Atari 2600 resoldering skills

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

Hi, I have been repairing and restoring my Atari 2600, and I wanted to show off my soldering skills. It is not perfect by any means, but it is better than it was when I constructed my first PCB back in 2013! The joints are shiny and concave,  no cracks or holes. that is a proper joint. It may look like there was too much solder that leaked to the top of the board, but that is actually how it is supposed to be. I know that because the board was soldered like that out of the factory. That is to ensure both top and bottom pads have good connection to component leads in case the vias cracks over time. It also ensures a good grip on the leads.
I originally wanted to show off my skills to inform others, but a couple friends of mine snapped me out of it and told me what I was doing wrong. I’m thankful they did, because the mistakes I made were a bit farther from trivial than I thought: Solder smearing, too much solder, dirty joints... these are common intermediate mistakes that are easily overlooked. These mistakes could cause problems in the future. This proves the fact that soldering is quite a learning experience, and it requires a lot of time and patience and attention. I replaced the old photos with ones of the motherboard since it was a better example.

 Indeed, I accidentally tore off a pad with the diode, but the pad was not connected to a trace. The via remained intact, thus the diode is still properly soldered in. The bottom pad remained intact. The other pad on the diode didn’t share the same fate though; the trace attached to the upper pad tore a bit. But thankfully, I was able to expose a bit of the trace and jump a little solder from the leg of the diode to the trace without bridging to any other component. The reason the diode tore trace and pads was due to the age of the board and due to insufficient heat. Learn from my mistake and don’t force components! The lack of heat was my fault for setting the iron too low first time around.

The main things to note are that the solder joints are not rough-looking or dull. They are shiny, smooth, and round. They do not have holes or cracks. That is a proper joint. Remember to watch for smearing though, it can and will catch you off guard if you aren’t attentive enough!

[wraper]

Nope, it's not how good soldering looks like. While it's not horrible, it's certainly of sub-par quality. There are issues like solder not fully covering pads, solder smeared, solder extending over pad area, excessive amount of solder on smaller joints, solder surface is not smooth, no nice fillet and others. One joint is simply cold joint junk.

[tggzzz]

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837

Most videos aren't worth watching; those "Pace  Basic Soldering Lessons 1 - 9" videos are worth watching.

[wraper]

The smeared solder is going to be cleaned off. That is just the spatters from when the solder pops a little and flings rosin flux and solder everywhere, and I use the iron to pick it up a bit. I’m going to go over it with a brush and clean those spots.

You cannot clean that. It's a single piece of solder alloy together with what's on the pad. As I said, it's not horrible for beginner. But you cannot call it proper soldering and brag about it.

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

Here you go. Fixed up a couple by sheer dumb luck (I DID fuck up a bit, but that was due to dirty areas with solder on them that I most likely didn’t notice when I first worked on it) HOWEVER, no matter how hard I tried, one pad was always extended a bit. This confirms the flaky mask bit. It is subtle, but it is enough to throw off the symmetry. I did a few others as well. I’ve decided to replace the photos in the original post with ones of a good new board that don’t have the flaws this one does. I picked a bad example, so fool on me for that.

I must thank you though, because I screwed up one joint that you didn’t point out on the capacitor lead. There was a small hole; apparently a bit of tip flux got in and sealed any chance of solder flowing in. I cleaned it up with wick and redid it and it looks pristine now.

On that note though, I have decided to go over every joint with a loupe and check for errors one more time. I’ll post the follow up images here when I finish.

Also, these joints are what my joints typically look like as well. I used better solder, as you can see, and therefore it was clean and octopus-arm-free. Dirty solder was the main culprit in the drug out solder from earlier.

[tggzzz]

I picked a bad example, so fool on me for that.

Can I suggest a more fundamental mistake was to not do enough research before declaring success.

Not to worry, though. Everybody has to be a beginner, and ignorance (I.e. lack of research) is easily curable!

[wraper]

On that note though, I have decided to go over every joint with a loupe and check for errors one more time. I’ll post the follow up images here when I finish.

