carl mciver wrote:



Soldering wires this size (or any size of stranded wire, for that
matter) creates a stress point at the spot where the solder stops.
One side
flexes, the other doesn't, so fatigue breaks the wire. It isn't
enough to
just support the wire near the joint, you really need to stick the
whole
thing down. I like silicone RTV for jobs like this. Just slather
the joint
and wires to about half an inch back (gotta go about 1/4" beyond the
solder
wick point) so that no part of the joint sees any sort of vibration.


Slathering RTV on there may not be the best idea. There are two types
of RTV.
A two part mix and one that cures by adsorbing moisture out of the air.
The latter produces an organic acid similar to acetic acid. This will
attack the lead in the solder and cause the solder joint to fail. It
will take a while and may not cause you any problem. However I know it
has happened and it cost you the taxpayers a bunch of money.
Dan