Electronics > Beginners
Hello, advice on my lab, and what solder to buy please
tooki:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 29, 2019, 10:23:59 pm ---
Lead free solder is hopelessly bad for hobby use.
Remember that laws are for the guidance of the wise, and the obedience of fools... the reason for the "no lead solder" rules is to avoid the lead from oceans of crappy consumer products ending up in the landfills. A hobbyist using leaded solder makes sqrt(FA) difference to the environment in the bigger picture.
--- End quote ---
Though I completely agree that the lead-free requirement was silly regulation, I cannot agree with your assertion of lead-free being "hopeless" for hobby use. That's just nonsense. Frankly, the quality of soldering iron, solder, and flux makes a far bigger difference than whether it's leaded or lead-free.
I use both, and am equally successful in soldering with both. For lead-free I do, however, strongly recommend using SAC305 alloy, and not Sn99/Sn100, as those are much more susceptible to solder bridging than the SAC305. (I would go so far as to say that Sn99/Sn100 is really not ideal for beginners.) Other than requiring the iron to be set about 20C higher, SAC305 behaves very much like leaded solder.
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 30, 2019, 01:56:45 am ---SnPbAg 62/36/2 is my preferred ammunition for electronics. It is the best for precision work. The toughest test I have done with it is to solder leads onto 0.5mm pitch DSBGA chips by hand (just to see if it was possible). No other solder works as well!
--- End quote ---
Really? What I've read/heard repeatedly is that SnPbAg 62/36/2 is actually slightly harder to work with than 63/37, and thus really only makes sense when working with silver-plated terminals like on old Tek gear, ceramic hybrids, and some SMD components, where you need to prevent silver plate from dissolving.
mc172:
I like this stuff.
https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/solders/2294308/
tooki:
--- Quote from: mc172 on December 30, 2019, 11:21:17 am ---I like this stuff.
https://uk.rs-online.com/mobile/p/solders/2294308/
--- End quote ---
Well, he got the 0.5mm version of that, so I'm certain he'll be happy with it.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: tooki on December 30, 2019, 10:56:07 am ---
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 29, 2019, 10:23:59 pm ---
Lead free solder is hopelessly bad for hobby use.
Remember that laws are for the guidance of the wise, and the obedience of fools... the reason for the "no lead solder" rules is to avoid the lead from oceans of crappy consumer products ending up in the landfills. A hobbyist using leaded solder makes sqrt(FA) difference to the environment in the bigger picture.
--- End quote ---
Though I completely agree that the lead-free requirement was silly regulation, I cannot agree with your assertion of lead-free being "hopeless" for hobby use. That's just nonsense. Frankly, the quality of soldering iron, solder, and flux makes a far bigger difference than whether it's leaded or lead-free.
I use both, and am equally successful in soldering with both. For lead-free I do, however, strongly recommend using SAC305 alloy, and not Sn99/Sn100, as those are much more susceptible to solder bridging than the SAC305. (I would go so far as to say that Sn99/Sn100 is really not ideal for beginners.) Other than requiring the iron to be set about 20C higher, SAC305 behaves very much like leaded solder.
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on December 30, 2019, 01:56:45 am ---SnPbAg 62/36/2 is my preferred ammunition for electronics. It is the best for precision work. The toughest test I have done with it is to solder leads onto 0.5mm pitch DSBGA chips by hand (just to see if it was possible). No other solder works as well!
--- End quote ---
Really? What I've read/heard repeatedly is that SnPbAg 62/36/2 is actually slightly harder to work with than 63/37, and thus really only makes sense when working with silver-plated terminals like on old Tek gear, ceramic hybrids, and some SMD components, where you need to prevent silver plate from dissolving.
--- End quote ---
I learned to solder when I was a kid, using a Weller 100/140W gun to do electronics work. Hey, it's what I had! Trial by fire... I still have one, for jobs where too much heat is conducted away from the point being soldered for a regular iron to do a good job.
I don't disagree violently with anything you have said, but the higher melting point of lead free makes soldering a little more difficult and lead free is not really compatible with older equipment that you may be working on (lifting tracks etc.). In my experience, SnPbAg mixes very well with old and new solder (both leaded and lead free) and reliably yields beautiful shiny joints in pretty much all situations. To me, it is simpler to just always use it.
HobGoblyn:
--- Quote from: tooki on December 30, 2019, 10:40:32 am ---Wow! Your story sounds very much like my own, other than that I'm younger, and thus can't possibly retire now. I also have enjoyed electronics for as long as I can remember, though in my teens I drifted more into computers (though not programming), and that became my career. Repetitive strain injury forced me to leave IT, and I've been out of work for a few years now. During that time, I rediscovered electronics, built up a nice little lab, and have learned a ton. If all goes well, next school year I'll start turning this hobby into a new career. snip.....
--- End quote ---
Many many many thanks for your reply. Appreciate the time etc you've spent and it's very helpful
As it stands, I have about £450 left to spend, I obviously don't want to waste it, but it's available if needed.
I will order the items you suggest and see how I go.
Have looked on ebay, cheapest I can find the Keithley 2015 is £450, something I may consider in the future.
Looking at other brands, the ones you listed, I can only find BK Precision, there's this one which is affordable, but I'm no expert, so don't know how good a deal it is.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BK-Precision-2831D-4-5-Digit-True-RMS-Bench-Digital-Multimeter-Set-of-3-Untested/274126037819?epid=1904458474&hash=item3fd32f633b:g:MzAAAOSwkiVd5sXd
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