Added: 4 years ago
From: CuriousInventor
Views: 841,836
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  • This was my first guide that started my journey of soldering electronics. Thank you so much for this great guide!

  • Thanks alot for the vid! Helped me alot, I was "cold soldering" ie applying the solder to the iron etc and although it worked in the end it took a while and I ended up with solder in places I didn't want! :] I'll resolder it soon, thanks again!

  • I have done a LOT of electronics soldering, both personally and professionally (and a little plumbing soldering), for many years. I have learned from my experience and from formal training. I just want to say that this video covered this topic more accurately and thoroughly than anything I have ever seen. People learning how to solder electronics need to pay attention to this video!

  • Lead free solder does go shiny. I learned to solder with it and recently found something I made as a teenager with a cheap old iron and no idea about proper technique and still most of the joints are shiney.

  • Great video, you really did put my mind at rest.

    One question though, I've seen people dip the soldering iron in something, is it regular soldering grease or something else?

    Cheers

  • @CallidusMacedonian You probably saw someone using tip cleaner. It is a flux/solder paste that agressively cleans and tins the soldering tip. It should only be used occasionally, as needed to maintain a good tip, not during regular soldering.

  • @chrisjpf33 Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

  • Really well done, thank you! Great illustrations, covered everything really well, without requiring patience from the (probably already-frustrated) viewer. When all else fails, nothing like a little refresher to remind you that the reason it is not working is because you're doing EVERYTHING WRONG and it ALL MATTERS.

  • Excellent video, thank you.

  • best video

  • Great video.

  • so wait, do you tin the tip first or clean it first?

    also, i'm not getting the "ramp" shape, the solder basically sets in a spherical shape with a cone on top... anything i might be doing wrong?

  • @smufdawg you sure your tip is clean? if not, use sandpaper to clean it

  • Thank you so much! When trying to solder before watching this video, I apparently had no idea what I was doing. After practicing using these methods, all if a sudden a decent solder job was super quick and easy to do!

  • why does this have 800000 views?.......

  • @onlyAtoZand1to9 Why wouldn't it?

  • THANK YOU SO MUCH!

  • @Jiblob.... He is pronouncing it correctly. It's not as it's spelled. It isnt sold er ing. It's sod er ing.

  • Why can't this guy say 'solder' properly?

  • This is a good video. Everyone should watch this before soldering for the first time.

  • Most times I find that the flux core in the solder is not enough by itself to provide really good wetting action. PACE teaches to always apply liquid rosin flux. Sometimes this isn't even enough and you need a more aggressive flux, for instance with some copper or tin alloys. Passives like resistors and capacitors a lot of times have a cheap tin coating and need to be cleaned with an abrasive eraser pencil or sand paper, tinned with solder, and wiped with alcohol before they're ready for the

  • circuit board.

  • Wow that is a great video. I solder all the time but this still taught me a lot.

    Thanks

  • Flux pen FTW. And no SMDs? :/

    I do have to disagree with lead-clipping after soldering. True, you can damage the joint by torquing on it, but if your shears are sharp, properly sized, e.g. Xuron LXAS, and you use them properly, there shouldn't be a problem with clipping after soldering. The only other problem I can foresee is if you blobbed too much solder onto a wire and pad, and it 'crept up' the wire. That's a problem with soldering technique then.

  • i wish i had watched this before i effed up my xbox.

  • Great video thank you for the info A+

  • Very good video, I feel more confident about soldering now.

  • I first bought my soldering iron while i was 12yrs old, i designed my own amplifier circuit and soldered onto the breadboards; now i'm an engineer and while i look at it i think how horrible the soldering was :P

    solder a lot, you'll find out yourself that which is the correct way :)

  • What temperature should the gun be?

  • What temperature should the gun be at?

  • what watt solder were you using? 

  • I can't solder... My hands aren't steady enough to lol

  • SOLDER not salder

  • Thanks for posting this video!  It's wonderfully clear & answers so many questions!

