If those who already know how to solder correctly got to this page, then the information is unlikely to be useful to you, this is a manual for beginners.

Radio electronics for beginners begins with soldering. This is an axiom. Learning how to solder is quite simple, as in any business, it takes practice. If the soldering kit is ready, then it's time to start preparing the tool.

Sharpening the tip of the soldering iron.

Before soldering, it is necessary to prepare a new soldering iron for work, or rather, sharpen the tip to a certain shape and cover it with a thin layer of solder.

The sting must be sharpened with a file at an angle of 30-40 degrees, so that a wedge is obtained. The sharp edge of the tip should be blunted to form a flat edge about 1mm wide. Usually, in new soldering irons, the tip is already sharpened with a wedge, but it is covered with a layer of patina - a greenish oxide of copper and oxygen. This oxide must be removed with a metal file or fine-grained sandpaper.

In addition to the "classic" wedge-shaped tip, you can give another one, it all depends on what you will be soldering. For soldering small parts, you can make it shaped like an elongated cone with an edge width of 2 - 3 mm. Or make a cut in the edge so that you can solder SMD resistors with one touch.

Immediately after the tip is sharpened, you need to install it in a soldering iron and tin it. If this is not done, the copper surface of the tip will oxidize in the air and will have to be sharpened again!

We tin the tip of the soldering iron.

Next, you need to tin the tip, that is, cover it with a thin layer of solder. To do this, turn on the electric soldering iron in the network and wait for the copper rod to warm up to certain temperature. When the sting warms up, it will become noticeable by the reddish tint, the copper will turn a reddish-orange color. It is not worth delaying the warm-up, otherwise the sting will burn. As soon as the sting acquires a slightly reddish tint, it must be leaned against lump rosin or resin.

This will produce a lot of smoke. We cover the entire sting with molten rosin. Next, melt a small piece of solder so that it evenly spreads over the surface. You can rub the sting on a wooden board, so the solder is better distributed over the copper surface.

The copper tip should be covered with an even layer of solder. If there are areas uncoated with solder on the surface, it is better to repeat the process again.

This is how the soldering iron is prepared for work. As necessary, the process will need to be repeated, but this is often not necessary at all.

I wrote everything in sufficient detail to make it as easy as possible for beginners.

Soldering iron maintenance.

Like any other tool, a soldering iron requires maintenance. From time to time, the tip of the soldering iron burns out, potholes and bumps appear on it. Burnout is eliminated by sharpening the sting and its tinning. You should also pay attention to the fact that with prolonged use, the rod becomes covered with scale, which prevents rapid heating.

Why does a soldering iron tip burn out? The fact is that when heated, the copper partially dissolves in the solder, and the edge of the tip itself is exposed, albeit small, but mechanical impact. It is also worth understanding that when the soldering iron is not used, the tip gets very hot and this contributes to the oxidation of copper. Therefore, when idle, it is recommended to either turn off the soldering iron or reduce the temperature. A conventional electric soldering iron of the EPSN type does not have temperature adjustment, so it is better to turn it off when idle.

The scale is removed as follows.

Pliers pull out the copper rod from the soldering iron. Remove scale from the rod with a fine-grained sandpaper. It is possible to coat the lead with a small layer of graphite by rubbing it against the lead of an ordinary pencil. This will prevent rapid scale formation in the future. By lightly tapping on the heating element of the soldering iron, the scale is removed from heating element where the copper rod was installed. Install the copper rod in its original place.

The condition of the insulation of the electric soldering iron should be checked from time to time. To do this, measure the resistance between the mains plug of the soldering iron and the tip. I already talked about how to measure resistance. On the ohmmeter, you should set the megaohm measurement limit (1 - 10 MΩ). Remember that you cannot touch the metal probes of the multimeter with your hands when measuring resistance. Otherwise, the instrument will show the total resistance of your body and the circuit being measured. The device should show an infinitely large resistance. This will be evidence of good insulation between the soldering iron tip and the electrical network.

For those who have already got a soldering station, replaceable stings 900M made of copper are suitable. They also require preparation before work.

