Soldering aerial plugs

[Martin Pentreath]

Hi,

I've decided to make sure various belling lee connectors are properly made up by following the advice here:

is easy enough except the last bit: soldering. The only soldering I've done before is copper tube for plumbing purposes with a bloody great blowtorch. The problem I'm having with the connectors is getting the solder to flow down inside rather than just beading on the tip of the connector, or the tip of the iron. This is the solder I'm using: the cable has been in situ for a while I thought that maybe it would help if I made sure the core was showing shiny copper by abrading it a bit, but that hasn't helped. I notice that the solder doesn't actually say it has flux in it, although I was assuming that all electronics solder would, am I wrong? I could just use a bit of plumbers' flux, but something tells me that that's a bad idea.

Any advice?

Cheers!

Martin

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'm assuming the cable is new and clean and also the plug. This is my method.

Leave about 1/4" of centre wire sticking out the end of the plug. Clamp the plug in a vice etc so your hands are free. Apply a hot tinned iron to the bit sticking out and then apply some solder - but not too much. If you've heated the wire enough capillary action will draw the solder into the pin - you can see this in the same way as with a pipe. Let cool then cut the surplus wire flush with the pin.

Keep the co-ax exiting straight from the plug while you do this - it's all too easy to melt the plug insulator and end up with the pin off centre. So start with it all true and not under strain.

Oh - and use lead solder. It's much easier. ;-)

[meow2222]

here:

> Everything is easy enough except the last bit: soldering. The only

These things are not really a novice soldering job, and if you dont have the knack theyre best not soldered. Instead bend the inner wire a few times to make a zigzag, and push it in place.

Plumbing flux is entirely unsuitable for electronics. It leaves corrosive desposits.

If youre determined to solder, use a new plug for a start. Perfectly clean shiny copper doesnt just help, its a requierement. And you'll need to perfect your soldering technique elsewhere, because despite what that link says, these plugs are not designed to be soldered, and will not resist the heat involved at all. Same is true of the flex insulation, so soldering them is not the simplest.

NT

[Dave Liquorice]

Maplin anymore.

Does it smoke when you apply it to the iron?

Yes, but if you have one the acid ones make sure you remove any residue afterwards. I suspect your problem is not getting the wire and pin hot enough before applying the solder, provided everything is clean and bright of course. The pin and wire are quite large lumps of metal, if you have a tiddly iron it may not have enough heat in it to raise the parts above the higher melting point of lead free solder.

[Clive Mitchell]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Because they are the worst electronic supplier in the known universe.

Do you guys know about Rapid Electronics?

You might want to do a price comparison with Maplin.

[robert]

The plastic insulator used ib these plugs softens very easily with excess heat so soldering is not a simple easy task.

Use the plugs(M & F) which have a small screw to clamp the conductor. Robert

[meow2222]

A simpler option is to crimp the central pin onto the copper wire

NT

[Lurch]

On Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:55:27 +0100, [e-mail] mused:

They're some of the worst plugs I've ever used. You'd almost be better off not bothering.

[Brian L Johnson]

"" wrote

But... it doesn't really matter if the central plastic bit gets slightly melted. The central pin+soldered wire can be quite wobbly and as long as it's able to hold the central pin roughly in line with the central hole of the socket, that's all that's required.

Just get 'em lined up and push.

[Dave Liquorice]

I saw reels on their website last night but only lead free.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, I mentioned them above.

Indeed. However they don't have high street branches. And all orders under

25 quid have a 4 quid P%P charge.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Hence my method which ensures minium heat transfer to the insulator.

Don't like them.

[Derek Geldard]

I would have been just as wrong. ;-)

The Antex website is silent on the matter.

No mention of flux on the materials safety data sheet. I'd bet it hasn't got any.

Maplin do sell the flux at £6.51, or try to source a different solder pref. a traditional tin/lead alloy, it is still available. Lead free solder is less forgiving.

DG

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Last time I looked it said 'while stocks last'.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd be utterly amazed if it isn't multicore. Especially from the likes of Maplin.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Pretty much all electrical solder is flux cored.

[Derek Geldard]

Why then do Maplins sell flux, in 2 different flavours ?

technical info

The "Materials safety data sheet" is a serious document.

**********************************************************************

SECTION II ? HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENT CAS NO. WT, PERCENT PEL-OSHA TLV-ACGIH TIN 7440-31-5 97.00 2.0mg/m3 2.0mg/m3

• SILVER 7440-22-4 2.50 0.01mg/m3 0.01mg/m3

• COPPER 7440-50-8 0.50 0.1mg/m3 0.2mg/m3

• Denotes a chemical regulated as toxic by the Environmental Protection Agency as outlined in 40CFR Part 372 Section (313).

********************************************************************************

Note : Metals total = 100%

There can be no doubt that flux should be listed. In days of yore it used to cause me serious bouts of breathing insufficiency.

DG

[Frank Erskine]

1) For soldering using non-electrical solder, such as sweating parts together.

2) For additional flux, such as for tinning and cleaning soldering iron tips.

3) Because people might buy it.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have a home made dispenser with the four common sizes. There's posh for you. ;-) All the same make too. I doubt I've got through more than half a dozen 500g reels in my life, though.

[Ian White]

4) Because Maplin's purchasing department don't have a clue.

Absence of flux would completely explain the OP's problems about "getting the solder to flow down inside rather than just beading on the tip of the connector, or the tip of the iron." In other words, the solder wasn't wetting at all.

Lead-free solder needs a quite aggressive flux to compensate for the poorer wetting qualities of the solder itself. If there had been any flux at all, it would certainly have wetted the tip of the iron.

We have become accustomed to low-irritant fluxes in the latter years of tin/lead, but you don't want to be inhaling the flux fumes from lead-free.