Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soldering]

Soldering is the metallurgic process used to fix electronic components to a PCB, usually with a tin alloy. Soldering can be done by hand or automatic. PTH boards were usually wave soldered, SMT uses reflow technology.

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Are solder fumes bad for me?

I do a fair bit of soldering (lead-free). Is breathing in solder/flux/paste fumes actually going to harm me? Are cheap fume extractors worth buying?
Toby Jaffey
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What’s the proper soldering iron temperature for standard .031" 60/40 solder?

I recently purchased a Weller WES51 soldering iron as my first temperature controlled iron and I'm looking for recommendations on the best default temperature to use when soldering. I'm using mainly .031 inch 60/40 solder on through-hole components.
Redwood
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What are the different types of solder used for?

How do I know when to use lead, flux-core, lead-free, or any other kind of solder out there? Do you have any tips on solder gauge for specific applications?
cmchap
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What type of solder is safest for home (hobbyist) use?

I'd like to do some hobbyist soldering at home, and would like to make sure I don't poison those living with me (especially small children). Lead-free seems necessary - what other features should I look for in solder? Are the different types of…
Matt B.
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Why isn't stripping wires by burning with a lighter a more common practice?

I see people suggesting specialized tools, or trying it manually with sharp knife or scalpel, why not just burning the rubber for a second or two with a lighter and just pulling it out a more suggested option? Is there any con to this approach that…
appwizcpl
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What tools, equipment, and techniques do you use to solder fine-pitch SMT parts?

Possibly many questions have been asked on soldering smd parts, but I haven't found specific answers, Like: Do you use a watchmakers lens or some other type of magnifying glass while soldering these miniature components? What would be most optimum…
Kevin Boyd
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How to hold SMD parts in place while soldering?

I go through this every time I have PCBs I need to populate with SMD parts, and this has become more an issue as pin spacings have gotten tighter, and my hands have become less steady with age. So far I've modified some curved tweezers with a…
Randy
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Why does my circuit work on a breadboard, but not on a perfboard? I am new to soldering

I'm a total beginner when it comes to soldering, and recently I've been trying (and failing) to solder together a simple circuit I put together for a Raspberry Pi sensor. Although it works fine on the breadboard, when I solder it onto one of my…
Sebastian Villate
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What is the purpose of those star like solder joints?

I recently watched a Xbox Series X PSU repair video on YouTube and was surprised by the fact some solder joints have a star-like shape: Is there any specific reason to do this? This is the first time I see this. My guess is those joins are stronger…
tigrou
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Solder does not stick to tip of soldering iron?

Basic question here, but it's driving me insane! The solder does not seem to stick to the tip of my soldering iron. After the iron heats up, the tip appears black (sometimes on all sides and sometimes on one side), then either it doesn't melt the…
user13267
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Soldering Iron Maintenance

How often should I tin my soldering iron? It doesn't seem to pick up the solder quickly any more; I have to hold it there for 10 seconds before it melts.
Jules
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What does "no clean" solder actually mean?

I bought some solder that says it doesn't require cleaning. The description specifically says "Eliminates the need and expense of cleaning". But there's still a lot of some substance left on my board that I can't easily clean off. What is this…
Stephen Collings
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Why are SMD LEDs shipped in a sealed bag containing desiccant?

I had a selection of 0805 LEDs in my last Mouser order and was a bit surprised to discover they arrived in heat-sealed (rather than folded and taped with sticker) bags containing a desiccant bag and some sort of litmus-esque paper indicator saying…
scanny
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What is the reason for yellow tape on top of USB mini-B?

I have noticed that occasionally some USB mini-B connectors have what looks like a transparent yellow tape on their top. It might be Kapton tape, but I am not sure. As an example, please see the below image: (source) Usually, I leave this tape on. …
Intrastellar Explorer
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What makes solder harden?

Soldering wire is very soft and pliable, but solder on a circuit board is hard. Why? I haven't been able to find a definitive answer, but some ideas that come to mind are: Some kind of chemical reaction that takes place when the solder is heated…
Michael
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