DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

COURSE: ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

UNIT NAME: WORKSHOP PRACTICE II

UNIT CODE: EEE 2103

TTITLE: ELECTRONIC SOLDERING EXERCISE

EXERCISE: CONSTRUCTINNG AN ELECTRONIC SOLDERING CIRCUIT

NAME: CHRIS MBUTHIA

REG NO: E021-01-1197/2022

TITLE:SOLDERING AND DESIGN EXERCISE.

OBJECTIVES:

Practice on electronic soldering on wooden boards. To construct an electronic soldering circuit on a

wooden board using tack nails and copper wire.Gain proficiency in soldering techniques & skills.

INTRODUCTION

Soldering involves formation of mechanical bond or an electrical bond by joining metal parts.Its the
fundamental technique in electronics and electrical engineering for joining metal components using
a solder.In this report I have analysed and documented practical conducted to gain hands-on
experience and understanding of the soldering process.

THEORY

Soldering is the process in which two or more items are joined by melting and putting a filler metal
(solder) into the joint; the filler metal having a lower melting point than the adjoining metal.

Electrical soldering is the process by which electronic components are connected to the circuit board
using a filler material called solder to form the joint between them.

A solder is a fusible metal alloy used to create a permanent bond between metal work pieces. It is
melted in order to wet the part of the joint where it adheres to and connect the pieces after cooling.

A soldering iron is the equipment used to heat the solder at high temperatures above its melting
point so that it wets the joints and solidify to make the joint strong.

Soldering filler materials are available in many different alloys for differing applications. In
electronics assembly, the Eutectic alloy with 63% Tin and 37% Lead (or 60/40, which is almost
identical in melting point) has been the alloy of choice.

Other alloys are used for plumbing, mechanical assembly and other applications. Some examples of
soft-solder are Tin-Lead for general purposes, Tin-Zinc for joining aluminum, Lead-Silver for strength
at higher than room temperatures, Cadmium-Silver for strength at high temperatures, Zinc-
Aluminum for aluminum and corrosion resistance and Tin-Bismuth for electronics.

In soldering, a flux is used to remove oxide films, promote wetting and prevent reoxidation of the
surfaces during heating. Rosin is widely used as a non- corrosive flux in soldering electronic
equipment.

In electronic soldering, the process is done in two ways i., hand soldering and wave soldering. Hand
soldering refers to making joints using solder in small

The tack nails were fitted onto the vice and their heads cleaned using the file.

The tack nails were then hammered onto the wooden board to represent the dots as on the circuit
diagram.
The 1 2 single core cables were stripped from the insulators cut to scale according to the circuit
diagram.

The conductors were then soldered accordingly to the nails to form the arrangement on the circuit
diagram.

DISCUSSION

Soldering is used to connect components and leads on circuit boards. It is also sometimes used to
reinforce other joints such as the straight married joint.

In electronic soldering , Tin-Lead or a Tin-Bismuth solder and a soldering gun are used whereby the
gun/iron supplies the necessary heat required to melt the solder and therefore wetting the joints to
be connected.

In plumbing , however; copper tubing conducts heat away much faster than a conventional hand-
held soldering iron/gun can provide. Therefore, a propane torch is used to deliver the necessary
power.

In any electronics construction, making sure the solder joints are made correctly is of utmost
importance. Poor solder joints may either prevent the equipment from functioning once it has been
finished, or they may increase the chance of intermittent failure or noise introduction into the
electronics circuit. While a joint's total failure after it has been manufactured is bad enough, a latent
or failure can be worse because it will lead to the equipment failing once it is in use.

A good solder junction should have a shiny finish and not have an excessive amount of solder.
Typically, the solder should have a concave shape surrounding the joint.

Properties of a good solder:

A good solder should have a shiny finish without black or brown residues on it which are probably
oxides that can cause poor conduction of current.  It should just be enough to cover the joint and
hold it intact but not excessive.  It should have a concave shape surrounding the joint.

The most common type of problematic solder junction is dry joints. These solder junctions could be
intermittent, loud, high resistance, or entirely open circuit. Therefore, it is imperative that all
electrical equipment be free of any dry solder junctions.

Dry joints can be easily distinguished. Dry joints have a matte or dull texture as opposed to the
glossy surfaces of good solder joints. Additionally, as the solder melts during soldering, they seem to
have a more granular appearance.

In order to ensure a good joint is established when a dry junction is discovered, the solder on the
joint should be removed.

PRECAUTIONS

The following precautions were observed in the workshop during the exercise:

The soldering gun was replaced onto its stand whenever it was not being used to avoid accidents
that involve getting burnt by the solder.

Cotton or a pair of pliers was used to hold the copper wires while being soldered to avoid getting
burnt since copper is a good conductor of heat.

All students put on lab coats and safety boots during the exercise.

The students took care while using sharp tools to avoid injuries that may be caused by such tools.

No actions were taken by the students without the authorization of the lab technician.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The task should be done in a well-ventilated room because the smoke produced by the flux
is irritating and is known to cause headaches in some circumstances.

2. Students should put on hand gloves to avoid getting injured by sharp objects or even getting
burnt by the soldering iron.

3. All the tools used for the exercise should be examined to ensure they are in good working
condition.

4. The exercise should be done under the sufficient supervision of a technician so that students
can get assistance whenever needed.

CONCLUSION

Soldering is a widely applied practice in the field of electronic engineering and plays a very big
role in connection of leads and components on circuit boards. Soldering also plays a big role in
ensuring efficient conduction of electric current across joints and therefore it is imperative to
ensure that it is done in the proper way.
As I concluded that unproperly soldered joints can lead to unwanted high resistance across
joints, open circuits or even short circuiting; all of which leads to poor operation, total failure or
intermittent failure of the electronic circuit.

Practitioners in the electronic field should therefore give more consideration to developing
proper soldering skills so as to ensure that the required standards for the operation of electronic
circuits are met.

REFERENCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki-notes.com.