DC40 ERP pcb?

[Elgin]

I know what you mean about soldering  some good old fashioned lead based solder makes things much easier.

The last time I soldered something I accidentally broke the plsatic in half (Luckily it was still useable and not much noticable,) and I also broke a little tiny capacitor off because the board snapped a little, still need to re solder that damn thing on. after my experience of little solder balls every time it touches the iron, it takes me about 7 bloody hours just to solder one wire to another...

[MVacs]

I know what you mean about soldering  some good old fashioned lead based solder makes things much easier.

The last time I soldered something I accidentally broke the plsatic in half (Luckily it was still useable and not much noticable,) and I also broke a little tiny capacitor off because the board snapped a little, still need to re solder that damn thing on. after my experience of little solder balls every time it touches the iron, it takes me about 7 bloody hours just to solder one wire to another...

Its all practice.

I am adequate but mediocre with a soldering iron. I did lead to copper plumbing soldering (with bars not wire) back in the moleskin days, so not a total amateur; but practice makes perfect. Our main tech is sh!t hot with the soldering iron; our number two tech less so - he has number one do his soldering and heat shrinking as by the time number two has thought about it, scratched his arse, made a coffee and lit a fag, number one has done it. I did invest in a high wattage soldering iron that was about £80 though. After we burned out half a dozen cheap eBay ones. High wattage iron, good quality wire and plumbers flux we use.

[Parwaz7862]

We had to use a soldering iron in year 7 for Resistant materials (DT)

[Halfie]

I have a 17W Antex soldering iron which does me well.  The trick for successful soldering is a hot iron - don't try to solder in a draught - and keeping the tip tinned and clean.  I use a piece of paper towel to wipe the bit after tinning it.  Oh, and make sure the component leads you're trying to solder are clean too.  If they are new this shouldn't be a problem, but I scrape old leads with a screwdriver and then tin them before trying to solder in place.  Apply soldering iron and multicore solder to the joint at the same time.  You actually need three hands most of the time!

This obviously won't work for copper pipes!