  • My solder doesn't look like that, at 0:40. Mine is either liquid, or rock hard. And if i take away the soldering iron from the solder for a split second, it sets. His has the consistency of butter, curious...

  • @JAYRAY00 Your tip is likely oxidized and needs to be replaced, or the oxidation needs to be sanded off.

  • @CuriousInventor

    I wouldn't recommend sanding,as it will mess up the tip. Just use alcohol or flux to remove the oxidized layer of solder, then heat the tip and use a copper/brass coil sponge to gently wipe off the solder. Then add some solder to the tip (tin it) and place it in a dry place until you need to use it again.

  • @CuriousInventor how to avoid oxidization (both on tip of soldering iron & in joints)??

  • @CuriousInventor I sanded off the oxidation on my soldering iron, why won't the solder actually stick to the tip? doesn't matter if I do it exactly like you showed or use flux or not the solder just turns into little balls and drop to the table without even remotely coating the tip.

  • Great video! But i still didn't find out why: solder does not stick to my soldering iron, i have never been able to "tin the tip".

    Even if i heat up the wires for ages (or short period), the solder liquifies and falls off. I have heaps of little balls of solder on the ground. Same for circuit boards, but wires are worse (car stereo).

    Arrghhh!!

  • What type of solder gun do you use? What temp is it at? Thanks

  • @bighappy82 go to amazon for the solder guns....they have very cheap ones

  • sodder- uk people its the us way of saying it

  • well, firstly , what is soldering wire made of?

  • This has to be the BEST soldering tip-video on Youtube!! Thanx mate!!!:D

  • modded xbox 360 controller here i come!

  • Sarder?

  • 1st youtube tutorial that does what should do.

  • can a cold joint make a guitar sound bad?

  • My teacher tells me too solder first. Then cut the wires. He is a Dr with phd and has a electrical engineering degree

  • @fyaq5130 Cutting the wires after soldering can cause fractures in the joints that can reduce reliability. However, this is probably only necessary for high reliability stuff, like military hardware. Not sure I would rely on a PhD label for the rationale unless it's in soldering...

  • @CuriousInventor thanks for that tip . he has experience building robots. And yeah i attend a electrical engineering club. were at the moment, were gonna make a radio. and eventually will be designing and making my own project. ill subscribe because i like what u do. and i like ur videos

  • @CuriousInventor In my small experience with soldering I've found that when cutting wires after soldering, instead of cutting the wire forcefully, you find a spot and squeeze very hard. Then you gently move the remaining wire back and forth until it breaks off. It doesn't seem to affect the joint but I do not know this for sure. What do you think?

  • @fyaq5130 Ph.D doesnt mean he is Ph.D at everything, it means he did research and developed something that is for a specific topic.. i.e: if he researched on electric motor and used some other kind of wire to wind it and that did work better.. that means he knows more about electric motor, not soldering ;)

  • @djay2rapstar yeah i ment that he should now how to solder properly frrom his past experiences, but yeah i understand what u mean. thanks :)

  • @fyaq5130 Is he old.. offcourse he is ;) ..Theres your answer!

  • @djay2rapstar yeah the mans in his 40's. :) he draws a few elecrical components differently(like resistors).

  • @fyaq5130 Come on think about it a new bond is made once it is soldered now if you clip it it might loosen that new connection. Doesn't take a PhD to understand that.

  • @fyaq5130 I don't see any benefit of cutting after you solder. And there's advantages in cutting first. I know which one I'd pick.

  • @fyaq5130 Just because someone has a degree in anything doesn't mean they are the god of that profession. If you cut it after soldering you run the risk of fractures and lifting the soldered piece off the board.

  • very good xx

  • I just soldered my first project: fixing the capacitors on my TV set. I had watched this before and it helped me greatly to get a handle on the 'whys' behind why you do it a certain way.

    TV works. :D I just hope it lasts now because I did have problems with one joint. I still got nice melt on all of them, no goop and no problems. Fingers crossed.

  • 3:10 "Now place the iron so that it can heat up both the component and the pad, and add a small amount of solder inbetween the tip and connection like so. This acts as a heat bridge to transfer heat more quickly to the connection."

