BASIC OF SOLDERING

OVERVIEW
Soldering is accomplished by quickly heating the metal parts to be joined, and
then applying a flux and a solder to the mating surfaces. The finished solder
joint bonds the parts – forming an excellent electrical connection between wires
and a strong mechanical joint between the metal parts. Heat is supplied with a
soldering iron or other means. The flux is a chemical cleaner which prepares the
hot surfaces for the molten solder. The solder is a low melting point alloy of non
ferrous metals.
SOLDER AND FLUX

What is solder?

Solder is an alloy (mixture) of tin and lead, typically 60% tin and 40% lead. It
melts at a temperature of about 200°C. Coating a surface with solder is called
'tinning' because of the tin content of solder. Lead is poisonous and you should
always wash your hands after using solder.

Solder for electronics use contains tiny cores of flux, like the wires inside a
mains flex. The flux is corrosive, like an acid, and it cleans the metal surfaces as
the solder melts. This is why you must melt the solder actually on the joint, not
on the iron tip. Without flux most joints would fail because metals quickly oxidize
and the solder itself will not flow properly onto a dirty, oxidized, metal surface.

The best size of solder for electronics is 22swg (swg = standard wire gauge).

Reels of solder

The most common alloy is some combination of tin and lead. Certain tin-lead
alloys have a lower melting point than the parent metals by themselves. The
most common alloys used for electronics work are 60/40 and 63/37. The chart
below shows the differences in melting points of some common solder alloys.

Tin/Lea
Melting Point
d

40/60 460 degrees F (230 degrees C)

50/50 418 degrees F (214 degrees C)

60/40 374 degrees F (190 degrees C)

63/37 364 degrees F (183 degrees C)

95/5 434 degrees F (224 degrees C)

Soldering Techniques

1. Soldering Iron

So this is the most basic of the soldering techniques. You use a soldering iron to
heat the component leg and the pad, then apply solder.

2. Using An Oven

We call this soldering technique reflow soldering. And basically, you bake your
board in an oven. It’s like baking bread!

It’s a very common technique for soldering surface mount components quickly.
First, you apply solder paste to the pads. Solder paste is a type of solder that
comes in paste-form. Then you place your components on the board and bake it
in an oven.

The board heats, and at a certain temperature, the solder melts. Then you cool
off the board, which makes the solder fasten. If everything went as planned you
will have nice solder joints all over the board.
The cool thing about using the reflow soldering technique is that the components
have a tendency to place themselves correctly. This is really useful for soldering
integrated circuits with very little space between the legs.

3. Hot-Air Soldering

Hot-air soldering is a way to melt the solder by blowing really hot air at an area
of your circuit board. You need a Hot Air Soldering Station  to do hot-air
soldering. It looks a bit like a soldering iron. But instead of a hot iron, it blows
hot air.

This is really useful for doing circuit board rework. Which means fixing soldering
errors on a board.

It’s a hassle to desolder a chip pin-by-pin. But by heating it with hot air, the
solder on all the pins melt at the same time and you can move it into the correct
position.

The Correct Way to Solder

Two connection elements must properly
function for a solder joint to be reliable. The
solder within the connection must
mechanically bond the component to the
PCB. The connection must also provide
electrical continuity between the device and
board. The proper intermetallic layer
assures both.
If a solder connection is mechanically
intact, it is considered to be electrically
continuous. Electrical continuity is easily
measured and quantified.
Right Amount of Solder
a) Minimum amount of solder
b) Optimal
c) Excessive solder

Soldering Guide
Preparation

Prepare your workspace.

Tinning the tip

Before you start soldering, you should tin the tip of the soldering iron. This
makes the tip transfer heat faster and thereby making the soldering easier and
faster. If you get any droplets of tin on your tip, use a sponge, a copper scouring
pad or just shake it off.

TIPS: If you tin the tip before you put down the soldering iron for the day, it is
said that the tip should last longer.

First a few safety precautions:

 Never touch the element or tip of the soldering iron.

They are very hot (about 400°C) and will give you a nasty burn.
 Take great care to avoid touching the mains flex with the tip of the
iron.
The iron should have a heatproof flex for extra protection. An ordinary
plastic flex will melt immediately if touched by a hot iron and there is a
serious risk of burns and electric shock.
 Always return the soldering iron to its stand when not in use.
Never put it down on your workbench, even for a moment!
 Work in a well-ventilated area.
The smoke formed as you melt solder is mostly from the flux and quite
irritating. Avoid breathing it by keeping you head to the side of, not
above, your work.
 Wash your hands after using solder.
Solder contains lead which is a poisonous metal.
Preparing the soldering iron:

 Place the soldering iron in its stand and plug in.

The iron will take a few minutes to reach its operating temperature of
about 400°C.
 Dampen the sponge in the stand.
The best way to do this is to lift it out the stand and hold it under a cold
tap for a moment, then squeeze to remove excess water. It should be
damp, not dripping wet.
 Wait a few minutes for the soldering iron to warm up.
You can check if it is ready by trying to melt a little solder on the tip.
 Wipe the tip of the iron on the damp sponge.
This will clean the tip.
 Melt a little solder on the tip of the iron.
This is called 'tinning' and it will help the heat to flow from the iron's tip to
the joint. It only needs to be done when you plug in the iron, and
occasionally while soldering if you need to wipe the tip clean on the
sponge.

You are now ready to start soldering:

 Hold the soldering iron like a pen, near the base of the handle.
Imagine you are going to write your name! Remember to never touch the
hot element or tip.
 Touch the soldering iron onto the joint to be made.
Make sure it touches both the component lead and the track. Hold the tip
there for a few seconds and...
 Feed a little solder onto the joint.
It should flow smoothly onto the lead and track to form a volcano shape
as shown in the diagram. Apply the solder to the joint, not the iron.
 Remove the solder, then the iron, while keeping the joint still.
Allow the joint a few seconds to
cool before you move the circuit
board.
 Inspect the joint closely.
It should look shiny and have a
'volcano' shape. If not, you will
need to reheat it and feed in a
little more solder. This time
ensure that both the lead and
track are heated fully before
applying solder.

How to solder two wires

Start with tinning the two wires. It is useful to have something to hold one wire
for you. Place the tip of the iron on the wire and let it heat for a second or three.
Then add some solder until the wire is soaked with solder. If it is a thick wire,
you should turn up the heat on your iron (if possible) to make the wire heat up
faster. Repeat the tinning process on the other wire.
Now place the two tinned wires together and hold still while heating them with
the soldering iron so that the tin on both of the wires melt together.

Soldering on a PCB

How to solder through-hole components on a PCB starts by placing the part in its
hole. Bend the leads of the part so that it stays in its place.

Put the tip of the iron on the pad so that it heats both the lead of the part and
the pad of the circuit board. Heat them for a second or so before you apply
solder. Remove the iron and the solder wire and inspect your solder joint to see
if it looks okay.

Note: If you are soldering IC’s, it is smart to use an IC socket. Some ICs will
break if the heat from the soldering iron is too hot.
Soldering Advice for Components

It is very tempting to start soldering components

onto the circuit board straight away, but take
time to identify all the parts first. You are much
less likely to make a mistake if you do this!

1. Stick all the components onto a sheet of

paper using sticky tape.
2. Identify each component and write its
name or value beside it.
3. Add the code (R1, R2, C1 etc.) if
necessary.
Many projects from books and magazines label the components with
codes (R1, R2, C1, D1 etc.) and you should use the project's parts list to
find these codes if they are given.
4. Resistor values can be found using the resistor colour code which is
explained on our Resistors page.
5. Capacitor values can be difficult to find because there are many types with
different labeling systems!

Some components require special care when soldering. Many must be placed the
correct way round and a few are easily damaged by the heat from soldering.
Appropriate warnings are given in the table below, together with other advice
which may be useful when soldering.

Using a heat sink Crocodile clip

Some components, such as transistors, can be damaged by heat when soldering
so if you are not an expert it is wise to use a heat sink clipped to the lead
between the joint and the component body. You can buy a special tool, but a
standard crocodile clip works just as well and is cheaper.

For most projects it is best to put the components onto the board in the order
given below:

Reminders and
Components Pictures
Warnings

Connect the correct

way round by making
IC Holders sure the notch is at the
(DIL sockets) correct end.
Do NOT put the ICs
(chips) in yet.

Resistors No special precautions

are needed with

Small value capacitors
(usually less than 1µF)
Electrolytic capacitors
(1µF and greater)
LEDs
Transistors
Wire Links between
points on the circuit
board.
Battery clips, buzzers
and other parts with their  
own wires
resistors.
These may be connected
either way round.
Take care with
polystyrene capacitors
because they are easily
damaged by heat.
Connect the correct
way round. They will be
marked with a + or -
near one lead.
Connect the correct
way round.
The diagram may be
labelled a or + for anode
and k or - for cathode;
yes, it really is k, not c,
for cathode! The cathode
is the short lead and
there may be a slight flat
on the body of round
LEDs.
Connect the correct
way round.
Transistors have 3 'legs'
(leads) so extra care is
needed to ensure the
connections are correct.
Easily damaged by heat.
Use single core wire, this
is one solid wire which is
plastic-coated.
If there is no danger of
touching other parts you
can use tinned copper
single core wire
wire, this has no plastic
coating and looks just
like solder but it is
stiffer.
Connect the correct way
round.

