Lead Free Soldering Iron

[hamilton]

What is the best temp for a soldering iron tip ?

How does a tip stay "tinned" with lead free solder ?

Does anyone have a good site on the basics of lead free soldering.

Thank you

hamilton

 

[mike]

What is the best temp for a soldering iron tip ?

It's not that simple.
You care about the temperature of the joint.
With today's tiny components, you typically end up with
a tiny tip with small heat capacity trying to raise the temperature
of a larger area. The ground plane end of a cap is typically
much harder to solder than the free end.

Cheap irons attack the problem by raising the tip temperature
so you can melt the solder with the heat capacity available in the tip.

Weller irons have the temperature control mechanism right at the tip,
so it can turn up power relatively quickly.

Irons like the Metcal use RF and get VERY tight coupling between power
input and temperature. First time I used a Metcal, I was amazed at how
quickly a lower temperature tip could melt the joint.

How does a tip stay "tinned" with lead free solder ?

Plated tips don't stay "tinned" with lead solder either.

 

[Nico Coesel]

What is the best temp for a soldering iron tip ?

In my experience 230 deg. C is by far the best setting for lead free
soldering. Leaded soldering isn't as picky as lead free soldering. The
basic mistake I see most is using a tip which is too small for the
soldering job at hand. Most people crank up the temperature to
compensate for the poor heat conduction of the top but that will burn
the flux from the solder too fast so you get bad joints due to
insufficient flux. A good lead free solder joint should be a little
less shiny than a leaded solder joint.

So make sure you get 3 or 4 different sizes of tips and get a
soldering iron which allows to change the tips quickly. I myself have
an Ersa iron which uses a spring to hold the tip in place. I often
change tips while putting a 'project' together.

 

[[email protected]]

In my experience 230 deg. C is by far the best setting for lead free
soldering. Leaded soldering isn't as picky as lead free soldering. The
basic mistake I see most is using a tip which is too small for the
soldering job at hand. Most people crank up the temperature to
compensate for the poor heat conduction of the top but that will burn
the flux from the solder too fast so you get bad joints due to
insufficient flux. A good lead free solder joint should be a little
less shiny than a leaded solder joint.

So make sure you get 3 or 4 different sizes of tips and get a
soldering iron which allows to change the tips quickly. I myself have
an Ersa iron which uses a spring to hold the tip in place. I often
change tips while putting a 'project' together.

At work we have a couple of Metcals at our soldering station. Each has two
devices attached, an iron and a desoldering widget (tweezers and a solder
sucker). There are also a variety of tips for desoldering SMT devices. Even
with four "irons" connected, I'm always waiting for one to heat. ;-)
....and I don't do RoHS solder (but have to desolder the crap).

 

[miso]

What is the best temp for a soldering iron tip ?

How does a tip stay "tinned" with lead free solder ?

Does anyone have a good site on the basics of lead free soldering.

Thank you

hamilton

Are you trying to be green, or do you really need to use lead free
solder? The amount of eco-waste Joe Experimenter can make won't
significantly add to lead in the ecosystem.

 

[TheQuickBrownFox]

Are you trying to be green, or do you really need to use lead free
solder? The amount of eco-waste Joe Experimenter can make won't
significantly add to lead in the ecosystem.

Metallic form leaded solder has NEVER "added lead to the eco-system".

Metallic form lead is NOT dangerous. Never was.

Euro-retards caused the entire industry to take a set back and the
entire world to take a price hit as a result of their inane measures.

Idiots casting their own fishing sinkers have a higher potential to
have done more 'damage' over the decades and nobody has pissed and moaned
about them.

The world is full of idiots.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Jan Panteltje"

260 C will do for 60/40, and most other stuff as a maximum perhaps.

** Are you nuts ?

370C is the normal tip temp for regular, hand soldering.


.... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"Nico Coesel"

In my experience 230 deg. C is by far the best setting for lead free
soldering.

** Again - are you nuts ?

230C will barely melt Pb free solder.

