Learn How to Solder - a How to Guide with Equipment Recommendations - Repair Your Game Consoles!
Summary
TLDRThis video tutorial aims to demystify soldering, emphasizing its ease of learning despite initial intimidation. The host recommends starting with a basic 'fire stick' soldering iron or investing in a higher-quality Weller model for long-term use. Essential accessories include a wire braid cleaner, solder sucker, and side cutters. Safety tips are provided, highlighting the importance of ventilation and mask usage due to lead in solder. The video covers the basics of soldering, including using a breadboard for practice, changing soldering iron tips, and proper solder application. It also addresses common issues like bridging and removing solder, encouraging viewers to embrace soldering for its versatility in modifying and repairing electronics.
Takeaways
- 😀 Soldering is not as difficult as it seems and can be learned easily with practice.
- 🔧 For beginners, a cheap 'fire stick' soldering iron is a good starting point, but investing in a better-quality iron like Weller is recommended for long-term use.
- 💺 A stable stand is crucial for a soldering iron, with Weller's stand being highlighted for its quality.
- 🧰 Essential accessories for soldering include a wire braid cleaner, solder sucker, solder, side cutters, and solder braid.
- ⚠️ Lead in solder can be harmful, so it's important to work in a well-ventilated area and wear a mask to avoid inhaling fumes.
- 🔥 The soldering iron's tip is the key component that gets hot for soldering, with the chisel tip being particularly recommended for drag soldering.
- 🔌 Soldering involves melting solder onto metal contacts, and the process is quick and straightforward once the basics are mastered.
- 🛠️ Soldering wick is an essential tool for correcting mistakes by absorbing excess solder.
- 🔩 A prototype breadboard is a good practice surface for learning soldering without the risk of damaging valuable components.
- ⏰ High-quality soldering stations heat up quickly, which is beneficial for efficiency, especially when soldering frequently.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The main focus of the video script is to provide tips and tricks for learning how to solder, emphasizing that soldering is not as difficult as it may seem and offering guidance for beginners.
Why does the presenter recommend a more expensive soldering iron like the Weller over a cheaper 'fire stick'?
-The presenter recommends a more expensive soldering iron like the Weller because it comes with a stable stand and better quality tips, which are beneficial for those planning to solder frequently and in the long term.
What are some essential accessories needed for soldering as mentioned in the script?
-Essential accessories for soldering mentioned in the script include a wire braid cleaner, a solder sucker, a hot air rework station, solder, side cutters, and solder braid.
What is the importance of using a leaded solder and what precautions should be taken?
-Leaded solder is recommended for most soldering tasks due to its effectiveness, but it contains lead which is toxic. Precautions include wearing a mask and working in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling solder fumes.
How does the presenter describe the process of changing soldering iron tips on the Weller soldering station?
-The presenter describes changing tips on the Weller soldering station as quick and easy, requiring no more than five seconds, and can be done while the iron is hot due to its plastic handle.
What is solder wick and why is it necessary?
-Solder wick is a copper braid used to remove excess solder and fix mistakes during soldering. It is necessary because solder loves to go to copper, and the wick absorbs the solder when heated, helping to clean up solder joints.
Why does the presenter suggest starting with a prototype breadboard when learning to solder?
-The presenter suggests starting with a prototype breadboard because it is inexpensive and non-functional, allowing learners to practice soldering without the risk of damaging valuable components or projects.
What is the significance of the soldering iron's temperature and how does it affect the soldering process?
-The soldering iron's temperature is significant because it determines how quickly the solder melts and how well it flows into the solder joints. A higher temperature iron heats up faster and is more efficient for soldering multiple joints in a short time.
How does the presenter demonstrate the removal of a soldered component like a capacitor?
-The presenter demonstrates the removal of a soldered component by heating the solder until it is molten and then gently wiggling the component back and forth while maintaining heat until it pops out.
What is the purpose of using a helping hand tool during soldering?
-A helping hand tool is used to hold the circuit board or component in place during soldering, allowing the user to have both hands free to manage the soldering iron and solder, ensuring a more stable and precise soldering process.
How does the presenter handle solder bridges and what advice does he give for dealing with them?
