Psyborg's Tips n Tricks #3 how to solder. You are NOT a plumber!!

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Snarls

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Great video Psyborg. Soldering is certainly a skill that is almost required in this hobby, and yet many do not know how to do it.

I had such a hard time learning to solder. No one told me about the concept of tinning a tip so the solder never stuck. I was also using some thick plumbing solder which made things even more difficult. I eventually learned to tin my soldering iron and I picked up some thin 60/40 rosin core solder. Over the years I have become much better, even being able to solder to the pins of a microprocessor in certain situations. A video like yours would have saved me so much time and bad solder joints.

A word for others learning to solder. You don't necessarily need a fancy soldering station to operate proficiency in this hobby. I still use a cheap plug in soldering iron with no settings from Sears. Sure a soldering station will be easier and safer, but if you are on a tight budget a simple pencil style plug in soldering iron will serve you well.
 

makattack

Winter is coming
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+1 on the smokestopper cranialrectosis talked about and another +1 on Snarls comment about making do with a cheap wand type iron. I made do with the wand dummy iron for a long time -- but having it on a switch you can turn on/off is the key! I also saw someone mention not sniffing the solder smoke. Great health point. They make exhaust/filtration systems but if you were cheap like me, you simply cracked open a window and put a fan in between the window and where you're soldering, blowing over the soldering area. Hey, even in the Winter, you'll appreciate it.

I was out on Sunday at the park near my home introducing my cousin to the world of RC -- she had just bought a "Breeze" selfie drone and I was showing her how to safely maiden it (as best we can with something operated via a mobile phone)

Right after landing, I heard the unmistakable scream of a 4S mini quad, and look to our left to see a guy in fatsharks at the other end of the field. I tell her we're going to pack up and walking over to his flight line to say hello and fly from a single pilot area. We greeted each other and I ask about his quad. He said he was experimenting with moving from KISS to a F7 on Betaflight 3.3 with something about clear filtering... anyway, I'm not that cutting edge, so I had no real clue what he was going on about and tell him I'll spot for him if he wants to fly because there were also dog walkers around and I noticed them sort of freaking out a bit at the racket.

Well, he arms and as soon as he pips the throttle, it popped up and flipped. His first words "oh, there's a short somewhere in there, so it does that randomly"

Well, at this point my poor cousin is a little freaked out and I'm thinking... "uhm, yeah, not a good intro to the hobby for her!"

I help spot him for two batts, as promised (keeping him from flying low and fast along a walking path filled with people too) but happily packed up and went for lunch right after.

Anyhow, even I was a little freaked out when he started orbiting us and doing dives in the treeline right behind us with his iffy (shorts randomly) gear. I definitely recommend taking due diligence and not only use a smoke stopper, but inspect your soldering under good lighting and even take the time to clean the flux off to help you see any flaws / remove solder splatter/balls that might fall onto your work.

Heh, I should probably forward Bills video and this thread to him ;)
 
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