Soldering help

[ttweedle]

I got a new Novak C2 now I am trying to solder the leads to the post only thing is this is the first thing I have ever soldered in my life...it isn't going to well, I can pre tin everything fine Actually I think I have too much solder on teh posts... Every time I touch the iron to the post its sucks all the heat out of the iron and the solder will not melt, I have a 100 watt pistol style iron bought from Sears...Says 750 degrees, So what am I doing wrong? Any help will be greatly appreciated....

[FACTORYT3]

go to towerhobbies.com and you can get a good soldering iron for like 7 bucks i have one and it works great

[chizzler]

do this quickly as possible. leaving that type of iron you have on the cyclone post too long will make the solder holding the post inside the board melt and cause the post to slide down into the case, possibly ruining the esc.

1.lightly tin the wires
2. set it on top of the post, have someone else hold it in place on top of the post with pliers, etc, it may get too hot to hold alone with bare hands
3. be somewhat quick here.
hold the tip of the iron on top of the wire, which should be lightly tinned and laying atop the post. apply solder between the tip and wire. it should start to melt and flow down the wire towards the post.
NOTE. do not put pressure down on the wire and post with your iron, just lightly rest it atop it to get the wire heated enough to melt the solder onto it! if you do it will "flatten" the tinned wire.
3. when you see it flowing enough onto the post, take the iron off the wire. have the person holding the wire keep real straight for a minute or so to make sure it contacts well with the post as it hardens.
4. hopefully you have a good solder, it can get a little tricky if you dont :)

[Railman]

Travis, What kind of solder are you using?
It sounds like your using the right teqnique. Are you keeping the iron tinned also? If it's not tinned it won't transfer the heat to the work. You should be using a 60/40 (lead/tin) rosin core solder. You also need to make shure that the wire tip nuts, or screws, is tightened securely to make good tip heat. Thats one of the biggest problems with that type of gun. Once the iron is hot apply a small amount of solder to the tip itself. That will aid the transfer of heat from the iron to the post/wire. Check these things out & let us know how it goes.
Joe

[ttweedle]

Hey guys Thanks for all the help...It helped alot and all my joints are rock solid..Thanks again for all your help! I am using a silver solder from Sears specially formulated for electronics...At least that is what its claiming

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: travis tweedle ]