At 09:50 pm 23/08/2001 +0100, Tony Duell wrote:
>>
>> Well... It's not that I *can't* solder, it's just that I don't seem to be
>> very good at it for some reason. It may be that I've got a dodgy iron (I do
>> need to get one with a much smaller tip if I'm going to start desoldering
>> ICs), but a) The tip simply won't tin properly, b) It seems to take ages to
>> warm anything up enough to get the solder flowing. For example, I must have
>
>Many beginners are so worried about overheating components that they use
>an iron that is far too small (low power element). With the result that
>it takes a long time to get the joint up to the right temperature. And
>everything else gets hot as well. The result is a lot more damage that if
>the right soldering iron was used.
>
>I consider 25W to be a _minimum_ for a non-temperature-controlled iron.
I think that's somewhere around where mine is. Also, it cannot be accused
of having a small tip...
>I
>personally use a 50W temperature-controlled one, and have never had any
>problems solding PCBs with it (no lifted tracks or burnt components).
I shall have to look at spending some proper money on a temp-controlled iron.
>If you can't tin the tip then something is wrong. Either the tip is not
>clean (you do wipe it on a damp sponge, I take it) or the solder you are
>using is the wrong stuff. You are using resin-core (flux) electronic
>solder, aren't you? And not the stuff sold for water pipes.
Yes, and yes. However, it refused to take solder from new; there's no rust
or anything like that on it - it's just got a built-in solder resist :(
>
>So don't worry too much if you have problems soldering normal DIN plugs.
>We all do :-)
Phew! :)
>I've been known to take a bit of scrap wood (OK, you don't have that
>either, right),
:) I could drill holes in the desk... I *am* short of scrap wood, but
there's plenty around for the taking. I've just never needed it before.
>drill a few holes in it to take the pins and 'plug' the
>plug into the wood. It keeps the pins in roughly the right places and
>prevents me chasing the plug around the table....
I used a thick piece of cardboard, which worked, but I had to keep moving
the plug, since after a bit of wobbling the holes had enlarged sufficiently
to reduce the grip.
>Still, a vice is something you'll need. Actually, you'll end up needing a
>small vice (about 3" across the jaws) on the electronics bench and a
>larger one for mechanical work.
I've got several at my Liverpool base - but I'm rarely there these days.
>> According to the datasheet (from Farnell) I was reading, the original
>> didn't have a BRA instruction? That seems somewhat unlikely to me, but is
>> it true?
>
>Yes, it's true. The original 6502 had only conditional branches and
>unconditional jumps...
Good grief. Mind you, it's easy enough to spoof an unconditional branch,
except that it takes an extra instruction.
Cheers!
Ade.
--
B-Racing: B where it's at :-)
http://www.b-racing.co.uk
Received on Fri Aug 24 2001 - 03:55:18 BST