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Soldering electronic circuits
Beginner's guide

Edited by Ricardo Medda, Giovanni Pintus

Printed by
Logus mondi interattivi
www.logus.it
Image cover: Sald_2.0
Ricardo Medda

Traduzione: Andrea Serreli

eBook and cover design: Pier Luigi Lai
Logus mondi interattivi - pllai@logus.it

© 2016 Logus mondi interattivi

ISBN: 9788898062775
All rights reserved. Reproduction, transfer, duplication, reading in
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 TechRM

SOLDERING ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS

Maker's Manual
Beginners+
 PREFACE

This tutorial opens a series of manuals aimed at an audience

ranging from beginners to experts on topics related to the world
of electronics and programming and in general about what is
behind the movement of the makers or the digital artisans.

Why have we decided to undertake this work? Because we

realized that the information found on the Internet are often
incomplete and not very organic. The novice is forced to surf on
a sea of information often fragmented, unorganized or incomplete.

This tutorial aims to provide the basics for the use of one of
the main tools, which should not be missing in the laboratory of
both hobbyists and experts, that is the soldering iron and / or
the soldering station.
 ABSTRACT

The goal of this tutorial is to teach beginners the basics for

perfect soldering of electronic circuits.

Being a very practical subject we preferred a visual approach -

based on a fair use of images - rather than an overly discursive
one.

The practicality of this guide is also reflected in the use of the

LCD 1602A display, the component chosen for this tutorial is very
common in several projects based on the Arduino. It is also
robust enough to withstand to beginners.
 WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN WITH THIS GUIDE

You will apply what you have learned to solder a 16-pin on a

1602A LCD

You will be introduced to the equipment used to run a good

soldering;

You will learn to prepare the iron soldering achieve the best
result;

You will learn to make a soldering in a workmanlike manner;

You will learn to do the soldering quality check.

Time needed
Basic skills

None
Video help

We made this video to help as much as possible. Refer to it

whenever you have a doubt.
What you need to follow this tutorial
tutorial tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
tutorial tutorial
 SUMMARY SHEET

You can use this summary sheet if you are already at an

intermediate level on soldering electronic circuits, or a beginner
who has already done the whole tutorial.

Introduction: defining what soldering is and seeing in detail the

tools we are going to use in the operation of soldering, describing
the soldering station

Step 1: preparing the header to make it ready to be soldered

Step 2: brushing with flux the soldering iron and / or the

soldering station tip and the display pads

Step3: setting the service temperature

Step 4: cleaning and tinning the tip of the soldering iron /

soldering station

Step 5: proceeding with soldering

Step 6: checking the soldering quality

Step 7: testing the display with an Arduino

Desoldering: learning how to properly solder electronic components
 INTRODUCTION: THE TOOLS

Go to the summary sheet↵

Soldering is a process that allows you to merge two joints

through their melting or via filler metal. In our case, the soldering
connects two parts - usually the terminal of a component with the
printed circuit board - both electrically and mechanically.

What we need to solder is:

A soldering iron or a soldering station with a very thin tip

Tin, for our purpose with a 0.8-1.0mm section

Tinning flux

Well sharp wire cutters

A magnifying glass (a 5x one should be okay)

Pin header strip

Firm hand and a lot of patience!

1. natural sponge - 2. tinning flux vial - 3. tin – 4. pencil – 5. pencil
receptacle – 6. display – 7. header.
The soldering station.

The figure shows the main body of the soldering station used in
this tutorial.

In particular you can see:

The hot air gun – really useful when soldering (or desoldering)
tiny components (SMD components)

A display which shows the set up temperature, both of the pencil

and the hot air gun
The switch to power ON and OFF the pencil

The switch to power ON and OFF the hot air gun

Red and blue buttons to set how air flow

The knob to set up the air flow.

A soldering station is handier than a simple soldering iron

because you can set the pencil temperature. In addition, devices
like ours have a hot air gun, very useful when working with SMD
components (Surface Mount Devices) which are soldered onto the
PCB surface pads. It means that SMD components don't need
vias (holes in PCBs). SMD components allow users to design
much tinier PCBs and place them on both surfaces.
The LCD display and the 16 pin header.
 Tinning flux vial.