A soldering iron is considered one of the most common tools that can be found in the home of any owner. It is not necessary to be a specialist and solder professionally. But every representative of the stronger sex should have general fundamental knowledge. Breaks in wires in electrical appliances, contacts in sockets, headphones, repairing circuit boards are frequent phenomena, faced with which a person wants to learn how to learn how to solder.

What is a soldering iron?

This is a special heat-emitting device with a power of 15 to 40 W, sufficient for soldering wires, boards and microcircuits. There are soldering irons, the power of which is higher. They are intended for light soldering - for soldering badly connected wires of thick diameter or for soldering XLR connectors. The function of the heating element in soldering irons is performed by a nichrome wire, which is wound on a tube containing a "sting" - the working surface of the device. The sting is a copper rod that is heated from

Copper is used in the soldering iron device, since this metal has a high thermal conductivity. The heat supply to the wire is due to electric current. The soldering iron device contains an insulator, which is mica. For safety reasons, it prevents wires from coming into contact with metal tube and soldering iron cover.

Which soldering iron to choose?

Learning how to solder correctly is easy, but with a well-chosen tool. Among great variety of these devices, an amateur master who decides to repair office equipment should choose an acoustic soldering iron, which is small in size and has good performance. It has a low heat capacity, which is desirable for fine soldering work in chip assembly. It is better for a novice master to opt for a device whose power does not exceed 40 watts. It is important that the soldering iron is also not weaker than 15 W, since the power in such a product will not be enough even to connect simple office equipment wires. It is preferable to buy a tool with a three-way grounding plug. Its presence will prevent possible voltage dissipation during the movement of electric current to the metal tube.

An industrial soldering iron is suitable for performing work on connecting calibration wires, chassis and stained glass work.

Which sting is better?

The working parts of soldering irons, depending on the size, are of two types:

• ordinary, the diameter of which is 0.5 cm;
• miniature with a diameter of 0.2 cm, used for soldering very thin wires and copper parts.

The working parts of soldering irons can be in the form of a needle, cone and spatula. The latter form is the most common, as it makes it possible to scoop required amount solder. In addition, for the convenience of soldering, the tip can be straight or curved.

What is the principle of soldering?

The soldering procedure consists in joining two metal elements using a third (solder). In this case, the melting point of the parts to be joined must be higher than that of the third element, which, in the molten state, penetrates into the gaps of the parts to be joined, as well as into their structure, providing mechanical connection. At the same time, an electrical contact is observed between the connected parts.

What do you need to work?

The soldering procedure is not difficult. The question of how to learn to solder from scratch is easily solved. To do this, it is enough to have necessary material and, following the instructions, start training.

Where to learn to solder?

You can train at home by soldering conventional electrical wires. The main thing is to follow the safety instructions.

At work you may need:

• a soldering iron (according to professionals, a tool with a power of 20-40 W will be enough to work with small wires in electronics and radio engineering);
• pliers;
• scissors;
• a set of needle files;
• sandpaper;
• insulating tape;
• rosin;
• solder.

The question "how to learn to solder" will be resolved after a few trainings. The beginner will gain confidence and experience. Can help him with this. step-by-step instruction for soldering.

Where to begin?

• Sting preparation. To do this, using pliers and needle files, you need to clean the working part of the soldering iron. The sting should have an angle of 30-45 degrees. In the event that the tip is damaged, it must be sharpened again, giving necessary form. After that, the tip is tinned - the heated soldering iron should be dipped first in rosin, and then in solder.
• For safety reasons, it is necessary to prepare a lining under the soldering iron. This is due to the fact that the device is heated to a temperature of more than 300 degrees and operates under high electric voltage. It is important during the operation of the soldering iron to optimize its workplace. It is desirable that a piece of textolite or plywood be used as a lining. Special trays for solder and rosin are also needed.
• Cleaning the surfaces of the joined metals under the solder. To do this, you need a solvent or soldering acid. It is important that the surfaces to be soldered be free of oil, grease and other contaminants.

