Ten Useful Things

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by daveb on 17/01/2018 22:20:54:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 17/01/2018 18:42:27:

Posted by daveb on 17/01/2018 16:29:32:

Sounds like a Borrowdale needle, used in surgery, dissection, microscopy and various prodding, cutting and poking jobs.

Never heard one called that before, I've found one reference to the name on Google.

Neil

I used to sell a lot of these 50 odd years ago, seem to be referred to as Dissecting needles nowadays. Daveb

That's what we called them when I was in school/uni at the beginning of the 80s

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by StephenS on 17/01/2018 22:44:10:

Neil

What model of rework station do you have please?

I have a good Weller magnastat station and a good quality solder sucker, and some solder wick. I have not ventured into smd components yet but will have to soon.

Please can you explain the advantages of a rework station, what specifically is it, does it do, etc for me the uninitiated.

Thanks, Stephen S.

Antex. It combines a temperature controlled iron with a temperature controlled precision hot-air gun you can use to solder or lift SMT components. I've found the rework gun works well for removing connectors as well.

Neil

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

The Weller type soldering guns were banned from my workplace due to the ESD (electrostatic discharge) capability to damage sensitive CMOS devices,as also was solder wicking braid (it could damage pcb tracks).

Given all that, they are quite adequate for home handyman use if used with care.

Also, we used a carbide tipped shear nipper to cut component leads to minimise the shock travelling up the device leads. I can dig up a photo if anybody is interested as all tools used during my course were given to the students and so have been carefully preserved.

One other useful trick that I learned is to cut the component leads to length after insertion into the board and tin the cut end before making the main joint. The above mentioned carbide cutter was handy for this as it left a consistent length of lead (about 1.2mm) projecting above the track.

* Danny M *

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

Catching up. First – strippers, whether or not Titian haired or named Tiffany.

Secondly – pcb jig as above

Tertiarily, or thirdly – heat resistant, resilient, pad to hold in the components when pcb is inverted. Plastikard backing, polyester foam wadding (Thanks Debs) flexible, heatproof boiler insulation. Elastic bands hold it together, and across the corners to hold it to pcb, and Robert's your aged relative! The wadding doesn't burn or support combustion, and you can make several to fit various pcbs.

Geoff

[Geoff TheasbyParticipant @geofftheasby]

These disappeared from posting above.

Geoff

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

These work really well for small wires up to wiring a plug:

£11 on Amazon or £6 at Machine Mart.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Very helpful thread, thanks Neil.

Michael W

[StephenSParticipant @stephens]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 18/01/2018 10:53:05:

The Weller type soldering guns were banned from my workplace due to the ESD (electrostatic discharge) capability to damage sensitive CMOS devices,as also was solder wicking braid (it could damage pcb tracks).

Given all that, they are quite adequate for home handyman use if used with care.

Danny,

I presume you are referring to the soldering guns where the wire tip is part of a transformer secondary, or are you meaning the Weller magnastat irons that use the Curie point principle for temperature control ?

Does anyone know if the Weller magnastat irons that use the Curie point principle for temperature control do realistically have any problems due to the switching of the element, which of course does not bother about zero-crossing as it is just a magnetically operated switch ? Do these have any ESD problems in real-life use ?

Thanks, StephenS.

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 18/01/2018 19:07:41:

These work really well for small wires up to wiring a plug

£11 on Amazon or £6 at Machine Mart.

Don't get the heel of your hand around the back end of those if you're using the nippers. Ask me how I know.

Personally I prefer the plain nippers of similar design

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by StephenS on 18/01/2018 22:15:57:

Posted by Danny M2Z on 18/01/2018 10:53:05:

The Weller type soldering guns were banned from my workplace due to the ESD (electrostatic discharge) capability to damage sensitive CMOS devices,as also was solder wicking braid (it could damage pcb tracks).

Given all that, they are quite adequate for home handyman use if used with care.

Danny,

I presume you are referring to the soldering guns where the wire tip is part of a transformer secondary, or are you meaning the Weller magnastat irons that use the Curie point principle for temperature control ?

Stephen, I am not sure what type of switching was used for the Weller soldering guns that we were prohibited from using, it was quite a few years ago. All I remember is that they had a pistol grip ,and offered 'instant heat'. I also do not remember any type of thermostatic control except the operator's trigger finger.

They were quite handy for soldering up fuel tanks for my models though!

My Aussie Royel soldering station came with grounding sockets so that a ground clip may be attached to sensitive devices and I can see no reason that any tool cannot be connected to ground with a flying lead from there to the ground track of the pcb being worked on.

Oh yeah, for Neil's list add 'Thermal Shunts'

* Danny M *

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 19/01/2018 03:25:45:

Posted by StephenS on 18/01/2018 22:15:57:

I presume you are referring to the soldering guns where the wire tip is part of a transformer secondary, or are you meaning the Weller magnastat irons that use the Curie point principle for temperature control ?

