Specifications

It requires approximately 750 degrees Fahrenheit to melt solder. If you try to solder before
the iron/gun is fully heated, then the solder will not melt properly. If the soldering gun does
not heat up properly and/or takes too long to heat, then the screws holding the tip have
probably loosened, so not enough current is flowing to the tip. Disconnect the soldering
iron, wait for it to cool, then tighten the tip.
• Slide heatshrink tubing onto the wire (if required)
In some circumstances you cannot slide the heatshink onto the wire(s) after soldering, so
you should slide the heatshink tubing onto the wire first.
Make sure that you slide the heatshink tubing far enough away from the soldering area so it
will not shrink prematurely from the soldering heat.
• Clean the surfaces to be soldered if necessary
If you are soldering batteries together you will need to clean the surfaces with some sand-
paper before soldering. This is not required for gold- or zinc-plated connectors or circuit
boards which are already coated with solder, or for wires which have recently been
stripped.
• Twist the wire conductors tightly together
If they conductors of the wire are loosely twisted then they will not heat properly and it will
be very difficult to solder them. If you apply a little extra twist just before soldering, they will
be much easier to solder.
• Coat ("tin") the mating surfaces with solder (do not solder them together yet). If soldering
wire to a gold-plated bullet connector or an Astroflight Zero-Loss connector, then do not tin
the connector.
This involves three steps:
1. Touch the soldering iron to the surface to heat it
2. Wait a few seconds to allow the surface to become hot
3. Touch the solder to the surface and let the solder melt
A common mistake is to apply the solder directly to the soldering iron/gun tip. This is not
the correct way to solder and will create a hole in the soldering iron/gun tip after a while.
The solder should be touched to the surface to be tinned. If it does not melt, then the sur-
face is not hot enough.
• Touch the parts together then heat with a soldering iron
This step is much easier if you clamp one of the parts with a small table vise to keep it from
moving, and hold the other part with a wooden clothespin to avoid burning your fingers.
Alternatively, you can drill a hole in a block of wood to hold bullet or Zero Loss connectors
while soldering.
When the the soldering iron is touched to the solder it should melt and merge with the
solder on the other surface. After the solder has completely melted, remove the soldering
iron tip and let the solder cool. Be sure not to move the parts while the solder is cooling.
• Visually inspect the soldering joint
The solder joint should be smooth and shiny after the solder cools. If the solder joint looks
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring
93