Re:Show HN: Learn how to build electronics with monthly kits
by Animats on Tuesday December 27, 2016 @01:42AM
(#13261665)
Leaded solder, or lead-free? What I've been reading is that at the hobbyist level, most people are still using leaded solder. The tight temperature tolerances of lead-free are hard. I've tried hand-soldering with lead-free solder, but keep getting cold solder joints.
Stanford EE just set up a maker space, called Lab 64. I'm going to find out what tools they use, and how they teach soldering. Stanford EE labs have big "No Pb" signs; they insist on lead-free soldering.
Re:Show HN: Learn how to build electronics with monthly kits
by Taniwha on Tuesday December 27, 2016 @02:22AM
(#13261774)
I only use lead free these days - I also teach kids SMT first, I think it's easier to learn - thru hole requires better solder temp management than SMT and essentially 3 hands.
We start by giving the kids hot air and tweezers to harvest some parts from an old board, then have them install them on a scrap proto board no one needs any more
At first it's really difficult because of fear from the small size, sometimes the price of components, and the lack of proper equipment.
At some point you learn how your hands work, what techniques work, and how things flow; suddenly then things become easy and through-hole seems like a boring chore.
My enlightenment came with a good Hakko iron and the satisfaction of having a SMT capacitor 'snap' into place under a good solder flow. After that point of finally having a confirmation of what should happen, a weight fell off my shoulders -- mostly generated by anxiety from over-reading about what SHOULD be done rather than experimenting and just trying to get it done.
Now I jump at (most) smt projects.
(edit: not a bell curve, just a slip of the tongue)