What addicts we are.... : ) We just listened to a 1 hour discussion about soldering and we can't discuss with our family, friends or coworkers around the conference table without sounding like a complete loon. We now have top secret soldering information and the rest of the world will remain ignorant to what is really going on here. Thanks Josh, for alienating me from the rest of the world one video at a time. : )
Been soldering for over 50 years and I learned something new. The 63/37 has never been explained so clearly as to why... I always knew we cranked up tip temperature to compensate for lack of power but I never dreamed how low you can go with a beefy 60 watt iron. Also a great rundown on flux types. Great topic!
My favorite Bardophant. When there's stuff he can't teach us, he goes and finds someone to teach him, and then he films it and posts it on RUclips. This is quality education.
I hope everybody realizes how much of a blessing you are to the fpv world!! Your channel is like a Wikipedia for only fpv!!! Thank you so much for all you do for the hobby!!
this was such a good interview and things i NEVER knew about soldering (see i never should have skipped metal shop in high school but some cute girl always made me drive her to macdonalds every morning at that time, so i totally blame her for my deficiencies in soldering) :) thanks for taking the time and thanks to Randy Rubinstein for all his experience and explanation.
I always learn something new when I watch your show! I went and bought a 1 lb spool 63/37 from SRA.com i can't wait to use it on my new quadcopter build! thank you for what you do in this Hobby!
Thanks for making yet another informative video. It's great to have someone on youtube who gets information from professionals rather than just saying "oh this has worked for me in the past."
Great info! So much more to it then I thought. Thanks Randy for your time. Sounds like you just might know your stuff 😁. Joshua, always a pleasure you know your the man no need to say it.
Joshua aside from loving your approach I have to admit: the eutectic quality of 63/37 was something I discovered on an RC board about a month ago when I stood in Fry's electronics in front of the soldering aisle for almost two hours reading about soldering on my phone! Im sure they thought I was as much of a nut as you can get without wearing a colander on my head. This video does it for me these type of informative approaches are brilliant and exactly what the community needs to keep on their game. Thank you to you and Randy! Awesome content.
I don't normally watch videos this long but sitting here using my 24 dollar Amazon soldering iron, I learned lots of somethings. It's always neat to hear interviews with people for whom something i do sporadically is a lifelong career and all the insight they can offer.
This expert either isn't really and expert or he has some communication issue. A significant amount of this, esp around the types of flux, is flat factually wrong, according to industry documents and standard terms. Eutectic 63/37 is preferred 90% of the time for well designed or small joints, but it can not be built up. Non-eutectic alloys like 60/40 and 50/50 are used because the plastic range allows significant build up of filler metal where desired, for better gap filling, strength, conductivity(mo metal mo betta) in larger looser fit joints. *type R=rosin RMA=rosin mildly activated RA=rosin activated, RA and some RMA are corrosive, R and most RMA are classified as non-corrosive residue. Residue is specifically flux that has reached soldering temperatures, some fluxes are corrosive when fresh but not after heating. No-clean means non-rosin base and you generally don't need to clean the residue for looks corrosion or conductivity. Both RMA and "no-clean" must still be cleaned for critical parts such as spacecraft, planes, and military bits that will be stored for extended periods; or when there is simply an excess amount of residue or unheated flux, or if the board is sensitive to micro current leakage over the surface/skin layer. *Other than Rosin and no-clean, the major electronic flux category is "water soluble"(the term is NOT equivalent to something like childrens' washable markers) used only for production work as it is very corrosive if left on the board and washing requires high pressure sprays of a hot caustic detergent solution(as opposed to non-polar organic solvents for non "water soluble" flux). *There is also an "organic" category which is organic acid based, very active, very corrosive must be cleaned, but very good at fluxing in adverse conditions and metal combinations. And finally specialty fluxes for things like aluminum or stainless steel, often very aggressive possibly containing a good portion of hydrochloric acid and ammonium chloride among other herbs and spices.
