Soldering Tips

[TrentC]

Hey guys, I asked this on another thread but didn't get a response.

I am having trouble soldering components that are very close together. I tend to have solder run over to other pads or it just looks like a huge glob by the time I get everything connected.

Any tips on how to solder in small spaces? or tips/tricks on soldering technique?

[frequencycentral]

There's here tutorial here: http://www.diystompboxes.com/beginner/build/npnboostbuild.htm

Hope it helps!

[DUY1337GUITAR]

Use 15w!  Don't use over 30w, not meant for perfboards.

[John Lyons]

Just use a smaller tip.
1/32" tip works well.

John

[liveloveshare]

Just use a smaller tip.
1/32" tip works well.

John

that part's important.. that way you're not burning the board/surrounding components.

[petemoore]

  'More heat 'soak-in-time' and greater 'frugality' of solder. Solder is cold, aids cooling when you're trying to get all the parts involved up to = and solder-melting temperature.
  [don't overheat the pads] defines soldering technique improvements. Clean surfaces to recieve soldered helps of course.
  I can't see what you're doing or whether that^ is relevant in this case...
  Buy
  Use of the the top of board...using the leads of components [I choose sometimes to leave a bit of lead-length above board for soldering-to]. This makes it easy for me to locate and probe-or-clip to test-points, do mods, wire it up without 'spilling over' or mucking up the under-board, makes for compact/easier to solder together builds.
 Remember to use enough pads so a sufficient # of  pads share the physical loads and don't come loose.
  To loop a lead through 2 holes/pads, twist the loop tight, solder the twisted leads and the two adjacent bottom pads...this makes a strong top-board 'pillar-structure' for whatever..easily findable/accessible/solderable points which can't 'muck' between pads, nice for a power rail connector points etc.
 Resorting to the top when the bottom gets just too convoluted...evolved into considering the addition of top of board soldering options as 'game' for usage whenever it seems advantageous, such as where I might otherwise want to use use a 2-pin swap-socket. Re-working the bottom of perfboards can become quite ugly very fast.

[robertreynisson]

Hiiiiii

I like this tutorial... It's not specifically about soldering in small cramped corners, but this one sure can sling his iron around:

http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/How_To_Solder

Here is another one about surface mount soldering that might be helpful for small delicate work.

http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/Surface_Mount_Soldering/101

[TrentC]

Thanks everyone. This is helping a lot. How about when I'm connecting 3 components leads? What works for you? I tried running all leads to one pad and soldering them, but things got really messy, and then if I had to go back and connect another lead i was soldering on top of solder, and I'm pretty sure that's a bad idea.