Soldering

index
air mike
amplify your toy
box your toy
circuit sniffing
clock tickling
contact mike
electret mike
hack the clock
laying and hacking
laying of hands
light theremin
make a cable
pickup
piezo driver
resistors
soldering
sudomini
synthesis
tape head

"Repeat the process until perfect."

You will need:

• soldering iron with fine tip;
• small damp sponge or paper towel;
• rosin-core solder;
• diagonal wire cutters;
• wire strippers;
• light guage insulated wire;

Plug in iron and wait for it to heat up. Tip of iron must be smooth and clean enough so that the solder flows evenly, leaving a shiny silver coating.

Strip about 1/2" of insulation from the ends of the two pieces of wire. Avoid nicking the wire. If the wire is stranded, twist the strands. Hold the wires so they are firm. 'Tin' the wires. Melt a small blob of solder on the tip of the iron. Hold this blob against one of the wires. Hold the tip of the solder roll against the wire, not the iron. After 2-5 seconds the wire should be hot enough so that the solder will melt, flowing around the wire to coat it evenly in a smooth layer; if not, apply a small amount more solder and try again.

Remove iron from wire. Solder should cool to a smooth shiny silver; if it's rough and grey it wasn't hot enough.

Twist wires around one another like strands in a rope. Apply a small blob to iron and use blob to conduct hear to bundled wires. After a few seconds the tinned solder should re-melt and flow together. Make sure any solder added flows and redistributes itself freely. Hold without wiggling while the joint cools.

Apply heat for a minimum amount of time to avoid damaging components.

Repeat process until perfect.