-The presenter handles solder bridges by using the soldering iron to heat the solder and moving it back and forth, allowing the surface tension to clear the bridge. The advice given is to be careful with the amount of solder used and to clean up any bridges that occur.
Outlines
🔧 Introduction to Soldering
The video begins with the host addressing a common concern among viewers about learning to solder, particularly the fear of not being able to do it well. The host reassures viewers that soldering is not difficult and shares personal experience of overcoming the initial intimidation. The video encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and use the notification bell for updates. The host then discusses the types of soldering irons available, recommending a more expensive, higher-quality option for those planning to solder frequently. The importance of having a good stand and the necessity of additional tools like a wire braid cleaner, solder sucker, and side cutters are highlighted. The host also emphasizes the dangers of lead in solder and the importance of safety precautions, such as wearing a mask and working in a well-ventilated area.
🛠️ Soldering Tools and Techniques
This paragraph delves into the specifics of soldering tools, starting with the soldering iron and its interchangeable tips, which can be changed while hot for convenience. The host demonstrates how to clean the soldering iron tip using a brillo pad and a damp sponge, stressing the importance of maintaining a clean tip for effective soldering. The video also covers the use of solder wick to correct mistakes, explaining the science behind solder's affinity for copper and its surface tension behavior. A prototype breadboard is recommended as a practice surface for beginners. The host further discusses the soldering process, including the use of a soldering station, the importance of temperature control, and the potential hazards of handling a hot soldering iron, including the risk of burns and the distinctive smell associated with such accidents.
🔩 Practical Soldering Demonstration
The host demonstrates practical soldering techniques, starting with the process of melting solder on the tip of the iron and cleaning excess solder with a brillo pad and a damp sponge. The video shows how to change soldering iron tips safely and the benefits of having a soldering stand. The host then moves on to demonstrate soldering on a breadboard, explaining the process of feeding solder into through-holes and the natural tendency of solder to avoid solder mask. The video also covers how to remove solder bridges, solder capacitors, and trim excess component legs with side cutters. The host advises on the use of a solder pump for removing solder and emphasizes the importance of cleaning the board with isopropyl alcohol after soldering. The paragraph concludes with a reminder of the simplicity of soldering and encourages viewers to practice and ask questions for further tutorials.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Soldering
💡Soldering Iron
💡Leaded Solder
💡Solder Wick
💡Through-Hole Soldering
💡Surface Tension
💡Solder Mask
💡Flux
💡Solder Bridge
💡Desoldering
💡Prototype Breadboard
Highlights
Soldering is not difficult and is one of the easiest skills to learn, despite its intimidating appearance.
Investing in a higher-quality soldering iron, such as a Weller with a stable stand, is recommended for frequent use.
Basic soldering tools include a soldering iron, solder, side cutters, solder wick, solder sucker, and a wire braid cleaner.
When working with leaded solder, it's crucial to work in a well-ventilated area and wear a mask to avoid inhaling fumes.
Soldering irons have interchangeable tips, with the standard pencil tip being sufficient for most beginner tasks.
The chisel tip allows for drag soldering, a technique useful for specific soldering tasks.
Soldering involves melting solder with the iron tip and applying it to metal components or circuit boards.
Using a prototype breadboard is ideal for practicing soldering as mistakes won't cause damage.
Cleaning the soldering iron tip with a moist sponge or wire cleaner is essential for maintaining tool longevity.
Surface tension helps solder stick to copper or metal surfaces and prevents it from spreading to non-conductive areas.
When soldering components like capacitors, bending the leads slightly can help hold them in place while soldering.
Mistakes can be corrected using solder wick or a solder pump, which absorbs excess solder from the joint.
Solder bridges between joints can be removed by heating the solder and moving it with the iron.
A helping hand tool is useful for holding components in place while soldering with both hands occupied.
Soldering small components like wires can be simplified by using gravity and the wire's natural position to hold it in place.
