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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. |
#2
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Best solder free electrical connection
"john hamilton" wrote in message ... 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. While you don't want to hear it, solder it. Just use some fine 60/40 rosen core solder. The main thing with soldering is to get the connection clean. If bare copper wire, scrape or sand it so it shines. I would not use the nail varnish. Copper wire should hold its shape without the varnish. Also the varnish could get between the wire and tabs. You might want to get some electrical tape and wrap it longways around the battery box to help hold the wire in contact with the tabs. |
#3
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Best solder free electrical connection
"john hamilton" wrote in message ... 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Solder is the only reliable way, IMO Just bend the tabs out, so they are not touching the plastic, make sure the iron is nice and hot, dab some solder on the end of the iron, then place this on one of the tabs and feed in a little more solder to tin the tab, should take a couple of seconds. Now strip about 5mm of the wires and tin the end of the wire, if the insulation shrinks back, then snip the end of the wire off so it is about 5mm. Place the wire on top of the solder on the tab and heat the wire until the solder on the tab melts again. Hold the wire with something other than your hand, as it may get quite hot! Once it has cooled, marvel at your handywork :-) Or, buy these two from eBay, or anywhere that sells this sort of stuff... 350373699059 (Twin AA battery holder with a PP£ type connector on the top) and one of these 350350685890 (PP3 battery connector) Toby... |
#4
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Best solder free electrical connection
55 years ago, I was afraid of soldering, afraid I wouldn't be able to do it
well. I was wrong. It's not that difficult; it just takes a bit of practice. If you're really uncomfortable, ask a friend to do it for you. Unsoldered connections might work for a while, but will eventually fail. |
#5
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. What Ralph said. Also, if you can get some, apply a dab of rosin flux paste to the joint before you heat it. That helps the solder to "wet" the surfaces and flow into the joint better. And ensure that you have something keeping the battery holder and the wire in place. I'd go so far as to put batteries in the thing so that it could be clamped into a soft-jawed vice and use one of those "third hand" thingies to hold the wire securely. Trying to keep the battery holder in place with your palm, the wire under your elbow, with the soldering iron in one hand and the solder in the other isn't likely to result in a satisfactory soldering job. Not that *I've* ever done that, of course cough cough -- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA |
#6
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article ,
"john hamilton" writes: 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. If you say which town/country you live in, someone here might volunteer to solder it for you. If you have an electronics repair shop near which does the work on the premises, they would probably do it. -- Andrew Gabriel [email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup] |
#7
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able to find someone else who will. Or, go for your "twist through the holes" approach and use a drop of electrically conductive epoxy on the joint: http://www.pemro.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=LOC-1119 Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#8
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Best solder free electrical connection
jeff_wisnia wrote:
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able to find someone else who will. Or, go for your "twist through the holes" approach and use a drop of electrically conductive epoxy on the joint: http://www.pemro.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=LOC-1119 ...which will at best approximate to a 1k ohm resistor.:-) Jeff |
#9
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Aug 16, 12:43*pm, "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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. *Thanks. Surely you know someone who knows how to solder. You need clean bare metal, some solder and some flux, and a hot iron. Practice a little bit on a strip of metal the same size as the tab, that you cut from a tin can. |
#10
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Best solder free electrical connection
On 16/08/2010 18:43, 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Depending on the dimensions of the tab it may be possible to bend it around the wire and carefully crimp it with sidecutters. Next try to anchor the wire to the battery holder a short distance along the wire from the tab to prevent it fracturing due to movement or vibration. You could then use your varnish (or a glue gun) to coat the connection to offer some protection from oxidation. This is not as good as a soldered joint done properly, but would probably be better than a soldered joint done badly. j |
#11
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Best solder free electrical connection
"john hamilton" wrote in message ... 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Why don't you try to learn to solder? Get some copper wire and practice making connections. Ten or so should get you going. Not only will you achieve your task but you will have picked up a new skill as a plus. The trick is to place the hot iron against the joint and heat it until it will melt the solder. Just hold the solder on the joint until that point. To see if the iron is hot enough, just melt some solder on the tip. This is known as tinning the tip. Clean the tip by wiping it on a damp sponge. You will only need a 15 to 25 watt iron to do this and some rosin core tin/lead solder. Radio shack comes to mind for both. Have fun. tm --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: --- |