Personally I use solid core and separate flux. Because flux has a shelf life and the solder alloy does not; and I keep several diameters of solder wire in economic one pound spools and a few types of flux. 5 diameters plus 3 fluxes would be 15 flux-cored products; in addition to only needing half the total number of products only the 3 fluxes have potential shelf life issues so I can better keep fresh active flux without disposing of any actual wire and I can pay no mind to compatibility of the core if I want to add extra flux to a joint. (the more active the flux the shorter the shelf life, some industrial fluxes must be refrigerated just to get 3-6 months, some non-active fluxes can last years at room temp)
Great video! A rare opportunity to speak with someone who really knows soldering and to bring that information to the rest of us. Huge thanks to Randy for taking the time for us, and for the giveaway item! Certainly better than what many of us have been using...
TL;DW 63/37 is ideal Flux types: No clean Rosin Water soluble R = corrosive (remove with alcohol) RA = no removal needed RMA = no removal needed - most common TS100 Solder temp what I use: 360°C (boost 450°C)
Josh, I really suck at Soldering and have experienced a ton of problems because of my lack of experience. Thank you for taking the time to create this! I found it very helpful.
For epic soldering-fu: Use a chisel tip and clean it every time it touches solder or flux. Use soft paper tissue to clean the tip, not a wet sponge. Your tips will last many times longer. The tip should be shinny and pull fresh liquid solder like magnet. Use 0.5mm (to avoid blobs) 60-40 rosin core solder. Use 63-37 only for parts with high heat capacity that would keep 60-40 liquid for a long time until they cool. The iron should touch the pad, not the wire. And the solder should be fed slowly to the pad, not the iron. If you get blobs, you are doing it wrong. Slow down. Do not use your iron as a paintbrush unless you use a lot of flux (syringe or something) and your wires/pads touch each other solidly and do not move around. The surface mount pads we see on FCs and ESCs are terrible for inexperienced people, and can easily create cold joints. Prefer through-hole pads when available. At around 24:00 the conversation gets a bit confusing. When they refer to "core", it means that it has flux in its core. Activated and no-clean are types of flux. No-clean flux means you do not have to clean it after soldering (highly debatable). There is no "clean" flux. All flux requires cleaning unless it's no-clean, and even then arguably you have to clean it if you want to get a high quality joint that lasts. Activated flux (various levels) is a bit more effective for removing high levels of oxidization and dirt, but it's corrosive and has to be cleaned asap. Rosin core is plain old electronics grade flux.
I've never thought I would have been excited to click on a video titled "Solder Expert" but I knew i would learn something. Thanks Joshua for taking the time to put this together.
Just want to say thank you, so many times i find myself on your channel for info and i can only say its people like yourself that really drive the community without you we would be lost! it really shows that you love what you do so keep it up
I can't tell you how much your channel has done for my knowledge as a new entrant into this hobby. Learning all the stuff you need to know to start to build your own quads is the deep end of the pool if you have never done it before..l. Thanks for what you do for the hobby
I bought my first Hot Air Rework Station from SRASolder 10 years ago, an Aoyue 2702 All-In-One. Spoke with Randy several times to help make my selection, and still have the station, though I've modded mine to use standard T12 tips. When I killed the pump running it constantly for fume extraction, Randy hooked me up with a replacement at a reasonable price. Definitely good people.
I definitely learned something today, been using the 63/37 solder on recommendation from my local Radio Shack (now closed). Thank you to Joshua Bardwell and Randy Rubinstein for taking the time today.
Good to hear that I am still doing it right! I was one of the few who was actually taught to solder 35 years ago in a naval course. The only thing I dont understand is why you guys pronounce it as sodder! Keep up the great work Joshua.
Very informative interview, thanks Josh. I have to admit I got a bit excited to hear this interview was coming up on your channel. Thanks to Randy for his time to do the interview, and for giving away a soldering station.
Great video. Thanks for finding experts like this to help us all improve. I totally didn't notice this video was almost an hour long until a read a few of the comments.
Very much appreciate the lengths you go to be a positive voice for this hobby, and the effort you put into helping out folks when you can. Keep up the excellent work Sir!
As usual Joshua I always get a take-home point from your videos which changes the way I do things. That's always a plus with your videos. Thanks for putting this up👍👍
Thanks for the interview. I bought an Aoyue 738H Hot Air Rework Station from SRA about 8 years ago. Its been through 4 startups, never had a problem and I'll never do a thru-hole design again.
