Lessons Learning From Soldering Mistakes
1 message · 2008-01-10 → 2008-01-10 · Yahoo Group era · View archive on archive.org
Participants: Adam Trionfo
Preserved from the Timex/Sinclair 2068 Yahoo Group (2001–2019), which is no longer online. Text reproduced from the archive.org archive; email addresses masked.
Messages
1. Lessons Learning From Soldering Mistakes
Adam Trionfo · Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:14
I thought that I would share my "lessons learned" from my lousy experience yesterday upgrading the TS 2068:
1) Use Correct Form Factor - A part that is electronically the same does not have to be physically the same. This is common. When I noticed that the NTE voltage adapter would not fit through the holes in the TS 2068's main board I should have just stopped. I NEVER should have used my Dremel. That tool has worked for me in the past before, but this was one instance where I should have NOT tried to "hack it."
2) Rework with Non-Lead-Free Solder - I actually prefer to use lead-free solder. It's a little harder to work with, but the results should be the same (and it's where the future is, so I want the practice). However, I've now decided when doing rework on a board that has lead solder that I will NOT use lead-free solder. If I had done this yesterday I'm sure that I would have not had the trouble removing the solder that I had.
3) Frustration - I know this rule already. When you are frustrated you make mistakes. When I reached the point where I just "had to finish the project today" I should have known that I had reached a bad point. I should have just walked away and started again the following day (today). It is at times like these, when people are frustrated, that they make obvious and stupid errors. For instance, when working on a computer's screwed-up OS a frustrated user might boot from the Windows OS CD and accidentally format their hard drive when they meant to only reinstall Windows. Oops. What do you do THEN with NO backup? That's the equivalent of what happened to me yesterday.
4) Don’t Substitute Tools. - I was scraping the solder from the through-hole with a generic X-Acto knife. At best, I should have been using a tiny drill bit. I didn’t have one small enough so I substituted the knife. If I wasn’t so frustrated I wouldn’t have done that. I wouldn’t use a hammer when I need a screwdriver-- so I should know better.
These are all common, should-know-better types of faults. The one that really got me, I'm afraid, was frustration.
Adam
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