Pinecil Guides to Soldering

This article is a list of convenient links to guides on soldering. Although it's not directly related to Pinecil hardware, many PINE64 members ask for this kind of information in daily live chat. If you don't find something here, then try an Internet search as this is just a starting point for convenience.

General soldering guides

• Why have different tips?
• Easier method to solder SMD, and a clever pcb cleaning method
• How to Solder SMD & Small Components - Mr. Solder
• Pace Basic Soldering lesson 1-9
• How to Desolder/Correct mistakes
• Mr. Solderfix - Remove Components
• Ultimate soldering guide
• Beginner's Guide to Soldering - Mr. Solder
• Fine SMD Soldering
• Comic book - Soldering
• Soldering Worksheet

Does solder type and flux matter?

• Does Solder quality matter?
• When to use Flux
• 63/37 or 60/40 Solder?
• Should I switch to Lead-free solder?

How to keep the tip clean?

• Clean & Care for Tips
• How to Clean Soldering Tips
• Sodering Tip Maintenance

What temperature should I use?

1. General Formula: add 120°C to the melting point listed on the solder label, and adjust up/down as needed for different tasks.

• Example: the solder says 220°C melt point, then 220 + 120 = 340 °C
• One could also try these common working temperatures below, start at a lower temperature and increment by 5°C until you get a comfortable working temperature (thicker wires & situations dictate more or less).

Common ranges if the solder label/model melting temperature can not be found:
# Lead solder: range 300°C - 325°C
# No-lead solder: range 350°C - 370°C

Note: generaly higher temperatures are needed for no-lead alloys which is why it's a little harder to work with and the higher temperatures wear out tips sooner. This is a trade off to using a safer product. All ROHS certified printed circuit boards (PCB) made since about 2006 use No-Lead solder.

2. Another method is an Internet search to find a chart like below for your specific type of solder alloy:

• Alloy Temperature Chart - Kester

3. Adding a small amount of solder to your tip before starting increases the thermal mass of the tip and could help instead of cranking the temperature super high (which causes other problems). See the soldering guides above for demonstrations of this in several articles and videos.

Using the Conical tip

How do I use the conical tip that comes default with Pinecil to get enough heat transfer?

1. Use the side of the tip to heat the pin. Do not hold it vertically like a pen because the very end of the tip has little heat mass. See

https://cdn.sparkfun.com/assets/learn_tutorials/5/8/4/SolderingAdvice_1edit.png

2. Correct amount of solder and solder flow. See https://cdn.sparkfun.com/assets/learn_tutorials/5/8/4/SolderingAdvice_2.png