Thank you Randy for taking the time to educate us all (beginner to "pro") and debunk the myths and un-facts of soldering. Now if we can just settle on ONE proper pronunciation... sold-er, sod-r, sod-a... who knows! As always Joshua, great video. Thanks!
Couldn't believe you posted this video. I have been looking at buying a new iron and have been researching what to buy. So much information here will help!
Hello Joshua, Being a total newbie at soldering, this video plus some of the comments are very educational. I am about to do my first build and the facts of temps, types of solder to use will make this a very adventurous experience. These are only 2 examples of education from this video. The Price of the 63/37 solder and the SRA soldering station is worth it, this is a very little price compared to the satisfaction of a quality build. Thank You
Awesome video. The idea of the considering the wattage of the iron, the size of what you're soldering and the size of your tip is something I didn't think about. I've always turned down the temp when soldering small wires like cam/vtx/RX connections and even with PVC jacketed wire I've been able to get a nice looking connection without the jacket melting to much. Great Video as always Joshua!
Good info, I never knew about 63/37 solder. One thing I don't see anyone talk much about is the mass of the iron, more mass to hold the heat will do better on connectors and wires, more effective than high heat on a tiny pencil iron. Thank you.
Interesting take on the 60/40 vs 63/37 solder... i've been soldering for thirty years, just a hobbyist that started using the radioshack 25w pencil style iron that still serves me well to this day, perfect for PCB and small guage wire work. I look forward to the day that i can finally upgrade, once and for all to a high quality soldering station that can be used for PCB work to high guage soldering wire work, cleanly, and effeciently.
I've had a Hakko for about 15 years, temp control, 60 watts, I think, and it's always worked good. It's very quick to heat up and maintains very well. Manhandled a BF F3 with it. The Aoyue 9378 is about the same spec...but looks exceptional... and modern. It'd be awesome to have two stations with two different tips so less swapping tips during builds/troubleshooting.
I am so glad you corrected the 450 F, cause I was scratching my head on that one, also your company Randy, like other companies have the say in QUALITY CONTROL, So just because it is from China is not a bad thing. Great review with Joshua, you guys did shield a lot of light on the art of soldering.
Very eye-opening video. Guess it's time to upgrade, but it's a relief to hear a good upgrade won't cost much more than my venerable Weller. Most appreciate the technique tips!
Joshua Great Video! My crappy iron broke this weekend and am now in the market. Fingers crossed here! You are truly the best information person/channel/instructor in this hobby. I thank you!
SRA is an excellent company, their techs are very knowledgeable. Thank you for that interview, I learned a few things, and have been soldering professionally for years!
Wow! I really enjoyed getting truly factual information about soldering. But I sure wish you had asked him about soldering paste.. I've seen it used in videos and looks awesome but when I've tried it myself have not been able to have much success so kicked it to the curb.. I think if I had the right info from a guy like Randy I could make it work. Being able to 'put' the solder on the joint before heating so as to not need the 3rd hand would be great. Thank you for your awesome videos!! I'm proud to be a patron.
Solder paste is usually used in surface mount operations and mechanical applications in a reflow oven. For hand soldering wires to PCBs core solder is usually used.
Thank you Joshua for this video. It explained a lot of my frustration with soldering. I had no training and was never getting good results. Now I know what I was doing wrong and I hope to get much better results in the future.
Thank you. I knew about 70% of what was discussed. The biggest tip I got out of this was the 63/37 solder being a better product. I have seen 63/37, but passed because I did not know what it was, and if it was for electronic applications. I sure can use a new station as I can't seem to find tips that fit my old Weller.
When the solder gets too hot(or reheated too many times without adding rosin core/flux) and turns dull, just add some rosin core lead and it will look fine. If there is already too much lead, I just heat up the dull solder and wipe away with a flat iron tip. Then just resolder. I have never used flux while soldering, use a el cheapo home Depo t Weller. I prefer the flat tip also, only problem with this iron is it gets too hot. I have learned when to unplug.
One important area that was not discussed- the proper tip for the job. One reason you end up cranking up the temp so high is because your tip is undersized for the job. When soldering big 10g or 12g wires to a pad with a large ground plane, heat gets soaked away very very quickly. A large tip helps to keep sinking heat away from the soldering tip. Large ground planes on boards can really soak up the heat, as can the big wires.