    He said not to apply solder to the tip that you want to get into the joint. Here, the solder is applied to the tip to allow better heat transfer to the pad and component lead. Then you apply solder to a *different* spot on the pad/lead and it flows into place.

  • Just laughing and loving the beginning showing how NOT to solder. Perfectly illustrates why putting solder on the iron first fails. If only there was YouTube when I was a kid and learning to solder...

  • Great video! I've been soldering for quite some years now but still learned some tips and tricks from this one.

  • @perther3 Please pay attention... He applied solder to the lead, not the iron... again, please PAY attention!!

  • @perther3 nope - he applies the solder between the iron tip and connection.

  • "soldering without flux" what is this, back to the future?

  • i remember i was jokin around with soldering....dripped on me....FML

  • @boomy818 Yes one time when i was learning how to solder as a pre-teen i actually dropped a GIANT blob of solder nearly the size of a dime on my wrist. I had VERY important (rc car stuff hehe) on my lap and i couldnt get up to shake it off. I had to sit there and let a giant blob of solder burrow its way into my arm and then cool off on its own. After that, i peeled it out of my arm like a bottlecap....its been about 24 years now and damn...that memory still hangs with me.

  • @RamoneTalarico im 14 lol

  • @boomy818 haha well I hope it doesnt happen again =)

  • @RamoneTalarico it wont. i "mastered" it already

  • ha ha, so i have been doing it wrong all day!

  • use a larger tip and keep it clean, thats what she said

  • is this tim from brainpop??

  • I soldered for the first time today. I feel like I did ok...

    I burnt the tips of my bangs though... I had to lean way over to try and see :(

  • hy my soldering tip is oxidiced... can i do something to it or just buy a new tip ??

  • @kcinkcinkcinnick ... file it down a bit to expose bare metal, then tin it... good as new

  • This was the best video EVER!

  • Hi there, liked your video. Just one thing I would like to know, I have 20g flux that looks like shoe polish in a tin, but Im not sure how to use it, any tips please?

  • Good video and I agree with what he says, although I have been soldering for many years, and have often found that adding the solder to the iron first then carrying it to the part can be the only way to get a good joint, due to clearance reasons. If both parts are tinned prior to assembly, then it is still possible to achieve a good joint. He could also have explained that when applying solder to the iron, some of the tip material is dissolved into the solder and this also degrades the tip

  • Now I know why I've been fucking up so badly. I wasn't using flux. I understand now that prepping the surface with flux helps transfer heat faster and prevents oxidation on the surface so the solder that's on the iron can easily flow to the intended areas so you don't have to fight to get the solder on the joint.

    Gawd, I feel so dumb. Donated $1 to you guys, you earned it.

  • very interesting, my professor didnt mention all this. so it's good to kno. thanks for sharing

  • I watched. Then I attempted on my "training wheels" practice kit. I then watched and tried again. Now look at me, no training wheels; though still a bit wobbly.

    Thanks for the great video.

  • I need to solder a 10k resistor to a cut pin on my laptops PLL and to a ground point. So what does a ground point look like on a motherboard? is it a pad like this or does it have no hole.

  • soLder

  • What? Youtube must be psychic now.

    I WAS JUST GOING TO LOOK FOR THIS AND BAM, FRONT PAGE.

  • thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertese... top shelf.. we appreciate it..

  • Love it, dude. Still getting comments 4 years later. :D

  • As for dirty component leads, I use wet and dry and wipe with chamois leather. I also use chamois to wipe dirt build up from the bit. Technically, using an abrasive grit is not correct for solder work due to the possibility of inclusion in the joint. A flux clean is preferable for critical work.

    An alternative technique which involves bending the leads towards the board. The solder wire is applied to the junction of pad and wire and the bit is placed upon the solder. 1.5 seconds of heat

  • @TheBeebopper Most excellent, dude! Greater acuracy than the book references I used while at radio college.

  • Another tip: when done soldering, before putting away the iron, put a lot of tin on your soldering tip and switch it off. It prevents the tip from corrosion when not in use.

