Soldering question....strain relief
Hi all,
I am trying to add a surface mount phono (RCA) jack to an existing 12V line. Unfortunately, the connection needs to handle some mechanical stresses. I have switched the line from solid core wire to stranded in an effort to reduce the stress, but the solder connection still fatigues after a few mechanical cycles. Has anyone else dealt with a similar situation for strain relief? I have a limited amount of space to work with (perhaps 0.5"). Will simple heat-shrink tubing help here? Will I need something more robust (a thicker plastic sleeve perhaps)? Should I practice my soldering technique? FWIW, the wire I am using is 18 gauge. Constructive comments will be appreciated! Cheers, Dave |
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..... |
Borrall Wonnell schreef in berichtnieuws ... 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 Hm, you try to film and make steady shots, standing at one leg in a heavy thunderstorm and wonder why it don't succeed... ;o) Seems that the flux is already gone before the soldering is done. Then, work faster (to prevent the flux is evaporated), use a clamp or thirdhand-thingie, or add some acid free flux and be sure to keep whole thing steady untill the solder is hard again. Such parts as the RCA connector is normally easy to do, up, under, in, around the hole of the mass ring or in, against or wrapped around the signal pen, if good soldered; you can hang easily 2 kg on the soldered wire (if chassis part is some quality, you could pull the signal pen out of it). A quick overview here might be helpfull. http://www.elexp.com/t_solder.htm If still not working, try to make a picture of your result. A picture can tell more than 1000 words. ;o) |
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). Try to clamp the device in a small vise or a "helping hands" type of holder. The idea of soldering is to heat both the wire and the lug enough to allow the solder to flow freely; the part melts the solder, not the iron. Also, some of the lower cost RCA jacks and the like have a plated surface that resists soldering. Sometimes it's necessary to file or scrape the surface to down to good metal. Just takes a little practice. Good luck. Alan Harriman The 'chain link' effect makes for a weak solder join. Any suggestions on what could improve the join prior to soldering? Cheers, Dave |
2nd attempt...
Well, it looks like the equipment I was using was the limiting factor. The 2nd time around, I used a 'shop quality' soldering station and some grips (helpinbg hands). I cleaned off the terminals with some abrasive to get rid of the gold plating...the solder didn't seem to like sticking to this very much. Also, I tried a smaller diameter solder, which seemed to work well. The result (after applying heat-shrink tubing) was excellent. Bending the wires seems to put little stress on the join; it looks like the heat shrink is doing what I intended. Thanks for everyone's advice! Dave Try to clamp the device in a small vise or a "helping hands" type of holder. The idea of soldering is to heat both the wire and the lug enough to allow the solder to flow freely; the part melts the solder, not the iron. Also, some of the lower cost RCA jacks and the like have a plated surface that resists soldering. Sometimes it's necessary to file or scrape the surface to down to good metal. Just takes a little practice. Good luck. Alan Harriman The 'chain link' effect makes for a weak solder join. Any suggestions on what could improve the join prior to soldering? Cheers, Dave |
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