Hakko tips (FP stations and better) are very durable. In a production environment we use temps ~750 for leaded and 800 for LF applications. Most of the solder stations where the heater is in the wand, don't last very long. Most production tips have the heater built into the tip, new tip, new heater. Some even have the temp setting and heater in the tip. If you want to change the temp, you change the tip. But those solder stations start at ~$1000. If you are soldering a 18+ layer PCB with every third layer a ground plane there is a massive amount of copper to dissipate the heat from the joint, in that case you need the $1000 dollar station. For quadcopter stuff most anything will work. BTW, water soluble flux is usually acid based and is used on electronics. The boards are then washed.
As always, I can sorce your videos for some of the best and most articulate information. I'm a quad newbie so thank you very much. You're helping me greatly. Love the auto off/on feature for the wand. So handy if you're sitting there soldering for a while or forget it and walk away. Always exited to get an new alert for your videos. Thanks Paul.
Thanks for this perfect timing. Just getting ready to put together my first frame and had many questions about how to solder it up. Watched the video 3 times. I will change the solder I intended to use, to the 63/37. Good stuff Josh thanks Randy!
So much I learn from the content you bring to us on your channel. It's time I discard my radio shack iron and replace it with a quality product!!! Thank you for the information Josh!!!
This was really quite informative, I've personally always soldered at 750 for normal through hole components and wire tinning. And 600 for SMD. I've also always used 60/40 solder. Just ordered some 63/37 to give it a try and will be turning my soldering station way down to see how it goes.
Excellent Video Josh. Been soldering since my teens and I just learned something new. Like you I've been using 60/40 Rosin core, with pretty steady results. Cant wait to give the 63/37 a go! Thanks for the tips and Video.
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What addicts we are.... : ) We just listened to a 1 hour discussion about soldering and we can't discuss with our family, friends or coworkers around the conference table without sounding like a complete loon. We now have top secret soldering information and the rest of the world will remain ignorant to what is really going on here. Thanks Josh, for alienating me from the rest of the world one video at a time. : )
Riiiiiight
Hilarious...But so true, LOL
hahahaha
are you still in the hobby?
My family has to put with me talking about things they know nothing about nor intested in. I appreciate their patience it beats talking to a wall.
Been soldering for over 50 years and I learned something new. The 63/37 has never been explained so clearly as to why... I always knew we cranked up tip temperature to compensate for lack of power but I never dreamed how low you can go with a beefy 60 watt iron. Also a great rundown on flux types. Great topic!
I'm surprised JB you only have 47k subscribers..with all the information you help the quadcopter community
interesting question, just how big is 'the quadcopter community' to date?
40 to 50000 lol
X2. I'd like to know as well. Gotta be atleast 200,000 Plus. But idk thats a out of the air number.
I was watching a video of his from 20 months ago and he was celebrating 1000 subscribers!
very gonzo no way is there 200,000
My favorite Bardophant. When there's stuff he can't teach us, he goes and finds someone to teach him, and then he films it and posts it on RUclips. This is quality education.
I hope everybody realizes how much of a blessing you are to the fpv world!!
Your channel is like a Wikipedia for only fpv!!!
Thank you so much for all you do for the hobby!!
will buy from SRA...great discussion. who else provides the nitty gritty detail people actually want to know but are too afraid to ask!
this was such a good interview and things i NEVER knew about soldering (see i never should have skipped metal shop in high school but some cute girl always made me drive her to macdonalds every morning at that time, so i totally blame her for my deficiencies in soldering) :) thanks for taking the time and thanks to Randy Rubinstein for all his experience and explanation.
I always learn something new when I watch your show! I went and bought a 1 lb spool 63/37 from SRA.com i can't wait to use it on my new quadcopter build! thank you for what you do in this Hobby!
I can't believe I just watched the whole one hour video just on soldering. The information provided was great. Thanks!
Thanks for making yet another informative video. It's great to have someone on youtube who gets information from professionals rather than just saying "oh this has worked for me in the past."
Thank you! " I Learned Something Today".
I shouldn't have chewed on solder so much...
Awesome interview! Lots of great TIPS. Ha. Solder jokes.
Well holy crap. Learner more about soldering in the past 45 minutes than I have in the past 6 months. Great video guys!