  • Get yourself proper chisel tip. Throw that "point" tip, which is supplied with most of the soldering irons, into garbage, unless you plan to do some tiny SMD stuff.

  • Am I the only one who felt awful while watching bad soldering at the begining?

  • @hampurilainenXXL i guess u are

  • Yes, definitely!

  • Really, REALLY, well done video! Thanks. Just bought a kit and thought I'd brush up on the basics before it gets here.

  • i was totally soldering the wrong way lolz :(

  • you need to help me. everytime i solder my led on it lights up but as soon as i remove the soldering iron the led doesnt light up anymore. im starting to think its the soldering itself thats not conductive enuf when dried. its 40%lead and 60% tin

  • One thing I've found that really helps me with small components is a magnifying glass stand - although i can see the joints without it, it really helps ensure the joint looks right more quickly so I can move onto the next. For a couple of pounds, it was money well spent!

  • 48 people don't speak English.

  • Nothin like a good bead of solder :)

  • this is the only video in my favorites!

  • Excellent video; time to do some soldering! :D

  • I wish i had seen this video before i tried to fix my intrument cluster from a

    04 trailblazer. Every thing works but i wonder now how long.

  • This is a really great video. Even at 240p resolution, the close-ups were detailled and you instructions were helpful even for someone with a faily good understanding of soldering. Thanks

  • WOW THANX HELPS ME ALLOT JUST GOT MY FIRST SODERING THING TODAY

  • you sir are a good teacher thank you for sharing your knowledge with us now i know what i was doing wrong god bless you..

  • Hey so this isn't really about soldering but I've always been told to use a 220 ohm resistor with an LED, even though it works (and is brighter) without one. Can anyone tell me why this is? Thanks

  • @XB429 this resistor is called a current limiting resistor. It is used to protect your LED from high current and keep it safe. refer to this link for more information led.linear1.org/why-do-i-need-­a-resistor-with-an-led/

  • Thank you for the great video. I think that I have a natural soldering talent LOL I soldered like a professional after my third or fourth attempt XD

  • Im quite new to this - & technically Im looking to solder two wires together - but regardless this still was all sorts of helpful to my basic (previously non-existent) understanding of soldering. Thanks much for putting it together!

  • Awesome video! Now I can have a go at installing new pickups in my guitar!

  • This video is awesome. Great job dude! Very well done.

  • Very informative, if a little fast.

    Do all Americans say "sarder" ?

  • @soundseeker63 We actually pronounce it more like sodder.

  • @soundseeker63 Yes they do

  • very helpful

  • Very Good video. I just have one question that was not covered in the video. What is the recommended watt range for a soldering iron for soldering components to PCB's? All I have is a 30 watt and didn't know if that was too much. Thanks.

  • @TheManFromAlaska Between 20 watt and 40 watt will be fine .. I use 20 watt iron to solder components and ICs

  • Thank you. Very informative video. Now i know what i was doing wrong.

  • very nice this is the real job

  • One of the best instructional videos. It moves at a fast pace for us tweekers who have no patience, but provides alot of details. Of course the person doing the soldering in the video is probably a five times world champion. The average joe who solders maybe once a year is still bound to oxidize the crap out of everything and make a cloud of toxic smoke while destroying the board, hehehe. i tried to donate but my paypal account is in limbo while paypal plays with my money for a few days.

  • Thanks for making this video. I'll need to solder the wiring for a guitar I'm building and I am fairly hamfisted at it. One thing you didn't mention was the wattage of the iron. How much wattage is enough? Too much? Too little? Thanks.

  • Best Because my Dad didn't under stand what I was saying on how to solder Thx

  • Very informative! Thank you!

  • This is the best I've found so far. I don't think you missed anything out, unlike the other videos I've seen

  • best how to-ever! thanks so much for explaining it in great detail and informative manner, now I know why my soldering didn't work so well.

    why can't 'expert village' do this?

  • thank you sooooooo much

  • Excellent video! This really helps me with my projects!

