Movie from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, circa 1960
“Three things are important: cleanliness, cleanliness, and cleanliness”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsxZSePV9bE
–Randy
Oh, I’ll be sure to watch that one, Randy. But, yea - if your soldering tip or surface ain’t clean…you are going to have one frustrating experience.
Tom
Clean Schmlean!
Rule 1) LOOK at the sosldering iron BEFORE you pick it up.
Rule 2) Adjust you eyeglasses BEFORE you pick up the soldering iron.
Rule 3) That freaking thing is HOT, Do not burn your nice soft fur!
Rule 4) Hot Solder is a LIQUID and will drip in your face if you are working on your layout from the bottom!
ROAR
P.S. If you have neuropathy in your fingers (like the LION) you can be seriously burned before you begen to feel the heat!
GRRRrrrrr…
Fortunately plated tips and soldering stations have made soldering much easier. No more filing tips.
Always practice on clean scrap materiel.
Soldering has to be considered a necessary art or there will be a lot of frustration. Oh, patience also. I have seen that a few times here in discussions over the years.
After I got out of the Navy I did a NASA soldering course in 1965 while wiring US Navy periscopes and it was a real challenge. The rejection rate was quite high until we got it right and we had the best equipment. The company had a NASA contract to wire some small rocket nose cones.
Rich
I was soldering under a layout while wearing shorts–liquid solder will stick to hairy legs. Ouch
Another time I accidentally knocked my iron off its stand and tried to catch it as it fell–next time I’ll let it hit the floor.
And if you drop the chain saw, do not try to catch that either.
SAFETY FIRST then worry about how to make good conenctons.
Interesting video Randy.
Dave
Ok now you have proven that ALL my soldered joints are probably done wrong. [:S]
Yes! You are DOOMED![(-D]
I watched the whole thing. Can’t say I learned anything, but it was a good refresher.
I learned that thermal wire strippers exist. Not cheap. But ya won’t be nicking the wire, that’s fer shur.
I notice this video was made AFTER NASA managed to blow up a whole bunch of their Vanguard satellite rockets. Wonder if there’s a connection.
Ed
one of the problems I heard of with early missiles, such as Nike, was that the g forces would rip components off the boards. Seems that they needed more that just a solid electrical connection.
And yet the Atlas missiles put up satellites just fine. Guess their solderers were better than the NASA ones.
I suspect an AA missile has higher launch G-forces than a satellite rocket–urgency, and all that.
Ed
Yeah - watch an AA missile launch, at least the ground-based ones like Nike. They take off like model rockets, whoosh and it’s gone. A ballastic missile or satellite launch platform seems to crawl into the air in comparison.
–Randy
When I was a kid and the Renwal Nike Ajax kit came out, I wanted to get four of them and make my own launch base. Still do, but it’s way down the list. Partly 'cause it would be rather large–I’m guessing about 4 feet–where to put it???
Ed