Anyone wanting to deepen his knowledge about this LCD

display can have a look at the datasheet available

A table containg the display pinout is shown below:

below:
below:
below:

below:
below:
below:
below: below: below:
below: below: below:
 Step 1: Cutting the pin header

Go to the summary sheet↵

The first step is cutting the pin header, which is usually sold with
40 pins, in order to obtain a 16-pins one.

Cutting the 40-pin connector so you in order to obtain 16-pins one and
positioning of the connector into the holes of the LCD.

You will notice that the connector pins are not symmetrical. On
one side of the plastic they are longer than the other part.

Be careful: the short side must be soldered on the PCB display.

The long sided one must instead be connected to the breadboard.
If you mess and solder the header conversely, you won’t be able to
connect it anymore.

Be sure to use good quality and well-sharpened clippers because the

cut should be clean. Otherwise you will risk to damage the plastic
which you cut with the consequent detachment of the corresponding
pin..
 Step 2: Tinning tip and pad

Go to the summary sheet ↵

Brush the tip by using the tinning flux.

Note that this operation must be done when the iron soldering is
powered off! (the soldering iron must be cold in order to avoid
burning the brush, usually made of plastic).

The tinning flux has two purposes: avoiding the oxidation of your
iron soldering tip and helping the tin to flow easier on the soldering
point.
 Let's brush the display pads and the tip using the tinning flux while the
soldering iron is turned off.

Always be careful with the tip of your soldering iron: a good result
depends largely on its efficiency! Cleaning it in an appropriate
manner, using the flux and avoiding to bump it will guarantee it to
last long. The tip, even when treated with the maximum regard, still
has a limited duration. If you notice that the tip of your soldering
iron does not heat evenly anymore, it is time to replace it. This
operation is generally very simple but in order to avoid any type of
error read the instruction manual of the soldering iron. Reading it
will also show you more details on the tip allowing you to buy one
that suits your instrument.
 Step 3: Setting up the service temperature

Go to the summary sheet ↵

Now we can turn the iron soldering on and wait until it heats
up. We set up a temperature around 400°C. This could be a quite
high temperature for a beginner, so if you’re a novice you may
prefer to set up a lower one. Setting up lower temperatures
allows you to spend more time on soldering without messing
anything up.

Keep in mind that tin melts at 200-230°C so do not set it up

too low.

If you don't have a soldering station, to sold tiny parts as in

this case, you should not use a soldering iron more powerful than
30 or 40W. These kind of devices reach their service temperature
within 2 or 5 minutes.

When the tinning flux on the tip stops smoking, it's time to
move on to the next step.
Let's turn on the soldering station and set the operating temperature
 Step 4: Preparing the soldering iron tip

Go to the summary sheet ↵

It's time to prepare the soldering iron tip. The first thing we
are going to do is cleaning the tip from dirt and remains of tin
from previous solderings. For this operation a small natural wet
sponge is required. Such sponges can be found on the Internet or
in specialized shops. The sponge must be wet but not drenched.
So, do not overdo the water on the sponge!

Another thing that must be avoided is cleaning the tip using

metal sponges (like the ones used to do the washing up) or, even
worse, sand paper. Using abrasive stuff will remove the thin layer
of zinc metal from the tip. Remember that it is thanks to this
zinc metal layer that the tip is able to heat up uniformly.

After the cleaning process, tinning the tip is mandatory if you

want to achieve a good result. Pick the tin up and strew the tip
with a thin layer of tin. Try to spread the solder equally without
exceeding with. If you exceed, clean the tip by using the sponge.
Put a bit of water on the sponge.
Check if the sponge is wet enough (but not drenched ).
Once the tinning flux is completely burnt we are ready to clean the
tip.
 Let's clean it using the wet sponge.

WARNING! Avoid inhaling the fumes resulting from soldering

operations. Perform this work in a well ventilated area.
And now, let's tin the tip for a best result.
 The tip should look shiny.

As you can see in the pictures, the pencil receptacle has a small
accommodation in which you can easily fix the sponge. Its edge
is usually protected by a metal sheet on which you can gently
shake the soldering tip to clean it from any excesses of tin.
 Step 5: Soldering

Go to the summary sheet↵

Finally we are ready to solder!

Basically this method doesn't provide a direct contact between tin

and the iron soldering tip.

Heat the display pad by using the iron soldering tip, making the
tin melt indirectly. If the tin doesn't melt, put it closer to the tip
avoiding a direct contact between them. Note that a part of the tin
we previously put on the tip will melt, becoming a part of the
material needed to solder.

