Soldering

Soldering

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Soldering is the process of conjoining two metal materials together by the melting of a third filler material (solder) having a lower melting point than the adjoining metals.  Generally used while building circuits. 

Steps:

  1. turn on your soldering iron, allowing it to heat up for about a minute
  2. while you wait for the iron to heat up, take the sponge out of the bottom of the soldering iron stand and moisten it with water
  3. after the soldering iron has heated up, touch a piece of solder to the tip. If the solder melts and you see a small amount of smoke, your iron is ready to go. If not, wait a while longer for it to heat up. You should always touch a small amount of solder to the iron before you begin soldering. This process is known as tinning and allows your iron to more effectively transfer heat to the joint you are soldering.
  4. insert the wires and components in the desired locations on the board
  5.  touch the soldering iron to the board so that it comes in contact with both the copper on the board as well as the wire
  6. hold it there for a second or two and then with the soldering iron still on the board touch a piece of solder to the joint, it should melt and then cover the solder pad on the board and part of the wire
  7. once a small amount of solder has melted onto the joint, you can remove the soldering iron and once the solder cools it should have a volcano-like shape when viewed from the side.
  8. between different solders, remember to clean the tip of the soldering iron on the wet sponge

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Places on campus :

  • Roboclub (Basement of the UC)
  • ECE Lab Hamerschlag Hall A101
  • Morewood makerspace
  • ArtFab Blue Doherty Hall C200
  • Hunt A10

Training required:

Must complete safety training on biocraft:

https://cmu.bioraft.com/rafttraining/course/109

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