Make: Volume 87

120

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SKILL BUILDER: Soldering Habits

in Figure

D

shows the result: The wire drained

so much heat, the temperature plummeted by

60°. The switching power supply inside the iron

eventually restored the correct temperature,

but thermostatic irons may be as guilty as

cheap stereo systems when it comes to making

exaggerated claims for wattage.

To solder heavy wiring, such as you might use

for amp-hungry 12VDC motors in a large robot,

I still prefer an old “dinosaur iron” such as the

one shown in Figure

E

. Its combination of heat

and weight can be described as thermal mass,

and the red curve in Figure D shows how well

this thermal ...