Soldering Newbie - LUXEONS!?

[Kabraxxis]

I've soldered wires before and felt pretty comfortable but there's something deathly difficult about getting these friggin wires from the switch/resistor/battery to melt into the tiny Luxeon solder pads. Not to mention the wire has to go through the tiny holes in the LED mount. Anyone have tips? Tools? Tricks? =(

[Lord Maul]

I put my heatsink in a vise, and bend the wires so that they stay on the pad without me holding them. Then i just put my iron on the wires and apply solder.

[Jedi-Loreen]

I've soldered wires before and felt pretty comfortable but there's something deathly difficult about getting these friggin wires from the switch/resistor/battery to melt into the tiny Luxeon solder pads. Not to mention the wire has to go through the tiny holes in the LED mount. Anyone have tips? Tools? Tricks? =(

Geez, what gauge wire are you using? If you're trying to use something larger than 14, yeah, you're gonna have trouble getting it through the holes on the heat sink. I use 18.

Like Maul, I also bend my wires after inserting them through the holes in the heat sink, but before I do that, I tin the tip of the wire, add solder to the pad on the luxeon star, then when I have the wire positioned, reflow the solder in the pad and pull the wire tip into it and hold the wire till the solder cools.

[Hasid Lafre]

use the nylon screws to hole the led, then bend the wire(sans sheating) and set it so the sheathing is in the hole on the heatsink.

then place the heatsink and such inside an mhs section. the wires will be held in place and give you a somewhat sturdy way to solder on.

vice grips will work also if there big enough.

[Jedi-Loreen]

It should be somewhat self-evident that the LED should be held onto the heat sink with the nylon screws before you solder the wires, but perhaps it isn't, to everyone.

I always either use the quick connects, or solder the wires to the LEDs first, then I don't have a bunch of extra stuff hanging off the wires while I'm trying to solder them.

I think you're making things too complicated, Hasid, how do you solder the wires onto the pads, if the heat sink is sitting inside an MHS part? :confused:

I've never had problems with this, myself, but it could be because I do electronic assembly, so I'm a professional at soldering.

[Lord Maul]

Well, we're back to the good old J-Lo. Red font and her professional solderer comment :mrgreen:

[vortextwist]

I get the wire in the heatsink hole and get a little of the wire bent ove, get it where I want it and i stick a tooth pic in the hole to hold the wire from moving, that's how I do it. works for me.

[Hasid Lafre]

The wires bend outwards and keep the heatsink from falling in the mhs section.

[Darth Morbius]

I use these to hold my Luxeon stars while soldering the leads on:

https://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G12810

I do all the soldering of the wires to the pads first. Then insert the loose ends through the heatsink, and install everything else.

Unless of course I am using a quick disconnect. Then, I just insert the pretinned ends of the wires through the heatsink, solder to the tabs on the star and call it done. ;)

[Jedi-Loreen]

I like that tooth pick in the hole idea. Very simple, and sounds effective. ;)

[DrakoniamX]

A good idea would be to tin the wires you are going to put through the holes, if you dont know what tinning is its when you put solder onto the wire before soldering it, stick it through the holes, bend it at a 90 degree angle and just melt the solder onto the LED

[Lord Maul]

Holy thread revival batman! 2 years old!

[Thaxos]

Holy thread revival batman! 2 years old!

Madness! *kicks DrakoniamX into a well placed bottomless pit*