Devices for soldering small parts. A homemade device to facilitate the soldering process. Tapered Aluminum Bar

Soldering accessories

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Welded joints

Soldering accessories

Technological equipment for components manufactured by soldering has a number of features that must be taken into account when creating it, especially equipment used for soldering in furnaces. Typically, parts assembled for soldering are self-fixed without the use of a fixture. This is achieved both through the design of the parts and through their mechanical fastening with wire, pins, spot welding, knurling, etc.

If direct fixation and fastening of parts fails, then special devices are used, usually designed to support or compress the surfaces being joined.

Supporting devices are used when soldering parts, the relative position of which is ensured by the presence of elements previously provided for in their design. seats. One of such devices is shown in Fig. 2.

Rice. 1. Device for roller welding of longitudinal seams on shells of small diameter

Compressing devices not only support the parts assembled for soldering, but also press them against each other with a certain force. The design of such devices is determined by the shape and properties of the materials of the product being soldered, as well as the soldering method.

Depending on the soldering temperature and the requirements for soldered products, various methods of pressing parts are used: using springs, threaded elements, wedges, pneumatic or vacuum, using the difference in the linear expansion coefficients of the material of individual elements of the device.

A compression device with a spring clamp is shown in Fig. 3. The performance of such a device depends mainly on the soldering temperature and the properties of the spring material at this temperature.

In Fig. Figure 4 shows a diagram of a thermal clamping device, where the clamping force is created due to the difference in the linear expansion coefficients of individual elements of the device, made of dissimilar materials.

When soldering with local heating, the structural elements of the device, if possible, must be removed from the heating zone in order to eliminate heat losses due to heating of the device and to prevent its warping.

In conditions of general heating soldering, the fixtures must withstand a sufficiently large number of repeated thermal cycles. This places certain demands on their design and the materials from which they are made. In addition to maintaining the immobility of parts during the soldering process, the design of the device should ensure easy removal of soldered assemblies and prevent them from warping.

To avoid jamming of soldered parts in a fixture, it is necessary to strive to minimize the contact surface of the parts of the soldered assembly with the fixture. When soldering with general heating, threaded fastening of parts is not recommended; it should be replaced with wedges, spacers, weights, etc.

Rice. 2. Fixing device for soldering parts with general heating: 1 - parts to be soldered, 2 - device

When soldering in a circulating protective atmosphere, the devices must prevent the formation of air pockets.

When designing a device, the possibility of warping should be taken into account. The degree of warping depends on the selected material of the device, its design, the nature of the heating and the soldering temperature.

For example, you should not use holes in a relatively thick plate as a centering base, which itself can be greatly deformed when heated. A more rational solution would be to insert free-fitting replaceable liners into these holes with an internal centering hole, which can be used as a base. For group soldering, multi-position devices are more convenient to use than individual ones. However, this is limited by the size of the oven and the weight of the device itself in the assembly.

Rice. 3. A device with a spring clamp for soldering with fusible solders: 1 - parts to be soldered, 2 - spring. 3 - pressure screw

Rice. 4. Device with thermal clamp: 1 - soldered parts, 2 - aluminum cylinder. 3 - steel glass, 4 - cork

The materials of devices for soldering with general heating are subject to a number of specific requirements:
1. The ability to withstand repeated heating to soldering temperature without warping or reducing physical and mechanical properties.
2. Good machinability to achieve specified accuracy.
3. Sufficient hardness and wear resistance to allow frequent assembly and disassembly.
4. The possibility of using means to prevent unnecessary wetting of the surface with solders during the soldering process.
5. Their coefficient of linear expansion must correspond to the coefficient of linear expansion of the parts of the soldered assembly.

Based on these conditions, solder fixtures are used various materials: structural and stainless steels, heat-resistant alloys, refractory metals. In addition to metals and alloys, in some cases ceramic materials are used, which are very resistant to soldering temperatures in any atmosphere. In addition, ceramic materials do not oxidize, resist abrasion well and do not warp at high heating temperatures. The disadvantages of such materials are the difficulty of mechanical processing and their tendency to crack under repeated thermal loading. Therefore, they are most often used in devices in the form of simple parts - cylinders, weights, stands, etc.

Rice. 5. Diagrams of devices for soldering with general heating: 1 - parts to be soldered, 2 - plate, 3 - screw, 4 - wedge, 5 - liner

Soldering fixtures must be monitored frequently. The design of such devices must allow repair and restoration of the required dimensions and replacement of individual parts.

When soldering in furnaces, special containers are often used in which the soldered products are placed. Containers for these purposes can be:
a) rigid, fully loaded into the oven;
b) rigid with a rubber seal of the water-cooled flange, which is in the process of soldering outside the working space of the furnace;
c) soft, also completely loaded into the oven.

Rigid containers can be sealed with backfill or sealed with an airtight seal. The requirements for the rigidity of the container structure are determined by the operating conditions. So, if soldering is carried out in a vacuum, then the container must be designed for the required external pressure at a given heating temperature.

