soldering misery

[Xanxi]

Hi there.

A decade ago, in one of my conversations with Jens, he told me that anyone into retrocomputing got to know how to use a soldering iron.
I responded i am an advanced user in retrocomputing but no technician and profesional companies just have to make something working flawlessly for customers.

Nowadays, i fully agree with him of course, because there is no retrocomputer or console which could work without repairs by now, and i attempt to do my basic stuff soldering. Indeed, even if everyone in the communauty has always been very helpful, i can't always bother someone to do the easy stuff for me.
However, i struggle with even basic things (this week it took me a long time to desolder the battery of my Dreamcast and resolder a replacement, even if it worked in the end).

I thought to myself that it is not possible that i could be so naturally bad.
And then i thought of my material.
My soldering iron is a basic 60W one from Amazon which can go to 450°C or so (this one https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0811Y7X96?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4&th=1). I have bought some other stuff to help me, a third hand with a magnifying glass, desoldering braid, flux, and so forth.
I now think my soldering iron is crap, and even more that the solder is use is double crap.

So i would appreciate some advices from experienced people about a new soldering iron for my modest needs (probably not necessary to have a several hundred of bucks station) and about a good solder, available in Europe from a direct source like Amazon.

 

[dodogild0]

Buy some small DIY hobby kits. Cheap Chinese ones. They provide perfect exercise and help building confidence quickly.

 

[Boing-ball]

1st off. 450degrees C will be too hot for retro boards. Believe me, I am now known as the A4000 board destroyer because of it Ideally you only need to go up to 350 degrees max.

2nd. Have a look on YouTube for Chris Edwards restoration channel. Plenty of videos on how Dr Chris uses soldering desoldering techniques on Amiga boards.

3rd. Make sure you buy proper replacement soldering tips. Not cheap ones. I figured out that Using cheap Chinese tips in my Hako soldering iron was why things were not going well

 

[Xanxi]

Buy some small DIY hobby kits. Cheap Chinese ones. They provide perfect exercise and help building confidence quickly.

You mean something like this?
Aliexpress

 

[Xanxi]

1st off. 450degrees C will be too hot for retro boards. Believe me, I am now known as the A4000 board destroyer because of it Ideally you only need to go up to 350 degrees max.

2nd. Have a look on YouTube for Chris Edwards restoration channel. Plenty of videos on how Dr Chris uses soldering desoldering techniques on Amiga boards.

3rd. Make sure you buy proper replacement soldering tips. Not cheap ones. I figured out that Using cheap Chinese tips in my Hako soldering iron was why things were not going well

Yes i have seen Chris Edwards (but he's not too much showing the gesture but the process of repairs itself) or others.

So do you have a link to a good soldering iron and replacement tips?
Amazon seems to be another name for chinese stuff these days, not sure about what they are offering and it is full of false feebacks.

 

[Boing-ball]

Yes i have seen Chris Edwards (but he's not too much showing the gesture but the process of repairs itself) or others.

So do you have a link to a good soldering iron and replacement tips?
Amazon seems to be another name for chinese stuff these days, not sure about what they are offering and it is full of false feebacks.

I would recommend something like a Japanese brand like Hakko for a soldering iron. It comes with a temp control system.
Then for tips, Hakko tips.

Something like this:

Hakko FX888DX-010BY - Digital Soldering Station with Rotary Encoder (Blue/Yellow Housing) https://amzn.eu/d/3mbBuDE

Not cheap. But worth it for retro fixes.

 

[Boing-ball]

Oh just found a Video from Stu over on SHG Retro channel that he gives some tutorials about soldering:

 

[miggymad]

Practice makes perfect ... try this seasonal offering

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008585343638.html

 

[aaronkatrini]

"60W" chinese soldering iron means nothing

Depending on the PCB era, you choose the power. Obviously newer computers have more pcb layers, thus requiring more "heat".

A solder iron is good say up to early 90's, after that you'd need a soldering station. Price doesn't matter much, you can still get a decent tool for little money, just need to see proper reviews before purchase. I can't recommend one because I got mine years ago.

