I need to learn soldering

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The biggest mistake people make when soldering is they don't heat up the wire first or enough for the solder to suck into. If that wire is not hot enough, freshly melted solder will run off that wire and hit the ground like a rain drop on freshly waxed paint. Proper solder with a rosin/flux core is key too.

There are so many soldering threads and what to buy in here, use the search in the forum. What's the wattage of your iron from HF?
 
I think it depends on what you intend to use the iron for. Is it mainly for soldering large lipo connectors, car stereo harnesses, board level component replacement? I've always been a fan of Hakko (beware of fakes in the machines and tips) and mainly used the model before the FX888D came out and was very happy with it. I've recently picked up the FX951 and it is absolutely amazing compared to the less expensive model but I feel it's overkill for the surface RC hobbyist. Now if you're getting into building FPV quads or plan on doing board level work it's a great choice. Probably overkill if you're not turning it on once a week or so.

There are a bunch of soldering tutorials on YT, though some of those are hit or miss. Watch a few that are specific to the task you're after and get some junk parts to practice on.
 
As mentioned a few times above - rookie mistakes include cold solder joints and not heating the material up sufficiently.

the flip side with RC is pins in plastic housings and holding the iron there for too long, melting housings.

But practice is cheap - find some wire and practice on that - tinning the wire and then soldering two wires together - then find a junk PCB and practice soldering on that.
 
I like a weller 80w with a 3/8 chisel tip. Will solder 8ga wire no prob. Like others said make sure the iron is up to temp and the heat the wire while applying solder. I prefer kester brand solder with rosin core. quality solder goes a long way to making the job easier.
 
I have owned over a dozen stations. Best bang for the buck if you are serious is a trakpower 950 with a 2mm and 5mm tip that's all I ever use for this hobby. Good liquid flux and not all solder is the same. Get a small desk air filter and you are set to do everything you can get everything for just under $100. If you decide to go that route I can send you the stl file for a setup I made for it.

16199683977444131625526887326937.jpg
 
A general-purpose pencil iron will work for most of what we do in RC cars. I recommend an automotive trigger-type iron for soldering battery and motor connections, since those sink a lot of heat. For fine electronics, like PCB work, go small with a 15w. Luckily, pencil irons are cheap, so you can have more than one.

That said, a soldering station with an adjustable thermostat and variable wattage is by far the best way to go. They cost a lot more than wattage-limited pencil irons, but the control is worth it if you do a lot of soldering.

Use only electrical solder. The more lead in it, the better it flows and the easier it is to work. Lead also broadens the temperature range. Too much tin makes heat control finicky, so no more than 40%. Silver in small percentages is the bee's knees because it adds strength and flows beautifully, but it takes more heat, forms a harder joint, and costs a lot more. Do not, under any circumstances, use solder with cadmium in it. That is one of the most toxic metals out there, stay away. For flux, I like Ruby Red. Acid paste is great, too, it just takes more cleanup. Flux core (rosin) is a given, but dipping your wires in paste flux before tinning will ensure success.
 
I have owned over a dozen stations. Best bang for the buck if you are serious is a trakpower 950 with a 2mm and 5mm tip that's all I ever use for this hobby. Good liquid flux and not all solder is the same. Get a small desk air filter and you are set to do everything you can get everything for just under $100. If you decide to go that route I can send you the stl file for a setup I made for it.

View attachment 143470
This is what I use works great 👍🏻👍🏻
 
That HH unit must be a clone of the one I used for many years the Hakko 936.

The bent chisel style tip has become my go to favorite tip for working board level, probably only swap it out for something heavier when doing EC5 connectors, I have done XT60s with it though:

A8uyKRC.jpg
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 90 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top