Hi
Youtube is very good for this but let me try to describe doing a good job on a joint.
Solder, the best is 60/40, from when electronics began long ago, 60% tin 40% lead, people on a certain electronics forum I have been following, that like to build hi quality amplifiers and such, prefer 60/40 as opposed to the new solder that has no lead or a reduced amount of lead because of the higher quality of the joint that can be made with 60/40.
It's a health choice if you are concerned, about lead, if you prefer, you can choose to use the newer, safer stuff too.
Stuff to have for this: Solder Station, solder, electronic solder flux ( not the acid based stuff ), assortment of heat shrink for different size wires joints you would make ( quit using electrical tape for this ), 3rd hand helping hand, opt extras for later on: solder sucker and solder wick to remove solder, Cen-tech digital multimeter cheap $3 - $10 harbor freight ( for safe use only with lo voltage hobby stuff -- they don't make these as good and safe as a Fluke for higher voltages, but ok for hobby uses )
Look at the connector you are soldering to, is it made from a material that will hold up to a lot of heat like mylar/ceramic, or is it something that will melt easily if the iron is held on the connector for very long. Those cheap Deans knockoffs are made from plastic and melt and deform easily ( I have heard reviews, they are not a good alt to original Deans Connectors ), you would want to tin the wire and make a very quick solder joint with a high heat, so the connector would not melt. Sounds funny I guess, but if you have your iron on low and sit on the connector, it takes longer than if it were hotter, and you melt the connector.
In electronics, to protect transistors, we connect alligator clips to stop the heat from travelling up the leg to the device and burning it out. When making connections like wire to xt60, seems we cannot do this, so you just have to be fast making the joint with a high heat.
In my example, I choose some of the less than ideal conditions, to show you something about how to handle certain issues.
I have some old wire I want to use that is still good but has some corrosion on the ends, so I'll trim it back to where there is no corrosion so the solder will bond good.
When you trim back the insulation, don't cut into the wire as that weakens the wire. I see many people do this and ignore what they did and continue. It might be ok to just melt the insulation a little where it can be pulled off, I just always make an extra careful effort not to nick the wire because that weakens it.
Before the joint is soldered, cut a piece of heat shrink that would cover the bullet and any exposed wire plus 1/4 inch more for good measure. Slip this over and down the wire away from the heat so you can slip it over the joint that will be made.
Now the mention of solder flux is very good, get some and dab the end of the wire in the flux. If you expect trouble with a wire taking solder, apply the iron to the wire and heat the flux on it some, maybe dab in the flux again. Now with your hot solder iron on about 800 deg F ( get one of those great solder stations with analog controllable heat ) and your pieces held in place by your "3rd hand or helping hands" device or in the drilled out hole of 2x4 if it's like a bullet connector, first, lay the wire down or hold it with 3rd hand, tin the iron with solder ( flux makes solder stick better to the joint and to the wire you would be tinning ), now put the iron to the wire and heat it and apply the solder to the hot wire which should melt the solder. At this point I do cheat a lot and just put the solder on the iron and get it on the wire, using the solder to kind of conduct the heat over if the wire itself resists the solder. You should make or see the solder "wick" into the wire strands. This is tinning the end of the wire that you will next put inside the bullet connector. Make sure the solder wicks into the strands of wire all the way around and about 1/4 inch. Sometimes, if I got too much solder on there, on the wood board I would be working on, I kind of flick off the excess solder. Hopefully the end is tinned and the strands are bundled tightly together, not frayed apart.
Now this would be tinned and ready to be soldered to either a bullet conn or xt60 or deans connector.
Let me switch this to the idea of connecting to a deans connector,because it does not have the hole an xt60 or bullit connector has, it has a flat surface that usually comes clean enough you do not need to tin this, you can if you want but some connectors cannot take that much heat and melt and deform so if they are clean and look like they will easily take solder then I would say just put the deans in a 3rd hand clip or vise and hold the wire with the other 3rd hand where it stays by itself against the terminal you solder to. This is important because so many people make bad joints by applying solder and then removing heat but they sometimes move the joint before it cools and solidifies ( when this happens, you can see a dull strange disturbed area in the joint, it is not smooth and I doubt the physical and electrical quality of the joint then), making a joint that I would say you cannot trust.
If I am joining 2 wires or making a joint where I can twist the wires together, then I do that because I like the extra integrity of a twisted mechanical bond also secured and and connected with solder and covered with heat shrink. When you splice to wire together like this, make the twisted pair go together smoothly so that the wire does not make a hard sharp point that would puncture the heat shrink.
The joint should cool undisturbed straight like you want it without excessive bare wire. Now that a good joint is made, you might clean off the flux if you want then, slide the heat shrink over the joint to cover the joint and like about 1/4 to 3/8 of the wire what ever you feel comfortable with that would prevent accidental shorting.
You could use your iron to shrink the heat shrink, a lighter does better, I move the flame over the heat shrink quickly making sure not to burn the wire insulation, just enough to shrink the covering down tight to tightly hold on the wire insulation and on the joint too. If you apply too much heat, the covering pulls away from the joint leaving some of the joint exposed.
In some situations, as extra precaution ( double insulation ), I put 2 pieces of heat shrink.
Some videos and pictures would be good but I don't think they always include as much about making a good joint as I have shared here with you, but it would be good to look up a few youtube videos on making a good solder joint as well.
Hope this helps you.
Leonard