Sequence of work

How to learn how to solder correctly, it will become clear if you follow the step-by-step instructions. Necessary:

• Install the soldering iron on the stand and plug it into the mains.
• Dip in rosin. This is done 5-7 minutes after connecting to the outlet. The purpose of this procedure is to check the heating temperature of the tip and get rid of scale. The soldering iron is considered ready for use if the rosin boils and melts. If it only softens, then the sting is not heated enough. When the soldering iron overheats, the rosin hisses and splatters. In this case, the device needs to cool down a bit.
• Treat surfaces with tin. Molten solder covers the joints of metal products.
• Press the tinned surfaces together. In places where they are combined with a soldering iron, apply new portion solder. The parts to be joined must be pressed until the solder has cooled and hardened.

Solder use

Successful soldering is possible with the skillful selection of the necessary solder - an alloy of tin and lead. The most common solder is POS-40 and POS-60. They are characterized by a low melting point (183 degrees) and are used in most soldering work to connect steel elements. This standard solder is in the form of a wire with a diameter of 2.5 mm, which is very convenient for working with microcircuits.

For soldering aluminum parts, it is advisable to purchase a special aluminum solder. During operation, it is important to remember that, when heated, tin-lead compounds emit gases that are very harmful to humans. Therefore, it is recommended to work with them in a well-ventilated area using special respirators, gloves and goggles.

How to learn to solder wires?

So, the sequence of work is standard for all. The connected ends of the wires are tinned. But for reliable fastening, it is recommended to tightly twist them together. During the procedure, the tip of the soldering iron is directed with one hand to the joints, and with the other hand, solder wire is brought to this place.

In some cases, twisting the wires is not possible. Then the ends of the wires to be connected must be laid parallel to each other and squeezed with pliers. The work is done with one hand, the second - directs the tip of the soldering iron with solder to the junction. Holding the ends of the wire must be done after the soldering iron tip is removed from the soldering area.

Sometimes there is a need to connect the end of one wire to the middle of another. Twisting in this case is done by wrapping the end of the wire around the other to which it is attached.

It must be remembered that butt soldering wires is not possible, since its reliability depends on the strength of the mechanical connection.

The question of how to learn how to solder wires is one of the most relevant among Internet users. Having mastered the technique of splicing and soldering, the craftsmen get the opportunity to independently, without the help of specialists, perform a number of the following tasks:

• seamless heating equipment;
• cord extension for electric guitar;
• connecting the usb cable to the antenna, etc.

What is heat shrink?

When splicing wires, professionals recommend using special ones. Their diameter must be twice as large as that of the wire. The tube is put on one end of the wire. After its mechanical coupling with another wire and soldering, the heat shrink is dragged to the place of their connection. It should be positioned so that 1 cm remains at each end of the seam. After that, soldering is performed again. The heat shrink should evenly cover and heat the wire connection. As a result of exposure to the tube high temperatures it is soldered, providing reliable insulation in the joint area, as well as the strength of mechanical adhesion.

How to learn to solder boards?

Before embarking on complex soldering, for example, working with diode strips, experts recommend that novice craftsmen get inexpensive budget boards. Having trained on them and having mastered the standard soldering techniques, after a while the beginner will learn how to solder microcircuits.

This type of soldering consists of successive steps:

• Preparatory. Before starting work, you need to ensure a strong connection and lower the resistance. To this end, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned of grease and dust. For degreasing, you can use napkins and soapy water. Acetone is used when you need to polish the surface of the circuit to a shine. Methyl hydrate is recommended as a safer solvent. It is just as effective as acetone, but has a less pungent odor.
• Placement of soldered parts of the board. Before you learn how to solder a circuit, you need to know the location of all its elements. In the very first place, flat parts are subject to soldering. This is a resistor and a varistor. Then proceed to the capacitor, transistor, transformer, microphone and potentiometer. This sequence guarantees the safety of board elements that are sensitive to temperature effects.
• Heating the joint to improve the thermal conductivity of the metal. The tip of the soldering iron must be leaned against the components of the circuit for a few seconds. It is important to prevent it from overheating. Bubbles appearing on the surface will testify to it. In this case, the soldering iron must be removed from the soldering area.
• Solder application. It is carried out until a slight elevation appears on the diagram.
• Removal of surplus. It is carried out after hardening and cooling of the solder. It is recommended not to rush, but to allow the circuit to cool down for a while. This is important, because you can break the connections made, and the work will have to be done again.

Every man should learn how to solder circuits. This will make it possible to repair plugs, modems, etc. with your own hands.

Soldering as a process is not limited to working with copper wires and microchips. Having mastered the ability to use a soldering iron on wires, you can proceed to the next, more complex operations using various solders and various metals.

Soldering is called physical and chemical process the formation of a connection between parts when the solder interacts with the metal to be soldered. Unlike welding, the working surfaces are not melted, but they are wetted with solder.

What does a simple soldering iron look like?

An indispensable condition for the implementation of the soldering process is the melting of the solder and wetting the surface of the working tool with it. Over time, the soldering iron tip turns black and stops working. Therefore, it is necessary to know the way to restore it - how to properly tin the soldering iron tip. The photo below shows the oxidized surface of the tool and covered with solder.

Soldering iron tip surface: 1) oxidized tool surface; 2) solder coated - tin plated

In the first case, you should not even try to solder, since oxides prevent the solder from holding on to the surface of the tip.

The soldering iron will be ready for use only when its tip is covered with a layer of molten material with a lower melting point than the metals being joined.

Soldering materials

For soldering, solder is used - a material used to connect metal surfaces and having more low temperature melting than the materials of the parts to be joined.

Solder consists of different alloys, which can include tin, lead, copper, nickel and cadmium. It is produced mainly in the form of rods and wire.

Soldering is necessary to create a connection, reduce contact resistance electrical contact and protection of the connection of parts from oxidation.

The solder must have the property of wetting the substrate. In this case, it diffuses into the base metal, and it dissolves in the solder, forming an intermediate layer, which, after solidification, connects the parts as a whole.

For soldering irons, soft solders with a melting point of 191 0 C to 280 0 C are used. Their main components are tin and lead in different proportions.

It is necessary to remove oxides from the surface of the joined metals for soldering. This is what fluxes are for. In addition, they contribute to a better spreading of the solder and protect the surfaces from the action of the external environment.

Flux is used in solid, liquid and paste form. It can be inside the solder tube.

As a flux are used:

• rosin;
• acetylsalicylic acid;
• orthophosphoric acid;
• salt;
• glycerol;
• ammonia.

Common fluxes for soldering in solid, liquid and paste form

Fluxes should provide low leakage current and be non-corrosive.

Soldering principle and process

Soldering is done by capturing solder and flux with a soldering iron tip, introducing them between the parts to be joined and further heating the contacting surfaces until they are wetted with solder, which subsequently solidifies, forming a joint. To do this, stop heating.

Soldering iron sharpening

The tip of the soldering iron before work is sharpened with a file at an angle of 30-40 0. The edge is made slightly blunt, 1 mm wide.

If the tip is new, it is already sharpened. Here it remains only to process the sting with a fine-grained sandpaper, file or file to remove the patina - greenish copper oxide.

Shop sharpening does not suit many, since it is not always possible to solder with it. Therefore, it is advisable to remove the copper tip from the body and forge the working part in the form of a concave blade.

Such cold working is more effective than sharpening, since the metal structure is compacted, and the sting is less susceptible to corrosion. A little sanding with a file at the final stage is necessary to give the working part of the soldering iron a finished look.

How to make a sting?

After sharpening, the tip should be irradiated with a thin layer of solder. To do this, an electric soldering iron is turned on, and the copper rod warms up until it takes on a reddish-orange hue.

You do not need to wait long, otherwise the rod will burn. After warming up, the entire tip is immersed in rosin, and then a piece of solder is melted and the entire working surface is covered with it.

If you rub the sting against the surface of the wood, the solder covers better working area soldering iron.