Stephen, I am not sure what type of switching was used for the Weller soldering guns that we were prohibited from using, it was quite a few years ago. All I remember is that they had a pistol grip ,and offered 'instant heat'. I also do not remember any type of thermostatic control except the operator's trigger finger.

.

Danny,

For info … here is the other Weller [and an interesting little modification].

**LINK**

http://spritesmods.com/?art=wtcpled

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 19/01/2018 03:25:45:

Oh yeah, for Neil's list add 'Thermal Shunts'

For those who can't work fast enough

Seriously my view is that if it can stand wave soldering, it doesn't need a heat shunt!

Neil

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 19/01/2018 20:38:06:

Seriously my view is that if it can stand wave soldering, it doesn't need a heat shunt!

Er …. who's soldering are we talking about here?

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Neil, I was being taught to teach to MilSpec standards, the standards came from NASA, they were high. For the teachers they were a bit higher.

A heat shunt was mandatory on many components. Omit it and get the dreaded F on the course report. Many components were actually soldered in an I/R oven. The name of the game was High Reliabilty Soldering so every precaution was taken to assure as near perfect a result as humanly possible.

If you were on an Apollo moon mission then a dry joint could really ruin your day!

So how many people used to use 'stand-offs' under their transistors? I just did a search and no response so looks like a photo session in the workshop. I must be showing my age as latest job is a Marshall Valve amp for a muso mate.

* Danny M *

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Danny M2Z on 20/01/2018 04:17:01:

Neil, I was being taught to teach to MilSpec standards, the standards came from NASA, they were high. For the teachers they were a bit higher.

A heat shunt was mandatory on many components. Omit it and get the dreaded F on the course report. Many components were actually soldered in an I/R oven. The name of the game was High Reliabilty Soldering so every precaution was taken to assure as near perfect a result as humanly possible.

If you were on an Apollo moon mission then a dry joint could really ruin your day!

So how many people used to use 'stand-offs' under their transistors? I just did a search and no response so looks like a photo session in the workshop. I must be showing my age as latest job is a Marshall Valve amp for a muso mate.

* Danny M *

I'm prepared to believe transistors were more delicate in the days when they were made of geraniums, but the likes of stand-offs, tag-strips and bent over leads were old-fashioned in the 1980s!

Neil

[lug lordParticipant @luglord]

few years ago i was a wizz at soldering and de soldering all kinds of components even re balling bga chips down to 0.3mm solder balls, dry joints was a nightmare on the xbox 360 RROD

[lug lordParticipant @luglord]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 16/01/2018 09:37:08:

Posted by Mick B1 on 15/01/2018 22:59:08:

Solder sucker.

Or does the 'rework gun' do that?

Or don't you make mistakes?

Edited By Mick B1 on 15/01/2018 22:59:56

Solder sucker in at number 10 and we lose the mini-clip leads

copper wick chemtronics was one of my favourites to remove old solder and if your removing components look at the low melt solders chip quick is deadly for removing the chips that have plenty of legs on them this is one topic i can help with did bga and reworking and all kind of electrical repairs down to component level

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 21/01/2018 19:58:30:

I'm prepared to believe transistors were more delicate in the days when they were made of geraniums

Absolutely …. that's where I started and picked up the heat-sink habit – which I still use. You could fry germanium transistors and diodes by walking within three feet with a hot iron.

Incidentally – at least in the old days (1970's) – NASA was very negative about the use of double-sided PCBs and, if they were used, demanded that all through holes (vias) be plugged with solid wire. Somewhere I still have a copy of the old NASA soldering standard.

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by lug lord on 21/01/2018 22:39:17:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 16/01/2018 09:37:08:

Posted by Mick B1 on 15/01/2018 22:59:08:

Solder sucker.

Or does the 'rework gun' do that?

Or don't you make mistakes?

Edited By Mick B1 on 15/01/2018 22:59:56

Solder sucker in at number 10 and we lose the mini-clip leads

Lol, but you require a solder sucker with an all metal body (hopefully grounded) as the plastic ones could make an impressive electrostatic spike as the plunger retracted. They were also banned from my workplace for this reason

(I was working to MilSpec so every precaution was taken regarding reliability of the assembly)

* Danny M *

[Martin 100Participant @martin100]

Posted by Bandersnatch on 22/01/2018 01:24:16:

Incidentally – at least in the old days (1970's) – NASA was very negative about the use of double-sided PCBs and, if they were used, demanded that all through holes (vias) be plugged with solid wire. Somewhere I still have a copy of the old NASA soldering standard.

Not at NASA but when we produced designs for low volume in house pcb manufacture & assembly everything that required double sided boards had no plated vias and was produced with soldered wire links (or veropins) between the top and bottom layer, always sited outside the outline of any component (nothing under IC's for example) and all components other than these links were only soldered on the bottom side. The component pads being deleted from the top layer to avoid any wicking and to aid any further rework.

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