Heathkit HR-10B - Proper Soldering Techniques

Page 9
PROPER SOLDERING TECHNIQUES
CRIMP WIRES HEAT CONNECTION APPLY SOLDER ALLOW SOLDER
TO
FLOW
PROPER SOLDER
CONNECTION
Only a
small percentage of customers find it
necessary to return equipment for factory
service. By far the largest portion of mal-
functions in this equipment are due to poor
or improper soldering.
If terminals are bright and clean and free of wax,
frayed insulation and other foreign substances,
no difficulty will be experienced in soldering.
Correctly soldered connections are essential if
the
performance engineered into a kit is to be
fully realized. If you are a beginner with no
experience in soldering, a half hour's practice
with some odd lengths of wire may be a worth-
while investment.
For most wiring, a 25 to 100 watt iron or its
equivalent in a soldering gun is very satisfactory.
A lower wattage iron than this may not heat the
connection enough to flow the solder smoothly.
Keep the
iron tip clean by wiping it from time
to time with a cloth.
CHASSIS WIRING AND SOLDERING
1. Unless otherwise indicated, all wire used
is the type with colored insulation (hookup
wire). In preparing a length of hookup wire,
1/ 4" of insulation should be removed from
each end unless directed otherwise in the
assembly step.
2. To avoid breaking internal connections when
stripping insulation from the leads of trans-
formers or similar components, care should
be taken not to pull directly on the lead. In-
stead, hold the lead with pliers while it is
being stripped.
3. Leads on resistors, capacitors, and similar
components are generally much longer than
need be to make the required connections.
In these cases, the leads should be cut to
proper le!lgth before the part is installed •.
In general, the leads should be just long
enough
to reach their terminating points.
4. Wherever there is a possibility of bare leads
shorting to other parts or to the chassis, the '
leads should be covered with insulating
sleeving. Where the use of sleeving is spe-
cifically intended, the phrase "use sleeving"
is included in the associated assembly
step. In any case where there is the pos-
sibility of an unintentional short circuit,
sleeving should be used. Extra sleeving is
provided for this purpose.
5. Crimp or bend the lead (or leads) around the
terminal to form, a good joint without re-
lying on solder ~or physical strength. If
the lead is too large to allow bending or if
the step states that it is not to be crimped,
position it so that a good solder connection
can still be made.
6. Position the work, ifpossible, so that gravity
will help to keep the solder where you want
it,
7. Place a flat side of the soldering iron tip
against the joint to be soldered until it is
heated sufficiently to melt the solder.
8. Then place the solder and it will immediately
flow over the joint; use only enough solder to
thoroughly wet the junction. It is usually not