10

I'm using Verowire (wiring pencil, Road Runner, you name it) quite often to contact test points on my board to make them accessible for measurements (oscilloscope probe, multimeter clamp ...)

enter image description here

Image source: Not a number.

Every now and then it happens, that the insulation will not melt away and make soldering the verowire almost impossible.

I usually have to cut off a piece and start again - which seems odd as some people are creating artworks with Verowire.

What I usually do:

  1. Temperature 350-400 °C
  2. Blob of solder on the iron
  3. Insert the end of the Verowire into the blob (usually melts the insulation and tins the wire)
  4. Solder wire to test point

Any points which I'm doing blatantly wrong in that approach?

Transistor
  • 168,990
  • 12
  • 186
  • 385
Arsenal
  • 17,464
  • 1
  • 32
  • 59
  • 1
    Note that for most of them the insulation only reliably decomposes when >350°C a temperature you often don't reach if you just set the iron to 400°C and quickly melt a bit solder and dip it into. – PlasmaHH Jul 04 '18 at 12:11
  • @PlasmaHH I'm not that quick and use a JBC solder station, so it heats pretty quickly. Thanks for the input though, knowing that >350 °C is required is a plus. – Arsenal Jul 04 '18 at 12:20
  • 1
    I've never ever heard about _verowire_. A quick google tells me that it's most likely what wikipedia calls a [wiring pencil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiring_pencil). If that's the right gadget, maybe you can add a link to the question? – pipe Jul 04 '18 at 12:32
  • 1
    @pipe I've added a link to that Wikipedia article, I didn't know how to call that thing before I came to this site and thought that verowire was the common name for it because it popped up here in some answers. – Arsenal Jul 04 '18 at 12:45
  • 1
    @Pipe Verowire, like Veroboard, is a UK based prototyping system from the 1970s. Internationally, "wiring pencil" and "stripboard" are more recognised terms. –  Jul 04 '18 at 13:20
  • Are you soldering the wire to the test point with > 350°? if so, the flux in the solder tin might vapour away; even worse, such high temperatores might harm some electronic components... I usually use two solder irons -- one @ 400° for preparing the wire, and another one for soldering... – aschipfl Jul 04 '18 at 23:55
  • @aschipfl for attaching the wire to the test point I use new solder. As soldering takes less than three seconds, no harm will be done by even 400 °C - at least I haven't encountered any so far. – Arsenal Jul 05 '18 at 06:27
  • Even using new solder tin could cause the flux to disappear due to the high temperature. I was not talking about the same solder (with all the insulation rest)... – aschipfl Jul 05 '18 at 09:33
  • @aschipfl well I never had a problem with that. Once the wire is tinned the things get easy, maybe my question title is misleading. – Arsenal Jul 05 '18 at 10:00

1 Answers1

14

Drag a scalpel blade along the bit you want to tin, making a bright copper spot, and dip into flux, before inserting into solder blob.

The insulation is self-fluxing once it gets up to temperature, but this trick gets copper into contact with hot solder immediately, speeding up the process.

Also, arrange a fan to remove the smoke; it contain isocyanates which aren't very nice to breathe.