| Holyschmoe | Posted: 1 Feb 2024, 06:22 PM |
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 Member Posts: 5 Joined: 1-February 24 |
I am thinking of picking up a precision clock, and was wondering about the difficulty of soldering the kit, I have a few hours of soldering experience, and know the basic techniques. I watched the assembly, but is there anything specific that you think I should watch out for Last edit by Holyschmoe at 1 Feb 2024, 06:35 PM ------------- |
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| mit | Posted: 2 Feb 2024, 01:30 PM |
 yeah whatever Admin Posts: 566 Joined: 4-May 16 |
Hi, the kit is designed to be as easy as possible to assemble, although if you are not confident in your soldering it might be best to practice on something else first. I think the instructions page and the assembly video are probably the best explanations of what's involved. ------------- |
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| Holyschmoe | Posted: 2 Feb 2024, 01:39 PM |
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Member Posts: 5 Joined: 1-February 24 |
Thanks, I only asked as I haven't had experience soldering to PCBs, only rudimentary circuits. Also, was wondering if a basic soldering Iron with no temperature control would be adequate? I did see some mentions of using a hotter iron with temperature control. Lastly, do you think you could tell me the dimensions of the pieces of wood and plastic that make up the colon LED slots, do you think it would be possible for me to manufacture the wooden parts out of acryllic to maintain a smoother appearence using a laser cutter? Last edit by Holyschmoe at 2 Feb 2024, 09:43 PM ------------- |
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| mit | Posted: 3 Feb 2024, 12:06 PM |
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yeah whatever Admin Posts: 566 Joined: 4-May 16 |
It is possible to assemble with a soldering iron without temperature control, but if you are a beginner it will make it harder. An uncontrolled iron is often hotter than necessary, so there is a risk of over-heating parts if they are soldered too slowly. Having the iron too hot also means the solder on the tip oxidises faster, so you have less time to work between cleaning / tinning the tip. Often people who are starting off let the iron tip get all yucky, then when the solder fails to melt in contact with it, they think the iron is not hot enough and turn the temperature up again, which accelerates the problem. Using lead solder, keeping the iron at 300C should be plenty and gives loads of time to be patient and careful with the joints. Go a bit hotter if using lead-free solder. You are welcome to laser-cut replacement parts, I don't have the files in a format I can share except for moshidraw, but it's just a rectangle that's 34.1mm high by 12mm wide with two holes in it. The LED legs are pliable enough that the hole position is quite forgiving. ------------- |
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| Holyschmoe | Posted: 3 Feb 2024, 11:24 PM |
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Member Posts: 5 Joined: 1-February 24 |
Thanks for the reply, I’m fairly sure the soldering Iron I have runs at about 250, so that should be fine in that regard, thanks for the dimensions, I think I’m going to pick up a kit with this information. Will be a fun challenge! ------------- |
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