Transcripts
hey everybody welcome back to video game
esoteric and a continuing series on a
technicality where i answer some of the
more technical questions you guys have
and something that i hear in the
comments all the time on all of my
modification of repair videos is
i would love to learn how to do that i
just can't solder and i'm here to show
you some tips and tricks on how to learn
how to do it
so i'm going to tell you right now may
sound surprising and even unbelievable
but it is true
soldering is not difficult at all
learning how to do it is one of the
easiest things you can do i know it
seems intimidating but trust me it's not
before i get too far involved give me a
huge favor go down below hit like
subscribe like notification bell
definitely helps us out
if you feel so inclined and want to
support the channel we got a patreon
link down there as well
but i was intimidated about soldering
too when i first learned how to do it
but what i can tell you is once you
actually start learning
is quick now you have a couple options
when you decide to do it you can buy
what i like to call a fire stick it is a
cheap 15
soldering iron it gets the job done okay
but if you're planning on doing this for
the long term i recommend something like
this weller here
it's 120 dollars but it comes with the
stand which is quite stable
so honestly if you think you're gonna
learn to solder and you're gonna do it
frequently
i recommend actually spending a little
bit more money off the top because the
stand this thing comes with
is incredible you need to buy the stand
separately for that soldering iron you
stay on the right
and it's 10 bucks and it's terrible so
you're already about 20
of the way to a good soldering iron with
those crappy parts
but taking a look here a couple other
accessories you'll need this is just a
wire braid cleaner basically it's like a
brillo pad
you have a solder sucker you can use a
hot air rework station but that's going
to be more advanced stuff
you need your solder of course and then
a pair of side cutters are going to be
useful as well
and some solder braid that just wicks
solder away where you don't want it to
be
and i'll show you guys how all of these
things work in just a moment but these
are kind of the basic tools i recommend
when you're first
getting into soldering but i should make
a note about solder
in and of itself this is made of lead
and most of the time you're going to
want to be using a leaded solder
lead will kill you it can cause cancer
make sure you're wearing a mask when
you're doing this inside in a
well-ventilated area
don't just breathe the solder fumes it's
lead is a few times going to hurt you
i don't know just don't do it but moving
on
when you take a look at a soldering iron
there's just a few parts there's the
handle and then there's the tip
the tip is what gets hot for soldering
and there are so many options
my recommendation is the tip that comes
with the iron is going to be the tip
you're going to use 90
of the time and there are so many
different tips you can get
one that i do recommend that i like is a
basic chisel tip this allows you to do
drag soldering
and i will show you guys how to do that
in a future video if you like this first
one
what i love about this welder is that it
has interchangeable tips
and it has a plastic handle so that you
can change the tips while the iron's hot
you do need to be careful
but you'll see here in real time
changing a tip out takes no more than
five seconds
unscrew it change the tip screw it back
in and you're ready to work with an
entirely different type of tool
and as you get more involved you're
going to start buying more tips for more
uses
but for today's video we're just going
to show you the basic pencil tip
the one other thing you're going to want
is solder wick because you are going to
make mistakes
solder wick's going to fix all of those
mistakes for you it is copper
solder loves going to copper if you put
this wick over
solder and you heat it up with your iron
it is going to absorb
into that wick because for lack of a
better term
solder works with surface tension and if
you've ever seen anybody pour water into
a cup and i go slightly over so don't
judge me
you can get water over the rim of a
glass because the molecules are held
together with
surface tension that water doesn't want
to spill over
and solder is very similar it wants to
go
to metal to copper and it doesn't want
to go anywhere else
what i recommend is just grab a
prototype breadboard this is what i
learned how to solder on
years ago and you can't screw anything
up because it doesn't do anything
don't try your first project on a game
console don't try your first project on
something you care about
get a breadboard and just start
soldering to it because if you make a
mistake who cares these things are like
two dollars and they don't functionally
do anything
but you'll see here as i turn the
soldering station on this is why i
recommend something more in the hundred
dollar range
it heats up incredibly fast that 15 20
fire stick soldering iron
takes about five minutes to heat up or
something like this weller has
micro controls for the temperature and
it'll come up to temperature in about
60 seconds so when you're actually
soldering a lot this makes a huge
difference
and you'll see here as i've sped that up
about 20 seconds it is now to temp
