- Thread starter Dreamstate
- Start date
xodaraP
Legendary
Do soldering irons even go up that high? Surely you mean 700F which is ~375C which is still too hot....
I run mine at 200C - leaded solder is very soft and shouldn't need more than 200-250C
I run mine at 200C - leaded solder is very soft and shouldn't need more than 200-250C
.
. Let's pretend I'm smarter than I sound (I'd have to be), and say maybe back it down to 600F.xodaraP
Legendary
Wind it down further, 400F should be fine, 500F maximum, leaded solder has a very low melting point and it burns if you have the iron up too high
Lead free solder needs higher temperature but you really shouldn't be using that, the solder on all arcade boards is leaded so you should use the same
Lead free solder needs higher temperature but you really shouldn't be using that, the solder on all arcade boards is leaded so you should use the same
I guess I'm impatient. More heat, more power, that sort of thing. I question the accuracy of the heat sensor in my iron, but not the consistency. I've been using lead free solder for years as well. No problems with it and I don't feel dumber every time I use it. I do have some lead solder I could break out and give it a try.
xodaraP
Legendary
Lead free solder is fine as long as you're not mixing it with leaded solder. The 2 different compositions and melting temperatures means that you end up with cracked/dry joints a lot of the time.
Lead free also doesn't last as long which is why you find modern electronics don't last as long. Not to mention it's a huge bastard to clean up if it's been used for SMD rework...
If the board is brand new you're fine to use lead free if it's your preference, but I don't recommend it.
Lead free also doesn't last as long which is why you find modern electronics don't last as long. Not to mention it's a huge bastard to clean up if it's been used for SMD rework...
If the board is brand new you're fine to use lead free if it's your preference, but I don't recommend it.
Lead free and leaded solder mix just fine. In fact, adding leaded solder to lead free helps in lowering the melting point.
Let's not forget that the Sn part of solder is present in leaded and lead free solder. My Weller solder station is set between 400 and 450 (maximum) as temperature. (That's celcius)
Not only the temperature itself is important, but also how well the solder iron tip keeps it's temperature if you touch the point you intend to solder.
A "to low" temperature is worse than a "to high" one. You will start to add mechanical pressure as the solder doesn't melt properly and you will eventually damage the pcb during the process.
Let's not forget that the Sn part of solder is present in leaded and lead free solder. My Weller solder station is set between 400 and 450 (maximum) as temperature. (That's celcius)
Not only the temperature itself is important, but also how well the solder iron tip keeps it's temperature if you touch the point you intend to solder.
A "to low" temperature is worse than a "to high" one. You will start to add mechanical pressure as the solder doesn't melt properly and you will eventually damage the pcb during the process.
Thanks guys, appreciate all the great info. I'll experiment a bit and see what I like. I've probably soldered ~700 circuit boards for various reasons and tons of wiring over the years so it's not like this is my first project.
