On 5/6/2012 12:42 AM, Paul Willison wrote:
> It does seem simple, so much so that I wonder if I am doing something wro=
ng. I have a solder gun, and solder...I clamp the mic wires to the pos and=
neg leads on the RCA plug, melt a small ball of solder on the tip of the i=
ron, touch it to the wire/plug lead and let it cool(all takes just a second=
or two). Yet...the mics still sound much noisier then if I just twist t=
he wires(off the mic capsules), around the pos/neg leads of the plug and tr=
y them that way. The only difference is the solder, so I don't know what I=
'm doing wrong!
>
>
Paul,
It doesn't sound to me that your soldering technique is doing the job it
should... Takes more than just a second to heat the plug enough for
the solder to flow to it...
A Solder joint is more than just a mechanical connection. the solder
needs to "wet" and flow to make a positive electrical connection, just
having a ball cooled against the plug or connector is not doing the job...
My approach to making a connection between a plug or connecter pin is to
first flow a slight amount of solder onto both the bare end of the wire
and the surface of the pin or terminal part of the plug. Not a lot, it
just wants to look shiny wet with the solder so you know a bond has been
made. This is called tinning the wire or connector/plug. In the case of
the wire, if it is a stranded wire, the solder should flow and wick into
the strands of the wire so they are all shiny silver with the solder.
Often I will flow just a small amount extra solder on the end of the
wire for the next step, never on the iron.
Once both pieces are tinned and prepared, Then, place the wire against
what you ar attaching it to, and with a cleaned but lightly coated with
solder (tinned) heat the two together until the solder flows between
them and then remove the soldering iron and hold them still for a couple
of seconds until the solder cools and turns slightly dull as it solidifies.
A common fault of a solder joint is to let the two parts move slightly
as they go through this initial solidifying of the solder and you end up
with what is known as a "Cold Solder Joint" and it will be noisy and not
conduct electricity very well.
Use only a good quality rosin core solder made for electronics work, and
the solder iron should be of the correct size for electronics work,
typically about 30-50 watts and keep the tip clean and freshly tinned
helps make the job go easier...
Its best to practice on some old extra parts, preferably something that
you can afford to throw out, and old junk radio or TV is a good source
of parts to practice with.
--
--
Mitch Hill
(Sent from HP DV6T)
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