Designing Embedded Hardware, 2nd Edition

Soldering

Soldering is very easy to do well, and very easy to do badly. The basic skills are simple to learn. Becoming a wizard with the soldering iron is not hard to achieve.

Warning

Safety First

The most important thing to note about solder is that it contains lead. Therefore, all soldering should be done in a well-ventilated work area, and avoid breathing the fumes! After soldering, wash your hands, especially before eating!

Solder can splatter, so always wear protective eyewear and clothes.

Solder is a metal alloy with a relatively low melting point. It is used to bond components to circuit boards and forms a conductive join. Solder is available as either strand solder (like a spool of wire) or solder paste (out of a syringe). There are two basic categories of soldering tool: the standard soldering iron and the rework station . Weller (http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/weller) and Hakko (http://www.hakko.com) both make excellent soldering tools. Weller has kindly supplied photographs of some of its products so you may see examples of each type of tool.

A soldering iron (Figure 6-6) is used with strand solder to mount through-hole components. Note the sponge used for cleaning the iron's tip. The sponge should be kept very wet at all times, and the iron's tip should be wiped regularly. (Don't squeeze out the sponge as you would a dishcloth. It needs to be really wet, although not drenched.)

Figure 6-6. Weller WES51 soldering iron (reproduced with permission)

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