Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg.
Using the right iron and solder makes all the difference in this hobby and over the passage of time I have learnt a lot both from experienced/professional users and my own mistakes and experience.
I would recommend a temperature controlled iron. Both digital and analogue types work well. Weller is a popular choice which have a reputation for lasting many years of frequent use. A cheaper alternative is Antex, but they are less long lived. They are fine for the average hobbyist who is not using the iron every day. I used to have an analogue temperature controlled Antex which did me well for a number of years. I did need to replace the temperature control board in the iron, but I may have just been unlucky. I now use a Metcal which are stupidly expensive, but an absolute joy to use. I just happened to get lucky when I was offered a little used second hand one. I use four different bits depending on the job. A point bit useful for repairs on commercial PCB’s and three different sized chisel bits.
I suggest the use of a low temperature melting point solder which contains a little silver. I use, as do several other experienced hobbyists a 179°C LMP solder which is 2% silver, 62% tin and 36% lead. RS Part No. 551-671.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solder/0551671 |
Hi,
I am trying to solder some replacement fat caps into the power supply pcb of a friend's vintage amp. I have an inexpensive HQ temperature controlled soldering iron that is claimed to be 48W and the maximum temperature it claims on the read-out is 480 C which is normally more than adequate for what i do, but in this case it's not enough to fully liquefy the solder - it stays mushy. I suspect the problem is the huge area of copper on the pcb acting as a heat sink, but my soldering iron could be knackered. Is low melting temp solder a solution ? Can anyone recommend a mega heat soldering iron for one-off jobs soldering to "heat sinks " ?
Thanks
Mark