Saber Build Problems

[Keivan]

Some soldering tips for you:

Get some desoldering braid. Use that to remove your large globs of solder when you're desoldering everything.

If you're using lead-free solder, stop. Get the leaded solder. I use a thin gauge 60/40 leaded solder. It melts easier, flows better, and is generally simpler to work with as a soldering newbie.

After you strip the ends of your wires, twist the strands together so they don't fray out. Then, pre-tin the wires. ALWAYS pre-tin the wires.

Keep the exposed wire length to the minimum possible. You have a lot of exposed wire, and that can lead to shorts and other issues. You can cut the exposed wire to an appropriate length after it's been tinned.

You have a number of cold solder joints. I suggest doing no more than one or two solder joints, then give your iron a minute or two to come back up to temperature.

Keep the tip of your soldering iron clean. The little wet sponge works. The brass sponge things work better. A dirty iron tip doesn't transfer heat well, and will give you very poor results.

You've soldered a number of the wires through the holes on the board. It's generally better to solder them to the surface. Most especially, the speaker wires. If you try to solder the speaker wires through the holes, you'll usually end up shorting on the SD card holder. Also, remember to remove the SD card before you start soldering.

You put heatshrink on most of your solder joints. That's good. Next time, you'll want to put heatshrink on ALL of them (except for the board connections, obviously). That splice on your blue wire makes me really nervous. Heatshrink on the recharge port tabs will help keep things safe as well.

I hope these tips help you out. I know it's not easy the first time out, but your skills will improve. Good luck!

thank you so much for all the tips I was actully thinking of replacing all the wires with JST connector so I can un plug if needed
also do you have any suggestion as to how to solder three or more wires together?

[Silver Serpent]

JSTs are nice, but if you use too many, they'll eat up hilt space faster than you'd think. Trust me, I've already gone down that road.

For multiple wires, just strip some of the insulation off, twist them together as best you can, and then solder. Don't forget heatshrink over the joint. If you have a set of helping hands, then those will help tremendously.

[Keivan]

thanks for all your help Silver Serpent,
looks like I need to go do some shopping

JSTs are nice, but if you use too many, they'll eat up hilt space faster than you'd think. Trust me, I've already gone down that road.

For multiple wires, just strip some of the insulation off, twist them together as best you can, and then solder. Don't forget heatshrink over the joint. If you have a set of helping hands, then those will help tremendously.

[Keivan]

Ok so I trying to redo my board but one of the problem is my cheap soldering iron, it's a 6 dollar soldering iron and I already bought two new tips for it and it just doesn't transfer heat, given that I do use a web sponge and I really try to wipe and clean the tip as much as I can, when I place a copper wire over a old solder to remove and place my iron I have to wait for several minutes and after that nothing, I know it's hot but nothing happens, when the tip was new it worked fine but after few solder removal it craps out,
I think I need a better solder iron any suggestions with budget in mind??

[Silver Serpent]

Did you tin the new tips before using them? Also, consider swapping to one of the brass sponge tip cleaners. They don't steal heat as quickly, and clean the tip better.

A dirty, untinned soldering iron tip doesn't transfer heat properly, and will give you issues, regardless of the quality of your iron. That being said, I prefer to use Weller brand irons. I hear good things about Hakko as well. Similar quality to Weller, but generally less expensive. The cheap Radio Shack irons are good for stained glass projects, but I won't use them on delicate saber parts anymore.

[Keivan]

Ok I'm stupid what's tinning the tip? I thought tinning was for the wires. Do you mean I use solder on the tip of my soldering iron? Not sure

[Silver Serpent]

Yes, on a brand new soldering iron tip, you will want to coat it with solder prior to use. I always wrap the cold tip with fine gauge solder, then heat it up until the solder melts. Wipe off the excess solder onto your sponge or brass pad. The tip of your iron should always be bright and shiny. If the tip is dull, you need to clean it.

When you're finished using your iron for the day, clean the tip, and reapply a little solder again. This will help protect the tip from oxidation and make it last longer.

[Keivan]

Well I guess it's safe to say I ruind yet another tip unless I can still tin the tip? I doubt it. Either that or off I go to buy another soldering iron, dang this saber project is getting expensive fast

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Well I guess it's safe to say I ruind yet another tip unless I can still tin the tip? I doubt it. Either that or off I go to buy another soldering iron, dang this saber project is getting expensive fast

No one ever said this would be a cheap hobby. Good tools are essential to be a successful saber builder.

[amwolf]

When I first got stated, I used a cheap soldering iron. It was a pos, but I built quite a few sabers with it and learned a lot with it. Then I tossed it in favor of a soldering station when I started working with quality soundboards like the PC. Personally, I've got a Weller WES51 and a couple extra tips - a fine point for making the connections to the small pads on the board, and a fat tip for general use - but there are a plethora of choices. If you plan on building more than 1 saber, I'd recommend making the investment in a good piece of equipment. Just my two cents.