JAkridge

My Bro -in Law just called me and said he read in this months AMA mag. that a guy wrote in and said it's a bad idea to solder next to any elec motor, Due to the elec field put out by the soldering iron. Stay 1-2 feet away.
Well if this is the case.... I have done some serious damage to every servo and elec motor I have had. Sure sounds like a wise tail to me. But then again !!!
What do you think.

EyeflyRC

My Feedback: (147)

The report in MA referred to use of a soldering gun. A soldering pencil for use with electrical wires does not pose a problem.

JAkridge

I better brakeout that old soldering pencil you say??? But really who has'nt use a a good soldering gun on attaching wire to a elec motor ??? I know I sure have...

jimcork1

My Feedback: (4)

I use a butane soldering gun,, no electrics at all and no magnetic field to cause a problem. It also will work at the flying field.

But don't use it next to flammables.

Kaos Rulz

JuzPlaneKrazy1

The article and your Bro-inlaw are correct. Those guns put out a fairly stong magnetic field and it's best to keep them away from permanent magnets of all types. Does this mean that you'll suffer bad consequences each time you solder close to servos and such? Possibly not.
Is it a good idea to do so knowing what could happen? Absolutely not! Soldering guns should be used for heavy duty soldering (ie. very large guage wires, landing gear wires, etc...) and use pencils for the more delicate jobs around servos, receivers and switches.

Rodney

You would have to get very close (an inch or less) from the magnets to harm them with a conventional 100-150 watt gun. Also, if you have the tip further away when you turn it on or off, you can get right up next to the magnets without harming them while the gun is on. Just move it away a few inches before turning it on or off.

Kaos Rulz

Rodney,

What you say is accurate with the exception of turning off the gun. The current flow is maximum when first turning on the soldering gun, thus, so is the magnetic field. Turning off the gun causes the current to stop flowing and the magnetic field to collapse, and sometimes even a small polarity reversal.

Just knowing there is a magnaetic field associated with soldering guns, causes me to use the right tool for the right job. Again, a soldering gun is too much bulk, wattage, and heat to be used on delicate jobs.

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Rodney,
I think the problem really arises when the electric flyers are solder ESC's to their motors. They're usually doing that within an inch or two of the motor. I never use a gun; it's either a good pencil or a propane torch for landing gear.
Dennis-