  • THANK YOU for making this video so concise! :o)

  • I thought it was sodder

  • You, sir, are awesome.

  • Very informative & straight to the point. Thanks for posting.

  • To find a good soldering iron that probably won't burn your house down, search ebay for wlc100 station (it's a Weller) around 45 bucks

    If you really don't care and just want the cheapest thing, search ebay for temperature soldering station (around 25 bucks)

    If you are a true geek, forget about soldering only stations and jump straight to combo solder station / hot air gun station.

  • I thought it was Solder not SODER?

  • @Ayrez7uk The pronunciation depends on where you live.

  • I've noticed different power levels for the irons. What wattage do you suggest for small electronic components like those in your video?

  • @funtasticjumps: Get an adjustable temperature soldering iron and then you only have to worry minimally about power levels. You will also ruin less parts by overheating them.

  • Is there anything else that may be lying around my house that I can use other than soldering wire? The nearest Home Depot is about 12 miles away :( What else can I use? I know it might not be the BEST way to fix my problem, but I need a quick solution. Any advice?

  • @Cisneros117: Advice: Always use the right tool for the job. Solder is solder. Very few things can substitute for it. You can find solder, irons, and other tools from ebay and avoid high prices from the home depot.

  • Very nice -- thanks!

  • @2001358056

    Thanks! I'll try that next time (if I remember).

  • Thank you this helped a lot!

  • Great vid ..... I had been carrying solder on the Iron "I'm an idiot" 

  • This video is the best soldering explanation on youtube. The only extra tip I could think of is that you can clean dirty connections with alcohol before you solder. Just don't do it near the iron and wait until everything dries before soldering it, obviously.

  • please put ads I want to support you the easy way

  • very good advice

  • This video was awesome good sir! ill consider myself halfway decent at soldering now thanks to you!

  • So what's the difference between solder and flux?!

  • Science that was coolall the tricks to help it bond

  • Excellent tutorial.

  • I like it. Great knowledge!!

  • Great video, when are you going to make circuit boards for spaceships

  • Great information! This video answers several questions that I have had!

  • Thanks much! I'm going to dig into a G5 power supply and motherboard now yay

  • Excellent video, great explanations

  • You sound like the guy from the Tim & Moby videos lol

  • Everything you need to know. Very helpful, thanks!

  • @sandundhammika dont knw the name of it but its called crocodile holders because they are shaped as crocodile mouth. you can buy it of ebay with a magnifing glass pretty cheap aswell

  • Best Tutorial ever, this teaches you everything and helps a lot as other basic soldering tips dont cover everything. thanks a ton

  • Top notch content. Need to replace caps on a Hanns-GHG281D and this came up very timely.

  • Okay, long story short, I'm been modding my Megadrive and my soldering iron broke, and I have been forced to tape down a dodgy board connection, and I have also been forced to blu-tack wire to a switch.

    I realise that it needs properly soldering, and I plan to get a new soldering iron asap, but does anyone know the worst that will happen?

  • Learned a lot. Thanks a ton man.

  • THANK'S I'LL LEARNED A LOT 2 THUMBS UP

  • that is a great tutorial. thank you. i understood everything

  • This is a great video, excellent visuals and very well explained. Love it!

  • wonderful......ditto

  • Great video, I wished my teacher had shown us this video would've my life easier!

  • finally a decent tutorial thats concisive, well explained and to the point. cheers

  • @bkkcheesepie

    To remove solder, you need either a solder removal tool or some braided solder wick. Both are available at Radio Shack and other electronics stores.

  • I went through pure HELL trying to solder a fuse back into my Super Nintendo. All I had was a soldering iron/gun and the solder wire. The solder kept forming into little balls and rolling off of the fuse, causing a LOT of problems. Plus I kept burning myself. Ouch! It was a lot harder than I had anticipated. The finished work looked like a clumped-up mess, but at least the fuse is soldered on.

  • @MrHossCartwright same!! how did you get to solder it ?

  • @johncarloLR

    I'm not exactly sure what you're asking?

  • This was everything I wanted to know. Thank you.