You have spent far more effort writing in this thread and inventing reasons not to solder than you would have spent learning to solder well.
You might usefully think about why that is so. I don’t say this to be mean, just as a friendly wake-up call. Sometimes we (well I anyway) miss the obvious stuff if it aligns with one of our (my) many blind spots.
You’re not wrong!
I suppose it comes down to what I said in the very first post on this thread: I just hate soldering!
You’re very right to point that truth out…well…so the world turns, and there are procrastinators and super-procrastinators.
In my defense, I think using judiciously crimping with the proper tools is something I can do. There’s probably some teenage angst about me cramped into a corner smelling the fumes while cramming together various random components whose provenance was from years before I was born.
Meh? I have a lifetime, however short or long, to learn the very simple task of creating solid joins with lead solder, but I’m already six days behind shipping this synth, so it’s priorities for this one task.
As a lurker for … I don’t know, a while, I guess, I recognize your posts and acknowledge that you have had a prodigious career in many technical pursuits, but, while I don’t think I’m am absolute dummy, I am very lazy and on this topic, I think I’ve hit the jackpot.
Crimping or bust!
Second best, I’ll reach out to some pals in town and pay them to do the job, then reassemble the board myself, clean it meticulously, and deal with the ridiculous 3.5" drive, etc., and clean the audio contacts if needed.
If you get good at soldering it isn’t a chore or unpleasant.
If you want to continue to mess with vintage gear you really don’t have a choice. Buy some of the right gear and spend some time practicing.
One of the best ways to get competent is to buy one of a range of reproduction vintage guitar effects pedals kits. Maybe that would peak your interest.
I would note that crimping properly isn’t something done without some skill. The right tools are there to help, but it isn’t a given they always work.
Yes, I have over the course of the day changed my mind to “suck it up,” so to speak, and buy a modest soldering iron with at least 40W of power, ideally with some ability to adjust temperature, and a fresh spool of rosin-core solder to replace this old spool that is of unknown age and provenance.
It may be too late now to hit the Home Depot, but I have tomorrow off work and they open early.
Yes, there are any number of things that I could or should be using solder to repair that I haven’t got around to around the house.
And I have been wanting to build a delay (effects) pedal for a while as well.
It’s not for lack of interest, just a case of sloth, apathy, and having too many hobbies already.
Perhaps this thread can inspire others like me to “don’t be a bloody idiot, just nut up and solder the damned thing! it’s not rocket science, but you do have to get off your duff for a small fraction of an hour!”
Don’t get Rosin-core.
Get “no-clean, low-solids” flux-core.
https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Leaded-Solder-Diameter/dp/B005T8NCP8/ref=sr_1_38?crid=Y9D6MC1JP0H2&keywords=no-clean%2Bsolder&qid=1698021425&sprefix=no-clean%2Bsold%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-38&th=1
A problem with your generic hardware store is that the range is usually limited. Home Depot geoblock where I am, so I can’t see what they carry. Lowes I can see. Anyway, a common good brand is Weller. I would really encourage you to contemplate some thing like this:
https://www.weller-tools.com/bigbang/USA/us/WLSKD7012A
No as cheap as you want, but it will avoid a lot of problems. There are other choices if you were to start looking at proper electronics resellers, but Weller give you a known good product that is ubiquitous.
The great shame was the demise of Frys.
Yeah, I did manage to make it to Home Depot. The selection was pretty dire, but I think I made the best of it. No, probably not the top grade super solder (it doesn’t even have lead in it!), but it only has to make these four joins, and I can upgrade solder/flux paste/whatever later.
Depicted is what I bought: a Weller adjustable-heat soldering iron, corded, with specified range from 10W to 60W, and upper temperature of 880 °F.
Actually looks pretty similar to the model you linked to. 60W vs 70W when cranked up. An analog pot to adjust temp rather than digital.
The solder is Harris “Silver Bearing Rosin Core” with 430 °F melt temp. Well, it says “Electrical Solder” on it! So, how bad can it be, really!
So, crack some beers open, and I’m thinking I can get enough liquid courage to just crank this mutha out! (Only partly joking!)
Does the council of nerds recommend cracking open the box, anyway? Close enough for jazz?
That solder is OK, but the venerable 63/37 is easier to use.
63/37 is getting harder to find. Especially in general stores where I think they are getting more worried by RoHS than needed.
I keep meaning to buy in a bulk roll just to be sure I have a supply.
I did take note of your recommendation…but…hey…kind of any port in a storm situation.
Probably work, maybe!
If you say it’s “OK”…I say how high? wait… I say, “hey, that sounds good enough! I’ll take it!”
Getting close!
Always like to keep my audiences riveted!
