Help, I've encountered my 1st real issue.

[jeffslot]

Hi,

I'm on Chapter 4 "Hacking Pocket Televisions" - Step # 9. Tryingto attach a wire to the sixth pin from the right of the main connector on the upper board, but I'm worried about the following:

What if when I'm soldering the wire, the solder touches more than 1 pin (say the 5th or 7th), doesn any one have any advice on how to apply such a small amount of solder?

Thanks

jeff S.

[bicostp]

If your iorn isn't hot enough to melt the existing solder sufficiently enough to melt it...

Put the solder spool on the table and bend it so it's a few inches off the table. Then place the wire against the end of the solder. Next, putthe hot tip of the soldering iorn on the other side of the wire, so some solder gets stuck on the wire. You casn then move it to the motherboard and reheat it at its proper location.

Or do what I do... Get some solder on the tip of the iorn, and then use the wire to take some of it to the connection. (you will need to cut slits in a cheap kitchen sponge and dampen it with cold water so you can clean the tip off.)

that's the way I learned, anyways.

[SpongeBuell]

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c ... =64%2D2086

sucks the solder right up. be sure to use a needle regluarly to poke out the solder you suck, though.

[Turbo Tax 1.0]

if it does touch another pin all i do is heat it then run my exacto knife threw it a couple times it really helped when soldering to the snes controller ic

[Foxx373]

bicostp was trying to explain tinning. Tinning is when you coat a wire or component with solder. The reason for this is so it can easyly stick to other solder'df stuff. just strip the wire, tin it however you can (either get some solder on the tip and "paint" it on, or run the wire thru a blob of melted solder, trim the tinned part down if its too long, then just tack it on. If the pad you are trying to solder doesnt have enough solder, add a little more. If you are a total spaz and screw up seriousally, get some desoldering braid. In my opinion, Its better than the desoldering iron. It will suck up all the solder and leave everything slightly tinned. After that, just try again.