Quote:
Looking to replace a unit with a new cable ( the SR-404 cable )
Is there any exact type of solder that people prefer for this , assuming I can't reuse what's already in place, and assuming it'll make any difference?
BTW this is a necessary thing not a tweak.
The old cable as i received this has deteriorated beyond help.
I have never soldered a Stax cable into a Stax earspeaker set, but I am sure it can be done.
I think using normal rosin-core 60 / 40 solder will work just fine; you can buy this at hardware stores, Radio Shack, etc. It is best for delicate work like this to use the THINNEST solder you can find. Radio Shack SKU# 64-002 is a 1.5 oz spool of 0.062" thick rosin-core solder (42.5 g, 1.6 mm) sells for $9 or so. This will work OK. Thinner solder, like Kester 0.031" and 0.015" solder is available, check Amazon.com among others. With the thinner solder it is a little easier to control how much solder you use to join the work.
The rosin inside the solder acts as a flux which cleans the metal surfaces of the copper wires just before they are joined; removing the thin layer of oxide from the copper wire allows the molten tin/lead of the solder to wet the copper, forming a metal-to-metal bond that is both electrically conductive and fairly strong in mechanical terms.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE ACID CORE SOLDER. Acid core solder is for mending gutters and making stained glass stuff. No good for electronics!
There are some snake oil, er I mean, "audio tweak" solders, most of which contain some silver, for which unsubstantiated claims of better sound have been made. To date, none of these claims have been objectively proven.
There are also lead-free solders available, produced as part of the electronics' industry's effort to avoid contaminating the environment with lead, which can be converted into toxic organometallic forms if disposed of in landfills. I have not used lead-free solder so I can't advise if it's easy to use or not. I dispose of all my electronic junk by selling it on eBay rather than putting it in the landfill. (Seriously, all the useless and broken electronics from my house go into a box in my garage, and then once or twice a year I make a trip to a local electronics recycler who recovers what can be recovered and disposes of the rest in approved fashion.)
Do not use a big-ass Wen soldering gun. A temperature controlled soldering station is best- Elenco and Hakko make the better models, although there are other ones available as well. The Radio Shack model 64-053 is pretty good and is compatible with Hakko series 900M tips. If you don't plan to be doing much soldering, then you may not want to spend the dough on a good soldering rig, and for this job any 15~25 watt soldering pencil should work OK. DO NOT get a soldering iron larger than 25 watts.
I have never found a cordless soldering tool I liked for this kind of work, so it's probably best to avoid those.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER SOLDERED BEFORE I suggest you do NOT attempt this until you practice doing some soldering. It takes a little practice to know where best to apply the soldering tip, how long to hold it in order to heat the work but not melt everything around it, how much solder to use, etc.
ALSO: be
very careful near the drivers with the soldering pencil - they have very delicate dust covers and so on, just a touch of that 850 degree iron can destroy their integrity.
