RC India

 this video will help who are doing soldering for first time
very good video :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

Hello,
Thank You for the wonderful video you found out. I got many points I missed out while soldering... Now ill keep this in mind.... Thanks to you...

Wow.. That was a seriously useful video.. I'd recommend anyone who plans to pick up a soldering iron to see this video first..

good video :bow: :bow:

Was very helpful . Thanks .

Hi, here is one more useful video to solder XT-60 connectors, If u use HK Lipos. hope it helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yj-DHxKS6c

thanx for the video , very informative.....

Please suggest a high quality soldering iron and flux from the local market. I got the wire stripper/cutter, Mr Jig, heat shrinks etc. I just need the iron and watch this video carefully

i was making some mistakes while soldering  :(
now it will be alright
thanks for the useful video :salute:

great help :)

Soldering Iron: SOLDRON

Solder: JOINT

Flux: Not required. This solder has a rosin (flux) core.

I somehow felt that the xt60 soldering video is not correct. I mean the presenter took quite some time from removing the rod to shoving the wire in, IMHO, the solder would be on the verge of solidifying again by this time and may result in dry solder

Got the soldron 75w for 280 IIRC from lamington rd, mumbai.
Flux (both solid and liquid), is available for 20/-

As this topic is related to soldering, I also have something to share.

When Soldering wires to bullet connectors, Use a wooden block of "what you feel comfortable" size and drill few holes in it of width of the bullet itself. Check if the hole is good or not by pushing a bullet connector in it. It should hold it nicely. Then touch the soldering iron tip to the connector for a while and then check its temperature by touching the solder wire. The solder wire should melt. If it is so, fill the hollow back of bullet connector with the solder about its 3/4 depth. Then quickly dip and hold the bare wire end in the melt solder. Loose the contact of soldering iron with the connector. Keep holding the wire as it is. Let it cool and you're done. This is the easiest method for soldering Bullet connectors for Motor->ESC connection. It takes roughly less than a min if done properly. Remember to cover it with the heat shrinks always. For heat shrinks, if you don't have any heat gun with you, heat it up above the kitchen stove.

Use Resin cored Solder wire always when working with gold plated connectors like XT60, Bullet connector(Whatever brand) etc.
No flux needed indeed.


One more thing that I found to be useful is...

If you want to make Motor-> ESC connection a little shorter by cutting the wires. Always cut and short ESC's wire to desired length. Cutting the motor wire and re-soldering it in to the connector will eventually upset you. The reason is, The motor wires have some coating on them inside the plastic tube for "I don't know why"... The coating will keep preventing the wire to stick to the solder. So, Let the motor wires left as they arrived. Don't cut them. Some buddy also can ask "So, how it happens when we solder connectors to the new motors(as it arrived from the store), and it sticks nicely?" Well the answer is when they manufacture the motors, They un-coat the bare ends of motor wires and dip it in solder. So, it already has a coat of the solder now....



Please seniors hobbyists... Correct me if something wrong.

Thanks.

The 'some coating' you are referring to is a coat of insulation. It is to prevent the windings from shorting.
And even if the motor wires are cut, they can be easily soldered by removing the insulation coating.

Hi Raja,
where is 75w soldering iron used? I think 75W is toooo high for standard Electronics use. i use 35W wooden handle soldering iron for soldering connectors and is good enough.
Sandeep

+1 Sumeet. Wooden block is one of the best way to solder Bullet connector. One more good aid is the "3rd Han tool" (Pic attached). IT help to hold the Wire in place while the solder solidifies. The problem with holding the wire with hand is that the even the micro-shake of the hand would leave some amount of "Dry-Soldering" .

One more tip: While Soldering Deans/XT60/JST and other 'Cased' connector, always put a complementary connector on the empty side of the connector being soldered. The problem is that when you solder, the heat may partially melt the plastic/Nylon around the Metal part and the bullet may get  dis-aligned. Putting the other connector would reduce this deformity, but the other connector should not be connected to an ESC or battery. This dis alignment is the main cause of connector becoming very tight and trouble during insert/remove.

@Sandeep: around 60Watt is good for 3.5mm Bullet/Deans/XT60 connectors. The idea is to provide heat for least time to the exact place of soldering. If you use a 25W soldering iron meant for PCB, you have to supply heat to the point for longer, and much of this heat quickly gets to unwanted points, melting the plastic enclosure.

Optimum wattage does relate to technique. I find a  GOOD 25W (yes that is correct) iron preferable to a higher wattage as that tends to overheat the solder itself, which is not a good thing. "Brute force" is not necessary once you learn how. Unfortunately, no video can tell you where you are going wrong. Like the best of simulators cannot replace an instructor as to the mistakes you are making.

Friends..this is a great article...and thanks for sharing the videos and ideas....helpful..

Hi Raja,
Theoretically i am not aware of proper rules for soldering technique. but practically i have done soldering on many SMD projects from SMD Ic to SMD LED to smd cap and res. and that too manually with normal25w iron. when soldering on material with gold plated like XT-60, even 25W Soldering is sufficient. yes good soldering an old  Dean connector with 25W is quiet difficult if under ceiling fan. i have also noticed that 25W is sufficient if there is no voltage drop in your house. like sometime i have 190-200V, at that time i have to use my 35W Iron. for the last 3 months i am using fridge stabilizer and my 35W iron is never used even for soldering dean.
Sandeep

+1 Sandeep. Its bit hard to solder with Fan on and sub optimal voltage with 25Watt iron. That why I mentioned a 60Watt iron. But then yes, you need a good soldering technique, right from regularly cleaning the tip, placing the iron at the right place and correct duration, while handling a high wattage iron (almost twice the power, but it is not that hot after all). I actually bought 60Watt for 4mm bullet, then started using for other 3.5mm connectors as well. There is no hard rule I guess, its all in one's personnel experience, trial and error.

Hi Sandeep, thanks for the info. I have no experience in soldering and faced a tough time soldering 12 awg wires and xt60 with my 25w iron
Then i got the 75w iron and job became much easier and joints were very good too.

This is how i solder - tin the wire, put solder on the connector and then press the two together by using the iron, so the solder could flow between them. i think i could do the first 2 steps using my 25 iron, but couldnt do the last step. If i held the iron for too long, the heat would be trasferred to the battery/esc

helpful again....thank you all...

Simple solutions. Just move away from the direct airflow from the  fan or switch it off during soldering!

Anwar, please delete the previous post.

I got this jig to help solder. I will be using it for 5.5mm bullet connectors.

Wow ! Nice acquisition!!! HK Is selling a clone for cheaper! You can use this tool for all bullet connectors (2.3, 3.5, 4, 6mm)  as well as Deans/XT60. Use it in conjunction with 3rd hand tool (to hold wire) and you can get that perfect joint!! Enjoy!!

nice guidance...