Poor soldering

[leejord]

I've read threads where it's said that "poor soldering" causes buzzing.what exactly is done wrong when soldering. i.e what should I avoid doing when soldering.thanks

 

[Jusatele]

when you solder you want to heat the material so the solder flows onto it, if you heat the solder to flow onto the material you get what is called a cold joint and it will basically not adhere to the surface of the material. So put the head of the soldering gun on the 2 materials to be joined and the solder next to that and let it flow onto the joint using the heat from the material to melt the solder. OH, Clean the surfaces to be joined very well before starting.

 

[ocguy106]

a cold solder joint will usally be a dull grey and a good one should be a nice shiny silver

 

[Firebird211]

You can also cause a dry solder joint by moving around the wire or connection you are soldering too much as the solder hardens.  It will usually become a dull color as well or just cause a bad connection.  If you use 60/40 solder, the solder takes longer to solidify in a period of time, which leaves you wide open for this bad connection.  If you use a eutectic solder like 62/36/2 the solder hardens instantly at a specific temperature, so you don't have to hold on to the wire as long or chance a dry joint.

 

[leejord]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Alfang]

too many people get cold solder joints from too low of heat, I'm in the hotter the better camp.

But to your question, unless the solder joint is almost falling apart, there should be no buzzing, a bad solder joint, ot rather a cold solder joint is just a high resistance spot, it really shouldn't cause a buzz. If it is really bad it may cause buzz, but that bad of a solder joint is really bad.  and I agree with the above posts, nice and shiney is good

 

[leejord]

Does solder need to cover the entire exposed length of wire ( length not covered by coating)

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Nope.  Only where it is making contact with what it is soldered too.

 

[sinisaja]

There is soldering guide about hand soldering with  soldering iron on website:
http://www.soldering-store.com/soldering_guide/soldering_guide.html

 

[leejord]

Great info.thanks

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Also what appears to be a good joint, for whatever reason, can be flawed.  Using a multimeter with a continuity checker is a great way to find these or confirm that there are none.  The Multimeter is one of the best tools one can have for wiring.
Patrick

 

[leejord]

Is the Multimeter from stewmac good or do you suggest something else

 

[Mor Paul]

You can get a cheaper one at most hardware stores, or any electronics store.

 

[Firebird211]

I was just about to type the same thing. :laughing7:  That's one expensive bugger they have for a little over seventy dollars.  You can get one that will work just as well for you anywhere else.  I have seen good digital ones for anywhere from thirty to fifty dollars.  My multimeter was one hundred dollars, but that was 16 years ago, and it was some noname Fluke wanabe.