The design of containers often includes special elements for pressing the soldered parts. For this purpose, in rigid containers, pneumatic cushions are sometimes used in the form of a welded envelope made of low-carbon or stainless steel with a sheet thickness of 0.6 - 1.0 mm. To create a clamping force, air or nitrogen is supplied to it under the required excess pressure.

Rice. 6. Schemes of containers for soldering: a - a container sealed by backfill, b - a container sealed by welding, c - a rigid container with a pneumatic cushion, d - a rigid container with a rubber lid seal (only the hot zone of the container is loaded into the oven), e - soft container, 1 - container, 2 - container lid, 3, 4 - pipelines, 5 - sealing fill, 6 - parts, 7 - pneumatic cushion, 8 - heat shield

When soldering in a vacuum, the pressure can be achieved by the container itself. For this purpose, soft thin-sheet containers are used (sheet thickness 0.6 - 1.0 mm). When a vacuum is created inside the container, the parts are pressed due to the difference between internal and external pressures. When soldering parts of complex shapes, the container is made according to the shape of the parts. In order to increase the clamping force, it is sometimes used combined method creating pressure. In this case, a soft container containing the product with an internal vacuum is placed in another hard container, inside of which excess pressure is created. Various steels are used for containers: low-carbon, stainless and heat-resistant. When developing equipment for soldering, in order to increase the economic effect of its use, it is necessary to strive for the possibility of its repeated use.

Everyone knows that working with a good tool in any business makes the process faster and more efficient. This fully applies to radio electronics. Of course, if a person thoroughly understands a subject, for example, in repair, or in the production of something, he will be able to do the job with a minimum of tools. But if you plan to do something regularly, you think about how to make this process easier. Finally, it’s simply a pleasure to work with a quality tool.

Anyone who has ever used a soldering station, I think, can compare the process of soldering planar radio components, even the same transistors in an SOT-23 package, with a regular soldering iron, and a soldering iron from a soldering station with replaceable tips. Having realized the need to purchase a tool, even with some material costs, the radio amateur begins to gradually purchase everything he needs for his work.

In this article I will talk about some of the tools that I use when working on the manufacture of electronic devices, and when necessary, during repairs.

Side cutters

Of course, when working, you can’t do without side cutters made of good steel. Often when soldering you have to cut and shorten the leads of parts. Cut wires to the required length for jumpers and connecting individual blocks or boards with remote regulators located, for example, on the front panel of an amplifier or some other device.

Straight platypuses

Necessary for giving the desired shape to the terminals of radio components. Can be used as side cutters for cutting off single-core wires. It is inconvenient to bite multi-core wires with them. Also, when assembling the device in the housing, they are convenient to hold the nuts while tightening.

Hacksaw blade cutter

With its help, you can make a board without etching, separating the tracks that are not connected to each other by a groove cut in the PCB foil. This method is available, if, of course, the board is simple enough. Also, when repairing or making changes to the device circuit, sometimes it is necessary to cut the tracks on the printed circuit board. A cutter is also used for this purpose.

Household tweezers, small and large

When soldering, it is convenient to hold the lead of the part with tweezers. As everyone knows, the same resistors get very hot when soldered, and if you hold them with your hands, you can get burned. There are notches on the working part of the sponges of household tweezers, unlike Chinese tweezers, and they are much more convenient to use.

Hot glue gun

An indispensable thing when assembling a device in a case. For example, we need to display LED indications on the front panel. If switches and variable resistors are mounted on the case, and securing them is not difficult, with LEDs everything is more complicated.

It is necessary that during operation of the device, if we accidentally press on the LED, it does not recess into the housing, which will certainly happen even if we insert the LED into the hole “with tension”. And so we turn on the gun, wait 5 minutes, a drop of molten glue, which, when cooled, will firmly fix the LED, and we’re done. Is this gun available in retail stores? Chinese goods our city “Fix price” is only 40 rubles.

The only thing is that there is no power cord at all, and after 5-10 uses it had to be replaced, but this is not a problem for us? The glue sticks themselves cost only 6 rubles per piece, and they last a long time.

Set of needle files and files

When assembling a device in a case, we often have to expand the drilled holes and adjust them to the dimensions we need. To do this, I use different needle files and small files. The most popular are flat ones, used when you need to cut a hole for a switch or button, and round ones, when fitting holes, for example, for the shaft of a variable resistor, and for the same LEDs.

Needle nose pliers

Useful when soldering planar radio components to hold them in place during soldering. Otherwise, they are used similarly to tweezers, but can provide, if necessary, greater compressive force than tweezers. Can be used instead of platypuses, and perform most its functions.

Tapered Aluminum Bar

A useful thing when we need to clean the hole for the output of a radio component in a printed circuit board, which is filled with solder. Due to the fact that the rod is made of aluminum, solder does not stick to it during soldering. Most people use toothpicks for such purposes, the advantage of this rod is that it is conical, it can be inserted into the hole, even from the back side of the board, and when heated, expand the hole and free it from solder. But be careful not to tear off the contacts from the printed circuit board.

Stationery knife

It is also very convenient for stripping wires of insulation. I’ll tell you from my own experience, I’ve more than once had to carry out minor repairs at a party or at a friend’s house, when there were no tools at all available, except for my grandfather’s 40 or even 60 watt soldering iron and a dull kitchen knife. Considering its cheap price, it is 100% worth it.

desoldering pump

Needed to remove solder from contacts when desoldering radio components from printed circuit boards. Allows you to dismantle multi-lead parts without the risk of tearing off the contact on the track. With its help, transformers, microcircuits in Dip cores and more, any connectors can be easily soldered.

They use it as follows: bring it to the soldering site, cock the spring, melt the solder with a soldering iron and press the release button on the desoldering pump. By creating a rarefied area of air near the contact, the solder is sucked into the desoldering pump. If it is not completely removed, cock the spring and repeat until the contact is completely clear of solder.

Periodically we disassemble and clean the rubber ring on the piston from grains of solder.

Shuttle

Used for winding transformers on a toroidal (ring) core. First, we calculate the total length of the winding wire and wind it onto the shuttle. Then we thread the shuttle into the core and begin winding. This method allows us to wind transformers much faster than if we threaded the wire into the core each time with our hands. The width of the shuttle should be less than the diameter of the core together with the wound winding.

Mini pliers

They are used in the same way as large pliers. That is, when we need to apply force to bend something, for example tin, or to give the desired shape, for example thick wires. In some cases, they can replace platypuses, and thanks to the cutting edge, they allow you to bite off wires.

Set of hollow needles for desoldering

I ordered this set of needles from Ali Express. The needles are made of stainless steel and the solder does not stick to them during soldering.

The diameter of the needles allows you to desolder pins, for example, from 0.8 mm, which is suitable for soldering microcircuits in a Dip package, to 2 mm, which will allow you to desolder even a transformer from the board if necessary.

The set also includes an awl, which is convenient for disconnecting the contacts of the microcircuit in the Dip package if they accidentally “stick together” during soldering. To do this, we warm up the stuck together contacts and pass an awl between them, thus separating them.

Small scissors

Sometimes they also turn out to be useful, for example, if you need to cut off electrical tape, or something wider that is not convenient to bite with side cutters. For example, if we insulate something with varnished cloth, or something similar, cut into strips.

Clock screwdriver set

Great for disassembling cameras, mp3 players, for repairs, and any other equipment with small screws. There are both Phillips and flathead screwdrivers of different sizes, for different screw heads.

Dismantling braid

Used to remove solder from the contacts of the part being soldered. It is used as follows: dip a piece of braid in alcohol-rosin flux, place it on top of the contact and heat it with a soldering iron tip so that all the solder from the contact is absorbed into the braid. After use, cut off a piece of braid. Also, the used piece can be used for tinning tracks in the manner described below.

Flux brush

Used when tinning circuit boards with a soldering iron. Using a brush, liquid Alcohol-Rosin flux is applied to the tracks. Afterwards, we put a little solder on the braid, and while warming it up with a soldering iron, we move it along the paths along the braid. As a result, in this way it turns out to tin the tracks. Only a small amount of solder should be used on the braid.

Scalpels

I use two scalpels in my work, as in the photo above. In addition to the fact that they can cut through anything with force, I use them to clean up paper residues when transferring a design with LUT, from closely spaced paths, so that they do not merge during etching.

Awl and scribe from a needle file

In addition to the fact that they can mark the dimensions of the board, when sawing off a piece of PCB, I use an awl to lightly punch the holes before drilling in the board for the pins of the parts.

Chinese tweezers

The thing looks unreliable; they have no notches on the working part of the jaws. With the tweezers that are bent, it is convenient to hold the SMD parts while soldering on the board. Considering that they cost me only 1.2 dollars per pair, I ordered express from Ali, I think they are worth the money.

Of course, this is not a complete list of tools that radio amateurs use in their work, but only the main ones. But having such an arsenal, you can already collect anything you want. And if for occasional repairs at friends’ house you don’t need such a variety, then it’s better to have these things at home. I was with you AKV.

Technology Forum

Discuss the article Hand tools and accessories

Source: http://radioskot.ru/publ/konstruktiv/ruchnye_instrumenty_i_prisposoblenija/13-1-0-967

Microscope for soldering: what should you know about this useful device?

A microscope for soldering is a device that allows many people to carry out precision work, soldering and mounting electronic cards, microcircuits and much more. When you are engaged in repairs and restoration of all kinds of electronic devices, you periodically face the need to work with small parts.

Thus, a USB microscope designed for soldering microcircuits and other small parts will be an excellent assistant. The modern variety of devices allows a person to choose an excellent microscope specifically for their needs.

Application area:

Precision work;
Inspection of surfaces, as well as quality control;
Soldering and installation of electronic boards.

A USB microscope, designed for soldering small parts and microcircuits, is used in most cases to detect microcracks in motherboards. The mechanisms of most modern USB microscopes are equipped with manual focusing, continuously variable magnification, illumination and other useful functions. Also greatly simplifies the work is the USB cable, through which information is transferred to Personal Computer

, and also the fact that it is equipped with backlight. Using a special software

It is worth paying attention to the fact that most modern microscopes are equipped with illumination, the ability to transfer data to a computer, as well as many other useful features for soldering. They also have the ability to work as a webcam.

With the help of this device, it is quite possible to take digital photographs of microcircuits, subsequently enlarge them, shoot video and transmit all useful information to a computer for subsequent study of all the details of the work.

Technical data

A modern microscope is the latest device, equipped with illumination for soldering microcircuits and other small parts. In this regard, you need to know the technical data of the useful device.

Technical data:

Camera: 2.0 MPixel (most microscopes are equipped with such a camera);
Magnification: 20-200x;
CMOS image sensor;
Manual focusing within 10-500 millimeters;
Photo format: BMP or JPEG;
format: AVI with the possibility of 30 frames/second;
Lighting: in most cases there are 8 LEDs with the ability to adjust brightness (using the backlight makes work much easier);
Photo/video resolution: 2560×2048 (5M), 2000×1600, 1600×1280 (2M), 1280×1024, 1024×960, 1024×768, 800×600, 640×480, 352×288, 0 , 160×120;
The power source allows you to use the USB port of a laptop computer, without the need for an additional battery;
System requirements are mostly similar: Windows® in 2000 / XP/Windows Vista -/Windows 7.

What is included?

A modern soldering device includes the following components:

Microscope;
USB cable;
Tripod;
Guide to using the IC soldering tool;
Software with all necessary drivers;

Features of the microscope

It is worth noting that today solders are not too eager to purchase these devices for soldering, believing that the usual magnifying glass, worn on the head, is much more convenient and simpler.

Of course, a magnifying glass is much simpler, but in all other respects a magnifying glass is inferior to a microscope (it is not equipped with illumination or communication with a computer).

Like any modern device designed to make work simpler and less labor-intensive, a microscope has a number of significant advantages over such a device as a magnifying glass, thanks to which the shareholder can forget about how he previously used a magnifying glass attached to his head for these purposes.

Microscope Features:
Compactness;
Portability;
Adjustable zoom (magnification) of the lens;
Possibility of illumination of the part being repaired;
High sharpness;
Equipped with high-quality lighting;
Ease of replacing any elements of the device;
Additional accessories for the safety of the device during transportation;
Ease of use;
Ability to work with photographs and videos.

DIY microscope

If you are tired of having a magnifying glass on your head, it will be interesting to know that you can make a homemade microscope for high-quality soldering. However, this will require a little skill and a minimum of old equipment. Of course, to make a microscope with your own hands you will need a children's equivalent - a toy microscope. You can use an old children's device, such as the Naturalist. In addition, you will have to use a webcam, which you are unlikely to use anymore.

Let's say right away that if you are not sure that you will finish the job, and a magnifying glass is a more familiar device for you, it is better not to start, because otherwise you risk wasting time, as well as using up materials that may still be useful. In this case, it will be better to purchase a new device for soldering microcircuits. But for those who are confident, the procedure is presented below.

Procedure:

First, we will prepare materials for work, organize a workplace;
After that, take the webcam, and then screw it into the eyepiece. You can use plastic glue to secure the camera;
Next, we use a transistor in SOT-23 (actual size 3x3 millimeters) or a resistor 1206, the length of which is 3x2.6 millimeters;
If desired, the microscope can be equipped with illumination.

With little effort and time, you can use a DIY USB microscope without straining your eyesight, and you won’t need a magnifying glass.

Thus, a microscope successfully replaces a magnifying glass.

Source: http://GoodSvarka.ru/pajka/mikroskop/

What equipment is used for soldering

Soldering is considered one of the most effective and reliable methods of joining materials. Previously, it was used for metals and their alloys, but soldering is also suitable for joining pieces of glass, plastic, and ceramics.

There are many types of soldering, each of them uses special soldering equipment, tools and devices.

The most commonly used tool for soldering work is a soldering iron. It’s hard to imagine workplace equipment without it. Soldering irons are used by amateurs and professionals. It all depends on the type of instrument.

Hammer

To join large, massive parts, hammer soldering irons are used, so named because of their hammer-like shape. They are heated in ovens or braziers and, having great thermal inertia, remain heated for a long time.

Such equipment is used for soldering large parts.

Electric

Most traditional way soldering - using an electric soldering iron. It is designed very simply - a metal casing contains a heating element that heats the tip - a copper rod. The heating temperature of the soldering iron depends on the power of the heating element.

The process of soldering work consists in heating the parts to be connected using a contact method and fastening them with a special compound called solder. After cooling, a strong connection is obtained that can conduct electricity if the parts being connected are conductors.

A professional electric soldering iron can be equipped with a voltage regulator. In this case, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the tip, which is very important during assembly and installation electronic circuits.

Induction equipment is of particular interest. Induction soldering irons self-regulate heating and use electricity economically.

They produce ultrasonic soldering equipment. The ultrasonic soldering iron is equipped with a generator that produces a high-frequency signal.

In addition to a soldering iron operating from a household network, the soldering station equipment may include a soldering tool powered by 12 or 24 volts. It is suitable for debugging the operation of electronic circuits and for mounting parts and components that may fail due to overheating.

Electric soldering irons can also be cordless, powered by AA batteries.

Gas

Gas soldering irons are very convenient to use; they are heated by the combustion of gas. Gas equipment is represented by a huge number of models, differing in size, ignition system, and the presence of a temperature controller.

Using gas soldering equipment, you can melt high-temperature hard solders. They produce stations for gas soldering of copper pipes, which include cylinders, reducers, a platform and a burner.

The disadvantages of electric or gas soldering irons are the inability to simultaneously heat a large area at low power. In this case, other types of equipment are used.

Infrared stations and hair dryers

Models of hot-air soldering equipment (hair dryers) are used mainly for dismantling and volumetric mounting of microcircuits on electronic device boards. Very often, a hair dryer is included in the package of a soldering station, which also consists of an electric soldering iron and a control unit.

The soldering station allows you to install and control the parameters of the tools included in it, ensuring high quality seams.

Often, the equipment for a soldering station includes a table with the ability to heat parts or circuit boards from below.

This installation uses infrared heat sources - lamps, heating elements. Some designs of heating tables are equipped with brackets and stands, which allow you to secure the boards.

Infrared equipment has a similar effect to a soldering gun. It can also be used to provide heating of a large area without allowing contact with microcircuit elements.

Infrared soldering stations allow you to control soldering and ensure smooth cooling of the metal. This is expensive equipment, which consists of entire computing systems with sets of sensors, processors and a whole list of auxiliary tools.

Tools and accessories

When manual soldering, it is not enough to have only soldering equipment. Without the necessary additional devices, it is sometimes impossible to solder anything, not just efficiently, but at all. Such devices include:

blowtorch;
tweezers;
set of files;
wire cutters;
magnifying glass and tripod;
clamps;
stands.

One of necessary tools- these are tweezers. It serves to hold small parts in the position in which they need to be soldered.

In addition, often metal tweezers, clamping the leads, serve as a heat sink when soldering semiconductors or other temperature-sensitive objects.

Another tool often used when working is a needle file. Using a flat file, you can clean the soldering iron tip from carbon deposits before tinning it.

A round needle file with a sharp end can be used to carefully clean out the mounting holes on the board. Sometimes you have to strip the terminals of circuit components before mounting them in place.

To work with wires and cables you will need side cutters. With their help, wires are cut, the insulation is stripped, and sometimes excess solder is mechanically removed.

Screwdrivers may be needed to remove electronic components and circuit boards from electrical appliance housings. various types. And since some components can fail when exposed to even weak magnetic field, you will need a device for demagnetizing steel tools.

Very often you have to solder large parts. It is impossible to heat them with a soldering iron, even the most powerful one. In this case, the parts near the place of future soldering are heated with a blowtorch, and after that they are soldered with a soldering iron. Blowtorches can run on gasoline, kerosene, or gas. Some models run on alcohol.

To secure the parts together and on the table, it’s a good idea to have a set of metal clamps on hand. When using them, you can accurately orient the parts one relative to the other and maintain this position throughout the entire soldering and cooling time.

Useful soldering tool - supply. You can place a hot soldering iron on it without fear of fire. Such simple equipment is often made by hand.

To connect small parts, which very often happens when repairing jewelry, you will need a magnifying glass with large diameter glass mounted on a tripod.

For constant frequent soldering work, it’s a good idea to install dust removal equipment in the room.

Industrial soldering

Heavy industry enterprises use completely different types of soldering equipment. The joining of large parts and structures in industrial conditions occurs in furnaces.

In this case, the highest quality is achieved, since when using furnace equipment, you can constantly monitor the condition of the metal and maintain the required temperature and pressure. Metal is protected from oxidation by introducing fluxes into the furnace chamber.

Soldering ovens vary in heating principle. They are induction, gas, electric. Workpieces are fed and removed in various ways depending on the design of the furnace equipment. This can be manual feed, belt conveyor, mine and elevator feed.

In manually fed furnaces, heating and cooling of parts and the soldering chamber occurs within one soldering cycle. After cooling, new parts are loaded. In this furnace it is easiest to control the process and its duration.

In conveyor soldering equipment, heating occurs constantly, and parts cool down after removal from the chamber. Such furnaces are used to create large quantity identical, serial products.

Shaft and elevator furnaces are used for the manufacture of large-sized volumetric structures, which are assembled directly in the furnace and then carry out the soldering process under fully controlled parameters.

Vacuum soldering equipment is used to join products made from highly oxidizing materials. The soldered seams produced in such furnaces are clean and uniform, which ensures their strength.

Due to less high temperature and a completely different impact on the metal than during welding, solder joints are more resistant to corrosion and mechanical stress.

Despite the long-standing invention of soldering and the creation of new methods for joining metals and alloys, soldering work using special equipment remains in demand today.

Source: https://svaring.com/soldering/instrumenty/oborudovanie-dlja-pajki

Lesson 1 - Ham Radio Tool

— Tools — Materials

— Organization of the workplace

1. Soldering iron

The soldering iron, of course, is the main and most necessary tool for a radio amateur.
In essence, this is a very simple tool - an ordinary electric heater: the soldering iron is plugged into a socket, and after a while its tip heats up to the required temperature.

Let's see what kind of soldering irons there are in general. Let's start the review with unsuitable models for our purposes.

A powerful soldering iron for soldering pipes, metals, basins and pans - we don’t need one like this for delicate radio engineering work!

The gas soldering iron operates from a built-in gas cartridge and is therefore very convenient for working in field conditions. But we will be doing amateur radio at home, so we don’t need a gas soldering iron.

The optimal tool for beginner radio amateurs is an electric soldering iron with a power of 25-40 W. The soldering iron handle can be wooden or plastic – it doesn’t matter.

Perhaps the main parameter of a soldering iron for beginning radio amateurs is its power. A soldering iron that is too powerful (more than 60W) will heat up excessively and may cause damage. printed circuit board and radio components. A low-power soldering iron (less than 25W power) is designed for soldering very small radio components and is more suitable for experienced radio amateurs. For soldering standard parts from Master Kit kits, the power of such a soldering iron may not be enough.

The optimal power of a soldering iron suitable for beginner radio amateurs is 25...40W.

The soldering iron can be purchased in radio engineering and hardware stores in your city, at radio markets, in specialized stores, in large chain hypermarkets (Leroy Merlin, OBI, AUCHAN, etc.). If you live far from large cities, then you can order a soldering iron, soldering station and any other tool in online stores (“Elektronshchik”, “Dessie”, “Chip and Dip”, etc.). These stores deliver goods by mail to anywhere in Russia.

An ordinary soldering iron can cost 200-300 rubles.

The soldering iron is simple and inexpensive, and it is very natural to start taking your first steps in amateur radio with its help. But there are also certain inconveniences, the main one of which is the unstable temperature of the tip.

The melting point of solder is about 270C, and the optimal temperature of the soldering iron tip is about 290...320C.

But the tip of a regular soldering iron can heat up to a temperature above 400C a few minutes after plugging it into the socket. Soldering at this temperature turns out to be of poor quality, since its components “burn out” from the solder.

In addition, such a high temperature can damage radio components and the printed circuit board.

There are many ways to solve the problem of tip overheating. The simplest of them is to periodically turn the soldering iron on and off in the network. Amateur radio literature presents many diagrams of homemade power regulators for a soldering iron, and you can use one of these recommendations.

But, if amateur radio really captivates you and becomes your hobby, it would be wiser to “fork out” for a so-called soldering station. The simplest soldering station is a block with a tip temperature control knob. The supplied soldering iron and network cable are connected to the unit.

It is enough to set the required temperature with the handle, and the soldering station will maintain the temperature of the soldering iron tip unchanged.

More expensive models of soldering stations may have a digital indicator that displays the set and current temperature of the tip. The soldering station kit may include a soldering iron holder and a set of replacement tips.

The simplest soldering station can cost from 1000 rubles, and for 3000 rubles you can buy a very decent semi-professional model with a temperature indicator and a set of replacement tips.

Using even the simplest soldering station is much more convenient to work with than using a regular soldering iron. But pleasure from work is the most important thing, right?

2. Radio engineering side cutters

The second most important tool after a soldering iron is radio engineering side cutters.

Let's start with a review of models unsuitable for amateur radio.

These are wire cutters for electricians. They can cut through thick wires, for example. Or even nails and piano strings (some professional instruments allow such “bullying”). But there is no such thing as a universal tool. And wire cutters that can cut through a thick nail are not suitable for delicate radio installation work. We will need radio engineering side cutters.
They look something like this:

You can buy such side cutters in the same place where you buy a soldering iron (see above).

The price can range from 50 rubles to several thousand rubles. Of course, side cutters in the upper price category are more appropriate for daily work in production, but I would not recommend purchasing cheap side cutters for 100 rubles, since they will most likely be “disposable” and inconvenient to use. Decent side cutters for amateur radio purposes can cost in the range of 300-500 rubles.

The simplest test for the suitability of side cutters: try cutting the most ordinary paper with them. If they can easily handle paper, most likely there will be no problems with cutting the leads of radio components. By the way, even brand new side cutters “for 100 rubles” may not cope with this “paper test”, so draw your own conclusions.,

3. Tweezers

It can be used to bend leads, hold a radio component, etc. When cutting leads, you can hold them with tweezers - then the cut leads will not scatter throughout the room.
But, since all this can be done with your fingers, then, perhaps, tweezers are not the most necessary tool for a beginning radio amateur.

4. "Third hand"

When soldering, we hold a soldering iron in one hand and a solder rod in the other hand. But what should you use to hold the printed circuit board? The third hand is missing...

There are devices that are called “third hand” in amateur radio jargon. Design in basic version It’s outrageously simple: a base and metal clothespins that secure the printed circuit board. Often the “third hand” is supplemented with a magnifying glass and a soldering iron holder. Of course, you can make some kind of board clamp yourself. But, since commercially available models are inexpensive - about 200 rubles - it is easier to purchase a ready-made holder.

5. Solder

Solder - absolutely required material for soldering. This is a fusible wire, which melts under the action of a hot soldering iron tip, and after a few seconds hardens, mechanically fixing the output of the radio component and the printed conductor. Since the solder is electrically conductive, electrical contact between the parts is also ensured.

Solder consists of lead (about 60%) and tin (40%). In addition, the solder may contain various additives that improve the quality of soldering: silver, various additives, etc.

Depending on the composition of the solder (the ratio of lead and tin content), it melts at a temperature of about 270C. Therefore, the temperature of the soldering iron tip should be slightly higher than the melting temperature of the solder. Some types of solder contain flux, which serves to remove oxidation and improve solder flow.

It is much more pleasant and faster to work with this solder; you do not need to purchase flux and rosin separately, and this is the kind of solder that I recommend buying.

In some beginner kits we include small rods of solder, but it should be considered more like free samples, and you need to buy solder separately to work. Solder is supplied in the form of spools of different weights.

The well-known domestic solder “POS61 with a rosin channel” or its imported analogs will be suitable.

Other important characteristic solder - diameter of the rod. It is most convenient for beginning radio amateurs to work with a rod diameter of 1...1.5 mm.

A reel of good solder with a rosin channel can cost about 300-500 rubles, and this amount will be enough for occasional use for at least a year. You can buy solder in the same place where you buy a soldering iron (see above).

Previously, rosin and flux (a solution of rosin in alcohol + additives) were used to remove oxides from printed circuit boards and radio components, as well as to improve the spreadability of solder, and it was recommended to purchase them separately.

But now, provided that you use modern solder with a rosin channel, as well as new tinned, that is, coated with a layer of tin radio components and printed circuit boards (Master Kit kits include only such high-quality components), you will not need to purchase anything additional - all the necessary additives are already contained in solder.

6. Alcohol

After soldering, traces of the flux contained in the solder remain on the board.

Strictly speaking, modern high-quality solders allow a no-clean process, that is, the board does not need to be cleaned after assembly, and nameless Chinese electronics manufacturers do just that. But a cleaned board looks much neater, and all reputable electronic equipment manufacturers clean their boards.

In amateur conditions, it is best to use alcohol, an old toothbrush and napkins. Wet the brush in alcohol, thoroughly rub the printed circuit board with it, and at the final stage of cleaning use ordinary napkins.

It is recommended to use non-alcohol-containing liquids (cologne, vodka), but technical alcohol as the most effective cleaner.
A liter bottle of isopropyl alcohol can cost 150-200 rubles, and it will be enough to clean circuit boards and other surfaces for several years.

Workplace

You will need a simple table and chair.
To avoid damaging the working surface of the table, it is better to cover it with a sheet of cardboard, plywood or glass. It’s more pleasant and safer to work on a clean, uncluttered table, so it’s better not to make a “mess” on it (in which the likelihood of losing some small radio component increases sharply).

Take care of good lighting table. The general overhead light in the room is not enough for delicate work, so be sure to include a desk lamp.

Ensure your work area is well ventilated. Solder vapors are unlikely to cause noticeable harm to health during occasional amateur creativity (here we are not talking about the professional daily long hours of work of radio assemblers in production). The use of special hoods for amateur conditions is unnecessary, but a regular fan that drives smoke away from the face is a good solution! It is also better to ventilate the room and wash your hands after soldering.

To consolidate the acquired knowledge in practice, you can use the beginner radio amateur kit NR01.

Download lesson in PDF format

What equipment is used for soldering

Hammer

Such equipment is used for soldering large parts.

Electric

The most traditional soldering method is with an electric soldering iron. It is designed very simply - a metal casing contains a heating element that heats the tip - a copper rod. It depends on the power of the heating element.

A professional electric soldering iron can be equipped with a voltage regulator. In this case, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the tip, which is very important when assembling and installing electronic circuits.

Induction equipment is of particular interest. Self-regulation of heating occurs; they use electricity economically.

They produce ultrasonic soldering equipment. The ultrasonic soldering iron is equipped with a generator that produces a high-frequency signal.

Electric soldering irons can also be cordless, powered by AA batteries.

Gas

Using gas soldering equipment, you can melt high-temperature hard solders. They produce stations for gas soldering of copper pipes, which include cylinders, reducers, a platform and a burner.

The disadvantages of electric or gas soldering irons are the inability to simultaneously heat a large area at low power. In this case, other types of equipment are used.

Infrared stations and hair dryers

The soldering station allows you to install and control the parameters of the tools included in it, ensuring high quality seams.

Often, the equipment for a soldering station includes a table with the ability to heat parts or circuit boards from below.

This installation uses infrared heat sources - lamps, heating elements. Some designs of heating tables are equipped with brackets and stands, which allow you to secure the boards.

Infrared equipment has a similar effect to a soldering gun. It can also be used to provide heating of a large area without allowing contact with microcircuit elements.

Tools and accessories

blowtorch;
tweezers;
set of files;
wire cutters;
magnifying glass and tripod;
clamps;
stands.

One of the necessary tools is tweezers. It serves to hold small parts in the position in which they need to be soldered.

In addition, often metal tweezers, clamping the leads, serve as a heat sink when soldering semiconductors or other temperature-sensitive objects.