Looks a way better.

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

I picked a bad example, so fool on me for that.

Can I suggest a more fundamental mistake was to not do enough research before declaring success.

Not to worry, though. Everybody has to be a beginner, and ignorance (I.e. lack of research) is easily curable!

Yeah, you’re right. I was too hasty in declaring my (unfinished, so even more of a mistake!) work as “standard do it this way”

Thankfully, I replaced the images with a more polished board with far less flaws. It has a few spots I recently finished and need to inspect again, but it is mostly complete. If you see any errors, please point them out ASAP! I want to get the board working, and I want to make sure any mistake I don’t catch doesn’t slip through and end up destroying my 2600. I’ll be inspecting it tomorrow with a loupe, but even then there may be a tiny error I don’t see right away.

I finished the switchboard, and it is a mess from the flux, but I cleaned up the smears. Turns out the solder I was using the first time around was dipped in tip refresh flux on accident, and that contaminated it. It stuck to the iron and drug out after I would pull the iron away from a joint. I used a solder sucker and removed the dirty solder, and put new solder on. They had no dragging after that, it was uniform and intact with no “octopus arms” as I like to call them.

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

Though if you want to see horrible soldering, check out the cheap third party SNES controller I disassembled and took a look at (there’s no way I’m putting a cheapo controller in an SNES without checking and making sure it is assembled correctly!)

This soldering is the worst I’ve seen in a long while.

[MyHeadHz]

In the first picture in the first post, are some of the bigger traces separating from the board?

[Rerouter]

The lighting your working under does not seem to be helping things, looks like cheap LED lighting which is coming up purple / red in pictures,

The latest pictures need more flux, not sure if your solder is quite old or what, but those joints still don't look clean,

Tricks to remember:
Solder flows to the heat source, you want the iron above a joint to add solder and below it to remove (assuming held at some angle so gravity helps)
Most impurities will float on top of the solder, as such you may need to attack a joint from more than 1 angle to flow it off the joint and to the iron where you can clean it.
If you suspect the original solder was lead free, try to remove as much as possible before adding new solder to the joint
Gel flux syringes are pretty much easy mode, if a joint looks ugly, add a tiny amount and reheat the joint and most times it will turn clean and shiny,

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

In the first picture in the first post, are some of the bigger traces separating from the board?

Nope, they are all intact.

The lighting your working under does not seem to be helping things, looks like cheap LED lighting which is coming up purple / red in pictures,

The latest pictures need more flux, not sure if your solder is quite old or what, but those joints still don't look clean,

Tricks to remember:
Solder flows to the heat source, you want the iron above a joint to add solder and below it to remove (assuming held at some angle so gravity helps)
Most impurities will float on top of the solder, as such you may need to attack a joint from more than 1 angle to flow it off the joint and to the iron where you can clean it.
If you suspect the original solder was lead free, try to remove as much as possible before adding new solder to the joint
Gel flux syringes are pretty much easy mode, if a joint looks ugly, add a tiny amount and reheat the joint and most times it will turn clean and shiny,

All joints are clean and shiny. They are so shiny they are reflecting the environment around them. As for the latest pictures, it is almost the same deal, though my rosin core solder was probably exhibiting the thinning of flux that can occur from time to time. I’m going over the joints one more time with a loupe, and fixing any joints that were affected by the thin-flux solder issue using some better solder. And yes, I always remove LF solder completely, first with a sucker and then with a braid, before putting the (wonderful) leaded solder on the joint.

I also always ensure there is no dirt or debris floating around in my joint. That stuff can cause cracks and bad solder joints very easily if it is bad enough. It is best to assume that dirty solder joints are bad.

[SmallCog]

If you haven't seen this it's an excellent reference for lots of things, including how a solder joint should look

https://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/frameset.html

Even if you have seen it, maybe someone else looking for soldering examples will find this useful.

[TERRA Operative]

Ooh, soldering thread!

What do you all think of my crappy efforts? (I think I have a habit of using just a tiny bit too much solder, maybe I should use thinner solder..)
I don't often get the chance to have someone look at my stuff. 

[Rerouter]

Soldering looks fine in those joints, If its a PCB you designed though, increase the pad size for those caps next time, that is a lot of mass to swing off such small pads,

And yes 0.71mm solder makes a lot of things much easier to work with, I would be annoyed if i had to do SMD rework with 1mm,

[Shock]

If you want to resolder boards to look minty fresh, you need to suck away the old solder and then clean old flux and dirt away with IPA first, it may need a good scrub.

Solder again with a very clean tip and apply fresh solder. If the solder doesn't wet well (you can tell as it balls up instead of flowing into the joint and the entire pad) you may need to add additional flux, clean or look at the temp.  If you stay on the joint for more than a couple of seconds or go in multiple times without adding flux it will reduce the wetting and look clumpy. Last step is to clean away residue.

I was taught to look at oven or wave soldered boards (at least the high quality boards) and make my joints as good as that. It should not look hand soldered at all and if you can fool someone you have done a decent job. Something to work on anyway.

Another tip is take photos in good light but at an angle after the board is cleaned, you cannot inspect joints properly from top down or while they are dirty. Don't get discouraged though most people suck at soldering.

[TERRA Operative]

Soldering looks fine in those joints, If its a PCB you designed though, increase the pad size for those caps next time, that is a lot of mass to swing off such small pads,

And yes 0.71mm solder makes a lot of things much easier to work with, I would be annoyed if i had to do SMD rework with 1mm,

Nah not my design, I'll be doing a full redesign for other reasons though, so I'll take your suggestion and widen the pads.

[wraper]

Soldering looks fine in those joints, If its a PCB you designed though, increase the pad size for those caps next time, that is a lot of mass to swing off such small pads,

And yes 0.71mm solder makes a lot of things much easier to work with, I would be annoyed if i had to do SMD rework with 1mm,

Pad size is completely fine, it's size actually somewhere in mid-large size region. Also even actually small pad will pose an issue only on single layer PCB without hole metallization.

maybe I should use thinner solder.

What I can recommend is using a little bit less solder on some pads, capacitors on left side have some excessive solder on pads. With thinner solder it's easier to finely control it's amount. Also don't cut leads so close to solder joint. Leave at least 1 mm distance. You are cutting into solder thus disturbing solder joint which potentially may lead to cracks. Not a big issue an issue on 2+ layer boards but single layer boards are really prone to solder joint cracking.

[tooki]

What is it about soldering that compels amateurs (and unskilled veterans) to produce soldering training materials showing subpar soldering quality? It happens over and over and over, despite the ready availability of good training materials by skilled professionals.     

Hi, I have been repairing and restoring my Atari 2600, and I wanted to show off my soldering skills.

They're... fine? Certainly not bad, but not at educator level.

I hope beginners can use this to see how a solder joint is supposed to look. Notice the shiny, uniform blob that covers the entirety of the pads.

Well, then even the improved pictures (in the updated original post) are not a good example. Many joints have too much solder, and there are lots of really bad joints that I assume are ones you didn't get to yet. And "blob" isn't what a good joint should look like. The proper term is a "fillet", whose proper appearance I describe below.

Also, the quality of the photography is low, further reducing the educational value.

Also notice how it looks volcano-like, and not apple-like. Notice that there is not an excess amount of solder on the joints.

If it's volcano-like (i.e. the fillet is neither concave or convex) then it's already too much solder. The correct amount of solder leaves a concave fillet.

The main things to note are that the solder joints are not rough-looking or dull. They are shiny, smooth, and round. They do not have holes or cracks. That is a proper joint.

While true of leaded solder (which is all one should use when repairing devices originally manufactured with leaded solder), with lead-free solder, a satin finish is fully acceptable. Even and uniform, but not mirror shine. (A matte surface is unacceptable, though.)

Remember to watch for smearing though, it can and will catch you off guard if you aren’t attentive enough!

Smearing and protrusions are indicative of what I call "overcooked" solder. This is due to excessive dwell time and/or rework of the joint. It's caused by oxidation (which can be prevented by use of additional flux) and alloy contamination (as the PCB traces and components dissolve copper or gold into the molten solder, changing its composition). The latter is only preventable by working fast. Once the solder is contaminated in that way, the only solution is to suck it off and replace it (working quickly) with fresh solder. Also, when correcting a smeared or protruded joint, after sucking off the overcooked solder, the soldering iron tip must be freshly tinned, since the solder on it can be oxidized and/or contaminated, so you basically want to "rinse" the tip with a few changes of fresh solder before

(Indeed, military/aerospace soldering standards specify for gold-plated components and boards that the lead or pad must first be wetted with solder, then the solder sucked off, before soldering the joint, to remove the gold plating so it doesn't contaminate the joint.)


I hope this doesn't come off as too harsh, but you have learning to do. I cannot recommend enough the PACE video series tggzzz linked above. There is no finer tutorial on through-hole soldering, and much of what they explain also carries over to surface mount.

Ooh, soldering thread!

What do you all think of my crappy efforts? (I think I have a habit of using just a tiny bit too much solder, maybe I should use thinner solder..)
I don't often get the chance to have someone look at my stuff. 

Not bad at all. Better than the OP's, both in the joints and photography.

[tggzzz]

The OP is an enthusiastic 18yo.

Based on his reply to my earlier post, he seems more likely to learn and improve than many posters on this forum.

[tooki]

Fair enough. I'm certainly not criticizing anyone for having imperfect soldering skills (it takes practice, and we all have to start somewhere), only the need to share it prematurely as a model for others. And I most certainly don't want to quash their enthusiasm!

[WyverntekGameRepairs]

Ooh, soldering thread!

What do you all think of my crappy efforts? (I think I have a habit of using just a tiny bit too much solder, maybe I should use thinner solder..)
I don't often get the chance to have someone look at my stuff. 

That soldering is incredible, excellent job! I’m almost to that point, I just need to get better soldering tools. The ones I have are cheap and cause problems like insufficient temperature, bad construction, lack of insulation on the handle, and oxidation. It ruins my joints quite a lot as you can probably tell. I also need a bit more practice. Thankfully, I’m building a class AB amplifier for solder practice, and I will have my brand new soldering kit by then. Better tools = better quality soldering ability = more effective practice = better joints.
But yeah, your joints are near perfect.

The OP is an enthusiastic 18yo.

Based on his reply to my earlier post, he seems more likely to learn and improve than many posters on this forum.

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words
I indeed am eager to learn, I just have a tendency to deny my flaws and faults because I want to impress people like you - Because I look up to people like you. It’s a bad habit, but I’m trying to get rid of it. I know things through experience, you see. I can get my hands on something and do something, and point out from what I know how some things work or how to do things. But I don’t really get to learn the basis fundamentals of it too much because you can’t exactly experience the fundamentals until you know them in the first place. I know how to solder, how a joint is supposed to look, what you should and shouldn’t do... I can make a joint shiny enough to reflect the environment around it... But the small details, even down to tiny things like smearing and shape, I might overlook. I’m not a “details” person down to the precision scale that you are.
Just know that I am indeed improving, and no matter what I may say, I take your feedback into consideration. I strive to learn and grow more as much as I possibly can.

Fair enough. I'm certainly not criticizing anyone for having imperfect soldering skills (it takes practice, and we all have to start somewhere), only the need to share it prematurely as a model for others. And I most certainly don't want to quash their enthusiasm!

You are right. And I understand what you are saying, both in your Great Wall of Text and in this quote. I should definitely not flaunt my skills and claim to know precisely what I’m doing when I in fact still have a lot to learn and do to improve. This is why feedback is crucial, I want to do a professional job and be able to know what I am doing wrong. Your feedback helped me learn proper terms in soldering, as well as what should be happening. I always welcome constructive criticism!

