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The good/bad/ugly and the
bead game
Some bad examples and a good one
So far, I ve only shown you well-done work it looks the way it s supposed
to look. But how will you know what to avoid if I don t show you some
examples of bad work? Sloppy, shoddy work that no one will admit to
doing, but that somehow occurs all too frequently.
You ve seen the good and there s plenty more of it in Section 3, the
modules on specic connectors. Here is a brief rogue s gallery of common
mistakes. Or maybe I should say come on missed takes ?
After the bad guys I want to talk about a technique called beading . It s
described in some of the connector modules, like 3.3 (mini-male guitar plug
connectors) and 3.7 (TT male connectors), but if you don t read those modules
you might miss it. And beading is an important technique; sometimes it s
not possible to add solder while heating a conductor the strands of the
conductor have to carry an extra payload of solder. That s what beading is for.
But back now to our usual suspects , the most common errors of bad
soldering the typical villains. And after I show you all the wrong ways, I ll
show you a good solder connection to inspire you.
Hehe, sure is too much
solder there in Figure 2.1.1 ,
right? That elephantine
blob of solder, looking like
a large metal goiter, may be
exaggerated, but I m trying
to make a point. Use only
enough solder to ll the
solder cup, allowing for the
amount of solder that the wire
will displace when it s inserted
into the solder cup not too
much solder, not too little.
2.1
Figure 2.1.1 Too much solder.
Audio Wiring Guide 74
Speaking of too little solder, a classic example is seen in Figure 2.1.2 . This
solder job has another problem too. The conductor has too much exposed
metal. The insulation should go right up to the edge of the solder cup.
Figure 2.1.3 Exposed metal.
Figure 2.1.2 Too little solder.
An even more extreme case of too much exposed metal is illustrated
in Figure 2.1.3 . This weakens the solder joint and can short to adjacent
conductors.
In Figure 2.1.4 the insulation has been inserted too deeply in the solder
cup. This can cause contamination of the solder joint with the plastic of the
insulation, degrading its conductivity. Not too deep, not too far outside the
cup either. Remember Goldilocks and the three bowls of porridge? There s a
position that s just right .
2.1 The good/bad/ugly and the bead game 75
See the gray, mottled color/texture of the solder in Figure 2.1.5 ? That s
a sure sign of a cold solder joint. It is physically weaker and higher in
resistance than a properly done connection. If one of your joints looks like
this, it won t help to add more solder! Instead, you have to take all the
old solder out and re-tin the solder cup with fresh solder. Once solder has
been overheated, or re-re-re-reheated, its conductivity and strength are
degraded. It must be replaced.
Figure 2.1.5 Cold solder joint 1.
Figure 2.1.4 Insulation too deep.
A cold solder joint isn t the only problem in Figure 2.1.5 . There s too much
exposed metal and the solder distribution in the solder cup is uneven too
much on the right-hand side and not enough on the left-hand side.
Audio Wiring Guide 76
To top it all off, the conductor s been overheated we can see the insulation
beginning to melt back.
Figure 2.1.6 is another shot of our cold solder joint, along with the other
ways this connection is troubled. See the gray color compared to the bright
silver on the other solder cups?
Figure 2.1.6 Cold solder joint 2.
It s not hard to burn the insulation on conductors ( Figure 2.1.7 ) just leave
your soldering iron in the wrong place for a few seconds. It s a lot harder to
x it once burned, and requires thin diameter heat-shrink, along with a heat-
shrink gun.
Figure 2.1.7 Insulation burned.