Hey /diy/, so I ordered a soldering pen for 3$ online which I admit was probably a mistake in its own, anyways it includes 2 soldering wires.
>pic related
Does anyone know if I can use these wires to solder on a circuit board? There is no instructions or descriptions of what material the wire is made out of, but all I know is that it's very flexible even more flexible than a regular staple.
Go watch some YouTube videos on how to solder circuit boards, then bin that shit and buy something that will solder.
Solder wire comes in 2 'common' types. Lead, and Lead-free.
Most old hands will tell you lead-free solder is utter garbage, blaming it for everything from tin-creep causing shorts, to poor thermal properties to causing cancer. I do know this: It requires much higher temperatures to flow nicely, meaning more stress on components during install and risking damage to legacy equipment.
In my job I work with a lot of 70's and 80's era stuff, which is all quite... delicate. Lead free is just too stressful to use for that stuff.
Lead solder is more workable at lower temps, more stable as it ages (no creep), although it does have a lot of NASTY side effects - It's lead after all and it was removed from modern electronics for a good reason. Prolonged exposure can make you sick, and it's effects are cumulative.
The solder your pen came with SHOULD be lead-free and SHOULD have a label saying so. If not, bin it and decide which you want to work with. You can find datasheets online for all solder types (A LOT more than just leaded/lead free, those are just the most common, and even then the alloys vary).
>>919234
If I use this solder on the circuit board, will it be rip in a couple of years or what?
>>919236
Most likely its the lowest end garbage solder you can get. Bad solder does fail
>>919235
Fuck the warning label says it has lead, not sure if it's for the iron or the soldering wire. I'm trying to solder components on a Gameboy, if I do so will it affect my health?
>>919236
No as such, but as I cannot read the label it could be any mix. Suspect more of 'it will be a hassle to work with' than it actually failing after a certain time. Environment dictates how long a 'good' solder joint will last, more than the actual solder itself, although it is true that lead-free, tin based solder can suffer from 'creep' where tendrils of solder can crystalize out from a joint and on very small workings, cause shorts. It's not common though.
>>919238
1: Do not breathe the fumes (I have a carbon filter breath mask for when I have to do long spells and the fume hood is a hassle) - but as long as you don't go huffing it you should be fine with limited exposure. Maybe after 10 years of daily use you might have to worry.
2: Don't like, eat any of it.
3: Don't play with it (Wear gloves while handling it, put it away safely when done with it etc)
Treat it like you would if you were handling raw chicken and you will be fine.
>>919240
Honestly I've seen guys suffer MUCH worse side effects due to lead free solder. 20 years in the industry using lead-based, no ill effects, switch over to lead free and suddenly starting to get lung problems... Yeah. Leaded is fine if you take simple precautions.
>>919231
I love how the typeface on the packaging is so dramatic like it's an action figure or something.
>>919240
But it smells so good when the rosin melts.
I would recommend a better soldering iron with tip temperature sensing/control and some solder(maybe .015") with water-soluble flux. Also, you should get a water-soluble flux pen. Apply the flux liberally. When you are done, just rinse the circuit board in warm water. Don't eat the flux, so probably shouldn't rinse on your dishes, etc. The nice thing about water soluble is that all the residue comes off and you are left with solder joints that look like they came off an assembly line. You definitely need flux to make it work right though.
>>919240
>Agh shit lead! All the precautions
Our parents survived leaded gasoline.
>but they never came into contact because into the tank it went
Fucking exhaust man.
>>919238
DEHP is a plasticizer. Basically, china's favorite flexible PVC formulations often have a bit of that chemical in them to get an end product that is rubbery/flexible instead of hard/brittle like PVC pipe. The Prop 65 law (source of that vaguely scary warning) is so broadly written that even banks have been pushed to put up the warning on the off chance that a hungry lawyer finds a way to suggest that they are recklessly exposing people to dangerous chemicals.
Don't lick the power cord. Don't eat the power cord. Don't braid it into a necklace and strap it around your body for years. These suggestions are doubly important if you are a fetus.
>>919268
>Our parents survived leaded gasoline.
And so do most of you. Pic related.
>>919240
You sound European
OP here, I was anyone have methods of identifying types of solder? The middle of the soldering wire is white, which I believe means it might be rosin core. Thoughts ?
>>919413
It could also acid core. That's only used for plumbing. If the solder is 2mm or smaller in diameter it's probably meant for electronics. Plumbers use thicker solder.
>>919413
Ask your self how important is what you are going with it. If it only has to last a year just go for it what ever it is. If it has to last get some known local solder which will likely cost you more than the whole thing.
>>919413
I never looked into my soldering wire, but rosin should be brown. Either way it's some sort of flux.
>identifying types of solder
No idea. the only thing I thought of is Archimedes' method, but the flux core makes it complicated.
