How to Solder: An Illustrated DIY Guide to Making Your Own Cables
- Thread starter Wayne A. Pflughaupt
- Start date
Great info Amir, I need to go back and mention that in the article. The consumer-grade Weller station I’m using now is I think 10 years old, or maybe even older. I haven’t had any problems with it but I sure hope Weller’s “time” expired sometime after I purchased it!On soldering irons/stations, Weller's time has come and gone. The new "standard" among hobbyists is the Japanese brand, Hakko with this model (FX-888D) being most popular now:
It is a joy to use despite its funny looks. My equiv. Weller has already failed with rusted PC board and bad main IC. They really cheapened the brand in later years.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Y’know, you’re the first one who’s ever claimed they did that after reading that article. Cool!
As I mentioned, I use a 10-watt iron on the rare occasions I do any board work. I have no idea what the temperature is. I guess you’re trying to figure out how that translates to the new Weller station you bought – I’d recommend trying a really low setting, the lowest one you can find that will melt the solder on the board. When the temperature is right, the solder will melt pretty quick, in a second or two. I’d also recommend a really skinny tip, possibly thinner than the one that came with the iron.
A little tip (no pun intended), cured solder (as you’d find on a circuit board or an RCA connector that’s previous been used) typically melts best when you apply a bit of fresh solder while you’re trying to melt it. The flux is what does it. Additional supplies needed for board work include a solder wick, and/ or a solder sucker. These are used to clear out all the solder from the holes in the circuit board after removing the defective component. It can be tough to install a new component if the holes are loaded up with solder.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Welcome to the working class! Perhaps you can ask the optimum tip temperature to the solder manufacturer - that is different from the usually specified melting temperature.
My vintage Weller was put in service today - time to keep an old promise of building a pair of Mogami XLR cables for a friend. Fortunately I am still able to get cheap tips from the german eBay!
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I have the WES51 as well, and the range I use is 45-50 for soldering, 50-60 to melt and unsolder; but it really depends on the solder itself, and have been using those premium ones (forget the names) with lower melting temperatures.
Wayne, thank you so much for the great learning.
I would like to know if apart from terminating, did you ever made your own cables? That is threading the actual wire through sleeves.
I am mainly thinking about soft annealed high purity silver wire. And using high quality PTFE as the outer and leaving it such that the air surrounding it becomes the dielectric.
Thanks once again for your super posts.
Neville
I would like to know if apart from terminating, did you ever made your own cables? That is threading the actual wire through sleeves.
I am mainly thinking about soft annealed high purity silver wire. And using high quality PTFE as the outer and leaving it such that the air surrounding it becomes the dielectric.
Thanks once again for your super posts.
Neville
Nope, never have done that. I prefer shielded cable, so that pretty much precludes any DIY.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Unless you want to use the technique of Dr. Peter Forsell, of Forsell Mediphon. His cables used copper 1/8" tubing!
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Y’know, you’re the first one who’s ever claimed they did that after reading that article. Cool!
With many tube components and IMPOSSIBLE to find a competent local tech, I've been wanting to buy soldering station for a while. The problem is didn't know what to buy and your thread was helpful listing all the accessories.
Thanks but never left. I will never forget my roots
Thanks!
Really terrific article.
There is one point that was glossed over in doing low noise, two conductor plus shield cables with RCAs. Yes, the shield should be connected to the (-) at only one end. My understanding is that the purpose of the arrow on such premade cables is to point toward the end with the open shield (unless I have it reversed). It is not, as many audiophiles assume, to indicate "signal flow". So, it is a good idea, if possible to label the DIY cable in similar fashion.
I don't use any RCAs in my system at all anymore. I greatly prefer the elegance, reliability, ease of use and low noise of XLRs. But, when I used RCAs, I found it best to have all the shield terminated ends connected at one central, grounded component, as much as possible, usually at the line stage or preamp. That meant all arrows were pointing away from (or was it the other way? I don't remember anymore) the line stage (in spite of "signal flow" from any inputs or outputs). It might not make a big difference, and YMMV, of course.
The "signal flow" idea has acquired a mythical life of its own in audiophile la la land. Whenever I see a speaker cable, which is unshielded, with directional arrows, I quickly walk in the other direction.
EDIT: I did some web checking and it appears my understanding was reversed. Hey, it's been over 8 years since I had unbalanced interconnects. Apparently, the arrow should point to the end where the shield is connected. So, the setup I used was all arrows pointing towards the preamp, including the outputs to the amps, not the other way, as I mis-remembered.
There is one point that was glossed over in doing low noise, two conductor plus shield cables with RCAs. Yes, the shield should be connected to the (-) at only one end. My understanding is that the purpose of the arrow on such premade cables is to point toward the end with the open shield (unless I have it reversed). It is not, as many audiophiles assume, to indicate "signal flow". So, it is a good idea, if possible to label the DIY cable in similar fashion.
