1 Basic information 67

Once I have the edge lifted up, I ll grip it with pliers and spread it wider.
Then I ll do the same operation on the other strain relief arm. I m done
when both arms are spread widely enough to let the wire just fall out when
the conductors are de-soldered.
As the strain relief has already been stressed by bending, I want to do this
very gently.
I m using a stereo guitar plug as a more complicated example, so I ll pick
one of the conductors, heat the solder tab it s attached to, and pull the
conductor away as soon as the solder melts ( Figure 1.87 ). Then I ll do the
same action for the other conductor.
Figure 1.87 Removing soldered conductors.
Figure 1.88 De-soldering shield.
This still leaves the shield of the wire rmly attached to the strain relief arm
but that s our next step ( Figure 1.88 ).
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Audio Wiring Guide 68
Figure 1.90 Hitting vise to expel solder.
I ve rotated the plug in the vise, so that the strain relief arm and the
attached shield are facing up. Now to heat the shield, until I can pull it
loose. With both conductors and the shield detached, the wire will simply
fall away.
It s a good idea to slide the iron tip back and forth on the strain relief arm,
to spread the leftover solder into a thin, smooth lm. Any excess can be
reheated and struck off when we do the same action for the solder tabs
( Figure 1.89 ).
Just as for the XLR, I m holding the connector in a pair of pliers, heating each
tab up to melt point, and then hitting the vise, as shown in Figure 1.90 , to
strike off any excess solder. For a stereo guitar plug, I ll do this twice for the
solder tabs and a third time (if needed) for any excess solder on the strain
relief arm itself.
This action will cause the molten solder to y off the solder tab and
(hopefully) down onto the vise or the tabletop, just as it did for the XLR. The
solder will be just as hot, so safety glasses on, cover your exposed skin, and
watch which way you ing it!
As we ve seen, the actions needed for the two types of connectors shown
are very similar. Use your common sense to extrapolate for other types of
connectors.
Figure 1.89 Heating solder tabs.
1 Basic information 69
A word about cleaning things
There s an aspect of both soldering and de-soldering that I haven t talked
about which is cleaning your work and any connectors you recycle. The
reason is, this is almost never done in the eld but it should be done for
every connection.
Commercial electronics manufacturers spend good money to de-ux their
connectors and printed circuit boards. They do so because they know that it
extends the life and reliability of their equipment.
This is equally true of any eld wiring you do but despite this, I d guess
that more than 99% of eld solder work is not de-uxed and more than 99%
of recycled connectors are not cleaned before reuse. However, if you want
really pure, audiophile-level connections, you should de-ux your work.
There are commercial de-uxing liquids, or you can use a series of baths
and a small, stiff brush a toothbrush works well.
One good commercial de-uxer is made by Caig Laboratories it s
called Flux Wash. More info at: http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2514/.
f?sc & category 1790 . Flux Wash works very well but that toothbrush
helps it along.
When I built 24-track analog recorders we would use three baths and
brushings acetone, alcohol and plain water. The only problem was nding
a toothbrush that wouldn t melt in the acetone.
Remember that alcohol and acetone are highly ammable, and the fumes
aren t good for you either. Even if you use commercial de-uxing liquids,
wear gloves, work with good ventilation, and keep all cleaning agents
away from ame, heat guns and hot-tempered individuals. Work with small
batches and discard the leftover uid(s) immediately.
Another aspect of cleaning is that we show work being done with new
wire and new connectors. You folks in the eld may be dealing with old,
corroded wire and dirty, nasty, old connectors.
That lm of corrosion/gunk must be removed before a good solder
connection can be made. You can scrape it off with a blade, le it gently,
use crocus cloth or even a pencil eraser for delicate items.
But if you see corrosion on either your wire or plugs, it must be removed
before attempting to solder. The same applies to dirt, grease and even oil
from your ngers. If you are not working with new materials, clean the items
to be soldered rst!
Audio Wiring Guide 70
The end of the beginning
This is as far as we can go in the introductory section. You ve learned what
tools are required, what information must be gathered, and what techniques
must be practiced to successfully wire your studio.
We re going to go over some of these topics again in the next section.
This was the overview. Too much detail at once may obscure the general
concepts you must learn before specic details can become meaningful.
Now it s time to study Section 2 Intermediate Information, and the
connector sections that deal with the specic connectors for your particular
installation. With a clear game plan, lucid instructions and vivid pictures to
guide you, I m sure you ll do well when you get down to work. Good luck
and happy wiring!
And before you start wiring, please be sure to practice? It s not only the
fastest way to Carnegie Hall, it s also the fastest way to a well-working
studio!
Disclaimer
All techniques and procedures described in this book are used at the
reader s own risk. The author and publisher assume no responsibility for any
damage or injury incurred by their use.
SECTION
2
Intermediate Information