now this is a warning obviously this is
hot it's 340 degrees celsius
if you touch this to your skin you are
going to burn yourself
and you're gonna know you did it for two
reasons one you're gonna feel pain and
two
and i know this sounds gross you're
going to smell roast pork
that's just the reality of it if you
burn your finger with a soldering iron
it smells like roast pork chops
don't know why i guess that's just what
humans smell like but my point is
it's hot be careful with it you will
burn yourself but you only make that
mistake once or twice and you can't do
it too bad
but you'll see here to melt solder all
you're doing is touching the solder to
the tip
and it melts and i'm putting on way too
much here but i'm just showing you
how quick it is and you'll see that that
solder is going to basically sit
on the tip i'm using the chisel tip
right now but that's all it takes to
melt solder
and you'll see here on this project mat
i can wipe it off but the solder doesn't
really want to go there
because it isn't a metal to get all this
solder off of the tip and just to clean
your tip
we'll come in with a little brillo pad
here and we'll just push
the soldering iron tip in and out to get
most of the solder off
you'll also have a sponge with you you
want it to be moist but you don't want
it to be dripping
and this just allows you to drag the tip
of the soldering iron through that
sponge
to remove that additional solder that
you don't need on there
keep your tips clean and they're going
to serve you well for a long time
just don't drag too aggressively because
sometimes the cider will want to shoot
back at you it's rare but it does happen
but taking a look right here at the iron
we can change the tips out on something
like the weller
where that fire stick you need to let it
cool down before you can change the tip
because the screw mount is made of metal
this is at 340 degrees celsius right now
and you'll see
if i just take that tip off i need to
use tweezers
don't forget the tip is hot so just use
a pair of nice tweezers you can pop the
tip out
put it on your project mat and this
silicone will not melt
and then don't forget the heat is still
there do not put
the tip on with your fingers grab the
second tip the one you want to replace
with your tweezers line it up and pop it
right in the hole here
and then we'll just come ahead and put
on that clasp and you'll see i get my
hand a little close to it and it's
slightly warm
doesn't burn but your body's gonna know
when to pull away
we screw that down it starts to heat
back up and within about 20 seconds
we're using a brand new tip which i do
love how quick you can change these out
the only other thing i recommend is a
pair of helping hands because obviously
if we're holding the solder with our
non-dominant hand and the soldering iron
with our dominant hand
we need something to actually hold the
board and what i recommend is keep the
soldering stand on your non-dominant
hand side so you're not
moving your hand to the right where it's
held i've knocked the soldering iron a
few times
and we're going to get a better close-up
soon but all you do with these little
through holes is
you put your iron on the area you want
to solder you advance the solder in it
melts
and that is all there is to soldering
the
metal is going to want to go to the hole
there's copper around it
everywhere where there's not is called
solder mask and these helping hands can
be a little bit of a pain so definitely
tighten them down
and that's as simple as it is we've just
put solder in these through holes
it's as simple as that and i can't
stress this enough the solder does not
want to sit on the solder mask it will
not that's why it's called a mask
and once you get quick at this you can
just go down the line and solder in
components like on this little
micro usb for the mr the daemon bite
adapter it's really easy and if you get
a bridge you can just rub it right out
and i'll show you to do that in a second
but say you want to do something like
install a capacitor this is just through
hole soldering
it's kind of going to be where you start
you're not going to be dealing with
surface mount components
when you're learning to do this and i
will show you guys in a future video how
to deal with surface mount if you want
but say you just want to pop a capacitor
in you're just going to push the legs
through the holes then you're going to
turn the board around and kind of get
the capacitor
as close to the board as you need now if
you wanted to bend it over you'd leave
yourself a little bit more material
but just go ahead and get that capacitor
close and then you'll use the legs as
its own retention system
just bend them out ever so slightly and
that's going to put enough tension
on that cap through the board that if we
turn it over it's not going to fall out
we can now
solder to that at our leisure and we
don't have to worry about it you're
always going to want to be smart about
how you're dealing with gravity because
when you're working with a helping hands
if things aren't retained well
they're just going to fall out we can't
solder things that aren't actually
through the board
so just figure out whatever angle works
for you and get your soldering iron
ready
and now you'll see we've gotten a lot
closer and how easy this is
we're just going to put the soldering