I don't use any RCAs in my system at all anymore. I greatly prefer the elegance, reliability, ease of use and low noise of XLRs. But, when I used RCAs, I found it best to have all the shield terminated ends connected at one central, grounded component, as much as possible, usually at the line stage or preamp. That meant all arrows were pointing away from (or was it the other way? I don't remember anymore) the line stage (in spite of "signal flow" from any inputs or outputs). It might not make a big difference, and YMMV, of course.
The "signal flow" idea has acquired a mythical life of its own in audiophile la la land. Whenever I see a speaker cable, which is unshielded, with directional arrows, I quickly walk in the other direction.
EDIT: I did some web checking and it appears my understanding was reversed. Hey, it's been over 8 years since I had unbalanced interconnects. Apparently, the arrow should point to the end where the shield is connected. So, the setup I used was all arrows pointing towards the preamp, including the outputs to the amps, not the other way, as I mis-remembered.
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Now that made for fascinating reading, because I was taught in exactly the same way, in Switzerland no less! Pre tinning was not allowed, metal had to touch metal, tiniest amount of solder applied swiftly and flowing hot to be later inspected to be bright and shiny. In addition, with the job done, a small touch of hot glue from a pistol was added to prevent vibration and add stability. This master craftman maintained, that the sound of a cable was mainly based on the quality of the solder joint and he scoffed at the " miserable quality" of those joints in expensive high end cables.
I have no doubt the quality of a solder joint is critical to SQ, and I believe they require break-in.
A joint made prone to vibration will degrade over time. Esp tiny gauge stranded wiring, delicate even when new. I try to use as little solder as possible, but it must represent a strong weld. With that in mind, I prefer (if application permits) solid-core types rather than stranded wires. That said, I just tried some anti-audiophile type Belden mil.spec shielded wires @two critical junctures in my pre-amp. It's sonic performance will not only be based on its composition and material, but also the quality and rigidness of the termination joints. This wire is so stiff (yet it includes delicate strands), each wire (4x6 inches) required careful molding, shaping and precise placement prior to soldering. Since they maybe temporary, no glue; so other methods were used to brace & add long term strength. A trial and error type process; took me near an entire day to incorporate 'em - properly.
I have never heard of this practice. Indeed the opposite, pre-tinning is highly recommended and mandatory in the case of work done for the US government. Here is a sample from NASA:
"7.2.5 Tinning of Conductors. The portion of stranded or solid conductors or part leads that will
eventually become a part of the finished solder connection shall be tinned with solder and
cleaned prior to attachment (Requirement). "
I can't tell you how many times I have skipped this step, proceed with the soldering only to have the wire simply pull out from under the solder! Visually you thought you had a connection but there was no adhesion to the wire itself. Just a mile mechanical force keeping the wire under the solder. Wires such as Litz almost require this practice as they are a pain to solder to and you can easily think you have adhesion when you don't. Pre-soldering solve this as you can see if the solder has taken hold or not.
For beginners getting into soldering, it would be my strongest recommendation to pre-tin/pre-solder your wires first before making the final connection.
This is correct imo, and is certainly a requirement for litz wire, which I use quite a bit... I also press the joint together with a screwdriver before the solder freezes to make sure there is good contact. This takes some coordination and speed but is possible.
I think it's also the case that set-screws sound better than any soldered joint. Most of the connectors I use are set-screw or clamp connections but despite that the WBT 0102 are still the best RCA plug even though they use soldered connections.
Agreed, you don't need to use much solder to tin. Tinning prepares the wires, esp. in very tight spaces it's a mandatory practice in my books. With Litz, you need to burn off ALL the enamel coating, which can be a major pita sometimes ...
Dave wouldn't using a screwdriver tip act like a heatsink on the solder joint? Could this cause a cold solder joint?
I can't remember the reason he gave for this practice but he was absolutely adamant that " metal must be on metal " . What you say about Litz seems absolutely valid though. Can't imagine how to make a good joint without some presoldering. Either my memory is playing tricks or he made some exceptions. Whatever, thanks for correcting me.
"
A friend that is in the business of making cables for OEM companies swears by the resistive soldering machines.
https://www.americanbeautytools.com/Resistance-Soldering
https://www.americanbeautytools.com/Resistance-Soldering
By the time I apply the screwdriver tip the solder joint has already been made, this is just to make sure the base materials are pressed up against one another. I do this by arranging the wire to the connector so they are in the right spot, then pressing down on the wire's insulation right next to the solder joint and not directly on the joint itsself before the solder has a chance to freeze. It's more like insurance to make sure the base materials are touching as much as possible, but it's best that they are anyways before you apply solder.
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