More noob questions

[jfrey]

So I finished the pedal. Worked perfect. Decided to add a starve. That didn't work but the pedal still worked fine. Messed around with that a bit, still didn't work. Removed the starve and put everything back how it was. This time when I turned it on one of the sets of diodes was dead (no sound when they were turned on) So I replaced them. Worked fine except for one thing, now whejn you turn the gain past 90% you get radio coming in really loud when there was none before. What happened?

[eatyourguitar]

you broke a connection when moving it around or you have a cold solder joint. you need to check all your connections first by looking at them, then by testing them with a multimeter for continuity. the one that beeps when it makes a connection. when you find the offending connection, you have to solder it or just heat it up so it resolders itself with the solder thats already there. use your judgment. one of the mistakes I made when I was noob is to have all the wires a mile long and when I closed it all up I had to fold the wires. I guess solder joints and wires dont like to be pushed and pulled on. also, a soldering iron not getting hot enough can be to blame sometimes for cold solder joints. or if your melting solder on the iron instead of on the parts. never melt solder on the iron cause its just an illusion. not really making a connection. when you leave that pedal in your cold car overnight the solder just pops off like a dried up 1 day old egg in a fryin pan

[jfrey]

So annoying, everything worked great before then I had to mess with it.

[jfrey]

Fixed everything. I found a loose connection. Fixed that and then went around testing and touching up every other connection in it.

[eatyourguitar]

nice

[jfrey]

Anyone know what the best soldering station for under $50 is?

The iron I have is awful and now that I'm starting to get more competent I'd like to get a decent unit. Preferably without breaking the bank though.

If under $50 isn't a reasonable expectation for something good then just recommend me the closest thing above it.

[eatyourguitar]

weller wp35
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/WELLER-WP35-/96-430

you should get a tip cleaner
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-460-/21-4355

and the smaller tip for the wp35 its called st2
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/96-1564

the stock tip is bulky when working on tight pcb's

while your on the mcm website pickup solder. radioshack solder is garbage

I ordered my wp35 from newegg.com for $55 free shipping. but it was a mistake cause all the other stuff is very important. mcm has wire, aligator clips, terminal strip. I dont have a beavis board/prototyping board but I use aligator clips to test a circuit without putting it in a box. or if I want to bench test it with alligator clips on the battery.

just remember that crappy solder and no tip cleaner = a bad tip that you trow in the garbage. the 35 watts is not gonna work on a burned up tip. I find that once I tin my tip before I use it, it greatly improves heat transfer. but you always want to stick it in the tip cleaner to get off the burnt carbon that comes from wire.

[jfrey]

Is that iron better than something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-Sol ... 00_02_t_lh

[eatyourguitar]

well its pretty similar but its setup for water based tip cleaner. people have told me that water based is not good for your tips. so I decided not to use a sponge tip cleaner. once I decided I dont need a sponge, I decided I dont need a station either. at that point it comes down to personal preference and safety. I just lay my iron on the table but never had a problem. it sits on the handle. they both have st tips. the wp35 has a silicone cord that will never burn. the WLC100 has a regular cord. I just like the simple setup I have really.

[jfrey]

Ok, I'll get the one you suggested. I already have a soldering iron holder thing anyway.

[MEC]

They have the Weller stuff at Smallbear too:
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories.bok?category=Tools+-+Soldering

I have a Hakko 936-12 and love it. They have since replaced it with the FX888-23BY:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hakko-FX888-23BY-FX888-Soldering-Station-Replace-936-12-/380336081012?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588dcc0874

I ordered mine from the same company in the ebay link.
If you don't like ebay you can contact them direct, they have excellent customer service and sell the tips and accessories too.
Hakko is more expensive but if you use it often it is totally worth the extra money.
It comes with both types of cleaners in the stand, the iron is really comforatable and the handle stays cool.
The heat up time and heat recovery time are awesome, the temp stays stable and can be set from 392°-896°F (200°- 480°C).
Which is handy considering not everything should/can be solder at the same temperature.
I have never used the Wellers but I can tell you the Hakko is hands down the best iron I have used.
I would recommend that you at least consider it and do some research, check reviews etc..

As far as solder goes 63/37 is my favorite it's eutectic, so it's easy to get solid joints.
If you are interested in the Hakko I can tell you what tips work best for what.


P.S. I don't work for Hakko

[McSpunckle]

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9672

$40, basically the same deal as the Hakko, but maybe not built as well (haven't used either, to be perfectly honest). Check the reviews under it. These Hakko clones are generally considered pretty awesome. The slimmer pencils help a lot. It's sold at different places, too. I think Circuit Specialists sells one. And it's supposed to take Hakko tips, so finding tips won't suck.

The WP35 should be good too. I like having temperature control so I don't burn stuff up when I don't need the heat. Good technique will make up for that, though.

[MEC]

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9672

$40, basically the same deal as the Hakko, but maybe not built as well (haven't used either, to be perfectly honest). Check the reviews under it. These Hakko clones are generally considered pretty awesome. The slimmer pencils help a lot. It's sold at different places, too. I think Circuit Specialists sells one. And it's supposed to take Hakko tips, so finding tips won't suck.

The WP35 should be good too. I like having temperature control so I don't burn stuff up when I don't need the heat. Good technique will make up for that, though.

Looks almost identical to my Hakko and the reviews seem pretty good.
If the Hakko tips fit I'd say it's a winner!

[eatyourguitar]

yeah the hakko clones usually take the tips but there are so many clones is hard to know if you got the right one.

as for having too much heat. I only worry about it on IC's but I almost always use dip sockets so I dont worry about it anymore. you just have to remember that you can destroy almost any component by holding the iron on it too long. so yeah technique does take care of that problem.

[jfrey]

What's the best kind of solder you've used? I have been using some random tubes I had left over from a while ago.