SOLDERING

What Is Soldering?
Making a sound electrical and mechanical
joint.
Soldering is a method of applying an alloy
(filler metal), of lower melting point, to join
metal parts together.
The filler metal having a lowermelting
pointthan the adjoining metal.
Unlikewelding, soldering does not involve
melting the work pieces.

Soldering Iron
It consists of a copper bit attached to
iron rod at its one end, and a handle
at the other end. It is used to melt the
filler metal and paste it to make the
joint.
Electric solder iron is heated by passing electric
current through it.
The soldering iron must be placed into
the specially designed stand, when not
in use.
These usually incorporate a sponge for
keeping the bit clean.

Solders

Solder is a filler metal made from an alloy

(mixture) of tin (60%) and lead (40%) which acts
as a bonding agent during the solder process.
Having the lowest possible melting point
minimizes heat stress on electronic components
during soldering.

Flux
Copper oxidizes very quickly in air. The transfer
of heat is restricted by this oxidation layer.
Soldering to oxidized copper is very difficult,
and you may damage the circuit board and/or
components by having to hold the iron on the
joint for long periods trying to get the solder to
flow.

So a soldering flux, usually a rosin

compound, is applied to the joint first to
clean the joint and allow the solder to
flow.
The most common type of flux used in
electronics (soft soldering) wasrosin
-based,
using
the
rosin
from
selectedpine trees.

Printed Circuit Boards

Perfboard
(Perforated PCB)

PCB Stripboards

Copper Clad PCB

Soldering: Step-by-Step
Guide
STEP 1 : Work Preparation
Work pieces which are to be joined together
should be perfectly clean. There should not be
any dirt, dust, rust, paint or grease.
Cleaning is done with the help of a file or
sandpaper.
STEP 2 : Preparation of Joint
To wet the metals of the base joint, the metals
have to be clean. If the metals are not clean, the
solder will not wet uniformly, and this fact will be
hidden
under
a
blob
of
solder.
STEP 3 : Fluxing
Flux is applied to the joint with the help of a brush
before soldering.

STEP 4 : Tinning
In this step of soldering procedure, the bit of solder iron
is cleaned
Allow soldering iron to heat up.
Clean the tip of iron on sponge.
Feed 1/2cm solder onto the tip.
Wipe tip on sponge again.
STEP 5 : Place the components
Fit them onto the PCB and
push them down carefully.
Bend the leads apart carefully
to prevent it from falling apart.
Make sure the part is pushed
flat against the board

STEP 6 : Soldering
Heat the joint
Heat the joint with the tip of the
iron. Be sure to heat both the
solder pad and the component
lead or pin.

Apply the solder

Touch the end of the solder
to the joint so that it contacts
both the solder pad and the
component lead or pin. It
should
melt
and
flow
smoothly onto both the pin
and the pad. If the solder
does not flow, heat the joint
for
another
second
or

Let It Flow
Keep heating the solder and
allow it to flow into the joint. It
should fill the hole and flow
smoothly onto both the solder
pad and the pin or component
lead.
Let It Cool
Once enough solder has been
added to the joint and it has
flowed well onto both the
component lead and the solder
pad, remove the iron from the
joint and allow it to cool
undisturbed.
Trim the Lead
Use your diagonal cutters to trim
the lead close to the board

Fixing mistakes
Place the soldering iron on the solder joint to be
removed
and allow the solder to become molten.
Place the solder extractor next to the solder joint.
Push the button and the solder will be removed

Good And Bad Joints

Never touch the end of the soldering iron.

Hold wires to be heated with tweezers or clamps.
Never solder a live wire.
Always return the soldering iron to its stand when
not in use.
Work in a well-ventilated area. The smoke formed
is mostly from the flux which can be irritating
Give any soldered surface a minute or two to cool
down before you touch it.
Never leave flammable items (such as paper)
near your soldering iron.