If you want to resolder boards to look minty fresh, you need to suck away the old solder and then clean old flux and dirt away with IPA first, it may need a good scrub.

Solder again with a very clean tip and apply fresh solder. If the solder doesn't wet well (you can tell as it balls up instead of flowing into the joint and the entire pad) you may need to add additional flux, clean or look at the temp.  If you stay on the joint for more than a couple of seconds or go in multiple times without adding flux it will reduce the wetting and look clumpy. Last step is to clean away residue.

I was taught to look at oven or wave soldered boards (at least the high quality boards) and make my joints as good as that. It should not look hand soldered at all and if you can fool someone you have done a decent job. Something to work on anyway.

Another tip is take photos in good light but at an angle after the board is cleaned, you cannot inspect joints properly from top down or while they are dirty. Don't get discouraged though most people suck at soldering.

Thanks for your advice, this is very helpful! I’ll take a look at some references and see if I can practice to get my joints looking like that.

-Sterling

[tggzzz]

I just need to get better soldering tools.

Don't jump to that conclusion; a bad workman blames their tools.

I also need a bit more practice.

That's more likely. 

Look carefully at the Pace videos, their age, and the tools they had to use.

I indeed am eager to learn, I just have a tendency to deny my flaws and faults because I want to impress people like you - Because I look up to people like you. It’s a bad habit, but I’m trying to get rid of it. I know things through experience, you see. I can get my hands on something and do something, and point out from what I know how some things work or how to do things. But I don’t really get to learn the basis fundamentals of it too much because you can’t exactly experience the fundamentals until you know them in the first place. I know how to solder, how a joint is supposed to look, what you should and shouldn’t do... I can make a joint shiny enough to reflect the environment around it... But the small details, even down to tiny things like smearing and shape, I might overlook. I’m not a “details” person down to the precision scale that you are.
Just know that I am indeed improving, and no matter what I may say, I take your feedback into consideration. I strive to learn and grow more as much as I possibly can.

Keep trying. Keep learning. Keep asking yourself how you can find ways to see how other people do better.

Learning is a combination of understanding the fundamental theory, understanding the practical details, and practice. You need all three.

There's a cliche with a grain of truth: it takes 10000hrs to become a master of anything.

[Shock]

Other than Paces channel, Marc Siegel has some old videos and John Gammell (Master IPC trainer) has some recent videos.

https://www.youtube.com/user/paceworldwide/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrMarcSiegel/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/jkgamm041/videos

[TERRA Operative]

Ooh, soldering thread!

What do you all think of my crappy efforts? (I think I have a habit of using just a tiny bit too much solder, maybe I should use thinner solder..)
I don't often get the chance to have someone look at my stuff. 

That soldering is incredible, excellent job! I’m almost to that point, I just need to get better soldering tools. The ones I have are cheap and cause problems like insufficient temperature, bad construction, lack of insulation on the handle, and oxidation. It ruins my joints quite a lot as you can probably tell. I also need a bit more practice. Thankfully, I’m building a class AB amplifier for solder practice, and I will have my brand new soldering kit by then. Better tools = better quality soldering ability = more effective practice = better joints.
But yeah, your joints are near perfect.

Nah it's not the tools as such, well past a point anyway. While it can be hard to solder well with a cheap 'rug burner' pencil iron with no temperature control, the difference between say a Hakko FX-888 and my Hakko FM-206 is negligible when it comes to solder joint quality. It's true that crappy tools = crappy job, but once you have a half reasonable temperature controlled iron, it's mainly down to user skill, which comes with lots of practice.

To solder well, you need practice, flux, a half decent iron, flux, practice, and a little more practice.
Oh, and don't forget flux and some practice too.

Don't give up! Pay attention to what is happening while you solder and experiment on some old circuit boards. Try a little less solder, a little more. Longer and shorter heating time, a different angle of the soldering iron, etc etc. Soon you'll get a feel for it and find your groove.
Also don't forget to have fun too.