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I'm having this problem that I'm trying to mod these pedals, and this film has covered over the spots I want to solder to.
It may be that the stuff that was put over the PC board in order to help automated soldering has melted over, I probably need a soldering iron with a smaller tip, but whatever the problem, I would like to know how I can fix this:
solprob1.JPG (28.91 KiB) Viewed 1371 times
solprob2.JPG (24.92 KiB) Viewed 1371 times
In the bottom pic only the connection on the far left is proper.
Sir Fayzalot wrote:Yeah, the effects are pretty new, and I used lead solder, which probably wasn't used before on them.
So is there a way to clean up that crap, or should I just try lead-free solder on it?
I got two solderering stations one for using lead solder and the other one for using lead-free solder.
It is a absolute need, because you cannot use one soldering tip for both solder.
In the other hand it is possible to swap the solder tip for both,
but the lead-free solder needs a a higher solder temperature and at least an 80 Watts solder iron.
You can remove the wrong solder with the aid of a solder pump and the residues by means of heated fine copper strand or cable shield.
The problem wasn't removing the solder in the first place, I've been using a pump.
The braid idea is unfortunately totally useless, the only thing it will remove is the solder left over that the pump didn't remove. I even found some desoldering braid, also didn't remove that gunk.
I've gone through quite some IPC solder training..... and while I agree it's not advisable to mix lead based and non lead based solder (so in other words, remove the old solder before resoldering with lead free), I consider the advice of 2 different soldering irons because of lead vs non lead based solder total bollocks.
One can not link lead or non-lead based solder to a wattage of the soldering iron. All that matters in the tip temperature and the amount of heat the tip can store compared to the item that needs to be soldered. A thick rectifier diode lead will draw more heat from your tip than a 0603 SMT resistor. Using an 80 watt soldering iron "because it's lead free solder" on that resistor will bake it to kingdom come. Soldering is not about wattage. It's about applying the right amount of heat to solder a specific item.
As for the topic starter,
your photo's are somewhat small and a wee bit unsharp. This means I have trouble understanding what stuff you're referring to as "put over the board". The only thing I can think of is conformal coating which is definitely not on the board on that photo. However, I do have the feeling the wires you try to solder are oxidized (clean em with a pencil eraser prior to soldering) and the temperature and wattage of your soldering iron are both way too high. Also the left connection is not proper. It's the best of the set.
Use youtube. There's shitloads of "how to solder" movies to be found.
One can not link lead or non-lead based solder to a wattage of the soldering iron. All that matters in the tip temperature and the amount of heat the tip can store compared to the item that needs to be soldered. A thick rectifier diode lead will draw more heat from your tip than a 0603 SMT resistor. Using an 80 watt soldering iron "because it's lead free solder" on that resistor will bake it to kingdom come. Soldering is not about wattage. It's about applying the right amount of heat to solder a specific item.
Hi Dirk
I agree you are right, but a had issiues with a lower Watts solder station, that was me concern on.
I think it is advantageous to have an 80 Watts solder iron and different solder tips for most applications.
Dirk_Hendrik wrote:your photo's are somewhat small and a wee bit unsharp. This means I have trouble understanding what stuff you're referring to as "put over the board". The only thing I can think of is conformal coating which is definitely not on the board on that photo. However, I do have the feeling the wires you try to solder are oxidized (clean em with a pencil eraser prior to soldering) and the temperature and wattage of your soldering iron are both way too high. Also the left connection is not proper. It's the best of the set.
It's exactly what you see in the pictures. There's brown gunk on the PC board. It is not possible for the solder to stick to the board. Solder sticks fine to the wire, which is brand new wire or brand new resistors.
Desolder the parts using solder wick and clean the area with isopropyl alcohol. That way you should have nice, clean solder pads, that will let the new lead free solder get a proper chemical connection
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If the solder won't stick then you have oxidisation on the track. This is assuming that you have the correct grade of flux cored solder and tip temperature.
I have an ink eraser (like a pencil eraser but load with an abrasive) which I use to clean anything that has oxidised before attempting to solder.
Politics is the art of so plucking the goose as to obtain the most feathers with the least squawking. - R.G. 2011
Jeez, she's an ugly bastard, she makes my socks hurt. I hope it's no ones missus here. - Ice-9 2012
Dirk_Hendrik wrote:your photo's are somewhat small and a wee bit unsharp. This means I have trouble understanding what stuff you're referring to as "put over the board". The only thing I can think of is conformal coating which is definitely not on the board on that photo. However, I do have the feeling the wires you try to solder are oxidized (clean em with a pencil eraser prior to soldering) and the temperature and wattage of your soldering iron are both way too high. Also the left connection is not proper. It's the best of the set.
It's exactly what you see in the pictures. There's brown gunk on the PC board. It is not possible for the solder to stick to the board. Solder sticks fine to the wire, which is brand new wire or brand new resistors.
That brown gunk actually helps getting nice and clean solderjoints... provided the surfaces you want to solder are clean. As the guys above say.
Sir Fayzalot wrote:Rubbing alcohol is working somewhat, would using lighter fluid be good or bad?
Anything that gets the oxide layer off and doesn't leave a residue is good. You cannot solder to oxidised surfaces, they have to be scrupulously clean for best results.
As I said I use a sand loaded eraser, it is good for cleaning component leads and wire ends, PCB tracks etc.
Look at Ebay item 291625935439. The grey (gray) end is sand loaded. No idea where in the world you are so the UK might not be the best place to buy from for you.
Politics is the art of so plucking the goose as to obtain the most feathers with the least squawking. - R.G. 2011
Jeez, she's an ugly bastard, she makes my socks hurt. I hope it's no ones missus here. - Ice-9 2012
