F/S Repair.......Do you hate soldering??

LOL... could of used you a few days ago in southern california. Was soldering some cables to a wired xbox 360 controller and man did I do a crappy job on some of the smaller contact points. Ugh.
 
LOL... could of used you a few days ago in southern california. Was soldering some cables to a wired xbox 360 controller and man did I do a crappy job on some of the smaller contact points. Ugh.

so you got it working now? I didn't think anyone used those controllers anymore but I will say this about them,you don't have to deal with the batteries dying ever 2 hrs. Mine are always dead ,maybe cuz I play to much lol
 
huh?? You mean the process?? High heat and flux is your friend.

Yeah well, just one of those things.. i could pretend to say i am good at it but that wouldn't be true LOL not sure why, it's pretty simple but it is what it is
 
I bet you would do well over with the pinball crowd. alot of their newer stuff is all surface-mount.
 
I'm into games and pins....

and just starting to learn about soldering....not ready to give up just yet, but a lot more to it than I thought!

I am getting ok at basic soldering and have been practicing on boards I got from a vcr that was in bad shape.

Now, de soldering is kicking my butt! Could not get old solder to melt - I just picked up flux and read more on cleaning the tip.

Care to share some tips? Good way to build up contacts and maybe some business?

Thanks,
Chris
 
PM me on your rates. I may have some stuff for ya. Mostly replaceing sockets or changing out surface ram for sockets. I can do it..but I don't have the nice equipment you have. Also..I just plain hate it.
 
and just starting to learn about soldering....not ready to give up just yet, but a lot more to it than I thought!

I am getting ok at basic soldering and have been practicing on boards I got from a vcr that was in bad shape.

Now, de soldering is kicking my butt! Could not get old solder to melt - I just picked up flux and read more on cleaning the tip.

Care to share some tips? Good way to build up contacts and maybe some business?

Thanks,
Chris

What type of iron are you using and how many watts is it? What type of tip,also are you using rosin core or organic core solder? I use a good bit of heat 700F or 300C. If you can try to find water soluble flux.It will give you a smoother joint and can be rinsed with water leaving no visible residue.
 
Thanks - q and a:

Iron: got 2: portable battery operated from Home Depot that is worthless.

Radio shack: multi wattage up to 50 watt.

solder: 60/40?

Flux: just picked up Radio Shack Rosin Soldering flux. I haven't seen water soluble.. but I'm new to this.

Also picked up solder station and tool with magnifiying lens and adjustable clips.

CB
 
Iron: got 2: portable battery operated from Home Depot that is worthless.

Radio shack: multi wattage up to 50 watt.

solder: 60/40?

Flux: just picked up Radio Shack Rosin Soldering flux. I haven't seen water soluble.. but I'm new to this.

Also picked up solder station and tool with magnifiying lens and adjustable clips.

CB

Okay,50 watt should do for small jobs.If you can,try to get the highest wattage thats affordable to you,is the iron a pencil tip? Sometimes you need a fatter tip to transfer heat better especially for those old cold joints you spoke about earlier. 60/40 rosin core is good for what your doing. With your desoldering issue use a q-tip to apply a light coat of flux to your desoldering braid. That will transfer the heat faster to the part while also allowing the solder to flow more smoothly into the braid like a sponge.
 
LOL... could of used you a few days ago in southern california. Was soldering some cables to a wired xbox 360 controller and man did I do a crappy job on some of the smaller contact points. Ugh.

Be sure to heat up the contacts long enough so that the solder actually melts to it, and don't just melt the solder and swab it onto what you want it on. That's the biggest mistake I see people make. heat it up till the solder melts onto what you want it to go on. If you want tips, and are close to Long Beach, you're welcome to come by, and I'll help you learn some good techniques and whatnot.

Now, de soldering is kicking my butt! Could not get old solder to melt - I just picked up flux and read more on cleaning the tip.

Care to share some tips? Good way to build up contacts and maybe some business?

Thanks,
Chris

Old solder can usually be melted if you add a little bit of new solder to the tip of your iron while trying to melt the old stuff. It will transfer the heat better.

Iron: got 2: portable battery operated from Home Depot that is worthless.

Radio shack: multi wattage up to 50 watt.

solder: 60/40?

Flux: just picked up Radio Shack Rosin Soldering flux. I haven't seen water soluble.. but I'm new to this.

Also picked up solder station and tool with magnifiying lens and adjustable clips.

CB

I use this solder, so there is no need for additional flux, and it works great for anything that I've used it for. For a hobbyist, the 1lb spool will last you many years.

I also have one of those magnifying glasses with clamps that was given to me a few years ago. It has been in a box since I tried to use it, and it kept tipping over on me. Good idea, terrible foundation.

Also, Hakko makes great adjustable soldering stations. I have owned this station for over 6 years now, and couldn't be happier with it. I also bought one of these recently, and it works well, but seems to constantly need cleaning. With a standard iron, cleaning is just wiping the tip on a sponge, but with the desoldering gun, you have to ream it out after every 5fth or so sucks, wipe the tip, and clean out the chamber. It did, however make removing a flyback from a monitor chassis, a cakewalk.
 
Be sure to heat up the contacts long enough so that the solder actually melts to it, and don't just melt the solder and swab it onto what you want it on. That's the biggest mistake I see people make. heat it up till the solder melts onto what you want it to go on. If you want tips, and are close to Long Beach, you're welcome to come by, and I'll help you learn some good techniques and whatnot.



Old solder can usually be melted if you add a little bit of new solder to the tip of your iron while trying to melt the old stuff. It will transfer the heat better.



I use this solder, so there is no need for additional flux, and it works great for anything that I've used it for. For a hobbyist, the 1lb spool will last you many years.

I also have one of those magnifying glasses with clamps that was given to me a few years ago. It has been in a box since I tried to use it, and it kept tipping over on me. Good idea, terrible foundation.

Also, Hakko makes great adjustable soldering stations. I have owned this station for over 6 years now, and couldn't be happier with it. I also bought one of these recently, and it works well, but seems to constantly need cleaning. With a standard iron, cleaning is just wiping the tip on a sponge, but with the desoldering gun, you have to ream it out after every 5fth or so sucks, wipe the tip, and clean out the chamber. It did, however make removing a flyback from a monitor chassis, a cakewalk.

I use Kester solder also,organic core and "44" rosin core. I have had the same 4 one pound spools for almost 2 yrs.That stuff goes a long way. I also vouch for Hakko irons,that was the first adjustable iron I ever bought back in 1999 and I still use it on the weekends when racing my r/c cars.
 
Cool man, I didnt know you did surface mount. I have a MBT-350 also...actually I have two of them. Very nice equipment indeed. I have yet to dive into surface mount work.
I have alot of guys who drive all the way down here for cap kits and other repairs. Your right around the corner for most of them.
 
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Cool man, I didnt know you did surface mount. I have a MBT-350 also...actually I have two of them. Very nice equipment indeed. I have yet to dive into surface mount work.
I have alot of guys who drive all the way down here for cap kits and other repairs. Your right around the corner for most of them.

Strange I would think the cost of gas would be more than sending it to you.
 
Strange I would think the cost of gas would be more than sending it to you.

Well, they usually bring the tubes and everything so I can adjust it all out. Usually people will bring several at a time too so it works out. Figure shipping for several chassis two ways, it adds up.
 
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