Found this Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4&NR=1 and I think this is what is happening to me cause I am not using flux?!

This is my work after 1 hour of practice.  is this of any good?

Also, how can I avoid having that little area of uncovered wire above the solder? I did strip a smaller part but the heat ate a little of the yellow insulation.

HeartBeat wrote:

2- What is the best way to solder a very fine wire to a very fine point on the motherboard? Do you tin the wire first? Do you put some extra solder on the point? and then you solder the wire? I tried to do that but got all the solders getting stuck on the iron. and yes I was touching the solder directly by the iron cause heating the point did not melt the solder and the point was small almost the size of the iron tip so how would u heat it first!

I installed my wii's wiikey mod chip using the tin the wire first method, i was very succesful. Tin the wire, don't make it a blob on the wire, just tin the wire evenly. I wouldn't put extra solder in the point, the solder on the tip of the wire shoud be enough. Use FLUX, it really does make a difference!! Dab the tinned wire a little bit in flux before soldering to the point.

3- What is the best tip temperature for doing this?

I have no idea, i just used a 15w cheap soldering iron + magnifier.

4- Is it because my tip is very fine and sharp it is not passing enough heat to the point?

The points are so small that it shouldn't be an issue.

5- I noticed that the solders would not be shiny anymore if you touch it by the iron for a long time trying to stick it on the point. I should avoid that right?

Yes. Place the tinned wire on the solder point, heat the tinned wire/solder point and they should fuse together, this should happen almost instantly. Remember to wipe the soldering irons tip clean after every solder point.

5- With very small fine points that are almost the size of your iron tip, how would you manage to leave the solder on? The only way I managed to do was by melting some solders on the iron tip and transfer it to the point but most of the time I could NOT leave it there!

This seems to be a heat/dirty iron tip issue. What type of soldering iron are you using?

Last edited by transam (2008-07-18 12:29:04 pm)

HeartBeat wrote:

On previosu post they recommend using the kapton tape but unfortunatly I am not able to find it here. What are the alternatives?

What i've read on the forums here, there isn't a replacement for kapton tape. I just found out about kapton tape, and the properties cannot be found in any other tape. I ordered my kapton recently from Ebay seller xian3baby.

I am using 0.25mm solid wire to wire up aan externaal flash drive. It is 100% perfect for the job.
You buy it as a reel of about 50m for 5 - 7 GBP. I would deffinatly reccomend that !

The yellow one isnt alright i suppose, it does the same job ... but is just a lot more flexible.
the solid wire isnt, if you bend it sharply too much it will simply end up snapping.

Hope that helps ... and your solder job looks great !

Heartbeat,
Use the solid wire. Hold the wire in the air, heat it and apply a small amount of solder to it. Let the wire heat up the solder not the iron heating the solder. When the wire is up to temp the solder will melt and flow up the wire. Then remove the heat and let it cool. That will tin the wire.
Next trim the tinned wire to the correct length and set the tinned wire in place at the soldering point. Apply the heat to the wire and let it conduct the heat on to the connection point. As soon as the solder on the tinned wire starts to run into the connection point remove the heat. Hold the wire in place until it cools. 5-10 sec.
If you tinned the wire correctly you will have a good solder connection. Tug LIGHTLY on the wire. If it comes loose it did not have a strong enough solder connection and needs to be re-done. You may need to apply a small amount of solder to the connection point before you try again. To do this apply the heat to the connection point and apply a small amount of solder, let it flow onto the connection point. Remove heat and start again at tinning your wire.

Don't scrimp on tape. You can't use a replacement for kapton tape. DealsExtreme has it for under $4 inc shipping. On some sites they call it High Temp tape, some call it KAPTON Polyimide Electrical tape.  I put kapton tape on the connections on both sides of the connection I am trying to solder and the solder will not stick or wick to those connections. It makes these tiny connections easier.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5340

I have found a Weller 12 watt soldering iron with a 0.2mm tip to be the easiest but any fine tip 8-15watt iron should be OK. Make sure there is no power applied before you solder(ie. unplug the battery), and use a static wrist strap before handling the board.
Good Luck,
JDtucson

Last edited by JDTucson (2008-07-20 5:55:46 pm)

use kapton tape to cover everything around the point of connection so the solder wont stick to other pins

Am I getting better or what !
Thank you JDTucson.





