How to Solder for Beginners
Learning how to Solder is a key skill to master if you want to work with electronics. It’s tricky, but not too hard – if you want to attach wiring or components to a PCB (printed circuit board) a little finesse with a soldering iron goes a long way.
Don’t worry – it’s easy to learn once you know the basics and Proto-PIC have some fantastic soldering kits to get you started!
First things first - Selecting the right Soldering Tools
The tools required to perform soldering are listed below:
Solder Wire – this creates the electrical connection between the parts to be joined.
- Solder Iron and Stand – With soldering irons, you really do get what you pay for. While a simple 25W soldering iron may do for most beginner jobs, you will find that a higher spec, temperature controlled solder station with built in stand will provide better comfort and better quality joins
- Sponge – Most stands should come with a sponge and a place to store it. A 100% cellulose sponge is the most effective. Before you start soldering, make sure that your sponge is dampened with water and wet to the touch.
- Diagonal Cutters – A small pair of diagonal wire cutters will allow you to trim the excess from your newly soldered joints.
- Benchtop Parts holder – Sometimes called “third hand” or “helping hand”, this is a useful piece of workshop equipment that helps hold parts firmly in place while you solder.
Now that we have the equipment, we can start to actually solder!
Prepare the Soldering Iron
Once you’ve turned on your iron and heated it to the correct temperature – 280 degrees centigrade should be about right– you need to clean the iron and ‘tin the tip’. Wipe the tip of the iron on the damp sponge to prevent any oxidation and then immediately touch a small amount of solder wire to the tip of the iron and wipe it away on the sponge.
This is known as “tinning” the tip
Note: Never use files or abrasives like sandpaper on a tip as it will damage the plating and ruin your iron!
Solder Iron A is an example of a dirty tip. If you’re having trouble tinning, its likely that the tip is oxidised.
You can repair an oxidised tip by treating it with tip-tinning paste.
Solder Iron B is what you should be seeing – a thin, shiny layer on the tip of the iron.
Now you can prepare the PCB for Soldering
Creating the perfect Solder Joint:
Then hold the wire at the point at which you wish to create a joint and heat it with the iron.
Once the metal is heating, touch the tip of the solder wire between the iron and the wire / component so that it melts and flows into the hole and on your wire, joining them together.
Once enough solder has coated the join (it should only take a few seconds), carefully remove the iron and allow the solder to cool.
Note: Make sure to only solder in a well ventilated area, or with bench extraction switched on, as fumes from the solder can be harmful!
How to tidy the solder joint:
Once your joint has dried, clip the excess wire / component with the diagonal clippers as close as you can to the board.
A good joint will look like a smooth, shiny, slightly rounded pyramid.
What now?