Cool Guides
Rules for Posting Guides on Our Community
1. Defining a Guide Guides are comprehensive reference materials, how-tos, or comparison tables. A guide must be well-organized both in content and layout. Information should be easily accessible without unnecessary navigation. Guides can include flowcharts, step-by-step instructions, or visual references that compare different elements side by side.
2. Infographic Guidelines Infographics are permitted if they are educational and informative. They should aim to convey complex information visually and clearly. However, infographics that primarily serve as visual essays without structured guidance will be subject to removal.
3. Grey Area Moderators may use discretion when deciding to remove posts. If in doubt, message us or use downvotes for content you find inappropriate.
4. Source Attribution If you know the original source of a guide, share it in the comments to credit the creators.
5. Diverse Content To keep our community engaging, avoid saturating the feed with similar topics. Excessive posts on a single topic may be moderated to maintain diversity.
6. Verify in Comments Always check the comments for additional insights or corrections. Moderators rely on community expertise for accuracy.
Community Guidelines
-
Direct Image Links Only Only direct links to .png, .jpg, and .jpeg image formats are permitted.
-
Educational Infographics Only Infographics must aim to educate and inform with structured content. Purely narrative or non-informative infographics may be removed.
-
Serious Guides Only Nonserious or comedy-based guides will be removed.
-
No Harmful Content Guides promoting dangerous or harmful activities/materials will be removed. This includes content intended to cause harm to others.
By following these rules, we can maintain a diverse and informative community. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the moderators. Thank you for contributing responsibly!
view the rest of the comments
Step 2 has never been very clear to me and this diagram doesn't seem to explain it either.
Do you touch the tip of the solder to the iron, the pin, or the pad?
Do you push the tip of the solder down into the pad, draw it up along the pin, or pull it away as it melts?
Why does the solder sometimes flow onto the iron instead of staying on the pad?
Additionally:
This! I found a nice set of "helping hands" and they're.. really helpful!
Which brand are you using? I've tried a couple generic sets, but they were so light that I could topple them over by just blowing really hard.
KOTTO brand with magnetic base. The arms and base are very sturdy.
It does indeed look pretty sturdy and ergonomic. Thanks! I'll definitely order one when I'll be able to receive shippings again.
1 if all parts are hot, it shouldn't matter. As soon as you touch anything with the solder, it should distribute evenly around the pad and component.
2 you just feed it into the joint
Both, which is why conical tips suck. They make poor contact with the pin and pad. With a chisel tip you make good contact with the pin and pad
You add some solder to the tip, then drag it across the pin and pad. Solder flows towards heat and if the joint is properly heated the solder should flow beautifully.
Sometimes the pad isn't heated (probably because the conical tip isn't heating it) and doesn't want to stick to the pad. It can also be due to oxidation on the joint surface. Add some flux to the surface and try again, allowing the iron to melt and activate the flux.
According to what I remembered, you don't move the solder at step 2, but when you are almost finished (step 3-4), you should pull it up along the pin.
touch the tip of the solder where the iron meets the pad or the pin
try to get as much contact with both the pad as the pin as you can
the pad could be dirty or not hot enough. Especially when the pad is connected to a ground or power plane layer in the PCB it may take longer than expected to reach a sufficient temperature. Usually adding some flux helps remove any dirt.
Thank you kind internet stranger!