Best solder free electrical connection

[john hamilton]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

 

[Toby]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a
small soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself
easily melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get
anything to stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole
will bend upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in
the connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it
unwinding. Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

Solder is the only reliable way, IMO

Just bend the tabs out, so they are not touching the plastic, make sure the
iron is nice and hot, dab some solder on the end of the iron, then place
this on one of the tabs and feed in a little more solder to tin the tab,
should take a couple of seconds.
Now strip about 5mm of the wires and tin the end of the wire, if the
insulation shrinks back, then snip the end of the wire off so it is about
5mm.
Place the wire on top of the solder on the tab and heat the wire until the
solder on the tab melts again.

Hold the wire with something other than your hand, as it may get quite hot!

Once it has cooled, marvel at your handywork

Or, buy these two from eBay, or anywhere that sells this sort of stuff...
350373699059 (Twin AA battery holder with a PP£ type connector on the top)
and one of these
350350685890 (PP3 battery connector)

Toby...

 

[William Sommerwerck]

55 years ago, I was afraid of soldering, afraid I wouldn't be able to do it
well. I was wrong. It's not that difficult; it just takes a bit of practice.

If you're really uncomfortable, ask a friend to do it for you.

Unsoldered connections might work for a while, but will eventually fail.

 

[Rich Webb]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

What Ralph said. Also, if you can get some, apply a dab of rosin flux
paste to the joint before you heat it. That helps the solder to "wet"
the surfaces and flow into the joint better.

And ensure that you have something keeping the battery holder and the
wire in place. I'd go so far as to put batteries in the thing so that it
could be clamped into a soft-jawed vice and use one of those "third
hand" thingies to hold the wire securely. Trying to keep the battery
holder in place with your palm, the wire under your elbow, with the
soldering iron in one hand and the solder in the other isn't likely to
result in a satisfactory soldering job. Not that *I've* ever done that,
of course <cough cough>

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

If you say which town/country you live in, someone here might
volunteer to solder it for you. If you have an electronics repair
shop near which does the work on the premises, they would probably
do it.

 

[jeff_wisnia]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big
problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able
to find someone else who will.

Or, go for your "twist through the holes" approach and use a drop of
electrically conductive epoxy on the joint:

http://www.pemro.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=LOC-1119

Jeff

 

[The Natural Philosopher]

While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big
problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able
to find someone else who will.

Or, go for your "twist through the holes" approach and use a drop of
electrically conductive epoxy on the joint:

http://www.pemro.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=LOC-1119

...which will at best approximate to a 1k ohm resistor.

 

[Djornsk]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

Depending on the dimensions of the tab it may be possible to bend it
around the wire and carefully crimp it with sidecutters. Next try to
anchor the wire to the battery holder a short distance along the wire
from the tab to prevent it fracturing due to movement or vibration.
You could then use your varnish (or a glue gun) to coat the connection
to offer some protection from oxidation.
This is not as good as a soldered joint done properly, but would
probably be better than a soldered joint done badly.

j

 

[Bob Eager]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a
small soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself
easily melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get
anything to stick to the tabs.

To add to the other suggestions about soldering: if you can get/borrow a
temperature controlled iron, run it at a lower temperature and use 63/37
solder.

 

[Fred McKenzie]

Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor.

John-

Soldering appears to me to be the best solution. Invite a friend to do
the soldering. Bend the tab up first, and solder quickly to minimize
melting the plastic underneath. The plastic should become firm again
after it cools.

What about threading tiny self-tapping screws into the holes in the
rivets that connect the lugs to the contacts?

Fred

 

[tony sayer]

While I agree with previous posters that soldering shouldn't be a big
problem, if you really don't want to try it yourself you should be able
to find someone else who will.

Better still have a practice on some bits of wire etc before you do this
joint and than you've learnt a new skill)..

Do get the joint hot, and keep it hot just long enough to make it all
flow properly it seems to me that under powered irons are the biggest
cause of poor soldering...

 

[steve robinson]

I notice that nobody has raised the point for the OP that his
problem of previous soldering is that he is possibly using too
powerful a soldering iron - one with too big a bit. This is the
most likely cause of his problem with melting the support for the
tag he is soldering to. Haven't we all done it - and even with a
temperature controlled one and 50 years of experience I softened
the mount for the centre pin of a connector yesterday, and had to
go back and apply heat to straighten it.

John - I've had a quick scan through Ebay and suggest that
#370414838261 is a good buy (ie I've got one!) for a controlled iron
if you feel that the advise to try,try,try again is worth following.

Rob

Try lead based solder 60/40 has a lower melting point

 

[tony sayer]

.

That sounds like a good idea, but I bet a very few of them know how to
solder or even have a soldering tool. That comes from be being a ham for
over 35 years and knowing the ones in the local area.
Many that know how will usually be willing to help.

Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now.

Anything on You tube on soldering at all?..

 

[Nate Nagel]

Seems its a dying craft making any of your own gear now.

Anything on You tube on soldering at all?..

meh? I still solder quite regularly, because if nothing else, I'm far
more likely to have solder and heat shrink handy than I am butt splices
and a crimping tool.