I’ve been soldering over 30 years. I learn so much watching your videos Josh. Thanks for your videos man.
Great video, I nearly bought an iron yesterday. Hope I win this instead 😎
Great info! So much more to it then I thought. Thanks Randy for your time. Sounds like you just might know your stuff 😁. Joshua, always a pleasure you know your the man no need to say it.
Man, I need a better solder station
Joshua aside from loving your approach I have to admit: the eutectic quality of 63/37 was something I discovered on an RC board about a month ago when I stood in Fry's electronics in front of the soldering aisle for almost two hours reading about soldering on my phone! Im sure they thought I was as much of a nut as you can get without wearing a colander on my head. This video does it for me these type of informative approaches are brilliant and exactly what the community needs to keep on their game. Thank you to you and Randy! Awesome content.
I don't normally watch videos this long but sitting here using my 24 dollar Amazon soldering iron, I learned lots of somethings. It's always neat to hear interviews with people for whom something i do sporadically is a lifelong career and all the insight they can offer.
This expert either isn't really and expert or he has some communication issue. A significant amount of this, esp around the types of flux, is flat factually wrong, according to industry documents and standard terms.
Eutectic 63/37 is preferred 90% of the time for well designed or small joints, but it can not be built up. Non-eutectic alloys like 60/40 and 50/50 are used because the plastic range allows significant build up of filler metal where desired, for better gap filling, strength, conductivity(mo metal mo betta) in larger looser fit joints.
*type R=rosin RMA=rosin mildly activated RA=rosin activated, RA and some RMA are corrosive, R and most RMA are classified as non-corrosive residue. Residue is specifically flux that has reached soldering temperatures, some fluxes are corrosive when fresh but not after heating. No-clean means non-rosin base and you generally don't need to clean the residue for looks corrosion or conductivity. Both RMA and "no-clean" must still be cleaned for critical parts such as spacecraft, planes, and military bits that will be stored for extended periods; or when there is simply an excess amount of residue or unheated flux, or if the board is sensitive to micro current leakage over the surface/skin layer.
*Other than Rosin and no-clean, the major electronic flux category is "water soluble"(the term is NOT equivalent to something like childrens' washable markers) used only for production work as it is very corrosive if left on the board and washing requires high pressure sprays of a hot caustic detergent solution(as opposed to non-polar organic solvents for non "water soluble" flux).
*There is also an "organic" category which is organic acid based, very active, very corrosive must be cleaned, but very good at fluxing in adverse conditions and metal combinations.
And finally specialty fluxes for things like aluminum or stainless steel, often very aggressive possibly containing a good portion of hydrochloric acid and ammonium chloride among other herbs and spices.
Personally I use solid core and separate flux. Because flux has a shelf life and the solder alloy does not; and I keep several diameters of solder wire in economic one pound spools and a few types of flux. 5 diameters plus 3 fluxes would be 15 flux-cored products; in addition to only needing half the total number of products only the 3 fluxes have potential shelf life issues so I can better keep fresh active flux without disposing of any actual wire and I can pay no mind to compatibility of the core if I want to add extra flux to a joint.
(the more active the flux the shorter the shelf life, some industrial fluxes must be refrigerated just to get 3-6 months, some non-active fluxes can last years at room temp)
Great video Josh I really did learn something today thank you really!!!
I thought everybody used 63/37. ive never used anything else.
EnlightMent as did I, just cause in my opinion for what I'm doing with it, it is so much easier to work with.
Great video! A rare opportunity to speak with someone who really knows soldering and to bring that information to the rest of us. Huge thanks to Randy for taking the time for us, and for the giveaway item! Certainly better than what many of us have been using...
TL;DW
63/37 is ideal
Flux types:
No clean
Rosin
Water soluble
R = corrosive (remove with alcohol)
RA = no removal needed
RMA = no removal needed - most common
TS100
Solder temp what I use: 360°C (boost 450°C)
giveaway comment!!
BOTGRINDER FPV What are you giving away?
Nor Cal Fpv sneaky sneaky... Tried to get him to make a 2nd comment
2k comments and only 1k likes. Come on smash that like button.
Josh, I really suck at Soldering and have experienced a ton of problems because of my lack of experience. Thank you for taking the time to create this! I found it very helpful.
