So it turned out another server on the same rack as our one was experiencing a DDoS attack, which affected us as well. Lemmy seems to have been pretty stable for me the last couple of days, so I've started reenabling things. Apologies about the downtime we have had recently, hopefully this is better from here on out.
In addition to the other comments - if you're soldering to something that can sink a lot of heat (a great big copper connector, or the ground plane on a circuit board), you will probably need a fairly broad tip. A finer tip can't transfer heat fast enough, so you end up having to hold it in contact for far too long to get hot enough to melt the solder and (counterintuitively) you end up melting plastic or overheating components. Doubly so if you've cranked up the heat to help.
The key to good soldered joints is cleanliness, both the iron tip and the wires/terminals you are soldering.
The iron tip needs to be kept clean, typically by wiping the tip on a slightly damp sponge. Most iron stands include a sponge. Use multicore solder, this has the flux built-in. Once the iron has heated up clean the tip with fine emery paper, and tin the tip with a small touch of solder. Wipe the tip on the sponge.
Never carry molten solder on the tip of the iron, use the iron to heat the wire/connector and apply the solder to the joint. Remove a short length of the wire insulation, if it’s multi strand, twist and tin the end before assembling the joint.
The size of the iron depends on the size of the items you are soldering. Bigger connectors and wires will need a bigger iron.
Remember keep everything clean!!! A fibre-glass pencil works great for doing that.
I’m trying to solder a loose socket on a circuit board. There seems to be very little solder originally on it, which I believe was causing the issue I was having when trying to turn on the appliance. I did make sure to get 60/40 solder with rosin core, but I think it’s too big and would be easier if it was thinner. I think it was 1.6 mm.
Is one of those brass wool tip cleaners fine by itself, or do I need a sponge as well? I did manage to get a few different tip sizes, so I can play around and find which works better
Sorry, damn work keeps on getting in the way of social media. Yeah that price isn’t amazing for the bambino; checked priceme and it definitely goes on sale with steeper discounts. Could always check again for Matariki at the end of June.
The barista express is the same machine as the bambino but includes a grinder. I think you said you already have a grinder?