BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
I'll give it a whirl.
I'll PM you my address.
I'll PM you my address.
Why do the solder Gods hate me so??
- Thread starter beelzerob
- Start date
Sounds like the tip is HOT enough but not BIG enough. It looks like the lug is attached to a chunk of sheet metal. This will pull LOTS of heat away from the joint. You could get the tip very hot and as soon as you touch it to the big piece of metal it cools right down. 30W is not nearly enough power. Sure, if you hold it on there long enough the whole thing gets hot but you don't really want to heat the whole thing up to soldering temperature. You want a bigger/more powerful tip for this kind of stuff. If you have enough power you can heat the lug up quickly (maybe 20 seconds) and get the soldering/desoldering done without heating up the whole thing. A soldering gun would be good for this size work. If I had a big tip in a Weller (60W) that would probably work ok.
Overheating the tip does not help as much as having a larger tip or more power. For one thing overheating the tip leads to more oxididation, flux breakdown, and generally bad things to collect on the tip. Taking a long time to heat the joint tends to make the flux ineffective. It becomes active at a lower temp than the solder melting and it won't be active forever. The flux eventually breaks down and just becomes more contamination on the joint.
Also, flux doesn't solve everything. It has limited cleaning ability. The joint needs to be clean before you start. If the copper is darkened the flux is not going to help. For heavy oxide you usually have to resort to mechanically means (light sanding, etc). This is usually not much of an issue for desoldering - all the parts are already tinned (coated) with solder, which tends to keep the parts from oxidizing. I find that the flux in the solder is almost always enough if the joint is clean to begin with.
I suggest you try to find someone local to give you some help getting started. Maybe locate a local ham radio club... I think it would be more helpful than online stuff. Soldering isn't that difficult but there are some details that can cause trouble. Doing it well is somewhat of an art.
Overheating the tip does not help as much as having a larger tip or more power. For one thing overheating the tip leads to more oxididation, flux breakdown, and generally bad things to collect on the tip. Taking a long time to heat the joint tends to make the flux ineffective. It becomes active at a lower temp than the solder melting and it won't be active forever. The flux eventually breaks down and just becomes more contamination on the joint.
Also, flux doesn't solve everything. It has limited cleaning ability. The joint needs to be clean before you start. If the copper is darkened the flux is not going to help. For heavy oxide you usually have to resort to mechanically means (light sanding, etc). This is usually not much of an issue for desoldering - all the parts are already tinned (coated) with solder, which tends to keep the parts from oxidizing. I find that the flux in the solder is almost always enough if the joint is clean to begin with.
I suggest you try to find someone local to give you some help getting started. Maybe locate a local ham radio club... I think it would be more helpful than online stuff. Soldering isn't that difficult but there are some details that can cause trouble. Doing it well is somewhat of an art.
beelzerob
Senior Member
Ya, for this power strip, it's just not worth any extra expense or effort. I can do 2 possible things....butt splice to the remaining existing wire pieces, which hopefully haven't suffered too badly from my desoldering efforts. Or I can just cut the solid copper wires and connect directly to them, sacrificing the one outlet they terminate at now. I think I'll go for the first try and see if that works.
Thanks for all the suggestions, though, and especially BSR who has offered to resolder my secu16, once I acquire the right parts.
Thanks for all the suggestions, though, and especially BSR who has offered to resolder my secu16, once I acquire the right parts.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
and to think, you could've just skipped all this frustration and gone for this:
http://shop1.frys.com/product/4214124
Just bought a 4' and a 2' one today for the entertainment center.
http://shop1.frys.com/product/4214124
Just bought a 4' and a 2' one today for the entertainment center.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
I know that all too well. 5 yrs ago, my tools fit in a portable toolbox. Then I bought a boat that needed some work - ended up with a 6ft tall toolbox - later needed engine work, ended up with air compressor, sandblaster, fully piped garage, etc... then bought a fixer house - now the cars don't fit in the garage around the woodworking stuff - and the 4 nail guns were a nice add to the boat's tools. All because I'd rather buy a $500 tile saw and do the job myself than pay someone $400 to come do it for me - cuz then, I'd have a new tool!
Luckily my aversion to "junk" piling up kicked in after one too many moves... so if I can't use it quickly and in the next 24 months, I don't want to see it... I'll buy it again if "that day" comes where I need it. Severely conflicting interests.
Luckily my aversion to "junk" piling up kicked in after one too many moves... so if I can't use it quickly and in the next 24 months, I don't want to see it... I'll buy it again if "that day" comes where I need it. Severely conflicting interests.
Hmmm, I've never had any luck with braid/wick for removing solder. I always used solder suckers and those work best for me at least...
I have one of the ones that you plug in. Put the lead in the tip, solder melts, hit the button. Works great.
beelzerob
Senior Member
Well, my non-soldering solution. Butt splices!
I used a dremel to make the cord hole big enough so I could use the strain-relief I had on hand. Then I used an old cord I cut from a defective UPS (woohoo for not ever throwing anything away!) for the power cord. The power cord is heavier gauge than the wires they're connected to (14 ga to 16 ga).
Haven't plugged it in yet, but it looks like it should be good to go. Lots of plugins to use! That'll make the rack happy.
I used a dremel to make the cord hole big enough so I could use the strain-relief I had on hand. Then I used an old cord I cut from a defective UPS (woohoo for not ever throwing anything away!) for the power cord. The power cord is heavier gauge than the wires they're connected to (14 ga to 16 ga).
Haven't plugged it in yet, but it looks like it should be good to go. Lots of plugins to use! That'll make the rack happy.