![]() ![]() Be sure to wear safety glasses, keep loose clothing and hair out of the way, and be careful with your fingers. Many who’ve never used a soldering iron are afraid of damaging equipment, but more important is the danger to yourself! Soldering irons get really hot (think, and solder itself is molten metal. Lead-free solder is better for the environment and has other benefits, and they function more or less the same way. Lead-free solder is also available, though it has higher melting temperatures and less “wettability,” meaning you may need a better soldering iron to use it and removing it can be more tedious. ![]() The individual components and their quantities can vary, but for computer electronics, you’re usually looking at a 60% tin and 40% lead. ![]() Its job is to hold the individual components together. Solder is a thin tube, usually rolled in spools, made of various metal alloys. There are also soldering guns available, but you should only use these when repairing thick cables and never on PCBs, as the tips have a live voltage running through them that can damage sensitive electronics. You’ll get a longer-lasting tool that will work for a much wider variety of applications and you’ll get proper heat control to boot. If you plan on soldering, then you’re better off spending $30-$40 on a 20-30 Watt iron instead of on a cheap $15 one. After the appropriate areas are heated properly, solder is applied. Its job is to transfer heat to things like wires, transistor leads, and pads on PCBs. We’re talking like 800 degree Fahrenheit, though you can adjust the temperature on a good iron. A soldering iron is a tool with a metal tip that gets really hot. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |