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cruft posted:Holy poo poo, this orb is not loving around when it comes to stripping wires! Darn right. I had a squeeze-style for years that was not awesome, and broke down and bought the Klein, and holy heck it's a world of difference. Welcome to the world of wire stripping, you're in for a hell of a ride. |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:21
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| # ? May 5, 2024 08:53 |
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I'm probably not gonna get to playing with my kit until tmw but for those of us who are complete and utter beginners, do you think you could describe/explain the 'how to get solder on the board' part? Yeah! It's two steps, more or less. First, melt a little bit of solder onto the tip of the iron. This will help transfer heat better than trying to lay the iron completely flat against the pad. Next, hold the iron against the pad, to heat it up. While you're holding it there, start feeding solder onto the pad. When the pad gets hot enough, it'll start magically melting on! |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:22
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Also, I'm not participating in the kit build, but I am here for moral support!!! |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:23
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 Okay, I did the thing where you lay bare wire into a solder bridge. Cool trick, I never realized this was possible. But I'm tired of stripping wire with cutters so I only did one short (at the bottom) and one long (at the top). You've really gotta lay a ton of metal in to make a solder bridge. What worked well for me was using the tip to heat up both pads, and then feeding in a ton of solder in the middle. e: "tinning" a wire just means painting it with solder. Not sure if this is explained in the pamphlet. This makes it loads easier to jam in there, since the solder melts so easily. cruft fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Aug 21, 2021 |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:25
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I skipped ahead early on and played with the solder braid, because I've always sucked at using this stuff. First I used the thing at the top, which is called a "solder sucker". It sort of mechanically vacuums up wet solder, and works okay for big stuff. Then I tried using the solder braid my dad gave me. I think it was made in like 1960. Not much luck. Then I tried the stuff that came in the kit, which has flux in it, and holy heck! So much better! I will be buying some new solder braid now. On to the components! |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:30
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Fun solder fact Check out this phase diagram  In a mixture of lead and tin, farther to the left is more lead, farther to the right is more tin. Up is higher temperature. Point E is the eutectic point. See how it's the only point that goes straight from all liquid to all solid, as you cool (go vertically down)? That's why solder works. If you were to go higher in lead or tin content, you would move left or right on the plot, and it would melt and solidify in a messy way, with one of the metals solidifying before the other. Also notice that the overall "all-liquid" melting point (liquidus  ) would be much hotter, and harder to achieve with an iron. That's why the lead/tin ratio is so specific in solder. Idk what lead free solders use but if it's two metals then it's a similar deal. |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:40
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A copper-tin alloy, apparently. I'm glad this kit has so many electrolytic capacitors, since every time I've had to repair a gadget, one of these needed to be replaced. Also, these pads are gigantic! I'm used to much smaller pads, which goes a lot faster. Anyway here are the first three components put on. I recommend doing the IC on before anything else, so you can lay it flat against your work space.  You're going to have to (gently) bend in the legs of the IC, just a hair, in order for it to fit in the holes. There are probably differing opinions on how to do this. I just use my fingers. Carefully. cruft fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Aug 21, 2021 |
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Aug 21, 2021 16:48
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Okay, I'm done with page 11. Some observations: Be really careful pulling resistors off the card. R6 is the resistor above "R6". This isn't what I was expecting. You can bend the legs out to keep components in place while the board is flipped over. You're gonna get globs of resin spatter on the back of the board. This is nothing to worry about. If it's your first time doing this, you're going to go a lot slower than I am, and it's going to take way more mental energy. Take a break from time to time! I'm gonna take one right now.  
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Aug 21, 2021 17:13
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That all looks pretty good! I would suggest trying to snug the resistors and caps fully down against the PCB. Not tight, but they should be fully resting on the surface if possible. Particularly the cap, if you can get the bottom fully flush against the board, that'll prevent the leads getting strained or breaking if it happens to get bumped. But sometimes the holes on the PCB aren't the correct width for the component, so you don't have much choice. Don't worry about the 0.2 uF disc capacitor, but that 10pf looks like it could settle down a little more |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:20
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As you put those electrolytic capacitors in, have a good look at them. See how they're labelled with the capacitance (100 uF) and voltage (16V)? You can always put a higher voltage electrolytic capacitor in to replace one. And many times you should, since manufacturers tend to save money by getting them rated for just barely enough, which is why they fail. The silver part on top should be nice and flat. When your next gadget fries, pull it apart and check that all the capacitor tops are nice and flat. If not, they've probably failed and need to be replaced! This is my #1 secret for everyday electronics repair. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:21
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manero posted:That all looks pretty good! I would suggest trying to snug the resistors and caps fully down against the PCB. Not tight, but they should be fully resting on the surface if possible. Yeah, I could have done a better job here. Looking forward to seeing photos of other folks' work! I may go back over and push these suckers in better. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:23
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manero posted:That all looks pretty good! I would suggest trying to snug the resistors and caps fully down against the PCB. Not tight, but they should be fully resting on the surface if possible. you seem to know what you're talking about : what about leaving em loose enough you can bend em down flat against the board? i've seen/done that before, is it bad? ---------------- |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:25
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 There we go! This just involved heating the pads up, one by one, and cramming the capacitor further down on that side while the solder was fluid. We aren't going to talk about the job I did replacing the cap buried between two boards on the wireless router. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:27
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pnac attack posted:you seem to know what you're talking about : what about leaving em loose enough you can bend em down flat against the board? i've seen/done that before, is it bad? It's fine, but I would recommend pre-bending the leads with a little pliers, and then soldering it in that way. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:29
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I'm guessing this is to reduce the mechanical stress of vibration, to keep the leads from flexing and eventually breaking. How far off am I? |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:32
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It really depends on the component and how much space you have on the board. Some boards are laid out in a way where you have to install a resistor vertically, others have plenty of room for horizontal. Ideally, the board is already laid out in an optimized way to prevent strain on the components. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:42
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Soldering all the little pads. Seems pretty clean so far!  Ahhhhh  Wires are much harder. At first I wasn't tinning the wires so they wouldnt stick. Then once I started tinning them, sometimes the connection wasn't good enough and trying to re-melt the solder takes forever when it needs to heat up the glob and the wire E: phone autocorrected tinning to running Jinh fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Aug 21, 2021 |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:45
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Jinh posted:Soldering all the little pads. Seems pretty clean so far! This looks fantastic! Nice job! Those wires are kinda sketch, but this isn't easy toe do either. If they actually had current going through them you might want to fix up that far left one at least. But there's no current going through these and it looks like you were starting to get the hang of it toward the end. E: honestly I think the main problem you had is having to use the cutters to strip wire. It's a total pain! cruft fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Aug 21, 2021 |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:47
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Thanks  I'm gonna grab lunch and move on to the next bit more in a couple hours
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Aug 21, 2021 17:49
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The manual talks about the flat side of the LED. This is also the side with the shorter leg 
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Aug 21, 2021 17:51
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A couple years back I built a little ham radio from a kit. If I can dig up the pictures from the build I'll share a few. |
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Aug 21, 2021 17:55
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My (vintage) stereo is getting a little scratchy, and it needs a good clean inside, and I think I'm going to re-cap it and replace any other stuff that needs it while I'm in there (pretty sure it's all original), but that's a project for after I move. Too much going on right now. But when I do, oh those delicious flux fumes... Actually this thing probably was made with lead solder so I'm guessing I'll want a fan or some kind of extractor? |
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Aug 21, 2021 18:00
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I hosed up! Somehow I put the 100uF capacitor in C3 (10uF). So I had to take it out. I got to use the solder sucker, then the braid, which got stuck, and I pulled too hard and yanked out the pad! So to repair this, I looked at the board to see where the pad was connected. Okay, no problem, I just practiced this very thing. I used a cut off leg from something to make sure the capacitor would be connected where it needs to be. 
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Aug 21, 2021 18:11
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Okay, done. It works. I think, as a first project, don't plan on doing this all in one sitting. And for people who haven't started yet, if you can afford it, some wire strippers will result in less swearing. But you can do it with cutters and patience. The last step is to remove two resistors and put in bigger ones, but I'm calling it quits for today. Tomorrow I'll give that a shot, see if I can figure out how to not destroy the pad. This was a good practice kit, the instructions were great, and I liked how many different components it had, including a big ol' magnet in the speaker. Okay! Let's see how y'all are doing! cruft fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Aug 21, 2021 |
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Aug 21, 2021 18:30
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I might have to attach this thing to my dog. |
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Aug 21, 2021 18:32
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Lookin' good! |
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Aug 21, 2021 19:06
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pnac attack posted:stripping wire with cutters p much doesn't work Depending on what kind of wire cutters you have, you might find you have better luck turning the cutters around backward, and stripping that way. In one direction (the bad one), the cutters come together in a "\/" shape, which won't strip nearly as well as the other way, which has a "--" shape (if that makes any sense).
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Aug 22, 2021 02:11
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cruft posted:I skipped ahead early on and played with the solder braid, because I've always sucked at using this stuff. Flux is magical and wonderful and amazing (also probably Satanic), and it makes soldering and desoldering incredibly easier.
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Aug 22, 2021 02:14
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alnilam posted:Fun solder fact That is quite the diagram, Al.
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Aug 22, 2021 02:15
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I'm sure somebody must know what flux is, but to everyone else, it's just a magical reagent. This solder flows and stocks so much better. It's the eye of newt. |
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Aug 22, 2021 02:16
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Jinh posted:Soldering all the little pads. Seems pretty clean so far! First picture looks really good. As to the second, it can be a huge pain to get wires soldered without melting the insulation. Some insulation has an incredibly low melting point, and it's always a challenge. Lead-free solder makes that situation worse, because it takes more heat to make a connection.
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Aug 22, 2021 02:19
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Finger Prince posted:My (vintage) stereo is getting a little scratchy, and it needs a good clean inside, and I think I'm going to re-cap it and replace any other stuff that needs it while I'm in there (pretty sure it's all original), but that's a project for after I move. Too much going on right now. But when I do, oh those delicious flux fumes... Scratchy usually means dirty pots (variable resistors). De-Ox-It will clean those. As to lead, you only need to take reasonable precautions. One of my co-workers who solders with lead all day long decided to get tested for lead some years back. Despite taking no precautions whatever, he didn't have elevated levels of lead.
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Aug 22, 2021 02:22
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Robot Made of Meat posted:Scratchy usually means dirty pots (variable resistors). De-Ox-It will clean those. It's the output that's crackling/clipping intermittently. Pots are actually really good. |
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Aug 22, 2021 02:25
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man I really need to get off my butt and do some soldering. all I’ve done so far is play around and melt some stuff. |
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Aug 23, 2021 15:20
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Prof. Crocodile posted:man I really need to get off my butt and do some soldering. all I’ve done so far is play around and melt some stuff. I think that counts as mentally preparing 
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Aug 23, 2021 15:39
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for anyone else still in the early stages, i figured out a way to strip the wire (somewhat) easily. first you bend the wire into an 'L' shape and clamp down on one end until the blades of the cutter bite into the casing--but not so far that you cut the wire.  then twirl the wire around using the 'L' bend like a handle, spinning the trapped end against the cutter blades until the casing is stripped enough to see the wire  then you should be able to pull the endpieces off easily. or maybe i just got a uniquely easy spool of wire to work with. |
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Aug 24, 2021 01:21
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Anybody made any progress with this? |
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Sep 4, 2021 23:59
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cruft posted:Anybody made any progress with this? I'll share a ham radio kit I built a couple years ago. It receives and transmits morse code. There are a bunch of SMD components on the back of the board that all came pre-soldered, so the kit was through-hole components and winding toroids. There were over a hundred components, but it was mostly resistors and caps. It took me maybe a week of very casual on-and-off building in the evenings. The start, some IC's soldered in and a toroid wound + in-place/tested. The toroid is wound with magnet wire, which is wire coated in enamel. It's tricky to work with because you need to scrape or burn the enamel off the ends where you want to solder it in and make an electrical connection. Having a continuity meter is super useful to check to make sure the connection is made:  Up close:  Pretty much fully assembled minus some IC's dropped in and the LCD module not attached:  Done! It even worked when I turned it on, and I made some contacts with people: 
manero fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Sep 5, 2021 |
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Sep 5, 2021 14:11
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Adding on, if you want to make your life WAY easier, get yourself one of these relatively cheap circuit board holders: It's adjustable, and the clamps are spring-loaded so you can get just the right tension to hold your board. The clamps swivel, so it's super easy to just spin the board around to get to wherever you need to. |
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Sep 5, 2021 14:18
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Nice, look great! Since you're a Morse code nerd, I'll drop an ad for this thing I made at https://vail.woozle.org/ that'll help you practice with a buddy on the Internet. |
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Sep 5, 2021 14:56
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