iron on to that through hole and we're
going to advance the solder in
don't use too much don't use too little
less is more you can always add
and you'll see there now we have that
one component soldered in
this is quite hard for me to do because
i'm doing it over the camera so i'm
doing it weird angles use whatever angle
works for you
but you'll see now we've soldered that
capacitor in through those through holes
and it is ready to do whatever it would
be doing in this instance obviously
nothing because this is just a
breadboard i'm not building anything
and once you get that soldered in you
don't want those legs sticking out so
just come in with your side cutters
and snip near the top hold the leg or
whatever you're cutting
with your finger because they do love to
shoot around everywhere
but you'll see here we have two solder
joints there's not too much solder on
them there's not too little
and they are not bridged it is very
difficult to get bridge on through-hole
components
but it can happen and i'll show you how
to deal with that in a moment but say
you want to get this out
what i recommend is you can use the
solder pump but if you just heat up the
solder and ever so lightly pull on those
capacitors
don't pull too hard just kind of wiggle
it back and forth while you maintain the
heat
on that solder and it is molten
eventually it'll pop right out
we haven't ripped out the via which is
the copper plating inside of that hole
and we're good to go you want to get the
solder out just use your
solder wick that little braid right
there and just go ahead and put it on
top of the pad
and apply heat don't wiggle it back and
forth just let that heat sink in
and it's going to go to the braid if you
remove the heat you can totally solder
the braid to the board
that's fine and just keep applying heat
use your soldering tip
kind of to move that off to the side and
it'll pop right out and you'll see we've
got
most of the solder it's really hard to
get everything with that braid
so we'll do is we'll come in we'll just
heat up that pad we'll use our solder
sucker push the pump down
push the button and that hole is now
clear sometimes it takes a few times but
you will get there
but let's say you want to do something
like just screw up intentionally
what i'm going to do is i'm just going
to pop some solder into these through
holes here
and i'm going to do it pretty
haphazardly you'll see that if i try to
put the solder on the mask it does not
want to go there
but the minute i drag that solder ball
on the tip over
those copper vias it's going to want to
sit we've created a bridge
add more solder move your soldering iron
back and forth and surface tension is
going to deal with that for you
the bridge rectified itself and now we
have solder in both of those holes
if i add way too much you're gonna see
it's still really hard to get a bridge
and we have massive amounts of solder
there just
heat your tip up move it back and forth
and you're gonna see that that solder
sits
in those holes if you have a bridge just
use your iron move it back and forth and
that bridge
will clear and when you're done you're
going to see there's a little bit of
solder mask that resin right there and
that's in the core
that's flux we can use external flux in
a tube as well but for this instance i'm
not teaching you how to do that
but just make sure you clean it up with
an isopropyl alcohol
rubbed toothbrush or q-tip just to keep
it clean
but let's say we always want to put a
basic wire into one through hole we need
a jumper wire
a lot of times i will just let gravity
and wire do the work for me you don't
always need a helping hand
you'll pop that wire through the hole
and just go ahead and bend the wire and
get that board to sit up on its own
it takes a second you may need to change
the configuration but it will
eventually like you see here sit just
advance the soldering iron in
move your solder towards that hole and
you're going to go ahead and solder that
wire directly into that through hole
and it is going to be secure if you take
a look at it from the other side and
i'll turn it around in just a second
that wire is exactly where we needed to
be if you want to remove the wire it's
even easier
just go ahead and isolate it and just
pull on it ever so slightly put a little
bit of tension on that wire
use your fingers to hold the board apply
heat to the solder that you already have
on there and it'll pop right out no big
deal
these are just the basics of soldering
this is not a full tutorial
this is to get you in the mood to start
because what i will tell you is
it seems daunting and it is not it's one
of the easiest skills you can learn
and when you get good at it the amount
of things you can do with it are
incredible i've modified so many things
with soldering if you have any questions
or comments so leave them down below if
you want me to continue this series and
show you more me intermediate and
advanced soldering i'm happy to
short of that if you could do me a huge
favor go down below and hit like
subscribe and that notification bell
definitely
helps me out i'll have more videos in
this technicality series a lot of videos
on other topics throughout the week
but definitely guys if you want to learn
how to solder just do it it's not that
bad
see you next time bye
you
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)