solder recommendations / opinions?

by **MJSemtex** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:29 pm

gathering things for construction and i was just curious what people's opinions are with solder...

i have a spool of kester 'lead free electrical rosin core solder' it's 95/5 alloy, .050 inch diameter... also have a small bit of radioshack 'lead-free solder' 96% tin / 4% silver, .032 diameter.

i'm thinking that i need something different for this project... but, was checking to make sure...

opinions?

by **adafruit** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:17 pm

dont use 'lead free' non-silver solder. its crap and will make brittle joints. Use Kester 60/40 w/lead, .032 diameter.

by **MJSemtex** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:02 pm

thanks... was on order before anyone responded... i was assuming that was going to be the answer.

too bad i missed mouser's shipping cutoff...

by **Etaoin** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:06 am

ladyada wrote:dont use 'lead free' non-silver solder. its crap and will make brittle joints. Use Kester 60/40 w/lead, .032 diameter.

This is not really an option for us Europeans where 60/40 is banned and removed from stocks ahead of the 1/1/2006 deadline when it becomes illegal to sell. I did built my x0xb0x with 60/40 since I have plenty left, but I guess someone that needs to buy it now will have trouble getting any. And importing it from the US is not an option since importing lead is illegal without the proper paperwork.

So, given that. What are the options? I've checked the 2006 catalog from my regular supplier and they carry two different types: One Sn/Cu 99/1 and one Sn/Ag/Cu 95.5/3.8/0.7. If the non-silver ones are crap, that probably onle leaves the Sn/Ag/Cu one.

by **kokoon** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:50 am

i just bought solder that reads Sn60 Pb 38 Cu2.

hmm i wonder if it's got any flux hidden in it... cause if it hasn't i don't like it.

it also says Fg.2,5%

Website · by **noha** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:21 am

is there any difference in solder brands? if i was to use 0.32 60/40 rosin-core solder from radio shack would that be any worse than kester?

by **adafruit** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:37 pm

Kester is just a popular, respected brand name.

Im afraid I dont know what europeans should use. many of the kit parts are leaded and using non-lead solder with leaded parts is not-so-good. but if you have no choice in the matter: just be very careful and look to make sure the solder joint is good.

by **controlvoltage** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:31 pm

2 bits of info from my world:

I initially soldered all the ICs with lead-free silver solder. It was horrible, I didn't know how to tell a good joint from a bad one because they all looked like utter crap the moment the solder solidified. I ended up with several odd behaviours and LED glitches, until I re-did the whole digital section with "real" solder.

"Real" solder for me meant Kester Sn63/37Pb rosin-core... even better to work with than 60/40. It's so smooth, workable and reliable... sorry Europe!

I sympathise though because as soon as the Pb ban goes into full effect, I will have to use lead-free solder at work exclusively since we ship lots of gear to the EU. I'm not looking forward to it.

by **adafruit** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:48 pm

hmm maybe i should stock up on solder and sell it thru the store

by **ToFiC** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:44 am

Can someone tell me if this is good: http://www.robopolis.com/produit/587/7/ ... m-250g.php

by **Etaoin** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:48 am

ToFiC wrote:Can someone tell me if this is good: http://www.robopolis.com/produit/587/7/ ... m-250g.php

I'd say get a thinner one. I have some 1mm lying around that I used to fill the large solder points around the pots and switches, but it's too thick to do the electronics. I used 0.35mm for that.

by **bcomnes** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:14 pm

60/40 solder works great but try and get 63/37 solder ..the price difference is minimal for small projects

below is some info .....the gist of which is that the 63/37 "sets" instantly with no "pasty" period....that means you are much less likely to get a bad solder connection especially on PC boards, it also melts a few degrees cooler which means you get a little more time before you burn up the component

60/40 Solder: Composed of 60% tin and 40% lead, this solder melts at 374 ºF, but doesn't become completely solid until it cools to 361ºF. This means it has a "pasty range" or "working range" of 13 degrees.

63/37 Solder: This solder is 63% tin and 37% lead. It becomes liquid at 361ºF, and solid at 361ºF, with a pasty or working range of 0 degrees. This solder is called a eutectic alloy which means at 361ºF, you can go instantly from solid to liquid to solid just by applying or removing the heat source.

by **maxtim** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:17 am

Hello all

I'm an electronics tech. with many, many years (too many) experience. I have hand soldered surface mount components down to the 0402 size (like in cell-phones) with accuracy. :twisted:

Definitely buy the 63/37 if possible. Lead free is OK if you cannot get leaded in you country, actually a good thing since lead is toxic.
Another difining component in wire solder is the FLUX. The core of the solder is a subtance that makes the solder flow.
Get the highest flux content %.
If you are soldering and the solder starts to make peeks and bridges and goes grainy and dull it is because all of the flux has been burned away. Take your iron away from the solder connection, add a little liquid flux, touch the connection again (3 seconds max) and it will naturally flow into a rounded, smooth surface with a shiny finish (unless you are using lead-free, then the surface will always remain dull and grainy)
Puchase some flux if you can find it. Elecronics supply shops will have it in paste or liquid. You can get pens that are like those paint pens but despense flux instead.
Make sure when you purchase solder or flux that it is a NO-CLEAN type. Not WATER-SOLUBLE.
Water soluble flux is very corrosive and also conductive. In the electronics manufacturing processes this flux is used and then immediately washed off (usually in automated machine processes). This is great if you know your components and electronics manufacturing processes because you can have a beautifully clean board with no flux residues, but can cause seriouse problems if not cleaned off fully and properly, or used on the wrong components.
No clean flux is non-coductive and non-corrosive and can be left on the circuit board with no harmful effects. You do not need to clean it off (thinners, alcohol etc), it will not effect functionality in any way, it just looks messy.
For a beginner, I would reccomend a 63/37 rosin based no clean solder in a .020" diameter (for this particular assembly).

BA BA BLA BLA BLA.. I could write technicalities of solder and soldering all day. :roll:

If you want more, or have any ??????? about any aspect of the electronics manufacturing process or tools just post. I check these forums often since......
I HAVE ME VERY OWN x0xb0x on its way.
It's going to be a F..ing work of art when I'm done soldering. Its been way to long since I built sumting for meself

by **kokoon** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:47 am

hello i have another question

i just bought solder that reads Sn60 Pb38 Cu2.

hmm i wonder if it's got any flux hidden in it... cause if it hasn't i don't like it.

it also says Fg.2,5%

what do you think about this one?

by FF » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:19 pm

You really want to avoid lead free solder on the x0x, read up on tin whiskers on google for why. I am in the UK and was still able to get good old 60/40 no clean solder back in June. I have not looked for any recently since I still have about 90% of the roll left, but you should be able to get it from some places still, of course there is always ebay as well.

FF

solder recommendations / opinions?

solder recommendations / opinions?

look for 63/37 solder, much better than 60/40

Don't forget about the FLUX

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