The normal setting on a good iron like the " Hakko " is 370C or a tad more
for Pb free.


..... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

"hamilton"

What is the best temp for a soldering iron tip ?

** The one that works well.

How does a tip stay "tinned" with lead free solder ?

** Lead free solder is mostly 99% tin.

Does anyone have a good site on the basics of lead free soldering.

** I suggest that novices keep well away from Pb free solder.

Most of it is a real PITA to use and getting good results is very tricky.

The stuff with 1 or 2% silver is best, but a bit expensive.


.... Phil

 

[TheQuickBrownFox]

"hamilton"

** The one that works well.

Well... up to a point.

** Lead free solder is mostly 99% tin.

Hahahahah... I like it.

** I suggest that novices keep well away from Pb free solder.

Why? They should have no opportunity to escape the realm of the
novice?

Most of it is a real PITA to use and getting good results is very tricky.

Also not exactly true.

The stuff with 1 or 2% silver is best, but a bit expensive.

I have found that the 2% Gold stuff is pretty good.

I posted a picture of some. I had one roll then. Now I have several.

 

[miso]

The theory is the old electronics ends up in the landfill and the lead
leaches out eventually. Of course, reality could be different.

 

[hamilton]

Are you trying to be green, or do you really need to use lead free
solder? The amount of eco-waste Joe Experimenter can make won't
significantly add to lead in the ecosystem.

Products at work are Rhos.

As a firmware/hardware guy, I need to solder onto some of these boards.

Most of the time I let the techs do it.

But lately I have been trying to do it myself.

I to am from the old school of soldering and this lead free stuff is
very UN-satsifying.

hamilton

 

[Winston]

On Sun, 19 Aug 2012 10:47:43 -0700, mike wrote:

(...)

Irons like the Metcal use RF and get VERY tight coupling between power
input and temperature. First time I used a Metcal, I was amazed at how
quickly a lower temperature tip could melt the joint.

/* Delurking

Metcal! The best.

--Winston

Relurking
*/

 

[miso]

On Sun, 19 Aug 2012 10:47:43 -0700, mike wrote:

(...)


/* Delurking

Metcal! The best.

--Winston

Relurking
*/

Well yeah, when the work!

 

[MrTallyman]

The theory is the old electronics ends up in the landfill and the lead
leaches out eventually. Of course, reality could be different.

We would have seen huge "lead-in-the-water-table" differences around
landfills, and "favorite fishing holes", and especially around police
firing ranges.


Fact is... We do not.

 

[MrTallyman]

Products at work are Rhos.

As a firmware/hardware guy, I need to solder onto some of these boards.

Most of the time I let the techs do it.

But lately I have been trying to do it myself.

I to am from the old school of soldering and this lead free stuff is
very UN-satsifying.

hamilton

The solder probably wants you to learn how to 'spell' "RoHS"

 

[Winston]

On 8/19/2012 10:08 PM, Winston wrote:
(...)

Well yeah, when the work!

Mine always work properly.
For years and years.

I take it you've seen reliability problems?
What symptom(s)?

I was really pleased with Metcal support when I
experienced a (cough) pilot error early on.

Were they helpful in troubleshooting the
issue(s) you identified?

--Winston

 

[Jasen Betts]

Metallic form leaded solder has NEVER "added lead to the eco-system".

Metallic form lead is NOT dangerous. Never was.

Mostly harmless:

Who shot the tomatoes?
http://www.science20.com/chatter_box/history_mysteries_1_who_shot_tomatoes-80506

 

[Phil Allison]

"hamilton"

As a firmware/hardware guy,

** Thought so.

Most of the time I let the techs do it.

But lately I have been trying to do it myself.

** Then FUCKING ASK THEM !!!!!!!!!

You PITA fucking TROLLING SHIT !!!!!!!!!!!!



..... Phil

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

[...]

Euro-retards caused the entire industry to take a set back and the
entire world to take a price hit as a result of their inane measures.

You left an 's' out of the penultimate word.