Wires to parts off the
circuit board, including
switches, relays,
variable resistors and
loudspeakers.
You should use stranded
wire which is flexible and
plastic-coated.
Do not use single core
stranded wire wire because this will
break when it is
repeatedly flexed.

Connect the correct

way round.
Many ICs are static
sensitive.
Leave ICs in their
antistatic packaging until
you need them, then
earth your hands by
ICs (chips) touching a metal water
pipe or window frame
before touching the ICs.
Carefully insert ICs in
their holders: make
sure all the pins are lined
up with the socket then
push down firmly with
your thumb.

How To Do SMD Soldering Using a Soldering Iron

SMD stands for Surface Mount Device and indicates that the component is
mounted on the surface of the circuit board in contrast to through-hole
components which are mounted in holes.

How to solder a surface mount resistor

Soldering a resistor is the simplest way to start learning SMD soldering.

Start by applying flux to one pad on the circuit board. The flux cleans the pad
and makes it easier for the solder to fasten properly.

Apply some solder to the tip of your iron and touch the circuit board pad with the
tip so that some of the solder passes on to the pad.
Place the resistor in its place an hold it there with a pair of tweezers while you
touch the soldering tip so that it heats both the component and circuit board
pad.

The resistor should now be fastened on one side. Apply solder to the soldering
tip again and touch the iron tip on the other side.

How to solder surface mount chips

The method to solder a surface mount chip is very similar to the method for
soldering a resistor.

Start by applying flux on all the pads on the circuit board.

Apply some solder to one of the chip’s corner pads.

Place and align the chip using tweezers.

Hold the chip in place while touching the corner pad with the tip of the soldering
iron so that the solder melts the pin and the pad together.

Check the alignment of the chip. If it is not in its place, use your soldering iron
to loosen the pin chip and align the chip properly.

Continue soldering on the opposite corner by putting a bit of solder on the

soldering iron tip then touching the circuit board pad and pin at the same
time. Do this for all the pins of the chip, one by one.

After all the pins have been soldered you should inspect the solder joints
carefully with a microscope or loupe to check for bad joints or solder bridges.

Alternative methods

There are a few alternative methods of smd soldering.

Using solder paste

Start by applying flux to the circuit board pads. Then apply solder paste on the
all the pads of the component you want to solder.

Using tweezers, place the component in its correct position and hold it there.
Place the tip of the soldering iron onto each of the pads so that the solder melts
and makes good connections between the component and the board.

Flood with solder

This method is for soldering chips.

As usual start by applying flux to the pads on the circuit board. Fasten one of the
corner pins of the chip to its pad by using a bit of solder. Make sure the chip is
properly aligned on the pads.

Now use your soldering iron and flood the pins with solder so that all the pins
are connected. On the picture below, only a few pins are flooded, but the idea is
to flood all the pins.

Then start on one end and heat a pin so that the solder melts on the next 2-3
pins. Use a solder sucker to suck up excess solder.

Continue down the row and heat 2-3 pins at once while you suck the solder
away. After all the excess solder has been removed, check for solder bridges
with a microscope.

How To Desolder a Solder Joint

At some stage you will probably need to desolder a joint to remove or re-
position a wire or component. There are two ways to remove the solder:
1.  With a desoldering pump
(solder sucker)

 Set the pump by pushing the

spring-loaded plunger down
until it locks.
 Apply both the pump nozzle
and the tip of your soldering
iron to the joint.
 Wait a second or two for the
solder to melt.
 Then press the button on the Using a desoldering pump (solder sucker)
pump to release the plunger
and suck the molten solder into the tool.
 Repeat if necessary to remove as much solder as possible.
 The pump will need emptying occasionally by unscrewing the nozzle.

2.  With solder remover wick (copper braid)

 Apply both the end of the wick and the tip of your soldering iron to the
joint.
 As the solder melts most of it will flow onto the wick, away from the joint.
 Remove the wick first, then the soldering iron.
 Cut off and discard the end of the wick coated with solder.

Solder remover wick

After removing most of the solder from the joint(s) you may be able to remove
the wire or component lead straight away (allow a few seconds for it to cool). If
the joint will not come apart easily apply your soldering iron to melt the
remaining traces of solder at the same time as pulling the joint apart, taking
care to avoid burning yourself.