No, I have no idea why the sticker says 80W max…probably to discourage somebody from trying to step-up power…official specs state 60W of AC power…which is…not just I*V…AC current…include the sinusoidal wave into calculation…well, dammit, I’m a musician, not an engineer!
Iron only came with one really broad chisel-shaped tip. Whatever. It’s fine.
Those cheap bastards should have included a brass sponge, but, meh, whatever.
I dunno, man!
Looks like a pretty clean join to me.
What do you think, sirs? (Yes, I just outed myself as an MST3K fan but so what!)
No, I can see under normal view it’s not bright and shiny, but burnt and sus…meh…does it really matter? I don’t think so.
Hard to tell. Focus is great on the helping hands and a total blur on the important bits. Brown residue is flux, and a sign that things weren’t a clean as they could be. Clean off the flux and see what the result is.
Ideally, if you had everything perfectly clean, the flux would be close to water clear after you make the joint. But it isn’t a huge problem is it is a bit discoloured - that is a sign it did its work cleaning the joint.
Well, despite my imperfections, and I note your objections, Senior Master Nerd, I submit the following two pictures as proof that even an imebcile can probably solder…as well as the next imbecile in line.
No, I see that there are all kinds of problems, however, I’m not inclined to think those are problems for a very low-I, low-V type storage battery.
One notes that I didn’t quite make the heat-shrink on the negative terminal…which, for some reason, is blue colored…I think it was just the wire I pulled out of the tackle box that had the fewest kinks in it.
HOWEVER: not that I’ve pulled very hard, these are mechanicallly sound joints, which surprises me given the very tiny amount of solder applied. I trust them to hold up to the rigors of whatever stresses UPS puts on them.
Just two more joins to make…probably do those tomorrow under the light of day, for the sake of prudence.
Well, OK. I’m starting to see the Zen of soldering. I can tell my joins look terrible. When I put the mains power on tomorrow, pretty sure the voltage drops and current described in the service manual will read just fine.
Very probably the result of not heeding the advice to clean everything with good old mountain dew wood alcohol isopropyl alcohol, and not tinning the leads beforehands.
But, I’m pretty comfortable with this quick-and-dirty solution. These aren’t providing power to somebody’s pacemaker or anything.
No, it’s very far from perfect, but now I have a baseline from which to improve. It’s a very nice synth, used by John Carpenter among others, and in my humble view, it’s most important that it is put back together correctly and performs as it did before I started fiddling with it using that well documented trait of musicians known as obsessiveness.
It’s a start, anyway, and I think the probability of me destroying anything on the Esoniq SQ-80 is approaching zero. It’ll be far better than it was with the stock battery, as well as however I figured out how to replace that one (honestly, have no idea how I did that!), and that’s all that’s needed.
Sounds like you’ve got it covered, but your description sounds a lot like a “solder sleeve”. A heat shrink tube with a band of solder inside to melt with the tube and provide the electrical connection. It wouldn’t really work to connect to a post on a PVC board, but they do work with wires. Does need a good heat gun instead of a soldering iron. A review of properties.
Just adding this note in case someone finds this via a web search or something.
I can see that would be tempting in tight corners where one just needed a solid join between wires.
The heat application…even I wouldn’t turn on the heat gun full blast near the PCB.
I think you’re right about this: even though this started as a vanity thread, having a lot of quality information available in one thread is probably a good thing for the casual web-searcher.
Side note: no, not going to snap a picture, but even after just joining wires to the CR2032 battery holder, the chisel tip of the solderer is nasty…definitely be cleaning that thoroughly before the final coup.
But, fortunately, I “get” to use a flashlight and try to find where the missing screws landed in the carpet.
Note to future adventurers: just use an old medicine bottle or something to keep the screws safe, and not, for example, an empty plastic tray that used to hold some miniature naan breads. Even I knew that was stupid, and have plenty of multi-compartment plastic containers with lids.
Just word of caution for a future Goofus and Gallant!
No, I’ve disassembled every notebook or other computer I’ve ever owned, and never lost a screw. This just seemed like such a simple fix, I didn’t pay much attention. So, I’m the Goofus in this scenario, but thanks to really good advice, I’m getting better!
Magnet.
Yes, that thought had occurred to me.
I think I’m going to have this lady wait a bit more while I source the best rare earth magnet I can find…or find a metal detector which will bleep and blip at every chance and will work about as well as a magnetic compass in my little home office room.
That would be in keeping with my standard practice thus far!
But, yes, I am using a magnetized screwdriver shaft in addition to a blindingly bright flashlight…because, hey, all about the customer!
I did displace some stuff and put the SQ-80 onto a proper keyboard stand, so got that going for me…it’s no longer just sitting in pieces on the floor, and will be easier to plug in and give her a final test…once I find those damned missing screws.
Meh…details.
I hope you don’t have carpet…