Er...soldering transistors n' diodes (heat)

[bobbletrox]

I think I've fried a few in the past  :oops:

What would be considered sufficient heatsinking?  Is a bannana clip between the component and the joint really enough?

[javacody]

I suppose that depends on how hot your soldering iron gets and how quickly you can solder.  

I used to have some real problems when I was starting out, because my soldering iron was too big (the tip), I didn't clean the soldering iron tip properly, the solder I was using was too large (in diameter, very thick "strand" of solder), and I didn't heat the copper in the hole well enough. Now I heat the copper of the hole first, as the component lead will pickup up much of that heat. It's getting to be (after two years) that it just takes a very quick touch to solder something in, and I probably could get away without socketing transistors, opamps, JFET's, etc. etc. but I like to be able to switch them out anyway, and a little extra insurance never killed anyone.

To make a long, blowhard story short, I would recommend sockets, so heat never touches those components.

[petemoore]

Let us know what you come up with...
 I just use alligator clips, and short exposure times.
 when allowed I put the side of the tip of the iron across all 2/3rds of the Transistor's leads and pull it to get the last one in one like three second move, with no heat sinke.

[petemoore]

I use sockets and haven't heat damage.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

IF i'm worried (which is only if I have something very rare) then I make sure the leads are clean (emery paper) and tin them wiht the solder before doing the main conecting. Because, if you have components freshly tinned, then it only takes a quick dab of soldering iron to stick them together. An old GE with tarnished leads is a candidate for theral trouble.

[javacody]

Paul, if only I would have read this a year and a half ago with the GE transistors I bought on ebay. I didn't sand the leads, nor did I tin them. I didn't kill them, but I bet I came about as close as you could without actually killing them.

[Rick]

Good advice sanding and tinning the leads on the old tarnished germs.
It's probably good insurance to do this to even any lightly oxidized component lead avoiding the chance of cold solder joints also. I usually also plunk a heat sink on the head of an old germanium before soldering it home.

[Nasse]

I dont trust alligator clips for stopping heat/cooling the leads when soldering. Instead I use long and flat nosed pliers and give a good pressure to the handle. Sometimes I need help (kids and wife are good ones to disguise)

[RobB]

An elastic band on a pair of long nosed pliers makes a convenient handsfree heat sink.