Keep in mind that at this point it's better to put an insufficient

amount of tin than exceeding with it. It’s better to add some tin
later than being forced to remove it from the pad!

Initially make the first solder only. Check if the pin header is
perpendicular to the circuit. If not, gently straighten the header to
make it perpendicular. Having soldered only a pin, it will oppose
little resistance.

This is really important if you want your LCD display to fit in a

Solder the pin header keeping the tin very close to the iron soldering tip

Putting in contact the tip solder with the tin is not always the
preferred method for soldering. With practice you'll understand when
it’s appropriate to follow a method rather than another.

In the case shown in the figure we preferred light contact because

of the small size of the pad.

As a general rule keep in mind that a well-made soldering

contains the strictly necessary amount of tin. This means that if you
decide to put in contact the tip and the tin you must do it for the
shortest time possible.

In any case avoid to solder with the drip method, or by first

melting the tin just on the tip of the soldering iron and then making
a drop at the point to be soldered! Doing so means the flux content
in the tin will only clean the tip but not the pad and the terminal of
the component.

Soldering with light contact because of the small size of the pad.
To facilitate the positioning of the header, you can plug it into a
breadboard so that its terminals are perfectly vertical. At this point,
put the display on the header so that its terminals fit into the holes
of its pads.

Positioning of the header in the breadboard for verticality. Insert it deeply

into the breadboard.
Place the display on the header so that its terminals fit into the
holes of the pads.
If you took advantage of the breadboard, as explained before, after
soldering the first pin you should pull back the header from the
board and ensure that it is perpendicular. If not, straighten it.

Afterwards enter it again in the breadboard and continue to solder

the remaining pins.

Once all pins are soldered, the connector is nearly impossible to

straighten.
 Let's proceed.

Quick check of the first three pins.

 Step 6: Quality check

Go to the summary sheet↵

How to understand if we did a good job? That's quite simple: using

a magnifying glass!

Looking through your magnifying glass, check if you have done a

good job making a comparing your joints with ours, shown in the
picture above. A good joint should cover the pad entirely and look
shiny: these ones are basically the two indicators. Redo any bad
solder and try to burn the exceeding flux.
A good joint should cover the pad entirely and look shiny: these ones are
basically the two indicators. Redo any bad solder and try to burn the
exceeding flux.

So, if you notice a lack of tin, add a small amount of it on pads, in

order to cover them completely.

And if your soldering doesn't look shiny, partially melt the joints
again by using the heated tip.

We’re finally done and you are ready to connect the LCD display
to your Arduino.
Final result: solderings must look shiny and no brown spots of tinning
flux must appear on the pad.
Example of poorly executed soldering

The tin is deposited on the wire and on the pad, but does not
make a good contact. It is an example of "cold" soldering that
will break over time.

In summary, a good soldering must have these characteristics:

pad completely occupied but without excess of tin

the tin must adhere uniformly and without presenting points of
detachmen;

as already said above, the weld must appear shiny

Frequent errors. Do not underestimate the quality of the tin. Make

sure that the inside has a core of flux and that the wire gauge is
adequate for the purpose. Be always careful that the temperature
of the soldering iron is high enough to melt tin easily, but not
too much to mess the components. Do not hold too long the
soldering tip in contact with the pad: this could lead to his
detachment..
 Step 7: Testing the display with Arduino

Go to the summary sheet↵

Once all the previous steps are performed, we just need to wire
the display to the Arduino. Follow the Fritzing ⁸ scheme below to
make the connections.

Now connect Arduino to your computer via the USB cable, open the
IDE and in the menu select:
 File/Examples/LiquidCrystal/HelloWorld

Upload the sketch (remembering to set the right board in the

Tools At the end of the load operation you will read the message
hello, world! on the display.

Here is our test:

For more info, please consult the official page of the LiquidCrystal
 Desoldering: learning how to correct mistakes

Go to the summary sheet↵

Any good tutorial or text about soldering can not be considered

complete without a section on desoldering.

As we said in step it is always better to have a soldering with a

little amount of tin instead of one with excess of tin in order to
avoid desoldering operations. However, to err is human!

So making mistakes is understandable especially when you are a

beginner. Therefore it is important to learn to desolder and then to
use the most popular instrument on the electronic circuits for this
type of operation: the desoldering pump.

