Forum Replies Created
-
Replies
-
If you’re going to buy a “naked” LED (or several), the brand doesn’t really matter. If treated and installed correctly, LEDs can last forever. You need to wire in an appropriate resistor however. The ohms and watts for that depend on the LED, but can easily be calculated when looking into the LED’s data sheet using Ohm’s Law.
Or you find something that fits your car and comes pre-made with all the parts 🙂
[quote=”Rereonehundred” post=148890]Did all these bad solder joints occur because they took the lead out of solder?[/quote]
Actually I think in this case it’s not lead-free solder. The joints look very shiny, as opposed to lead-free joints that usually look kind of dull / greyish. Plus the lead-free stuff became mandatory in 2006 (and this is a 1998 minivan, if I remember correctly).But otherwise I agree, that lead-free stuff isn’t the greatest thing under the sun. Better for the environment, but harder to work with.
Hey Eric, really nice soldering job! That’s exactly what a solder joint should look like. Nice and shiny, and without a big blob of tin 🙂
One suggestion: since you’ve gone through all the trouble to get to that circuit board, just re-solder the entire connector, not just the one pin that looks suspicious. From my experience, those cracks can be virtually invisible, yet still cause trouble. It certainly increases the chances of hitting the right one, and it takes very little extra time.
Dry solder joints often like to form at points of mechanical stress, i.e. where some large/heavy part connects to something else and some sort of movement is involved. Connectors are often prone to this because the board moves/vibrates, even if just by a tiny amount. What I would to is re-soldering all connectors plus large components, especially those that sit on a heat sink (didn’t see any of those here, so just a general FYI).
(yes, I’m a bit picky when it comes to soldering, probably because I’ve been an electronics service tech for 10+ years and I’ve seen some really weird things happening because of dry joints 😉 )
Around 9 years ago, I bumped into a taxi driving (or rather braking) in front of me because I was adjusting the volume on my stereo. Just a few seconds during which my eyes were not on the road were enough. Fortunately, nobody was injured.
I’ve tried to make it a habit since to always focus on the road and not let myself be distracted by anything. However, a few days ago I was driving down the highway with my spouse and (again) found myself adjusting something on the car’s stereo (which also includes controls for other stuff on board like the dashboard lighting level). She interrupted me, saying “let me do that, you focus on driving”. Needles to say, she was absolutely right. It is always very tempting to “just quickly adjust something”, even more so since I consider myself a rather experienced driver (600000+ miles so far). But I really need to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes on the road and not let my (would-be) experience blind me. A few seconds are enough.
Around 9 years ago, I bumped into a taxi driving (or rather braking) in front of me because I was adjusting the volume on my stereo. Just a few seconds during which my eyes were not on the road were enough. Fortunately, nobody was injured.
I’ve tried to make it a habit since to always focus on the road and not let myself be distracted by anything. However, a few days ago I was driving down the highway with my spouse and (again) found myself adjusting something on the car’s stereo (which also includes controls for other stuff on board like the dashboard lighting level). She interrupted me, saying “let me do that, you focus on driving”. Needles to say, she was absolutely right. It is always very tempting to “just quickly adjust something”, even more so since I consider myself a rather experienced driver (600000+ miles so far). But I really need to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes on the road and not let my (would-be) experience blind me. A few seconds are enough.
Very good video! Thank you for that. In my opinion, it applies to all kinds of diagnostics, for instance in IT (now guess what I do for a living ;)).
Watching the video actually made me think of Sherlock Holmes. He put it like this: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.“
Very good video! Thank you for that. In my opinion, it applies to all kinds of diagnostics, for instance in IT (now guess what I do for a living ;)).
Watching the video actually made me think of Sherlock Holmes. He put it like this: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.“
Hi Eric,
I really like this video and especially your self-made wireholder. Next time I’m going to solder some wires, I’ll build one of those first. It really saves a lot of hassle.
Some thoughts that crossed my mind during watching:
- Try using a wider tip for this kind of job. I usually use one that is around 3-4mm wide (looks like a flat-head screwdriver). That increases the contact surface and transfers the heat a lot faster. The insulation might even melt less this way. That isn’t really critical because the shrink tube covers it anyway, but I usually like to leave the insulation as intact as possible. Also, when soldering close to connectors, there’s less risk of melting any plastic.
- When applying the solder, try to hold it between the tip and the joint (not only onto the strands), without pushing the two apart. When the solder touches the tip, it’ll melt instantly and provide an additional contact surface, thus allowing for even better heat transfer. It should also be “sucked” into the wire strands instantly.
- Regarding using flux paste here (for soldering wires or electronics, that is): yes, it’s like magic and actually makes soldering easier, but the paste might have a corrosive effect over time. At least that’s what I’ve been taught during training, I never wanted to test that myself. I always rely on the flux that is already in the soldering tin (as in your case, because it says “electronics”). If those other tricks work for you, you might not even need the paste anymore.
Just a few ideas, maybe you find them helpful. Thank you very much for doing what you’re doing (and for reading through all my rambling 🙂 )
Hi Eric,
I really like this video and especially your self-made wireholder. Next time I’m going to solder some wires, I’ll build one of those first. It really saves a lot of hassle.
Some thoughts that crossed my mind during watching:
- Try using a wider tip for this kind of job. I usually use one that is around 3-4mm wide (looks like a flat-head screwdriver). That increases the contact surface and transfers the heat a lot faster. The insulation might even melt less this way. That isn’t really critical because the shrink tube covers it anyway, but I usually like to leave the insulation as intact as possible. Also, when soldering close to connectors, there’s less risk of melting any plastic.
- When applying the solder, try to hold it between the tip and the joint (not only onto the strands), without pushing the two apart. When the solder touches the tip, it’ll melt instantly and provide an additional contact surface, thus allowing for even better heat transfer. It should also be “sucked” into the wire strands instantly.
- Regarding using flux paste here (for soldering wires or electronics, that is): yes, it’s like magic and actually makes soldering easier, but the paste might have a corrosive effect over time. At least that’s what I’ve been taught during training, I never wanted to test that myself. I always rely on the flux that is already in the soldering tin (as in your case, because it says “electronics”). If those other tricks work for you, you might not even need the paste anymore.
Just a few ideas, maybe you find them helpful. Thank you very much for doing what you’re doing (and for reading through all my rambling 🙂 )