Your best bet is probably buying solder wire that properly labels its ingredient.
By the way, lemme ask the question I didn't get answered on the other thread. Why is 63/37 solder much more expensive than 60/40 solder if the only difference is mixture ratio?
>>919238
leaded solder is superior to lead free garbage
>>919238
That is not a good iron for that purpose. Since it's your first time soldering, practice on something else first to make it even slightly less likely you'll destroy the Gameboy.
>>919240
I think i might have eaten some
> Why is 63/37 solder much more expensive than 60/40 solder if the only difference is mixture ratio?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economies_of_scale
>>919515
>Economies of scale
Mind elaborating? I don't see what makes mass production of 63/37 not feasible
sure, most capitalists fail to understand the most basic tenants of their system. Economies of Scale simply states (the obvious) that if you produce a million units of something, it'll cost less per unit than producing 1000. coz you can get a much better prices on raw materials, and transportation, and you can buy machines, etc.
so, if you sell a lot of a particular product, like 60/40 solder, you can make it cheaper than a very similar 63/37 product coz you make bigger batches, and the fixed set-up costs are divided among a larger number of units.
the other factor is competition: since everybody sells 60/40, you have to lower your price to match them. and that's Supply and Demand, which is like the top commandment of capitalism.
>>919525
Then why isn't there a company producing a million units of 63/37 and make profit before other competitors catch up and drive the price down?
...or is it happening right now?
supply and demand! there is little demand for that shit. people want 60/40. always have.
>>919268
All the precautions would involve not fucking using the stuff.
The health risks from small amounts of lead solder are minuscule, but over a lifetime, that shit builds up.
I grew up with leaded gasoline. I'll probably live a shorter life due to that. Lead is nasty stuff.
>>919383
You sound colonial.
>>919525
>tenants
TENETS
>>919525
I bought some lead free solder and I don't really like it. It's basically just tin with 0.25% copper. Good job I have a cheap arsed soldering iron that, frankly, operates way too hot for its own good.
The rim on the handle begins to melt a little if you leave it on for more than half an hour.
OP again. Would this work for soldering a wire to the Gameboy?
>>919702
Depends on the wire. I dip 30ga wire in solder paste to solder it.
This to the circuit board, don't know much about soldering
>>919241
You know, it's probably the leaded solder causing that, just that it's only now emerging as a health issue.
>>919745
Hah, most likely. Older engineers will never hear a bad word said about Lead solder though. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of the health risks, but it does flow nicer than the lead free stuff.
There are a few 'studies' floating around the web showing that lead free is more of a health risk - the rosin in particular is really awful by all accounts. And I have had coughing fits using it (Lifelong non smokers with no diagnosed lung problems should not have coughing fits while soldering in a well ventilated workshop with a carbon filtered extractor getting in the damn way!), so there is probably more to it than just internet paranoia.
The main reason Lead solder has been banned and villified in favor of lead-free though has more to do with the amount of the stuff ending up in landfill than any real concern for the poor bastard engineers - Lead leeches into the soil and water table from landfill quite rapidly, which makes the environment agencies look bad, so pressure was put on to switch to lead free. Also some kids in India died after burning our waste electronics or something.
>>919702
If its decent quality, you have decent skills and a decent iron. At that price who knows if its legit.
Get some old junk pcb and try removing components and re installing them as practice first. You first soldering will likely never be your best.
>>919231
Coming soon to a /diy/ thread near you:
>Hey /diy/ I fucked up my Gameboy wat do
>>919240
>wear gloves
I'm laughing too hard.
just wash your hands before eating, and don't eat while soldering. It's not fucking mercury, it won't seep through skin.
>>919231
if it melts the solder it will work.
people on here will tell you that you need some $200 soldering "station", but the truth is if it gets hot enough but not waaaaayyyyy too hot then it will work.. you can solder with a bic lighter and a nail.
asfor solder types theres two main types youre probably going to encounter, acid core and rosin core.
NEVER use acid core on electronics.
rosin core is what you want..
most solder is a mixture of tin and lead..
if you want to get technical look into using flux, but for a simple connection that just werks you (usually) really dont need it.
dont brethe the stuff, thats a given. a bit is ok just dont huff it.
now before you do anything to your gameboy, I can tell from your post you have no clue what you are doing and are prone to breaking the thing.
get good before you try to solder anything near small components. also learn the difference between a good solder joint and a cold joint.
>>919762
>If its decent quality, you have decent skills and a decent iron.
So no, no, and no.
Yeah, dude, just do it. Honestly if you aren't building the whole pcb it doesn't matter that much how shitty your shit is. They send shit from China that's more poorly constructed than anything you could possibly do, and it manages to work. You have what, two joints to do?