I have a new out look in soldering after watching this video and I have been soldering for 50+ years. Thanks for the video Joshua.
For epic soldering-fu:
Use a chisel tip and clean it every time it touches solder or flux. Use soft paper tissue to clean the tip, not a wet sponge. Your tips will last many times longer. The tip should be shinny and pull fresh liquid solder like magnet. Use 0.5mm (to avoid blobs) 60-40 rosin core solder. Use 63-37 only for parts with high heat capacity that would keep 60-40 liquid for a long time until they cool. The iron should touch the pad, not the wire. And the solder should be fed slowly to the pad, not the iron. If you get blobs, you are doing it wrong. Slow down. Do not use your iron as a paintbrush unless you use a lot of flux (syringe or something) and your wires/pads touch each other solidly and do not move around. The surface mount pads we see on FCs and ESCs are terrible for inexperienced people, and can easily create cold joints. Prefer through-hole pads when available.
At around 24:00 the conversation gets a bit confusing. When they refer to "core", it means that it has flux in its core. Activated and no-clean are types of flux. No-clean flux means you do not have to clean it after soldering (highly debatable). There is no "clean" flux. All flux requires cleaning unless it's no-clean, and even then arguably you have to clean it if you want to get a high quality joint that lasts. Activated flux (various levels) is a bit more effective for removing high levels of oxidization and dirt, but it's corrosive and has to be cleaned asap. Rosin core is plain old electronics grade flux.
Good info, thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to do this guys. It was very informative.
I've never thought I would have been excited to click on a video titled "Solder Expert" but I knew i would learn something. Thanks Joshua for taking the time to put this together.
Just want to say thank you, so many times i find myself on your channel for info and i can only say its people like yourself that really drive the community without you we would be lost! it really shows that you love what you do so keep it up
the most informational soldering video, without actually soldering, ever!
I can't tell you how much your channel has done for my knowledge as a new entrant into this hobby. Learning all the stuff you need to know to start to build your own quads is the deep end of the pool if you have never done it before..l. Thanks for what you do for the hobby
I bought my first Hot Air Rework Station from SRASolder 10 years ago, an Aoyue 2702 All-In-One. Spoke with Randy several times to help make my selection, and still have the station, though I've modded mine to use standard T12 tips. When I killed the pump running it constantly for fume extraction, Randy hooked me up with a replacement at a reasonable price. Definitely good people.
Just watched this, changed the solder I was using and lowered my iron temp and huge improvement. Thanks Joshua for all you do for us.
I definitely learned something today, been using the 63/37 solder on recommendation from my local Radio Shack (now closed). Thank you to Joshua Bardwell and Randy Rubinstein for taking the time today.
Good to hear that I am still doing it right! I was one of the few who was actually taught to solder 35 years ago in a naval course. The only thing I dont understand is why you guys pronounce it as sodder! Keep up the great work Joshua.
Thanks for considering me for the giveaway JB! I totally learned something today!
Very informative interview, thanks Josh. I have to admit I got a bit excited to hear this interview was coming up on your channel. Thanks to Randy for his time to do the interview, and for giving away a soldering station.
Great video. Thanks for finding experts like this to help us all improve. I totally didn't notice this video was almost an hour long until a read a few of the comments.
Excellent video, Joshua. Thank you for taking the time to do it.
Thank you Joshua & SRA, for providing a great resource to the community. It's nice to see a competitor to the Hakko.
Very much appreciate the lengths you go to be a positive voice for this hobby, and the effort you put into helping out folks when you can. Keep up the excellent work Sir!
Alchemy revealed! Incredibly useful, 3 years on and well beyond I'm sure. Thanks so much!
Great video, 53 minutes flew by with great info. Been soldering for many years, but mostly copper pipes. I learned a lot. Thanks
Never thought of 63/37 of anything other than more expensive. Now it makes sense. Thanks Joshua.
I learned more about solder than I ever knew I cared about. Thank you.
As usual Joshua I always get a take-home point from your videos which changes the way I do things. That's always a plus with your videos. Thanks for putting this up👍👍
Thanks for the interview. I bought an Aoyue 738H Hot Air Rework Station from SRA about 8 years ago. Its been through 4 startups, never had a problem and I'll never do a thru-hole design again.
