Thanks for the response.

To answer some questions, the RCA jack I am using has pass-through
holes at the +ve/-ve terminals. Effectively, each terminal consists
of a thin plate of metal with a hole in it.

To give you an idea...

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...umber=091-1203

You can see one terminal on the right with an oval hole. The other
terminal can be (partially) seen at the back of the picture...this
would also have a hole. I tried simply looping wire through these
holes and compressing (solid-core wire) or twisting (stranded wire).
Using either method, the resulting connection is 'loose'....kind of
similar to a link in a chain.

When soldering, I tried holding it steady, but was not terribly
successful doing this with my two hands (no clamp). My soldering
technique would be ok, but I have a crappy iron which translates into
frustrating work (I have better tools, but I was just using what was
available at the time).

The 'chain link' effect makes for a weak solder join. Any suggestions
on what could improve the join prior to soldering?

Cheers,
Dave


original message snipped

Solder is not glue!!!

You have to use something else to provide the mechanical support.
The wire should not be pulling on the solder.

Not being able to see what you are dealing with is a problem but the wire
will have to be anchored somehow (wrapped around a peg, cable clamped,
embedded in hot-melt glue, etc. Then, adding some heat shrink or plastic
tubing to distribute the bending stress over a larger area.

We may need to also look at your soldering technique.....