Another tool often used when working is a needle file. You can use a flat file to remove carbon deposits before tinning it.

A round needle file with a sharp end can be used to carefully clean out the mounting holes on the board. Sometimes you have to strip the terminals of circuit components before mounting them in place.

To work with wires and cables you will need side cutters. With their help, wires are cut, the insulation is stripped, and sometimes excess solder is mechanically removed.

To dismantle electronic components and circuit boards from electrical appliance housings, you may need various types of screwdrivers. And since some components can fail when exposed to even a weak magnetic field, you will need a device to demagnetize steel tools.

Useful soldering tool - supply. You can place a hot soldering iron on it without fear of fire. Such simple equipment is often made by hand.

To connect small parts, which very often happens when repairing jewelry, you will need a magnifying glass with large diameter glass mounted on a tripod.

For constant frequent soldering work, it’s a good idea to install dust removal equipment in the room.

Industrial soldering

Heavy industry enterprises use completely different types of soldering equipment. The joining of large parts and structures in industrial conditions occurs in furnaces.

In conveyor soldering equipment, heating occurs constantly, and parts cool down after removal from the chamber. Such furnaces are used to create a large number of identical, serial products.

Vacuum soldering equipment is used to join products made from highly oxidizing materials. The soldered seams produced in such furnaces are clean and uniform, which ensures their strength.

Due to the lower temperature and completely different impact on the metal than during welding, solder joints are more resistant to corrosion and mechanical stress.

Despite the long-standing invention of soldering and the creation of new methods for joining metals and alloys, soldering work using special equipment remains in demand today.

Today I want to tell you about how you can make a device yourself that will help you ease the soldering process...

Watch the video of the soldering fixture:

Problems often arise when you need to solder wires or something else and don’t have enough hands. You need to hold the soldering iron with one hand, hold the workpiece that needs to be soldered with the other hand, and you also need another hand to hold the other end of the wire that needs to be soldered. Another problem arises when, in addition to these listed " three hands“We also need a fourth one, which will hold the magnifying glass (for especially small parts). After analyzing this problem, I came to the conclusion that it can be solved with the help of a homemade device, which we will talk about today.

Let's start with the first problem: "the third hand is the holder"

For our entire design we will need small wooden beam. We take two wooden clothespins and use self-tapping screws to screw them to our beam as shown in the photo:

We do not clamp the screws too tightly so that we can change the inclination of the clothespins.

We have solved the first problem. The “third hand” for soldering is ready!

Second problem: where to put a hot soldering iron so as not to spoil the work surface?

Wire. We bend it as shown in the photo:

Next, we make two small holes on the side of our wooden beam that match the diameter of the wire and insert the ends of the wire into these holes in the beam. We end up with a design like this, on which you can safely place a hot soldering iron:

The design is also good because it can be folded and thereby save space when storing this device:

The third problem: where to put the solder and rosin?

To solve this problem we need a small metal lid from a jar. We make a hole in it and fix it on top of the beam using a self-tapping screw:

Fourth problem: When soldering particularly small parts, a problem arises when you need to look at the soldering process very closely. To do this we need a magnifying glass and a two-core wire.

We take the wire and tightly wrap our magnifying glass as shown in the photo:

The edge of the magnifying glass should fit exactly between the two wire strands (this will allow the magnifying glass to hold very well). Next, twist the ends of the wire, thereby securing the magnifying glass:

Now we need a “dog” from under the wooden latch, which we screw into the wooden beam using self-tapping screws.

I have to solder very often, and sometimes it’s not very convenient to do it. Large parts can be clamped in a vice, but you can’t do that with small ones. There is a device for this third hand, but I didn’t want to buy such a toy in the store, I decided to make it myself from scraps at hand.

I started this creation with a stand. I cut out a rectangle from centimeter plywood:

And I immediately wondered how to secure the rod to the base and then attach horizontal posts to it. Fortunately, it was necessary to cut the thread and secure it with a nut, but there was no necessary die. I had to get out of the situation...

To secure the stand at the base, I found a bolt with a longitudinal hole. It was smaller than the diameter of the rod, so I had to sharpen it a little:

To fasten the horizontal posts, I found a long nut (found in Soviet cassette recorders) and machined a stock for it at the end of the rod:

I wanted to secure the nut using a threaded connection, but the drill stubbornly refused to make a hole in the end, so I had to do it this way.

The unit is ready for assembly:

To make the connection stronger, I put a tube on the rod and made a cut in it:

And he began to solder the nut:

Now we move on to securing the bolt. We clamp the part in a vice and start soldering from the top:

The part is ready:

Now what do we need to do? That's right, you need to connect the vertical post and the base. To do this, I cut out another auxiliary part - a rectangle from 4mm plywood:

Using a feather drill, I drilled a hole in the base. I also made holes in the auxiliary plywood backing and found 4 self-tapping screws. Everything is ready for assembly:

Half the job is done, the base with the vertical stand is ready. Let's move on to the second part - creating horizontal stands, clamps and a magnifying glass.

These metal plates, pins and bolts with washers are the future arms of our device: