Potentially dumb soldering question.

[Beexter]

Thanks to some help and advice from this forum, I've managed to fix my footswitch on my RAT. A bit more solder on the connections was all it took.

My question is : Does it matter what the connections look like if it works?
The thing is, some of the connections look a bit "scorched" - Will an ugly looking solder joint have any impact on background noise or sonic performance? Or is it just the case that a connection will either work or it won't?

I'm very new to soldering and tinkering with pedals but am looking to learn so any feedback/ opinion would be welcome

[kungpow79]

Does it matter what the connections look like if it works?
The thing is, some of the connections look a bit "scorched" - Will an ugly looking solder joint have any impact on background noise or sonic performance? Or is it just the case that a connection will either work or it won't?

No, I don't think it matters.  I think it gets that scorched look because there are some impurities in the mix, i.e.  the lug, wire, or even your iron tip was a bit dirty, and some of that stuff burned into the construct.  Ultimately, you're trying to make a conduit for electrons to flow down/thru.  I don't think it'll affect the tone. 

[makaze808]

Personally m8 i'd start as you mean to go on. Take pride in them, if it doesn't look right to you  get it off and resolder it.
From my experience there's no political correctness in solder joints, if it's a fat and ugly solder joint,   it's fat and ugly. Comfidemce in your soldering ability will be an asset for ever. Good looking soldering is physically better soldering. Get a good variable temp iron if you decide to build some pedals.

[trjones1]

If it's working, I wouldn't resolder it.  An expensive footswitch is no place to practice your solder skills, and they are pretty sensitive to heat.  Skills will come with time as you do more stuff, so right now leave good enough alone and when you're  more confident go back and "fix" the joints if you still want to.

[snarblinge]

that said learner soldering technique could kill the switch if you keep failing to get a pretty finish. if it aint broke....

EDIT: great minds eh!

[Top Top]

A bad solder joint can have a bad connection, or come loose over time, but if you tug on it and it seems secure I would leave it so that you don't overheat/ruin the switch.

[amptramp]

I am used to restoring old electronics (from the tube era) and quite often, corrosion of wire, circuit boards and components is the worst problem.  The solder should wet everything and appear to have flowed freely.  If it does not appear to be attached to something, either the component lead, the wire or the board, it usually isn't.

Beware of excess heat on semiconductors and small plastic components like capacitors, switches and jacks.  It is easy to damage components.  It is better to clean off leads with scotchbrite or sandpaper than to have to keep applying solder until there is enough flux to clean the metal.

[MoltenVoltage]

A lot of the time with big switches, its very hard to get the lug up to the right temperature for the solder to properly bond.  If it doesn't bond, there is a good chance it will make noise and probably crap out on you again.  You can tell you did it right when the solder spreads out instead of staying as a big ball on each side of the opening.  Too much solder isn't a problem unless it might break off if the pedal is kicked around.  You can always clip off the extra with wire cutters.

If you are at all serious about getting into this hobby, save yourself a lot of frustration and get a temperature controlled Weller soldering iron and throw away the radio shack piece of s***.  I spent almost 2 years using a crap soldering iron and I still kick myself for how much time and energy I wasted.  Set the Weller to about 750 for lead and 850 for lead free solder.  Heat the joint thoroughly until the solder spreads out - but not a second longer.  As someone else said, you can fry a switch (and just about any other component) with too much heat.

Also, get desoldering braid right away - and eye protection.

If you stick with it a few months you'll be making your own pedals from the ground up.

Good luck!

[PRR]

> Does it matter what the connections look like if it works?

Not today.

I was trained to NASA practices. What if you shoot your solder joint up in the sky, or use it at a Big Gig, and _then_ it fails you?

One reason solder joints are well-trusted is because they are INSPECTABLE. As Karl and others point out, a nicely-made solder joint has a distinctive appearance. The solder "wets" both pieces of metal and is smooth and shiny.

While a "globby" or flux-encrusted joint "might" be good, you just can't know. This should be rejected before it gets shot into space, or trusted in any important situation.

This does need good technique, good solder, _clean_ parts, and a HOT iron.

Especially with heavy bits like lugs, the HOT iron is critical. Many $13 irons will solder small wire, but stall trying to bring a big lug to temperature.

When soldering a piano, it may be an option to allow a minute or more for a too-small iron to sneak the jackbar to solder heat. But in modern plastics-infested electronics, slow-cooking often harms insulation or lug-moldings. (Things were better when Bakelite was around.) I use a 45W iron for most everything. True, that's a vicious tool around small parts.... it takes knack and a collection of over-cooked parts to use it right.

Go out on trash day, grab old VCRs and such. Un-solder stuff. Re-solder stuff. Practice like a musician.

[frank_p]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=68577.0

[Beexter]

Thanks for all the replies. So am i right in thinking that the appearance of the joint has no impact on the soumd or background noise of the pedal- only the potential longevity of the connection?

[Mark Hammer]

The joint itself has no impact...if the connection underneath is made, but appearance can sometimes be a marker or harbinger of other things that DO have an impact.

For example, a big globby joint MAY be an indicator of too much heat being applied for too long (or required to unsolder in future).  A joint that looks like silvery cowpies may reflect not enough heat being applied, or an inhospitable surface.

I frequently recommend to people to get themselves a little bottle of methyl hydrate, and maybe an old toothbrush, for cleaning the flux off their boards.  The flux itself does o harm, and has no electronic effect.  But the solder bridge that may be hiding underneath the flux, that you can't see because the flux is so shiny, MAY have a major impact on the circuit.  If the build works exactly as intended, then let the board look as ugly as it wants.  But if it isn't working properly, you need to be able to visually inspect all aspects of the board with ease, and flux will impair the clarity of what you see.

The takehome message here is that simple, smooth, uncluttered solder joints make a lot of other things easier.  What some might call the "right" way to solder is nothing more than a set of methods for getting you problem free installation of components, and ease of troubleshooting.  And that's something every DIY-er wants.