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Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) SiliconIce Ok, it seems I will not have access to the nice soldering equipment necessary for the RAM hack as I had previously thought...and I don't think a Radio Shack soldering iron is up to the task. (or is it?) So, what would you guys suggest if I was to buy my own, what's good at a reasonlable price, and where's a good place to get it from? Thanks! 02-23-2001 23:06:03

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Glitch Profile SiliconIce, I came across this a few days ago, it might be of interest you. http://www.mpja.com/product.asp?product=11571+TL Weller is probably the best know name in soldering equipment. They make a lot of really nice stuff. IMHO, they do charge quite a bit extra for the name. I have no experience with this particular soldering station. I would make sure there are a decent assortment of tips available before I bought this. I did a quick check at Digikey and they didn't list any parts for this station. If you are looking for a high quality temperature controlled iron, check out the Xytronics line. They have been around for a long time and make a nice product. They are usually 35-50% less than an equivalent Weller or Pace unit. I did a lot of research before I purchased my last soldering station and I ended up with a Xytronic 988. I am extremely happy with this unit. This is unit is overkill for what you would need, but they do make more basic units. BTW, someone with good soldering skills likely could do the RAM upgrade with the $15.00? Radio Shack 25w iron. I bought one of these in college (when it was a $6.00 iron) and used it for 15 years to do all sorts of repairs. For fine work I would buy an extra tip and file it down. These tips don't last very long, but they are inexpensive. That said, it is much easier to solder using good equipment. If you have access to a nice temperature controlled soldering station, USE IT. You will be glad you did. Glitch Electronics run on smoke, if you let the smoke out they won't work 02-24-2001 12:56:21

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Courier5 Quick question, I have some soldering experience from a couple of electronic classes I took, so I am no expert. In order to maybe aid my lack of experience, I thought about using Solder-Weld and placing it in a Syringe with a fine needle. Then use that to make a a small bead of solder at the connection sites and a low watt solder iron with a fine tip. My experiance in the past has shown that the Solder-Weld will heat up and melt quickly with very low heat (even a match will work) Do you think it would be of significant quality to carry the signal for the device? I have the solder-weld, needle, fine tip iron, and self standing magnifying lens ready to go, just need to crack open the pod and see which revision it is. Thanks 02-24-2001 13:24:29

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Glitch Profile Courier5, I have never used Solder-Weld, but if it is what I think it is, I wouldn't use it on your ePods. It is not necessary. Adding the parts is really pretty easy. All you need to do is apply flux to the pads and to the leads. Then touch the iron to the lead and pad until the solder flows. This should only take about a second. There is enough solder currently on to the board to make the connection. What is more important is that there is not too much solder for the joint. Too much solder leads to bridging (shorting the leads together). The most dangerous thing about adding the parts is soldering them in the wrong position. The memory chips need to be aligned exactly. Removing the part is much much more difficult than applying it. The resistors & capacitors are challenging to apply due to their size. All of this is pretty easy if you take your time (practice helps a lot also). Glitch Electronics run on smoke, if you let the smoke out they won't work 02-24-2001 13:47:59

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) SiliconIce Yikes, that Xytronics one you got it $400+ Anything anyone here would reccommend that would be easy to do the mods for a beginner, but stays under (preferably well under...) $100? 02-25-2001 09:54:57

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) C=64 Yeah, what SiliconIce said... I'm afraid I'm a newbie to this type'o'stuff as well. I've done minor soldering (chiping a few Playstations, splicing a pair of vga cables together) but nothing that required fine-grain work. I'm curious - would solder tape handle the task? The stuff's pretty easy to use - cut a piece to the size I want, add a match, and *bam*, all done... 02-26-2001 03:34:15

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Glitch Profile That is the second reference to "a match" in this thread. Just remember, heat is electronics biggest enemy (IMHO). Most electronics devices die at around 200 degrees. Solder melts at around 300 degrees. You need to solder a joint fast enough that the solder melts at the lead but does not heat up the silicon. The thermal resistance of the component package makes this possible. If I remember correctly, a match is something like 1200 degrees. I doubt that many devices would be able to handle "being soldered with a match". To me, soldering with a match is just one step this side of pouring gasoline on your ePods and lighting it <bfg>. If you are looking for an inexpensive temperature controlled station follow this link. http://www.howardelectronics.com/xytronic/379.html $70 for a temp controlled station with a good tip selection is quite a deal. A similar Weller or Pace unit would be over $110. I have not seen/used this station, but my experience with Xytronics equipment has been overwhelmingly positive. Note: the temperatures quoted above are approximate (especially the match). If you know some more exact numbers, please let me know. Glitch Electronics run on smoke, if you let the smoke out they won't work 02-26-2001 07:02:49

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) SiliconIce Profile I could not tell exactly what comes with that unit. Are you sure that tips are included? 02-26-2001 15:18:17

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Glitch Profile SiliconIce: I would expect only one tip to be included with the soldering station. It probably comes with a 1/32" tip. You should verify this before buy. However, it is nice when a selection of tips are availiable. In the past, I've had soldering irons with only one or two sizes of tips available. There were times that I needed either a larger or smaller tip than what I had. This can make a soldering job harder than it needs to be. If I bought the 379, I would buy a few extra tips at the same time. The 1/64" tip is good for working on surface mount components. I would also by a larger tip. What tips you buy depends on what type of work that you will be doing. HowardElec sells the extra tips for $7.50 each. (looks like they may be out of stock on the 1/64") Glitch Electronics run on smoke, if you let the smoke out they won't work 02-26-2001 18:24:06

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) SiliconIce Profile I don't want to come off as naggy, but it's painfully obvious I'm a newbie to this... Is 1/32" what you would reccommend for the epod RAM mod? 02-26-2001 20:16:36

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) Glitch Profile SiliconIce: You may be able to get by with a 1/32" tip. I would recommend the 1/64" tip for jobs like adding the memory chips, resistors and capacitors to the ePods. I would also recommend that you get a set of fine tip tweezers right away. The capacitors and resistors are #603 packages. The dimensions of this package are .063"x.031"x.012". Or to put it another way, "they are friggin little". To solder the 603's, first apply some flux (also called rosin) to the leads. I like to use a Kester #186 Flux-Pen for this, but any decent electrical soldering flux will do (do NOT try to use plumbers flux). The flux will help the solder flow easier. Next, hold the device in place with the tweezers and touch the soldering iron to one lead of the device and the pad you want to solder it to at the same time. Next move the tip to just the lead. Solder will "follow the heat" and flow onto the lead. Do the same to the other lead and you're done. It sounds easy. It really is easy except for the small size. This is where the fine tipped tools and practice helps. BTW, I have some Practice Kits on my site if you want to try it out. Glitch Electronics run on smoke, if you let the smoke out they won't work 02-26-2001 22:01:24

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) SiliconIce Profile Thanks Glitch, I think I will probably get one of those and one of your kits once I decide if I am sure I want to try this out (I probably will). Thanks again for all of the help! 02-27-2001 14:04:51

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) starfish Profile RadioShack.Com has a Unit for $50 You might want to consider ? 02-27-2001 15:56:36

RE:Solder Equipment (modified 0 times) profeign Wow. You guys have some serious soldering implements. I think we should all take Glitch's advice. I'm still using my sub-$10 radio shack 30W iron but that thing is never getting near 64Mb memory chips :) plus let's thank the nice folks at eZex (the ePods manufacturer) for having the solder already applied to the board. This is normal, but man will it make your life easier. mailto:profeign@hotmail.com 03-01-2001 23:33:09

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