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Lab 04 - Soldering

In this lab, we learned how to solder two different types of joints: Lap Joints and Through-Hole PCBs.

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Lap Joint

With two wires, the first step is to strip the insulation of the wires about 1/4 inch. It’s essential to ensure you are using the correct size wire stripper. Otherwise, it could result in a damaged conductor.

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After your wires are carefully stripped 1/4 inch, the next step is to tin the wires. Tinning is adding a thin layer of solder that has been melted onto the stripped section to make the soldering easier

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Finally, the iron was used to apply solder while the two wires were held together. The solder melted over the stripped regions to make a strong lap joint.

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Through-Hole PCB

Choose a resistor and a hole on the PCB before starting a through-hole. To keep the resistor in place, insert its legs through the holes and bend them gently. A tiny bit of solder is added once heat has been applied to the PCB's back side, which is opposite the resistor's head. The ideal joint should resemble a volcano shape.

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When doing this, you have to ensure that you don’t add too much solder and that the solder goes through the hole entirely. I found it easiest to go from the side opposite the resistor’s head, but it can be done from both sides.

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Reflection

After finishing these two soldering techniques, I realized how important consistency is. For the lap joint, I struggled at the beginning, but did not realize the tip of my iron was bent, making it more difficult to apply solder to the wires. Once I had the correct iron, it was a lot easier to complete the lap joint. For next time, I have to make sure I twist the wires to make sure there are no wires strayed out after applying the solder.

On the PCB through-hole, I discovered that bending the resistor legs forward is a simple but efficient approach to keep components tight during soldering. I also discovered that the amount of solder makes all the difference: too little results in a poor connection, while too much causes messiness. The best results come from finding the ideal equilibrium, in which the solder produces a clear volcano shape.

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