For solder and flux I go to a nearby electronics store, its a bit more expensive, but it sure works fine, you're buying from professionals.
Solder I use 60/40, flux whatever is meant for smd stuff.

To get experience you need to destroy things first, otherwise you won't learn

PS:
You should be looking at something like this:

Soldering Station with Soldering Iron, 60W 200~480°C Soldering Kit with 5 Tips, Soldering Wire, Desoldering Pump, Tweezers (936A EU) : Amazon.fr: DIY & Tools

Soldering Station with Soldering Iron, 60W 200~480°C Soldering Kit with 5 Tips, Soldering Wire, Desoldering Pump, Tweezers (936A EU) : Amazon.fr: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.fr

Something with a transformer inside, they have more thermal inertia and the tip won't go cold when touching the pcb. Also bigger tip carries more "power". Just keep the tip cleaned regularly, a small wet sponge should do the trick.

 

[Xanxi]

Thanks, i have just ordered this last one which is affordable and appreciated by Amazon users. The japonese one from Boing-ball seems great but also more expensive and someone in the comments said it is japanese 110V.

I have also ordered the funny stuff from Aliexpress to have some training and maybe i will have one for my Christmas tree in the end.

Now i need proper solder but i have no real life place nearby to buy some.

 

[dodogild0]

You mean something like this?
Aliexpress

Like this: https://www.amazon.fr/-/en/dp/B0CMTCM6XN/

Or this: https://www.amazon.fr/-/en/Electronic-Soldering-Training-Projects-Headphone/dp/B0DJNYHR5K/

You got the idea.

 

[Damion]

It's definitely not you - good equipment (iron, tips, solder, flux, etc) will absolutely make all the difference in the world. I remember jumping from a cheap Radio Shack iron to a Hakko 937. I suddenly felt like a magician.

 

[Aeberbach]

Hakko 942 was my first good iron, before that a Weller WTCP (but it sucked, and made a horrible click-click noise all the time regulating its temperature). Now I have a Hakko 971, still not the top end but very good. You need plenty of power - 80W is about the minimum, but more than that you need the right tip for the job, and the right solder, and flux. Helping hands and fancy extraction systems are nice but not essential, just keep your workplace clean and ventilated and well-lit - incredibly brightly lit actually. If you can't see the work clearly you can't solder.
Wet sponges stink and cool your iron, which does not matter so much if you have a good iron because it heats up again nearly instantly - but I have always preferred the Hakko brass wool for tip-wiping. Wet sponges always stink and having to keep wetting them is annoying.
If you have bought a Chinese iron that's not always a bad thing (unless you bought a toy USB or battery iron...). Chances are they copied a Hakko or Pace or Weller and use compatible tips. You can improve your iron almost to the level of the big names by buying the tips they copied, from the original brands, from places like Mouser or Digikey or Mektronics (in AU)! They will contain the right metals to heat evenly, some of the Chinese tips especially the ones that come with cheap irons, are absolute garbage because it's much cheaper to make a tip from all steel, none of that expensive copper core like Hakko or Pace might supply! A good single tip can easily cost AUD$40.

 

[HomeLate]

Forget Dr. Chris, check out Branchus Creations or Mr. Solderfix on Youtube. I don't promote people who spin off SMD capacitors like Dr. Chris. I repaired enough Amiga's in the past with missing pads due to cap twisting.

I recap/repair vintage computers as a pro (next to 9-5 job) so my solder gear is pro level and expensive. Aeberbach already gave some good advice, but check out reviews from solder stations on Youtube. Specially the ones from AliExpress or Amazon. Some of these 'overshoot' to a much higher temp then set and need time to settle down to the correct temperature.

As for solder: I like to use either MG Chemicals or Kester.

Practice is king. Practice a lot on broken gear or solder training kits before working on you precious vintage gear!

 

[Sardine]

For a beginner ( like me ) i use a pinecil soldering iron. I use for work off a pd 65w battery

Its usb C with a microcontroller. Easy to use especially with the official rubber cable.

Pinecil Archives - PINE STORE

pine64.com

I got the extra tips. Some low temp solder to help removing existing components easier and i got myself a heated solder sucker for the big heatsink jobs.

I’m pretty ok at soldering its just my eyes that let me down.