Noob to soldering

[rumbl3]

Alright today I'm probably going to head out and pick up some stuff to mod my joysticks with new switches.

What kind of solder do I need for doing stuff switches (plan on putting in the cherry whites I have on the way) and my sanwa buttons?

Do I need something to clean the iron with?

Complete noob so I plan on grabbing a 15watt and whatever i need and give this small project a go.

Basically need a shopping list lol.

 

[Lemony Vengeance]

If you're replacing the buttons in your sticks, You don't need to solder. .110 Quick Disconnects are what you need and they can be crimped onto the end of the cable..

It may be best to tell you exactly what you're doing so we can offer the best advice

 

[rumbl3]

Also buttons I can take a pic in a bit here. The original bottons are like solder right to the boards in the joysticks for the neo x joysticks. At least the bottom part of the button is. So might not even try to do the buttons right now. Biggest thing is I want to put in them switches. Which I guess technically is not circuit work lol. So guess I'll need something else. Would I have to go with a more powerful soldering iron?

 

[malignantpoodle]

Best thing is to look at youtube videos where folks show the proper way to solder. One point I want to make is that your soldering iron shouldn't be touching the solder. You want to heat the metal that you're binding to a point where IT melts the solder to it.

Get a rosin core solder. Don't get the lead free stuff, it's hard to work with, especially if you're new to soldering.

Get something stronger than 15 watts. 15w is good for working on really tiny, delicate pieces. But for soldering wire to microswitches, the tabs are going to drain most of your heat.

This video should be enough to get your started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

 

[SpoonyBard]

http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Cleaner-599B-02-Non-Corrosive-Needed/dp/B000PDQORU

I recently started using this to clean the tips of my irons. You can get away with a wet sponge, but I think these are a bit more convenient and do a better job.

 

[Yodd]

Get a rosin core solder. Don't get the lead free stuff, it's hard to work with, especially if you're new to soldering.

Truer words have never been said.

Lead free SUCKS. Takes more heat to melt, doesn't flow as well and generally not as easy to work with.

 

[shadows]

Watch these :
Some of the best Ive seen.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUT5e-XjqHPfA3_9wF3CgY1w

 

[Joneo]

I think Lemony has the best idea with the quick disconnects. It's quicker, cleaner and easier to change out buttons in the future.

If you do solder, I'd suggest a 30 watt iron. IMO it's about the perfect balance. It's also great for PCBs where you want to minimize risk of lifting pads, but still need solder to flow/adhere readily. +1 for the leaded solder and coiled brass tip cleaner advice. Also be sure to practice on some throw-away parts before attempting the real thing.

Truer words have never been said.

Lead free SUCKS. Takes more heat to melt, doesn't flow as well and generally not as easy to work with.

Not to mention the dreaded tin whiskers of death for the tighter tolerance projects.

 

[rumbl3]

Any good sites that have step by step for building arcade sticks and stuff like that I can reference for how to do all of this stuff. Yeah I'm a super noob to this but I'm ready to kill a few joysticks if needed to figure it all out lol. Btw thx for all the tips so far everyone.

 

[Lemony Vengeance]

Also buttons I can take a pic in a bit here. The original bottons are like solder right to the boards in the joysticks for the neo x joysticks. At least the bottom part of the button is. So might not even try to do the buttons right now. Biggest thing is I want to put in them switches. Which I guess technically is not circuit work lol. So guess I'll need something else. Would I have to go with a more powerful soldering iron?

The Cherry switches have bigger terminals than the sanwa sticks.. I think they need .187 quick disconnects. My suggestion is you use Quick disconnects to work on that.

As for the buttons, I did see they're soldered directly to the board. To remove them A Desoldering pump, or desoldering braid can be used to suck the solder off the board. the buttons should be easy to pull out at that point and replace.

There are plenty of vids on youtube on how to solder.. it's how I learned. Just remember to clean your tip!

 

[Mrpicklenickel]

Is the desoldering pump that attaches to the solder iron called something else? Those seem to work really nice because you can heat up the solder and remove it in one motion.

 

[Yodd]

For an inexpensive desoldering tool, I HIGHLY recommend one of these:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...62731&filterName=Type&filterValue=Desoldering


It's cheap, and works very, VERY well.

 

[IcBlUsCrN]

I do a lot of soldering throughout the day of tiny parts usually. For removing solder i use solder flux and easy braid (solder braid).
if im soldering through hole stuff (pins that penetrate the board) i use solda-pullit.http://www.amazon.com/Edsyn-Soldapullt-Silverstat-Plastic-Conductive/dp/B000PDOOM2.
soldering iron and a clean tip makes a huge difference.

i use tinner on older tips works wonders
http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=58M1909&CMP=KNC-GPLA&mckv=|pcrid|20115737061|plid|

 

[Wachenroder]

Alright today I'm probably going to head out and pick up some stuff to mod my joysticks with new switches.

What kind of solder do I need for doing stuff switches (plan on putting in the cherry whites I have on the way) and my sanwa buttons?

Do I need something to clean the iron with?

Complete noob so I plan on grabbing a 15watt and whatever i need and give this small project a go.

Basically need a shopping list lol.

If your just doing a simple Sanwa mod, this is all what you'll need:

.110 Quick Disconnects, wire and if you don't already have one, a crimping tool like pliers or wire crimpers
http://www.focusattack.com/16pc-wire-with-110-quick-disconnect/

But if you need to solder something, you should get:

Thin Rosin Core Solder
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...la&gclid=CJDajd3ZorYCFUtVMAodrjsAAA&gclsrc=ds

Thicker solder tends to be finicky about melting and much of the time you end up with more solder then you want (which is VERY annoying when you're soldering to small contacts). Thinner solder melts quicker and is far more manageable and precise.

You probably already have a solder sponge so use that to wipe some of the impurities away from the tip. I haven't fully gotten the hang of using Flux so I don't use it/need it that often but it's be good to have some handy. Also get some kind of desoldering tool like a braid or a pump. I prefer braids.