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+--- Thread: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? (/showthread.php?tid=190539)
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[solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - mrbigstuff - 04-28-2016
I can solder reasonable gauge wires reasonably well. But small wires? Not good technique. Have any pointers if you do this well?
I am referring to *very* small gauge (hairlike), like the type used in headphones, for example.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - cbelt3 - 04-28-2016
The key is minimal heat input and a magnifying glass so you can see what's happening. A tiny tip on the soldering iron with low wattage, and use very thin solder. Tin the wire end first, then wrap it to the thing to be attached to provide a mechanical connection. Then solder the joint.
I cannot stress enough the idea of putting ONLY enough heat into the joint to allow the solder to flow well with proper wetting. Too much, and you burn wires. To little and you end up with a cold solder joint that is mechanically and electrically unreliable.
Good luck ! I cheat... I have an old aerospace quality soldering station and a set of tips and controls, plus a magnifying glass setup, some ultra-fine solder, and so forth.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - bazookaman - 04-28-2016
So the correct answer is, mail it to cbelt!
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - GuyGene - 04-28-2016
bazookaman wrote:
So the correct answer is, mail it to cbelt!
miley-laughing001:Good one, bazook.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - pinion - 04-28-2016
I've used electrical tape before to held them down exactly where I want them.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - Filliam H. Muffman - 04-28-2016
It helps if you understand what is going on at the molecular level and how heat affects it.
Pointers:
- insure good ventilation (outside in a 15 mph breeze is best)
- keep the tip clean and tinned, a damp cellulose sponge works well for wiping off oxide and cooling an overheated tip
- don't overheat the tip for the solder/flux you are using, overheating will promote oxide buildup, which inhibits wetting and reduces heat transfer
- flux helps keep oxide from forming and helps flow solder on the wire
I soldered in an extension to a set of earbuds to use on the treadmill about two weeks ago. The fine wires were wrapped with a thin film rather than an extruded coat of insulation. I had to 'burn' the insulation off because I couldn't strip it. I have an adjustable temp iron (older version of HAKKO FX-888D that I got for ~$50 on sale) so I turned the temp up and held it on the very end of the wire until the insulation blackened (burned plastic fumes can harm pets as much as rosin and lead fumes). Then cooled and cleaned the tip on the sponge and applied fresh solder (flux/rosin core) and sort of scraped the oxide off with the soldering iron tip. This gave me 1/16" of wire coated with clean solder at the end.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - space-time - 04-28-2016
I usually hire mrsmallstuff to do it for me.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - Z - 04-28-2016
On a semi-related note, came across this very nicely illustrated article on the do's, don'ts other thoughts on various means of wire crimping and soldering -
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/wire_termination&page=1
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - pdq - 04-28-2016
Good luck. A while back, I bought a pair of Koss Pro 4AA headphones (to die for in my youth) and when one earpiece later went out, discovered the (hair-like) voice coil wire had come loose from it's solder joint.
I soon found out how difficult it is to solder (or even strip a coating from) a wire that thin. Fortunately for me, Koss Pro 4AAs are now fairly plentiful and inexpensive on eBay. II looked for the ugliest, cheapest pair I could find, and just swapped out the whole speaker into my nicer set.
Re: [solder] how do you folks solder small wires? - RAMd®d - 04-29-2016
I'm looking at a set of Koss Pro 4AAs right now, in my cache of headphones.
All great points above, and in particular- pinion's.
Dealing with very fine wires such as those found in headphone/earphone cables usually means not being able to mechanically bind them together.
As cbelt says, you might be able to do it if you tin them first. But the key to working with smaller gauges is to hold them in place while applying heat and solder. I've got a couple of soldering jigs that I got at Radio Shack years ago. They not only hold bits in place but provide some heat sinking as well.
Practice on every small gauges. Getting the wire just hot enough to make the solder flow as as much art as science.