The layer of solder on the tip should be uniform. If the surface is partially covered, the process is repeated. As soon as the soldering iron is ready to work, it can be used for soldering products.

How to tin a fireproof sting?

The working part of some soldering irons is covered with a special protective composition. The layer is thin enough that it cannot be scraped off. For this, a special sponge is used. If it is not available, a regular piece of cloth moistened with water or glycerin will do. You can use a sponge designed for washing dishes.

Special sting cleaners are produced in the form of a ball of non-ferrous metal shavings, into which the sting is immersed. In this case, the oxides remain inside. They can then be thrown outside.

Mechanical influences reduce the service life of the protective layer. When soldering, it is not recommended to shuffle the board or knock on metal surfaces.

The non-burning layer oxidizes rather quickly. To increase its service life, it is recommended to maintain the soldering temperature no higher than 250 0 С.

The temperature is considered normal when smoke comes from rosin in a thin stream, and not a cloud with splashes. In this case, the soldering is obtained with clear boundaries and a characteristic luster. If the surface of the solder is dull and with low mechanical strength, the heating temperature should be increased.

To irradiate the tip of a coated soldering iron, you need to put a piece of solder into the molten rosin. The soldering iron warms up and you need to shuffle the end of it on a wet cloth, removing oxides from all sides. Then the tip is lowered into the rosin under a piece of solder. In this case, the remains of oxides are removed, and the solder melts and partially remains on the sting.

After tinning, the tip is again wiped with a cloth and the soldering iron is ready to work. It is important not to overheat it above 300 0 C, otherwise everything will have to be repeated all over again.

Overheating is visible by boiling and splashing of rosin when lowering the tip of the soldering iron into it.

A set of replaceable non-flammable tips used on a soldering station

A standard “needle” type tip has a low thermal conductivity, and it is convenient to solder only miniature elements with it. Soldering radio components with it is quite difficult.

More convenient are stings of the "cylinder with a bevel" type. For soldering in a set, it is advisable to have 3 tips of this type, with a diameter of 1, 2 and 3 mm.

The 5mm knife tip has decent power and can be used to solder both thin parts and massive ones if you turn the knife correctly. Similarly, you can use the classic wedge-shaped tip.

Soldering iron overheating

In the absence of a voltage regulator, the soldering iron can heat up above 300 0 C, which leads to its burning. If it is not possible to measure the temperature of the sting, overheating can be noticed by boiling and splashing rosin.

You can reduce the temperature of the soldering iron using a power regulator - a dimmer. Here you can pick up a conventional incandescent lamp brightness control device. It is important that it is suitable for power.

You can assemble a thyristor regulator on the Kr1182PM2 chip with your own hands, which allows you to control devices with a power of up to 150 watts.

A microchip-based power regulator that you can assemble with your own hands

The HL1 lamp is shown as a load. Instead, you can connect a soldering iron, which is an active load. Power is regulated by a variable resistor R1.

The dimmers provide smooth switching on and off of the load. For a soldering iron, this is not required and you can get by with a simpler device.

Scheme of a simple thyristor regulator

The positive half-cycle is not controlled and passes through the diode VD1. Regulation is carried out only through a negative half-cycle by controlling the thyristor VD2 using a variable resistor R2. For a soldering iron, this is quite enough.

Miniature control devices are built into the handle of the soldering iron. The best ways maintaining optimum temperature Soldering is used in soldering stations, where the mode can be manual or automatic.

Common soldering station "Weller"

For home network with a stable supply voltage is enough manual control heating, depending on the brand of solder.

Soldering iron wear is uneven. When burned out, irregularities appear on the surface of the sting. From time to time it needs to be sharpened and tinned.

When heated, copper dissolves in the solder, and prolonged heating without use leads to the formation of a layer of oxides. Therefore, it is recommended to turn off the soldering iron during pauses or reduce its temperature.

Fixing the soldering iron tip

The presence of a removable sting allows you to remove and sharpen it. But in many designs, its additional fixation is required, since the rod begins to dangle and fall out. It has a metal sleeve that is put on top. If it is constantly removed when replacing the sting, the strength of the connection will decrease. You can leave the sleeve in place, but over time it will jam and it will be difficult to remove the sting.

To create a reliable connection between the body of the soldering iron and the tip, the sleeve is replaced with another one so that it can be easily put on. Then a hole is drilled in it and an M3 or M4 thread is cut. After the sleeve is put on the sting, a screw is screwed into it, creating reliable connection and preventing turning of the sting. The figure below shows a disassembled (a) and assembled (b) soldering iron, where a regular nut is used as a sleeve.

What does the attachment of a replaceable soldering iron tip look like?

A removable tip is necessary for the soldering iron in order to regulate its temperature. If you insert it into the heater at different depths, the temperature of the working part will change.

Periodically, descaling of the joint is required. When it accumulates, it decreases working temperature soldering iron. Cleaning is done as follows:

• remove the copper rod with pliers from the soldering iron;
• remove scale with an emery cloth;
• apply a layer of graphite to the rod by rubbing a pencil lead against it;
• remove the remaining scale from the opening of the heating element by lightly tapping it;
• install a new or return the old copper rod and fix it with a sleeve with a screw.

The insulation of the soldering iron should be checked periodically. To do this, the ohmmeter is set to the megaohm limit (1-10 mOhm) and the resistance between the tip and the pins of the soldering iron plug is measured, which should be infinitely large.

Soldering lessons. Video

The basics of soldering for beginners are collected in this video.

The soldering iron burns out over time during operation. His sting must be periodically sharpened and tinned. With non-flammable coating working surface cleaned with special chemicals, after which it also luditsya. During operation, it is important that the soldering iron does not overheat.

Learn to Solder- The basics of soldering for dummies.

This article was written to help those who do not know how to solder at all, who have never picked up a soldering iron, in a word, for those who need to learn how to solder correctly.

I suggest you start right away with practice. In addition to desire, patience and direct hands, we need the following:

The soldering iron. Soldering irons are different, first of all, let's pay attention to its power. 3-10W are intended for desoldering super-duper small microcircuits, 20-40W are considered household and amateur radio, 60-100W subjects are bought by car service employees for desoldering thick wires, and 100-250 are used for soldering pots, radiators and other bulky trash.

What do modders need to solder? Thin wires, resistors, LEDs and other trifles, so we get a 25 watt soldering iron. Ask why not more? It's simple, all radio components do not like overheating, and fail from it. That's it, don't overdo it.

Stand for soldering iron. The included soldering iron heats up to 300 degrees. It must be put somewhere, take care of the word. We put the included soldering iron on a stand, to our right, on the edge of the table. We follow safety rules, control its network wires and warn others.

Solder. Solder is an alloy of tin, lead, cadmium and other low-melting metals. There are many types of solders. There are very fusible, 65-70 degrees Celsius, there are, on the contrary, refractory - they are not afraid of even 1000. Radio amateurs use the POS-61 brand, and we buy it. I recommend purchasing in the form of a wire, as thick as a match - it is more convenient to solder.

Flux. Flux is a kind of binder, degreaser and anti-oxidation substance that helps the solder stick to the soldering point, you cannot do without it. There are many types of them too. For different metals, different solders and different technologies. Radio amateurs use the LTI-120 brand or an alcohol solution of rosin, ordinary rosin, at worst. Making your own flux is very easy. We fill the vial halfway with alcohol, pour crushed rosin, shake until completely dissolved.

Also, I recommend buying some kind of active flux. It is often useful, for example, for soldering the chrome pins of some switches and connectors. In extreme cases, a stubborn contact can be soldered with a regular aspirin tablet. It stinks, but it does solder.

We also need a small piece of thin plywood, hardboard or plex, so as not to spoil the table.

Instruments. Small wire cutters - for wires, parts conclusions and stripping, a file - for stripping the soldering iron tip, tweezers - so that your fingers do not burn and a medical scalpel.

Devices. I highly recommend buying a digital tester. Always useful thing in the economy. And measure the voltage, and the resistance ..., and it costs a penny.