#12
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. -- Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor |
#13
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article ,
"john hamilton" wrote: Although I have a small soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. John- Soldering appears to me to be the best solution. Invite a friend to do the soldering. Bend the tab up first, and solder quickly to minimize melting the plastic underneath. The plastic should become firm again after it cools. What about threading tiny self-tapping screws into the holes in the rivets that connect the lugs to the contacts? Fred |
#14
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article , jeff_wisnia
scribeth thus 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able to find someone else who will. Better still have a practice on some bits of wire etc before you do this joint and than you've learnt a new skill).. Do get the joint hot, and keep it hot just long enough to make it all flow properly it seems to me that under powered irons are the biggest cause of poor soldering... -- Tony Sayer |
#15
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Best solder free electrical connection
On 16 Aug, 20:39, Bob Eager wrote:
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. -- Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: *http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor I notice that nobody has raised the point for the OP that his problem of previous soldering is that he is possibly using too powerful a soldering iron - one with too big a bit. This is the most likely cause of his problem with melting the support for the tag he is soldering to. Haven't we all done it - and even with a temperature controlled one and 50 years of experience I softened the mount for the centre pin of a connector yesterday, and had to go back and apply heat to straighten it. John - I've had a quick scan through Ebay and suggest that #370414838261 is a good buy (ie I've got one!) for a controlled iron if you feel that the advise to try,try,try again is worth following. Rob |
#16
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Best solder free electrical connection
robgraham wrote:
On 16 Aug, 20:39, Bob Eager wrote: 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. -- Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: *http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor I notice that nobody has raised the point for the OP that his problem of previous soldering is that he is possibly using too powerful a soldering iron - one with too big a bit. This is the most likely cause of his problem with melting the support for the tag he is soldering to. Haven't we all done it - and even with a temperature controlled one and 50 years of experience I softened the mount for the centre pin of a connector yesterday, and had to go back and apply heat to straighten it. John - I've had a quick scan through Ebay and suggest that #370414838261 is a good buy (ie I've got one!) for a controlled iron if you feel that the advise to try,try,try again is worth following. Rob Try lead based solder 60/40 has a lower melting point |
#17
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Aug 16, 12:43*pm, "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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. *Thanks. Is the OP in the USA or the UK or where????? |
#18
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Aug 16, 1:43*pm, "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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. *Thanks. Take it to the local TV repair guy, and ask him to teach you how to do it, so you'll be prepared for next time. Alternatively, Assuming you're in the US, go towww.arrl.org (American Radio Relay League) and find an amateur radio guy in your area (just search by state, and with a little poking around, you'll find someone nearby). Virtually ALL of these people know how to solder, and will likely be extremely willing to help you learn how. |
#19
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Best solder free electrical connection
"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. |
#20
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Best solder free electrical connection
"rangerssuck" wrote in message ... .. Alternatively, Assuming you're in the US, go towww.arrl.org (American Radio Relay League) and find an amateur radio guy in your area (just search by state, and with a little poking around, you'll find someone nearby). Virtually ALL of these people know how to solder, and will likely be extremely willing to help you learn how. That sounds like a good idea, but I bet a very few of them know how to solder or even have a soldering tool. That comes from be being a ham for over 35 years and knowing the ones in the local area. Many that know how will usually be willing to help. |
#21
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article , Ralph
Mowery scribeth thus "rangerssuck" wrote in message ... . Alternatively, Assuming you're in the US, go towww.arrl.org (American Radio Relay League) and find an amateur radio guy in your area (just search by state, and with a little poking around, you'll find someone nearby). Virtually ALL of these people know how to solder, and will likely be extremely willing to help you learn how. That sounds like a good idea, but I bet a very few of them know how to solder or even have a soldering tool. That comes from be being a ham for over 35 years and knowing the ones in the local area. Many that know how will usually be willing to help. Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now. Anything on You tube on soldering at all?.. -- Tony Sayer |
#22
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Best solder free electrical connection
