HOW TO SOLDER For Beginners

SOLDERING FOR BEGINNERS:

Soldering is a process in which two or more items (usually metal) are joined together by melting and putting a filler metal (solder) into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal. In our case, soldering is used for many applications. It is a lifelong skill to have.

Soldering Equipment

How to Solder:

Notable tutorials:

Soldering Batteries:

@barajabali has a good tutorial on making LiPo packs slimmer. To note, is you need Aluminum solder wire.

Spot welding

I will have tutorials soon on how to spot weld 18650s, it will be the same process as what I do with my custom batteries.

Reply with things to add!

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♫one of these things is not like the others♫ ♫one of these things just isn’t the same♫

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You don’t really need that expensive of a soldering station to do the type of soldering that is required for this. Just get a cheap 60w iron and that should be good enough for most of the soldering tasks you’ll need to do for esk8.

https://www.amazon.com/60-Watts-Soldering-Iron-listed/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1468089142&sr=1-8&keywords=soldering

I hate to be a soldering station snob, but I’d take the Weller WES51 over the HAKKO every time.

It’s not that the stations are that different, but the quality of the tips is very different.

Also, it’s cheaper and the analog control is waaaaay easier to use when you are switching from large joints to small joints a lot, which you will be.

DougM

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changed :slight_smile:

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don’t forget this great video…

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I’m sorry to tell you this but the Weller WES51 is a High end product for Weller, and in my opinion is not worth it. If you really want a good quality soldering station you should turn yourself to Metcal or OKI (these are the toughest Soldering station I ever seen and also use in many production line because the heat is control by the tips and not the station, so you can live it open for a day without damaging the tips), or High end Hakko product like the FM-202. ( when you buy Hakko product you need to look at the kind of tips they use, like the T7 series)

And also for everyone who soldering for the first time, the most important trick a can give, is always use a tips that is larger than the area you need to solder, exemple for 10awg wire it better to use a 5mm tips.

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Hahha took me a minute😎

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Why would you want something where the tip controls the heat? if you need to adjust your temperature you have to switch out the tips which takes 100x longer than just turning a knob or just pressing some buttons.

I think we all need to remember and think about the title of this post “HOW TO SOLDER For Beginners

Beginners don’t need fancy soldering stations. a cheap $10-20 plug in, non variable iron will work just fine. It won’t be the best looking soldering job, but it will work.

Hell, that’s what i learned on, and i bet most of you started with something similar.

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the beauty is you dont need to change the tips (it’s call smartheat technology)… and also your right you dont need a fancy soldering station 10-20 dollar will do the job, but they are not really safe to use and the tips burn and disintegrate fast, so sometime it better to upgrade the quality of your iron and buy a station.

And yes it Soldering for Beginners, but it always better to start on the right foot.

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I agree with starting off with a good station rather than a $15 iron. it will make your learning curve easier and improve your joins. I am yet to use one of the Chinese hakko clones but they seem like a cheap starting point for beginners that will no doubt be better than a $15 iron.

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BUMP my dudes

What’s the best way to solder 3 10awg wires together? Preferably with 1 wire facing the opposite way.

Maybe twist all the wires together and then solder or use some connectors.

this is the best method i’ve tried to solder thick wires together.

I do it like @maxchilton said but I don’t put the copper wire around it.

This my solder connection on the vesc.

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I’d personally have the heatshrink hanging over the connectors by 1mm to help with insulating against shorts

I will put another layer of shrink over the connectors from the vesc and motor controller once theyre connected so i dont have any shorts

It appears all the soldering iron links are outdated.

Would this be a good option?

I know it’s not a name brand but it has thousands of great reviews, is feature rich, and only $35, and they’re are a ton of other brands making similar products at similar prices with similar reviews.

LONOVE Soldering Iron Station Kit – 60W Solder Station 194℉-896℉ Adjustable Temperature, LED Display, Sleep Function, C/F Switch, 2 Helping Hands, 5 Extra Solder Tips & 1 Solder Wire - Black https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08J7VLJ49/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_JJET5W1G5KXBWT5WE5WP

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