Thank you Randy for taking the time to educate us all (beginner to "pro") and debunk the myths and un-facts of soldering. Now if we can just settle on ONE proper pronunciation... sold-er, sod-r, sod-a... who knows! As always Joshua, great video. Thanks!
A lot of interesting information that I did not know in this video. Thanks Joshua for setting up this interview for all of us to view.
Couldn't believe you posted this video. I have been looking at buying a new iron and have been researching what to buy. So much information here will help!
Hello Joshua, Being a total newbie at soldering, this video plus some of the comments are very educational. I am about to do my first build and the facts of temps, types of solder to use will make this a very adventurous experience. These are only 2 examples of education from this video. The Price of the 63/37 solder and the SRA soldering station is worth it, this is a very little price compared to the satisfaction of a quality build. Thank You
Thanks for another great pile of information. I will indeed be switching to 63/37 now. The best explanation of solid/liquid/plastic i have ever heard.
Awesome video. The idea of the considering the wattage of the iron, the size of what you're soldering and the size of your tip is something I didn't think about. I've always turned down the temp when soldering small wires like cam/vtx/RX connections and even with PVC jacketed wire I've been able to get a nice looking connection without the jacket melting to much. Great Video as always Joshua!
Great video thanks for the opportunity. Super informative.
Wow, great interview, I didn't realise how much I didn't know! Many thanks to you both.
Good info, I never knew about 63/37 solder. One thing I don't see anyone talk much about is the mass of the iron, more mass to hold the heat will do better on connectors and wires, more effective than high heat on a tiny pencil iron. Thank you.
Interesting take on the 60/40 vs 63/37 solder... i've been soldering for thirty years, just a hobbyist that started using the radioshack 25w pencil style iron that still serves me well to this day, perfect for PCB and small guage wire work. I look forward to the day that i can finally upgrade, once and for all to a high quality soldering station that can be used for PCB work to high guage soldering wire work, cleanly, and effeciently.
Thank you josh for all the quality help and great insight you bring to the table!
I've had a Hakko for about 15 years, temp control, 60 watts, I think, and it's always worked good. It's very quick to heat up and maintains very well. Manhandled a BF F3 with it.
The Aoyue 9378 is about the same spec...but looks exceptional... and modern. It'd be awesome to have two stations with two different tips so less swapping tips during builds/troubleshooting.
I am so glad you corrected the 450 F, cause I was scratching my head on that one, also your company Randy, like other companies have the say in QUALITY CONTROL, So just because it is from China is not a bad thing. Great review with Joshua, you guys did shield a lot of light on the art of soldering.
Very eye-opening video. Guess it's time to upgrade, but it's a relief to hear a good upgrade won't cost much more than my venerable Weller. Most appreciate the technique tips!
Joshua
Great Video! My crappy iron broke this weekend and am now in the market. Fingers crossed here!
You are truly the best information person/channel/instructor in this hobby. I thank you!
Great info as always. I have had an Aoyue 2900 Iron and Aoyue 968 rework station for about 8 years and both are still going strong.
SRA is an excellent company, their techs are very knowledgeable. Thank you for that interview, I learned a few things, and have been soldering professionally for years!
I was taught to solder in highschool electronics by a one-eyed Texan. One of the best subjects I ever took. Good times!
Wow! I really enjoyed getting truly factual information about soldering. But I sure wish you had asked him about soldering paste.. I've seen it used in videos and looks awesome but when I've tried it myself have not been able to have much success so kicked it to the curb.. I think if I had the right info from a guy like Randy I could make it work. Being able to 'put' the solder on the joint before heating so as to not need the 3rd hand would be great.
Thank you for your awesome videos!! I'm proud to be a patron.
Solder paste is usually used in surface mount operations and mechanical applications in a reflow oven. For hand soldering wires to PCBs core solder is usually used.
I'd always wondered what the deal was with 63/37, really appreciate y'all going into this much detail!
Great video. I've been winging it for years and it turns out I haven't done anything major league wrong. Lol. Thanks Josh. You rock
Thank you Joshua for this video. It explained a lot of my frustration with soldering. I had no training and was never getting good results. Now I know what I was doing wrong and I hope to get much better results in the future.
Wow!! I picked up a lot that I have been doing wrong when it comes to soldering. I think now I can improve. Thanks Guys!!
