Electrical connections and soldering.

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Tyrant68
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Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Tyrant68 »

Other than a few original the majority of the connectors on the KTM are aftermarket bullet connectors.
Going to strip the bike down in November for a bit of an overhaul and would like to tidy things up.
I would also like to learn to solder. Plenty of youtube tutorials so recommendation on a decent iron and achieveing decent connections please :woohoo:
Ta :)
"The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried.

You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide.

And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wan, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, and the Lone Trail lures you on....

....Bid good-bye to sweetheart, bid goodbye to friend, The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail, follow to the end.

Tarry not, and fear not, chosen of the true;

Lover of the Lone Trail, The Lone Trail waits for you"
Norm De Plume
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Norm De Plume »

You need 4 things to do good soldering

A decent iron with a fair amount of power.
A damp sponge
Resin cored solder (not the plumbing stuff)
Eye protection!

Some extra flux helps at times as well

I have a 60W temperature adjustable soldering station but it's overkill for vehicle work and a pain to handle because the cable is too short. Look for a moderately priced 40W iron that has interchangeable tips where the tips fit securely. I have a cheap iron in one of our labs and the tip flops about - soldering with it is dreadful. I also wouldn't start with a gas powered iron, but learn with an electric one first.

Seriously - wear goggles or at least glasses as you work, a dab of molten solder in the eye would not be pleasant and is very possible.

Before you start soldering any work, dampen the sponge and, as the iron heats up, melt a dab of solder on the tip then wipe the tip of the iron on the sponge. This 'tins' the tip, cleaning it and giving it a good surface to solder with. Keep wiping the tip on the sponge as you work. Every time that you take the iron out of the stand or put it back, you might as well wipe the tip. The tip cools a little when you do this, so give it a couple of seconds to warm back up again.

Always melt the solder with what you're soldering, not the iron - Hold the solder against the item and once it is hot enough, the solder will melt. By doing it that way, you know there will be a good joint. Don't melt solder onto the tip and splodge it onto the metal - it'll stick but it'll fall off at the first sign of movement because it won't properly attach.

If you want to join 2 things together, here's what you do:
Make sure that everything is clean then (strip back wire to get a clean surface) heat the each item with the freshly cleaned tip of the iron and melt solder onto them. Once you have done this to both ends of what you want to join, then bring them together, heat both at once with the iron and when the solder melts, do the final positioning. Remove the heat and hold very still. Don't blow or do anything else to cool the joint, 5s is usually enough. A good solder joint looks shiny and clean, not grey, blobby or irregular.

With wire, you will find that the insulation shrinks back as you solder - this is both a result of the initial heat and the solder wicking up the wire. You need to work quickly and apply heat for the shortest time. Your fingertips will appreciate that because holding the wire in place can get a bit warm at times ;)

When joining wires, invest in some heatshrink tubing to cover the joins, it makes for a quality job. A paint-stripper gun or an all-weather lighter (the mini blowtorch type) are good for doing the shrinking. Sorry, your faithful Toni & Guy won't be up to the job.

One recommendation though - soldering isn't always the best solution for connections on vehicles because the joints are rigid and slightly more prone to breaking apart with vibration (only slightly though). Careful placement of cable ties is sensible: don't put cable ties at joints, leave them free but supported nearby.

Don't be afraid of aftermarket bullet connectors, though - a properly crimped connection is every bit as good as a soldered joint and also allows you to tap into the loom for diagnostics or to replace things easily.

Hopefully that makes sense - the morning's caffeine hasn't started to work properly yet!
devon john
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by devon john »

one of the best things i have bought is a butane soldering iron around the £20
no wires very fast warm up and small enought to carry in your tool kit.

john
mark1150
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by mark1150 »

Nothing to add to Norms excellent walk through; one great way of getting to know your equipment is to play with it [Ooooh Matron!]
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AckAckFlack
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by AckAckFlack »

Only one thing to add.... Live near Norm :P :silly:


Great description and walk through.
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Morph »

Good advice above.
I would recommend an Antex iron.
Ensure you replace any Scotchblocks you find with a soldred joint.
The lightest piece of kit is the one you leave behind...
mark1150
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by mark1150 »

Morph wrote:Good advice above.
I would recommend an Antex iron.
Ensure you replace any Scotchblocks you find with a soldred joint.
Not a criticism of the above, more a question.
How is it that some people subscribe to the idea that a soldered joint can cause a high resistance in a circuit, and throw electronic brains into wobbly mode, and therefore advocate the use of bullet joints in their stead?
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Norm De Plume
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Norm De Plume »

Scotchblocks are the work of satan, blech!

Whoever says that soldering is high resistance is misinformed. To be pedantic, solder is really there to hold the metal bits in contact, so it works when both sides are in touching inside the joint, but if they aren't it's not going to cause a problem like you have mentioned.

Of course, if the surfaces aren't cleaned or the person doing the soldering has blobbed on the solder with the iron, then you will get all sort of intermittent problems. It sounds like you were talking to someone who couldn't solder.

Think about it this way - how do you think the components are joined up inside the electronic brain, it certainly ain't with bullet connectors :silly:
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Morph »

mark1150 wrote: Not a criticism of the above, more a question.
How is it that some people subscribe to the idea that a soldered joint can cause a high resistance in a circuit, and throw electronic brains into wobbly mode, and therefore advocate the use of bullet joints in their stead?
Not sure but I guess that applies to a poor soldered joint.
I have heard that a crimped joint is tougher because of the larger contact area.
The lightest piece of kit is the one you leave behind...
Tyrant68
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Re: Electrical connections and soldering.

Post by Tyrant68 »

Thanks Norm for taking the time to write all that.
Probably the most well explained set of instructions I have been given!
Electric it is and yes I generally use safety specs working on the bike anyway.
:)
"The trails of the world be countless, and most of the trails be tried.

You tread on the heels of many, till you come where the ways divide.

And one lies safe in the sunlight, and the other is dreary and wan, Yet you look aslant at the Lone Trail, and the Lone Trail lures you on....

....Bid good-bye to sweetheart, bid goodbye to friend, The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail, follow to the end.

Tarry not, and fear not, chosen of the true;

Lover of the Lone Trail, The Lone Trail waits for you"
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