what temps or wattage for the soldering iron do you use to solder dcc decoders and the same question for feeders to N scale track? Don,t want to melt plastic with an iron too hot or be there all day waiting for this thing to heat up.
thanks
glenn
Well, almost any soldering iron big or small will melt plastic.
But a good answer is: Use a 25-35 watt iron with a very tiny tip for soldering the decoder wires. If you purchase a soldering station you can have control over the actual tip temperature. And usually have a selection of interchangeabe tips available.
The tip temperature should be around 700 degrees F.
For track feeders a little larger tip at the same temperature will work well
The important thing to remember is to use enought heat to get the job done quickly!
Prolonged application of heat is what kills electronic components and melts plastic.
Radio Shack sells a digital soldering station for$69.95. Best money I have ever spent;
Solder rails is 675deg, soldering feeders to rails is 550 deg, soldering wires to tortise machines 475 deg. This is the way it lets you get it correct the first time.
Hope this helps a little. The machine is temp not watts and it seems to make life better.
P.S. No plastic smell anymore [:D]
thanks guys, that helps.
glenn