On 08/16/2010 05:56 PM, tony sayer wrote:
In articleQ7OdnZbA56RZMvTRnZ2dnUVZ_uydnZ2d@earthlink .com, Ralph scribeth thus wrote in message ... . Alternatively, Assuming you're in the US, go towww.arrl.org (American Radio Relay League) and find an amateur radio guy in your area (just search by state, and with a little poking around, you'll find someone nearby). Virtually ALL of these people know how to solder, and will likely be extremely willing to help you learn how. That sounds like a good idea, but I bet a very few of them know how to solder or even have a soldering tool. That comes from be being a ham for over 35 years and knowing the ones in the local area. Many that know how will usually be willing to help. Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now. Anything on You tube on soldering at all?.. meh? I still solder quite regularly, because if nothing else, I'm far more likely to have solder and heat shrink handy than I am butt splices and a crimping tool. Also, the tool makes a huge difference. I (heart) my ancient Weller soldering station, the constant-temp tips make life so much better. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
#23
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. I'm surprised nobody mentioned cleaning up the battery tab first, some of that cheap gear is terribly difficult to tin, without a good scratching up and cleaning first. Emery paper, sand paper, even a sharp instrument. And wash the grease off too, metho or IPA should be safe for the plastic? The trick is to go in quick, if it doesn't work straight away (like less than a second), remove the heat, let the thing cool right down, and try again later. Problems happen when you keep the heat on to no effect, melting the surrounds. Be aware of the need for the fresh heat bridge, created by applying iron and solder together, so the flux is working. It's perfectly fine to have several attempts, provided you let the parts cool right down between the attempts. And yes, practice makes perfect, so try some other soldering to get a feel for how the solder, flux and iron behave together. Try soldering (stripped) insulated wire together until you can make clean solder joints without burning the insulation, basic thermal feel and control. Don't be afraid to waste solder, learn to coax excess solder off a joint by application of the iron and new solder. Grant. |
#24
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:26:23 -0400, Nate Nagel wrote:
On 08/16/2010 05:56 PM, tony sayer wrote: In articleQ7OdnZbA56RZMvTRnZ2dnUVZ_uydnZ2d@earthlink .com, Ralph scribeth thus wrote in message ... . Alternatively, Assuming you're in the US, go towww.arrl.org (American Radio Relay League) and find an amateur radio guy in your area (just search by state, and with a little poking around, you'll find someone nearby). Virtually ALL of these people know how to solder, and will likely be extremely willing to help you learn how. That sounds like a good idea, but I bet a very few of them know how to solder or even have a soldering tool. That comes from be being a ham for over 35 years and knowing the ones in the local area. Many that know how will usually be willing to help. Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now. Anything on You tube on soldering at all?.. meh? I still solder quite regularly, because if nothing else, I'm far more likely to have solder and heat shrink handy than I am butt splices and a crimping tool. Also, the tool makes a huge difference. I (heart) my ancient Weller soldering station, the constant-temp tips make life so much better. I used to use the Weller, but disliked that little jump when the magnet pulled in (or let go). Also iron based leads (like on signal diodes) could be troublesome The new Hakko I have now is great. Grant. nate |
#25
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. Point taken, but I didn't mean *that* much lower. It just reduces the complete melting point by a few tens of degrees; clearly it has to be hot enough to do the joint quickly. -- Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor |
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Best solder free electrical connection
"Nate Nagel" wrote in message ... On 08/16/2010 05:56 PM, tony sayer wrote: In articleQ7OdnZbA56RZMvTRnZ2dnUVZ_uydnZ2d@earthlink .com, Ralph scribeth thus Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now. Anything on You tube on soldering at all?.. meh? I still solder quite regularly, because if nothing else, I'm far more likely to have solder and heat shrink handy than I am butt splices and a crimping tool. Also, the tool makes a huge difference. I (heart) my ancient Weller soldering station, the constant-temp tips make life so much better. This is an aside to the discussion on soldering, but it might be of some general interest. A relative of mine is the manager of a fairly large electronics manufacturing plant here in the US. Yup, they make electronic devices here in the USA and have been kicking Pacific Rim, China and Mexican exports in the rump for years. The devices are major and fairly custom made for each customer. The result is that our intelligent and educated shop people are flexible in what they can do, where Pacific Rim only exceed where it's highly routine. That aside, he took me on a tour of the plant one day while it was in operation. The each circuit board, once components are in place, is rigorously tested by computerized probes that can identify and isolate specific components that are either bad or didn't get soldered in properly. The boards are flagged and sent to the "repair" benches. There, about a dozen people with soldering irons desolder the component and replace it by hand. The boards then go back to be tested and certified for installation into the "big iron." Each station had at least 5-6 soldering irons of various wattages and tips PLUS laminar flow air hoods to extract any fumes. The lighting was very good, also, as you'd suspect. He told me that the dozen or so people who man the repair stations and soldering irons are some of the most highly paid of the hourly workers, since it takes a combination of manual dexterity, attention to detail and patience to get the new components in place properly. Nonny |