The points size are as small as the pen tip size and flat. I had to add soler to the point then tinning the wire then soldering it.





These are my tools. I found most of them laying down in my old tool box.




The solder iron is HAKO 936 with a nice fine tip.

I got the solder paste from a friend and never used it cause frankly I dont what is it used for. Is it like flux ? beside I found the following written on cover " Not suitable on integrated Circuits or high voltage .. you are suggested to clean the point with ethyl alcohol after using to avoid short situation"  !!

However, I am ready for my eee Soldering as soon as I get my touch screen. I also was wondering how small are the usb and 5 Volts points on the Eee Motherboard comparing to the points above ?

Last edited by HeartBeat (2008-07-25 11:56:28 am)

@JDTucson
Thanks but one more question: since it seams the Eee solder points are smaller than my example, do you think I would need to add solder to the eee points or just tining the wire and solder it directly?

Additional flux will make a significant differance to your work. You can get a sort of felt tip pen loaded with liquid flux. Get the one which does not need to be cleaned off after soldering. I'm in UK and use this one http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Mod … p;doy=2m8. Use the pen on the wire before tinning and then again on the wire and pad before soldering. Try to do the soldering as fast as possible, less than 5 seconds per connection and do not return to it. Minimal solder is better than a bead as you can then see if you have made a flowed connection. By that I mean no convex edges with the profile of the wire still visible. The connection should look bright and shinny. If it is dull it is probably overheated. A hot iron will do less damage than one which is too cool, always use a temperature controlled iron
I spent 3 weeks full time learning to solder to US Dept of Defence Standard as an instructor/inspector (but still don't always do it right!)
Good luck, Glyn

Last edited by g3zsv (2008-08-02 3:12:17 am)

the trick is to use the solder immediately once melted , putting it on the end of the iron first and transferring to the solder connection is no good , any flux will have burnt off by the time you get to the connection.Trick is speed, too short and the solder won't flow fully round the joint , too long and you end up frying the track/land, the component and also leaving a very dry mess of solder 'mess'

If any connections look **** when you've finished , don't be scared of dabbing the braid in to remove any excess 'ball', then reapply some fresh solder...
remember to stop for a moment to allow cooling if you're trying too hard in one area.
f there is a build up of excess flux, you need to let it cool and then clean up with flux remover so you can get back down to clean parts

There's no harm in trying to run along the socket connections keeping a fresh 'ball' of solder there at the tip, quickly move in to each connection, let it flow in and then move on to the next. If you bridge one or two , sort it out with good quality 'braid' when you get to the end or stop there and fix it and continue on cleaning up the one you've just unbridged. don't use a solder sucker pump, they are not used by professionals.
Ask me any questions you like , sadly I've been soldering for the past 30 years

Flux: Flux's primary job is to prevent oxidation of the connection points, solder connects very well with (clean) copper, but not with the various copper oxides which form quickly at soldering temps.
the secondary job is as a wetting agent, reducing the surface tension of the molten solder and makes it flow better onto the connection.
Which is why you need to 'use' solder as soon as it melts

Last edited by AlmostInvisible (2008-10-05 4:28:25 am)

as soon as the plating has given way/breaks down .... the flux and the heat usually do this on their own , but if you neglect the tip during use you can accelerate this.

try not to scratch the tip against components so you don't damage the plating. clean regularly during use with a wet tip sponge.
the other problem is if you use LF solder, this can/will eat away at the tip faster than leaded solder.
lastly use a decent make (multicore the make etc)  solder with a good flux.
for best results use a normal 60/40 leaded mix solder or even a silver loaded mix (1% silver but it's expensive and probably not available in small reels) , don't use LF, it can cause problems for a novice.

I usually use various sized blunt screwdrivers with a nice smooth worn blade edge that doesn't scratch that much to remove coatings/lacquer. just enough pressure and very flat to the surface so's not to dig into the board but remove the coating cleanly.

Last edited by AlmostInvisible (2008-10-05 11:46:53 am)