funny story...

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pixeltarian
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funny story...

Post by pixeltarian » Fri May 09, 2008 3:44 am

I just spent 11 hours soldering two mic cables.
the cheap soldering iron I was using kept fading in and out from being hot enough.
I was following bogus directions that said it didn't matter what leads you connect as long as it's the same on both ends.
then one of the pins snapped and so I have to order a new xlr end.
so 11 hours of my time = one and a half mic cables.
at one point I started laughing out of hysteria.
but I guess I know how to do it now. forever.

so, now that a nice iron sounds like a good idea... what's a good and not too expensive?


does anyone use an aoyue soldering iron?
I was looking at this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Function-So ... 382&sr=8-3
"Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat."
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mrdibs
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Post by mrdibs » Fri May 09, 2008 5:47 am

That sucker is way overkill. Get a Weller and a salty tech with rosin flux in his veins to show you how to use it. One 5 min lesson and you'll be like a machine.

dubsymmetry
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Post by dubsymmetry » Fri May 09, 2008 6:10 am

mrdibs wrote:That sucker is way overkill. Get a Weller and a salty tech with rosin flux in his veins to show you how to use it. One 5 min lesson and you'll be like a machine.
+1.

soldering got pretty easy after I got rid of my cheaper than cheap iron I got at a home improvement store and got a simple, but nice 25? 30Watt iron (no adjustable tremperature, no nothing) and good quality solder.
I even completed a stomp box kit without any problems, after I made a few cables, and I never soldered anything before that.

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Post by chris harris » Fri May 09, 2008 6:28 am

I just finished 10 8-channel snakes with 1/4" trs connectors and 1 8-channel snake with xlr connectors. That's 176 connectors total. It took longer than I expected. But, once I really got it, I started flying. I feel like I'm pretty much ready to take on the world now!

Hang in there!

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blackdiscoball
suffering 'studio suck'
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Post by blackdiscoball » Fri May 09, 2008 10:16 am

I feel like I'm pretty much ready to take on the world now!
I've heard the fumes can give you illusions of grander! After a long spell of soldering I tried to annex my neighbors lawn.

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fossiltooth
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Re: funny story...

Post by fossiltooth » Sat May 10, 2008 7:14 am

pixeltarian wrote:I just spent 11 hours soldering two mic cables...

...so 11 hours of my time = one and a half mic cables.

Awesome!

That's called "learning", and it kicks ass.

More people should do it.

pixeltarian wrote:so, now that a nice iron sounds like a good idea... what's a good and not too expensive?
Kudos to you for not getting discouraged.

You rule.

You will go far in life.

Get a Weller!

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fossiltooth
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Post by fossiltooth » Sat May 10, 2008 7:25 am

mrdibs wrote: Get a Weller and a salty tech with rosin flux in his veins to show you how to use it. One 5 min lesson and you'll be like a machine.
Oh Yeah,

As much as learnin' on your own and sh*t rules, it's also good to remember that most people who know what they're doing actually like teaching others. It makes them feel important, helpful, and it reminds themselves that they actually do know what they're doing.

It's a win-win for everybody.


Goddamn this pleasant world filled with rainbows and real-life unicorns, and people teaching and learning and all that fun crap. Jesus. Would everything please just stop making so much sense for a goddamn minute...

...hey what's that? a nebula?

rwc
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Post by rwc » Sat May 10, 2008 8:40 am

keep a window open with a fan.

for real. one of the best studios in the world I got to work maintenance in had a shop with _0_ fucking ventilation. can drive one mad. You will work faster when you're not trying to avoid inhaling solder all the time, and will have to take less "air" breaks if you have fresh air to breathe.

get an iron that doesn't suck. I like this one myself. I can't say enough good stuff about hakko products. http://mro2go.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv ... e=82193612

Have someone who knows what they are doing show you how to do it right. Then you try, as they watch, and criticize how you do it, until you can do it properly. You'd be surprised how many people who _didn't_ know what they were doing were allowed to set stuff up in top notch studios.. and people pay for it later. If you do a quality job now, it'll last. I thought I could solder decently in 2006, but only after 2 years of doing it almost everyday with the week break here or there, and then doing it in a professional environment for six months, did I really do it to a standard where I'd call myself a "professional".
Real friends stab you in the front.

Oscar Wilde

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hinkasaurus
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Post by hinkasaurus » Sat May 10, 2008 11:22 pm

One more vote for the Hakko. I got this one about 6 months ago on ebay. The guy sells a lot of soldering tools and for decent money.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HAKKO-936-12-SOLDER ... dZViewItem

He's got the same iron with additional tips for a little more. He's also willing to help out with questions, etc. No, I'm not related or connected in any way. Just a happy customer!

Oh, and as it's been said, great job of hanging in there and not giving up. I truly believe soldering "well" is something that you can spend years working on by yourself and never getting it right until someone "in the know" can show you a few simple tips and then it is easy as pie. Great job!!!

Hink
__jim__

rwc
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Post by rwc » Sun May 11, 2008 8:33 am

hinkasaurus wrote:I truly believe soldering "well" is something that you can spend years working on by yourself and never getting it right until someone "in the know" can show you a few simple tips and then it is easy as pie.
Kind of like recording good sound. :)

Hakko is fucking amazing. only desoldering products that never, ever get clogged. anything else is a toy.
Real friends stab you in the front.

Oscar Wilde

Failed audio engineer & pro studio tech turned Component level motherboard repair store in New York

substitute
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Post by substitute » Mon May 12, 2008 7:56 pm

There's some really helpful "how to solder" videos om youtube

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