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Best solder free electrical connection
"RES" wrote in message ... "Nate Nagel" wrote in message ... He told me that the dozen or so people who man the repair stations and soldering irons are some of the most highly paid of the hourly workers, since it takes a combination of manual dexterity, attention to detail and patience to get the new components in place properly. I can believe that. I have built some simple electronic devices using 5 or 6 of the old style ICs that had 14 to 40 pins on them and put together some kits that had about 30 ICs on them. I have not tried any of the newer surface mounted devices. Doubt that I ever will due to the size of them. Can't see the things and don't have the tools to do it. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:09:49 -0400, Ralph Mowery wrote:
"RES" wrote in message ... "Nate Nagel" wrote in message ... He told me that the dozen or so people who man the repair stations and soldering irons are some of the most highly paid of the hourly workers, since it takes a combination of manual dexterity, attention to detail and patience to get the new components in place properly. I can believe that. I have built some simple electronic devices using 5 or 6 of the old style ICs that had 14 to 40 pins on them and put together some kits that had about 30 ICs on them. I've been soldering (on and off) for well over 40 years, and find it strangely satisfying! Last project was one of these: http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120-2.htm and these: http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardw...ront_Panel.htm Great fun to build and to program! I have not tried any of the newer surface mounted devices. Doubt that I ever will due to the size of them. Can't see the things and don't have the tools to do it. I keep meaning to have a go, since I seem to have mastered single-eye soldering now. -- Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor |
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Bad idea. The nail varnish is an insulator, and is likely to wick back into the (non) connection. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:05:20 +0100, "Toby"
wrote: "john hamilton" wrote in message ... 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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Solder is the only reliable way, IMO Just bend the tabs out, so they are not touching the plastic, make sure the iron is nice and hot, dab some solder on the end of the iron, then place this on one of the tabs and feed in a little more solder to tin the tab, should take a couple of seconds. Now strip about 5mm of the wires and tin the end of the wire, if the insulation shrinks back, then snip the end of the wire off so it is about 5mm. Place the wire on top of the solder on the tab and heat the wire until the solder on the tab melts again. Hold the wire with something other than your hand, as it may get quite hot! Once it has cooled, marvel at your handywork :-) Or, buy these two from eBay, or anywhere that sells this sort of stuff... 350373699059 (Twin AA battery holder with a PPĀ£ type connector on the top) and one of these 350350685890 (PP3 battery connector) Toby... Ore use a conductive "glue" like the stuff sold to fix rear window defroster grids, or printed circuit traces. After making the good electrical contact with that (it is usually silver bearing) add a dab of epoxy, or even hot melt glue, to give it a bit of mechanical support. Or just learn to solder - - - - .the low temperature eutectic "paste solder" would actually work pretty good for this and only requires minimal heat. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
I was thinking to enlarge the holes in the tabs, and use pop rivets.
Sadly, the battery holder pictured won't take .250 push on connectors, I don't think. The metal is chromed, so solder won't stick very well, it's also likely steel. There is no really good way to make the connection. Wire through the hole, twist the wire, and solder the wire to itself is about the best answer I can find. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Fred McKenzie" wrote in message ... What about threading tiny self-tapping screws into the holes in the rivets that connect the lugs to the contacts? Fred |
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message ... I was thinking to enlarge the holes in the tabs, and use pop rivets. Sadly, the battery holder pictured won't take .250 push on connectors, I don't think. The metal is chromed, so solder won't stick very well, it's also likely steel. There is no really good way to make the connection. I would be most surprised if they were chromed. Most likely a thin nickel plate to prevent oxidation. Solder will work fine. That's why they put the hole for a wire. Solder it. tm --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: --- |
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Nobody else said it, so I will- if your attempted repairs end up trashing the battery box, a 2xAA holder in pretty common, and should not be hard to find at Radio Shack (or whatever the UK equiv is), or online, like at MPJA.com. For a toy with a half-life of hours, I have even taped the wires to the end of the battery, and jammed/taped them back into the box. (may have to extend the wires to do that.) -- aem sends... |
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Best solder free electrical connection