Also, the tool makes a huge difference. I (heart) my ancient Weller
soldering station, the constant-temp tips make life so much better.

nate

 

[Grant]

That is usually the wrong way to do the job he wants to do. Use a very hot
iron, hit the joint fast with a lot of heat and then get out quick. The
tabs will get hot very quick and melt the solder. If he applies a low heat,
the plastic will get a lot of heat on it before the tab gets hot enough to
melt the solder.
The 63/73 is the way to go, but 60/40 is just fine. Also do not move the
wires while the solder is cooling. This is one big way to mess up the
joint.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned cleaning up the battery tab first,
some of that cheap gear is terribly difficult to tin, without a
good scratching up and cleaning first. Emery paper, sand paper,
even a sharp instrument. And wash the grease off too, metho or
IPA should be safe for the plastic?

The trick is to go in quick, if it doesn't work straight away (like
less than a second), remove the heat, let the thing cool right down,
and try again later.

Problems happen when you keep the heat on to no effect, melting the
surrounds.

Be aware of the need for the fresh heat bridge, created by applying
iron and solder together, so the flux is working. It's perfectly
fine to have several attempts, provided you let the parts cool right
down between the attempts.

And yes, practice makes perfect, so try some other soldering to get
a feel for how the solder, flux and iron behave together.

Try soldering (stripped) insulated wire together until you can make
clean solder joints without burning the insulation, basic thermal
feel and control. Don't be afraid to waste solder, learn to coax
excess solder off a joint by application of the iron and new solder.

Grant.

 

[Grant]

meh? I still solder quite regularly, because if nothing else, I'm far
more likely to have solder and heat shrink handy than I am butt splices
and a crimping tool.

Also, the tool makes a huge difference. I (heart) my ancient Weller
soldering station, the constant-temp tips make life so much better.

I used to use the Weller, but disliked that little jump when the
magnet pulled in (or let go). Also iron based leads (like on
signal diodes) could be troublesome The new Hakko I have now
is great.

Grant.

 

[Bob Eager]

That is usually the wrong way to do the job he wants to do. Use a very
hot iron, hit the joint fast with a lot of heat and then get out quick.
The tabs will get hot very quick and melt the solder. If he applies a
low heat, the plastic will get a lot of heat on it before the tab gets
hot enough to melt the solder.
The 63/73 is the way to go, but 60/40 is just fine. Also do not move
the wires while the solder is cooling. This is one big way to mess up
the joint.

Point taken, but I didn't mean *that* much lower. It just reduces the
complete melting point by a few tens of degrees; clearly it has to be hot
enough to do the joint quickly.

 

[Bob Eager]

I can believe that. I have built some simple electronic devices using 5
or 6 of the old style ICs that had 14 to 40 pins on them and put
together some kits that had about 30 ICs on them.

I've been soldering (on and off) for well over 40 years, and find it
strangely satisfying! Last project was one of these:

http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120-2.htm

and these:

http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120_Front_Panel.htm

Great fun to build and to program!

I have not tried any of the newer surface mounted devices. Doubt that I
ever will due to the size of them. Can't see the things and don't have
the tools to do it.

I keep meaning to have a go, since I seem to have mastered single-eye
soldering now.

 

[[email protected]]

I have to connect this AAA battery holder to a toy. Although I have a small
soldering iron, my soldering skills are poor. I can see myself easily
melting all the plastic around the contacts before I can get anything to
stick to the tabs. (The part of the tabs with the small hole will bend
upwards giving some clearence).

http://tinypic.com/r/iqx3pf/4

My immediate plan is to poke a few strands of wire through the holes in the
connection tabs twist and then apply some nail varnish to stop it unwinding.
Since its a toy it does not need to be totally foolproof.

If anyone had any ideas that were a bit more sophisticated I would be
gratefull. Thanks.

Bad idea. The nail varnish is an insulator, and is likely to wick back
into the (non) connection.

 

[[email protected]]

Solder is the only reliable way, IMO

Just bend the tabs out, so they are not touching the plastic, make sure the
iron is nice and hot, dab some solder on the end of the iron, then place
this on one of the tabs and feed in a little more solder to tin the tab,
should take a couple of seconds.
Now strip about 5mm of the wires and tin the end of the wire, if the
insulation shrinks back, then snip the end of the wire off so it is about
5mm.
Place the wire on top of the solder on the tab and heat the wire until the
solder on the tab melts again.

Hold the wire with something other than your hand, as it may get quite hot!

Once it has cooled, marvel at your handywork

Or, buy these two from eBay, or anywhere that sells this sort of stuff...
350373699059 (Twin AA battery holder with a PP£ type connector on the top)
and one of these
350350685890 (PP3 battery connector)

Toby...

Ore use a conductive "glue" like the stuff sold to fix rear window
defroster grids, or printed circuit traces. After making the good
electrical contact with that (it is usually silver bearing) add a dab
of epoxy, or even hot melt glue, to give it a bit of mechanical
support.

Or just learn to solder - - - - .the low temperature eutectic "paste
solder" would actually work pretty good for this and only requires
minimal heat.