On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:34:22 -0400, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:43:08 +0100, john hamilton wrote:

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a
small soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself
easily melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get
anything to stick to the tabs.

To add to the other suggestions about soldering: if you can get/borrow a
temperature controlled iron, run it at a lower temperature and use 63/37
solder.


That is usually the wrong way to do the job he wants to do. Use a very hot
iron, hit the joint fast with a lot of heat and then get out quick. The
tabs will get hot very quick and melt the solder. If he applies a low heat,
the plastic will get a lot of heat on it before the tab gets hot enough to
melt the solder.
The 63/73 is the way to go, but 60/40 is just fine. Also do not move the
wires while the solder is cooling. This is one big way to mess up the
joint.

And a good reason to use 63/37. It is a "fast freeze" solder (the real
term is Eutectic - meaning it has a very narrow "plastic" range,
essentially going almost instantly from solid to liquid, and liquid to
sollid, with no "putty" stage in between.