Thanks Joshua for all you do for the quad community. I learned a lot today.
Thanks for filling in the gaps and things that I didn't know and things I thought I didn't know. It was also entertaining.
Thank you. I knew about 70% of what was discussed. The biggest tip I got out of this was the 63/37 solder being a better product. I have seen 63/37, but passed because I did not know what it was, and if it was for electronic applications. I sure can use a new station as I can't seem to find tips that fit my old Weller.
Joshua, I certainly did learn something today. Thanks for the time and effort you put into your channel!
When the solder gets too hot(or reheated too many times without adding rosin core/flux) and turns dull, just add some rosin core lead and it will look fine. If there is already too much lead, I just heat up the dull solder and wipe away with a flat iron tip. Then just resolder. I have never used flux while soldering, use a el cheapo home Depo t Weller. I prefer the flat tip also, only problem with this iron is it gets too hot. I have learned when to unplug.
Really great interview, there is so much good soldering knowledge in this talk, thank you both for taking the time to do this interview.
Great video Josh! I have been soldering for hobbies and some for work for over 20 years and still learned a thing or two.
One important area that was not discussed- the proper tip for the job. One reason you end up cranking up the temp so high is because your tip is undersized for the job. When soldering big 10g or 12g wires to a pad with a large ground plane, heat gets soaked away very very quickly. A large tip helps to keep sinking heat away from the soldering tip. Large ground planes on boards can really soak up the heat, as can the big wires.
Correct ! and shape of tip, a big fail in this "tutorial"
Hakko tips (FP stations and better) are very durable. In a production environment we use temps ~750 for leaded and 800 for LF applications. Most of the solder stations where the heater is in the wand, don't last very long. Most production tips have the heater built into the tip, new tip, new heater. Some even have the temp setting and heater in the tip. If you want to change the temp, you change the tip. But those solder stations start at ~$1000. If you are soldering a 18+ layer PCB with every third layer a ground plane there is a massive amount of copper to dissipate the heat from the joint, in that case you need the $1000 dollar station. For quadcopter stuff most anything will work. BTW, water soluble flux is usually acid based and is used on electronics. The boards are then washed.
Excellent interview! I have learned a lot about soldering... since now being in the hobby I practice solder almost as much as flying👍
Great video Joshua, soldering is part of my daily job and i learned interested things today by listening to you.
As always, I can sorce your videos for some of the best and most articulate information. I'm a quad newbie so thank you very much. You're helping me greatly. Love the auto off/on feature for the wand. So handy if you're sitting there soldering for a while or forget it and walk away.
Always exited to get an new alert for your videos.
Thanks Paul.
thanks for the opportunity!
I don't see how anyone could dislike any of joshes videos cause there so great I love em and will never click dislike
As usual, great video and I've apparently been doing it wrong all along! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Thanks for this perfect timing. Just getting ready to put together my first frame and had many questions about how to solder it up. Watched the video 3 times. I will change the solder I intended to use, to the 63/37. Good stuff Josh thanks Randy!
Great video, can't believe I've been struggling with 60/40 solder all this time when there's a better alternative.
So much I learn from the content you bring to us on your channel. It's time I discard my radio shack iron and replace it with a quality product!!! Thank you for the information Josh!!!
Great video. Thank you for taking the time to put this together for us soldering plebs :)
Joshua -- thanks for arranging this interview. I thought it was great. I just went and purchased a 469 based on the information provided. Thanks!
Glad you liked it. I really love getting to interview experts like this.
This was really quite informative, I've personally always soldered at 750 for normal through hole components and wire tinning. And 600 for SMD. I've also always used 60/40 solder. Just ordered some 63/37 to give it a try and will be turning my soldering station way down to see how it goes.
Excellent Video Josh. Been soldering since my teens and I just learned something new. Like you I've been using 60/40 Rosin core, with pretty steady results. Cant wait to give the 63/37 a go! Thanks for the tips and Video.
the motion activated heating is such a good idea and I learned the 63/37 solder is best. Thanks for the info!
I recently placed a couple orders from SRA ...I'm very happy to have found them through this channel.
Thank you Joshua! This was more helpful than I thought it would be. Definitely going to get a temp. control iron and some 63/37 solder.