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. Overheated tips give me a hassle with oxidation. I think the most important factor is thermal conductivity to the joint. The flow can be slow with a small pencil-pointed iron. A bigger tip with a flat side can work much faster. I'd clean the iron, tab, and wire, make a good mechanical connection, apply rosin flux to the connection and the iron, and turn on the iron. When the flux smoked, I'd begin testing the iron by touching solder to it. When it melted solder quickly, I'd touch the iron to the connection. Almost instantly, the flat side of the tip and the drop of molten solder should conduct enough heat to the joint for it to draw solder from the iron. I'd have the iron out of there before the plastic could soften. Dadburnit, the last battery holders I bought had the tabs riveted to the battery contacts. They develop resistance from invisible corrosion around the rivets. I have to keep spraying with contact cleaner. I also have jumper cables that develop resistance from unseen corrosion where the wires are crimped. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article ,
"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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Go buy a battery holder that has leads already attached. Twist those leads to the leads coming from the toy. Smitty Two, who owns a soldering company, has taught 50 people to solder, has soldered hundreds of thousands of components by hand, and knows that while soldering is easy, it can't be taught in two minutes with a paragraph. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , "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. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend upwards giving some clearence). http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof. If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be gratefull. Thanks. Go buy a battery holder that has leads already attached. Twist those leads to the leads coming from the toy. Smitty Two, who owns a soldering company, has taught 50 people to solder, has soldered hundreds of thousands of components by hand, and knows that while soldering is easy, it can't be taught in two minutes with a paragraph. No, not for mil spec results. But this is just a friggin toy. Solder it. --- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: --- |
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Best solder free electrical connection
In article ,
"tm" wrote: No, not for mil spec results. But this is just a friggin toy. Solder it. The OP already said he solders poorly. For $1.50 or so he can buy a damn battery holder with wires attached. He can do it before or after he melts the one he has trying to solder it. |
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:43:08 +0100, "john hamilton"
wrote: Sigh. No imagination left on Usenet. OK, no soldering or heat allowed. Some ideas. http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4 Plan A: Looks like the rivets used to mount the contacts have a through hole in them. Shove a 2-56 flat head bolt through the hole from the inside. Put two washers, lockwasher, and a nut on the outside. Wrap the wire around the bolt between the washers and tighten the nut. If you can't find a bolt that fits, you might be able to find a suitable copper rivet. Beat on it with a hammer to assemble. Plan B: Thread the rivet hole and insert a lockwasher and 2 washer sandwitch held in place with a small bolt. Getting the bolt length correct will be the major challenge. Plan C: Strip off about 3cm of wire from the leads. Bend into a spiral. Shove the spiral between the battery contacts and the matching rivet and spring. Be sure you have a good electrical connection. Wrap the whole mess in giant shrink tube, electrical tape, duct tape, or just bury it in hot melt glue. Whatever it takes to keep the wires from moving. Plan D: Buy a dual AAA cordless phone battery pack. They usually have two leads and a connector. Chop off the connector, strip the leads, and twist the matching wires together. Wrap with electrical tape or use shrink tube. Plan E: Brute force cold welding. If the wires are copper, you can just run them through the holes in the terminals and pound everything flat with a small hammer and anvil. The copper will cold flow and eventually create a solid connection. You may need to add additional soft copper wire filler to get a proper connection. See any jewelry maker or blacksmith for details. Plan F: Forget the holder and just spot weld wires directly to the battery. This is far more fun than learning to solder as it throws spark and hot slag all over the place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yabesdeGKJo Since you probably don't have a cazapitive discharge spot welder, drag it down to the local Batteries Plus store and have them do it. -- Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
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Best solder free electrical connection
On Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:32:05 -0700 (PDT), rangerssuck wrote:
Take it to the local TV repair guy, and ask him to teach you how to do it, so you'll be prepared for next time. My dad taught me to solder back in the early sixties. He got a block of wood and hammered a load of those little nails that you use to hold hardboard in and told me to join all of them together with wire. We had a stick of solder about an eighth of an inch thick and a tub of flux and the first one I did was a mess but after about 20 or so they were neat. With those plastic battery boxes I've found you have to have a nice big bit in a hot iron and be quick, more than about a second and the plastic melts. I put the wire through the hole and wrap it around itself to make a mechanically good joint or if it's solid core bend it through the hole and nip it up with pliers. Put the tip on the tag and the wire and poke solder at the join between the two. You can't do them with a little Antex, it transfers heat so slowly that the plastic melts before the solder. It's the Weller W50-D for this sort of connection :-) -- Regards - Rodney Pont The from address exists but is mostly dumped, please send any emails to the address below e-mail rpont (at) gmail (dot) com |
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