The method is quite simple: it heats the joint to melt tin and with
the help of the desoldering pump completely removes the material of
the previous soldering.
Its operation is simple; indeed, it creates an instantaneous vacuum
in the affected area. The mechanism is activated by the button on
the pump, taking care of pushing the piston every time you use it.

It is possible that the old tin melts with great difficulty. In this
case you can preventively brush the soldering with the flux, in order
to remove the oxide layer that makes it difficult for the heat to pass
through.

In the case of particularly difficult solderings, you can help yourself

by adding, after passing the flux, some new tin which will facilitate
heat conduction even more. Once you’ve melted the soldering,
proceed with the pump as described above.
Biographies
Ricardo Medda

Electrical engineer by vocation, I have always been interested in

the world of electronics and computer science. This interest led
me in the last few years to get closer to the world of devices
such as Arduino, Raspberry PI and to design and implement
electronic devices that interface with these boards. In addition to
the digital world it fascinates me even the analog world, in fact, a
few years ago I began to design and build analog devices,
especially tube amps.
Giovanni Pintus

I am a civil engineer with a passion for computer science and

electronics. In recent years I had fun experimenting with electronic
devices of various kinds, including the popular Arduino. I take
with enthusiasm every opportunity to solve or to build anything in
pure style DIY.
TechRM Channels

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 Notes

1) PIN: it’s usually a terminal of a connector or of an electronic

component. The connector used in this tutorial has 16 to the
summary sheet↵

2) 1602A LCD DISPLAY: This liquid crystal display (LCD) is able

to display 16 characters on two lines. It is backlit and has control
of brightness and to the summary sheet↵

3) SOLDERING STATION: the soldering station is a device that is

used to make the solderings. It consists of a fixed part which
contains the temperature adjustment knobs and by a stylus with a
thin tip which is the actual soldering stylus. In more complete
versions it also has a hot-air gun for soldering on miniaturized
components (the so-called surface mount components or SMD).
In this case, the fixed part of the station also contains the
adjustments knobs for the air temperature and its flow. Unlike the
soldering station, the soldering iron is constituted by the simple
stylus and, in general, has no temperature regulation. Usually in
electronics they use soldering irons from 30 or 40 W. Go to the
summary sheet↵

4) Since the focus of this tutorial is mainly on soldering, we have

not voluntarily added Arduino to the list of required components.
This is because we think that those who buy this display already
have this device (or a clone) and a breadboard, some cables and
other components such as a potentiometer. However we decided
to insert a further step that will serve to test the to the summary
sheet↵

5) PAD: the pad is simply a pitch copper of a printed circuit

board on which we can perform the soldering. For example, the
LCD display we use has 16 pads to be soldered to the connector.
Go to the summary sheet↵

6) PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD: in electronics, a printed circuit

board is a support of insulating material, usually epoxy glass, on
which the copper tracks are made (that is, conductive tracks) in
order to interconnect the various electronic components that
constitute the circuit. The printed circuit board is also said PCB
(English acronym of "Printed Circuit Board"). Go to the summary
sheet↵

7) BREADBOARD: the breadboard is an experimental board that,

unlike the matrix board, requires no solderings and allows the
connection of the various electronic components through simple
electric wires. For this reason it is used to make prototypes very
easily and is reusable many times. Go to the summary sheet↵

8) Fritzing is a software that allows to design simple electric /

construction schemes used above all for Arduino. It has an
extensive library of components and ready-made modules. More
info at this Go to the summary sheet↵
 Tavola dei Contenuti (TOC)

Colophon
Soldering electronic circuits Beginner's guide
SOLDERING ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS Maker's Manual Beginners+
PREFACE
ABSTRACT
WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN WITH THIS GUIDE
Time needed
Basic skills
Video help
What you need to follow this tutorial
SUMMARY SHEET
INTRODUCTION: THE TOOLS
The soldering station.
Step 1: Cutting the pin header
Step 2: Tinning tip and pad
Step 3: Setting up the service temperature
Step 4: Preparing the soldering iron tip
Step 5: Soldering
Step 6: Quality check
Example of poorly executed soldering
Step 7: Testing the display with Arduino
Desoldering: learning how to correct mistakes
Biographies
Ricardo Medda
Giovanni Pintus
TechRM channels:
Notes
 Printed completely in digital on 01/03/2016
rev. 01/2016
©All rights reserved - Logus mondi interattivi
ISBN: 9788898062775

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