News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Restoring A Set Of Headphones

Started by 19and41, September 25, 2019, 09:18:14 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

19and41

Much of the equipment I work on these days is assembled with high tin alloy solder.  it makes little difference on most surface mount components, but with the components that gets "hands on" treatment, their mechanical strength in their bond is woefully lacking.  I have to use the old lead containing solder to get a lasting repair.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

countryman

seems like tin/lead alloy solder with or without flux core is available from china via eBay...
I have old stock and it works like it did when I bought it ;-)

19and41

H ere is one of the repairs I have had to make many times.  It is the replacement of the antenna connector on the portable's main board.  The first photo shows where the old connector was torn off.  The second shows the preparation removing the board coating and the third showing the area after tinning and cleaning. The next shows the new connector soldered in place from the side and the fifth, from the rear.  The last shows the connector next to a 1 cent piece for size.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

Key2871

Mine is flux core as well. The new stuff I've seen is either way, but no lead, which is a bit harder to flow. I've used the new non bP solder and I don't like it newly as well as the older solder. Much harder to work with.
KEN

andre_janew

One thing I know about solder is that the more tin you have, the lower the melting point.  Lead tends to raise the melting point of the solder.

Key2871

I used to use Weller pencils, but they just didn't get hot enough. So I went with a better adjustable setup. And compared to wellers lousy tips that would melt faster than the solder, this new set up doesn't go through tips, at all.
And it was only $45. I spent that in tips alone before I put the tips in my drill and reground the tip on a belt sander.
So the money spent was well spent. I even got an extra pencil and tips just in case. So having the right iron to start with is a big thing to consider if your doing a lot of electronic work.
KEN

twocvbloke

Quote from: andre_janew on September 28, 2019, 07:15:02 PM
One thing I know about solder is that the more tin you have, the lower the melting point.  Lead tends to raise the melting point of the solder.

The current generation of lead-free stuff requires a higher temperature (not to mention a more noxious flux), so needs more delicacy when it comes to soldering onto PCB traces, hang about too long with the iron and you risk lifting them and damaging the board... :(

(not to mention the early iterations of lead-free in manufacturing resulted in a lot of premature failures of electronics due to tin whiskers growing between solder joints and shorting things out, creating a much higher volume of e-waste than predicted!)

19and41

I found a Weller WP-25 pencil iron at a microwave station on the Utah test and training range in 1983.  I use it at the bench at home, along with a lower power Weller gun and a high power commercial.  I do soldering with older radios and have to be able to solder to the metal chassis.  The high power gun does that very handily.   I've just got a solder extraction station this summer.  I was going to try it out in the 4th of July weekend, but the a/c messing up put a kink in getting going with it.  I want to use it on my solid state console in it's capacitor replacement.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

FABphones

Quote from: 19and41 on September 28, 2019, 10:10:41 PM
I found a Weller WP-25 pencil iron...

...I use it at the bench at home, along with a lower power Weller gun and a high power commercial....

...The high power gun does that very handily....

...I've just got a solder extraction station this summer....

Sounds good. I'd like to see your bench setup and the kit above. Could you add photos?

:)
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

andre_janew

I guess solder has changed over the years.  I remember it as being a mixture of tin and lead.  The more tin in the mixture, the lower the melting point.  Also, more tin meant a higher price.  More lead meant a lower price.

19and41

Quote from: FABphones on September 29, 2019, 03:36:16 AM
Sounds good. I'd like to see your bench setup and the kit above. Could you add photos?

:)

It'll be a while before I get it set up, as I have a few other vital projects on my plate. 
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

twocvbloke

Quote from: andre_janew on September 29, 2019, 05:03:27 PM
I guess solder has changed over the years.  I remember it as being a mixture of tin and lead.

The majority of solder used by people who actually care about their end-product working still use tin-lead (as bigclivedotcom on youtube calls it, Juicy lead-based solder), usually 60-40 or 63-37 Tin-Lead ratio, as the more tin the less reliable the solder joints, especially in situations where there is vibration and movement that can put stress on a solder joint... :)