R6racer2

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Hey guys, i just bought a 70 dollar radioshack digital soldering station (80 watt, 800 degrees). it came with a cone tip and i dont think they have chisel tips for it. i need to solder some battery packs together. what do you guys suggest? should i buy a new iron with a chisel tip? can you guys recommend me some good irons? i also have a Hakko 25 watt, i really like it even though its underpowered...

coveredup

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It will be interesting to see what those in the know have to say ---

I use an old 185w weller --- probably putting my batties at risk with that much heat ?? but I get it off quick when the flow is good and it seems to do the job

Rodney

Your iron is to small. In order to not ruin the battery you need at least a 100watt (150 watt is better) so that you can get on the joint, melt the solder and get off. The smaller irons cause you to stay on the joint to long and the heat migrates into the battery destroying the seal at the positive end on NiCads. The bad part is, if you ruin the seal, everything tends to check out normal at first but you will soon get electrolite leakage or outgassing and slow but certain death for that cell.

R6racer2

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its too late, i already tried and the results were horrific....i pretinned them then i tried to solder on the battery bars, but they the solder would not remelt, the batteries are now messed up. how do you guys do it? pretinn then put the iron on the battery bar to melt it? i tried many techniques, tried to solder around the bar but that was just as bad, i am using deans probar 2

ballgunner

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Rodney said it all and absolutely correct as well. If I had the cost of all the battery packs I've ruined with a small iron I could buy a couple of new .91 four strokes.

R6racer2

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i am now considering buying a soldering gun, what do you guys think about the Weller 100/140 watt or the radioshack 230/150? they are both 30 dollars

coveredup

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Use as thin a bar or connector as you can --- I use flexable wire braid -- when pressed down very thin ---

pre tin everything



put iron/gun on top of it all --- as soon as !! the solder on the cell (bottom) pools --- get off --- don't be afraid to use lots of solder ---- it helps


you are right -- it takes some pratice --- use an old cell to give it a try before -- using those $5 cells

However --- the battery people on ebay are SO cheap now --- it may not be worth the time to do your own any longer --- it helps to get some of the large wrap to heat and package the cells after connected

remember solder flows to heat --- so don't heat something you don't want soldered -- keep the heat off the areas where you don't want solder

good luck

sideshow

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I have a Hakko 80w that I used for a long time when I was racing RC cars. I soldered all of my battery packs together and my connections to the pack in the car were hard-wired. Meaning they had to be resoldered after every run....but in case of a crash they weren't coming off either. 80w is plenty but I would definitely get a chisel tip, a cone tip concentrates the heat too much. Get a thick towel and soak it with water, then wring it out. Clean your hot iron on this towel every time before you solder. After cleaning, put a little solder on the tip of the iron, it should be shiny after cleaning. I use Dean's silver solder. Pre-tin the connections. Put the two surfaces together and then put the iron on them with the little ball of molten solder on the tip. As soon as all of the solder on all of the pieces melt, which will be 2 or 3 seconds, remove the iron and hold the pieces until the solder hardens...5 to 6 seconds. You will have a nice, shiny and strong joint. With just a little practice your joints will be works of art. I still take pride in neat wiring and installations.

KB9STD

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All good advice! BUT;It's not the wattage of the iron that matters here,it's the size of the tip.When you try to use a small tipped iron(even a 11/140 watt gun) the metal of the battery an d bar cool the tip off as soon as it touches them.It then takes a long time for the heating element to reheat the tip and the battery and the bar.Try using an iron with a large tip(like the ones used for working with stained glass).The large metal mass of the tip can hold and transfer enough heat to get the job done without cooling off too much.I learned this from working with COAXial cable for radios.Without a large enough iron tip, you cannot solder a connector on COAX without melting the foam insulation. Once you get the right iron it's easy.Anytime the item you are soldering is larger than the tip of your iron,you need a bigger tip.It doesn't need a lot of wattage(25-30 is fine). It can take a LONG time to heat back up between joints< But it has to have enough mass to heat the joint without cooling off and having to reheat.