Need recommendation on solder diameter(s) for newbie building first Velleman PCB.

[ToddB66]

Thanks !

ToddB66

[sled]

I use 0.50mm Sn69Pn39Cu1 solder - works well for both through hole parts and SMD.

PS: Stay away from the lead-free stuff and make sure it has some flux in it (often called "multicore")

[DOOLEY]

Ah,
Somebody else having problems with lead free solder,
Supposedly it's the future.

It's horrible stuff, spits farts and bubbles,
Doesn't conduct heat as well as the old lead tin stuff,
Which allowed easy heating and melting down to the track.

I'm not impressed with the stuff,
But,
Having bought a half kg roll of it,
And having non of the old stuff I ended up using it.

With patience and a slightly different technique a
good finish can be achieved.

Only good thing I can say about lead free solder is
It can be melted many many times with no degrading
Of it's shine or finish,
Unlike the old lead tin,
Which went dull and crumbly

So,
2 choices,
Tolerate the new stuff,
Or,
Stock pile a life times supply of the good old
Stuff when you manage to find enough of it
At a decent price !!!

[SVEN1]

I use silver bearing solder. This stuff works beautifully. 62/36/02 0.6mm
I get it from The Source in Canada which is Radio Shack in the US.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062725

I bought a roll of lead free silver bearing solder from China, the stuff is the worst I have ever used

[ToddB66]

I use silver bearing solder. This stuff works beautifully. 62/36/02 0.6mm
I get it from The Source in Canada which is Radio Shack in the US.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062725

I bought a roll of lead free silver bearing solder from China, the stuff is the worst I have ever used

[ATTACH=CONFIG]31306[/ATTACH]

SVEN1........Thanks much for your suggestion ! I just ordered a roll of the "Silver-Bearing Solder (1 Oz.) #:2160638" from the Radio Shack ad on e-Bay.

Radio Shack has been closing many of their stores, due to financial problems and is advertising/selling on e-Bay.

I went to the hyperlinked address, i.e. http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062725 in your post and the only difference is the diameter of the product I bought being 0.015" (1/64"), whereas it appears you are using 0.6mm diameter (0.0236 inch), but the price was good $6.49 + .47 tax = $6.96 total and FREE shipping with Estimated delivery: Thu. Oct. 2 - Thu. Oct. 16.

sled and DOOLEY.......Thanks for your inputs too !

ToddB66

[sled]

Ah,
Somebody else having problems with lead free solder,
Supposedly it's the future.

At "work" in the lab we have a high-capacity solder iron which melts the lead-free stuff in a split second, so no problem there, also the reflow oven works fine with lead-free solder.

It's a JBC CD-B (~ 350 euro): http://www.jbctools.com/cd-b-the-sol...5-gama-10.html

The thing I love most about it is the quick tip changer Could spend twice the price of the soldering station on the tips: http://www.jbctools.com/catalegfitxa.php?idpro=19&#C245

With my soldering station at home it takes forever to melt the lead-free stuff and I end up overheating the components, so as long as you don't intend to go "professional" (RoHS) the good old stuff will do.

Let's hope the EU is not going to ban the stuff any time soon like they did with the light bulbs

[ToddB66]

Has anyone used the Silver-bearing Solder in 1/64" (0.015") diameter for soldering components to a thru-hole PCB ?

How did it work for you ?

Thanks in advance for feedback.

ToddB66