Just might be an indication he may need to be careful to avoid roasting more sensitive parts or watch where he sticks the iron.

 

[koike]

hmm he is using an iron thats a little too hot for a beginner to handle...

 

[mr-awesome]

well im back from the store and i just bought a weller iron, 25 watts.

i do like toasty resistors they make the apartment smell great.

im gonna start a new one, hopefully nothing will burn, im gonna try and practice some soldering on the old board to get the hang of it. it better be easier with a new iron or im gonna be major pissed

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr-awesome /img/forum/go_quote.gif well im back from the store and i just bought a weller iron, 25 watts. i do like toasty resistors they make the apartment smell great. im gonna start a new one, hopefully nothing will burn, im gonna try and practice some soldering on the old board to get the hang of it. it better be easier with a new iron or im gonna be major pissed

Good luck, and post pictures of the new board.