I repair everything from antique to current production two way radios, stereos, audio amplifiers, RF amplifiers, guitar amplifiers and even the occasional vintage TV. My go to solder for everything from point to point, thru-hole to SMD soldering is SN62 PB36 AG02. It's a silver solder that has a fairly low melting point (lower than 63/37) and is eutectic. It has the highest tensile strength of any solder made which is why I use it. Personally I buy the Multicore brand. It flows extremely well, makes beautiful joints and easily solders to steel chassis. Pretty much the only time I don't use it is when doing manufacturers warranty repairs that have to be ROHS compliant in which case I'm forced to use lead free. You should give it a try.
I've been soldering since around 1967. Back then I was using Kester .062 for point to point wiring. Sometime in the 70's I switched over to Kester SN63 .020,.031 and .062 depending on what was soldering. If I'm doing surface mount soldering, I use .020 exclusively with a dab of liquid flux.
What do you do when you encounter lead-free ROHS equipment? Are there any rules that come into play when repairing such devices? I had picked up a receiver at a yard sale and was checking one of the output transistors when my probe slipped and shorted to another connection. I really did not look at the board but replaced a fuse and re-powered the unit at that point. The output transistor failed in just a few seconds. When I looked closely at the point that arced, I saw that the solder had bridged and formed a permanent short. I have NEVER seen this happen with tin/lead solder. I repaired it but used regular 63/37 rosin core solder. Are their rules concerning what solder is used on ROHS equipment?
I'm actually surprised you don't use silver solder... I use it for all audio applications... and I know that 4% silver content probably doesn't make a huge difference, but I like the idea of at least having a little bit of metal that isn't tin or lead in the signal path... WBT brand has always done me wonders...
I've spent the money on cardas 4% before and never really found any benefit so ditched it... just my experience, not saying some haven't had a different experience
Same solder since 1988?!?!?! Audiophiles hang on to everything! Seriously, though, a case is a LOT of solder! A quick google check seems to indicate that Alpha metals is out of the solder business.
Does solder ever expire? I still have a roll of 1mm solder from the late 80s which I just dug out for a tube amp project. I wondered if maybe the flux could go bad, and, to my surprise, Kester actually says that solder wire with less than 60% lead comes with a warranty of 3 years from manufacture. The solder worked just fine on a PCB. Do you think I could use the solder, and would it give my amp a distinctive 80s sound?
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I repair everything from antique to current production two way radios, stereos, audio amplifiers, RF amplifiers, guitar amplifiers and even the occasional vintage TV. My go to solder for everything from point to point, thru-hole to SMD soldering is SN62 PB36 AG02. It's a silver solder that has a fairly low melting point (lower than 63/37) and is eutectic. It has the highest tensile strength of any solder made which is why I use it. Personally I buy the Multicore brand. It flows extremely well, makes beautiful joints and easily solders to steel chassis. Pretty much the only time I don't use it is when doing manufacturers warranty repairs that have to be ROHS compliant in which case I'm forced to use lead free. You should give it a try.
I believe its just the rosin fumes that are airborne. Correct me if Im wrong
I've been soldering since around 1967. Back then I was using Kester .062 for point to point wiring. Sometime in the 70's I switched over to Kester SN63 .020,.031 and .062 depending on what was soldering. If I'm doing surface mount soldering, I use .020 exclusively with a dab of liquid flux.
I have Alpha Wire .020 63/37 solder that I have been using using for years. I like it.
Another informative video, thanks.
What do you do when you encounter lead-free ROHS equipment? Are there any rules that come into play when repairing such devices? I had picked up a receiver at a yard sale and was checking one of the output transistors when my probe slipped and shorted to another connection. I really did not look at the board but replaced a fuse and re-powered the unit at that point. The output transistor failed in just a few seconds. When I looked closely at the point that arced, I saw that the solder had bridged and formed a permanent short. I have NEVER seen this happen with tin/lead solder. I repaired it but used regular 63/37 rosin core solder. Are their rules concerning what solder is used on ROHS equipment?
I'm actually surprised you don't use silver solder... I use it for all audio applications... and I know that 4% silver content probably doesn't make a huge difference, but I like the idea of at least having a little bit of metal that isn't tin or lead in the signal path... WBT brand has always done me wonders...
I've spent the money on cardas 4% before and never really found any benefit so ditched it... just my experience, not saying some haven't had a different experience
no I hear you, the engineer in me cringes ever time i use it, but i still use it...
on 3A diodes that are cooking/frying the board,what type of solder to use? silver solder was used by the manufacturer,but it doesn't flow.
Thank U.
Thank you for explaining.
Same solder since 1988?!?!?! Audiophiles hang on to everything! Seriously, though, a case is a LOT of solder! A quick google check seems to indicate that Alpha metals is out of the solder business.
Maybe they have gone through some changes / names but looks like they still exist
www.amazon.com/Alpha-Metals-am31605-4oz-032elec-Solder/dp/B000G36BYU
Thanks for the reply! They got a 5-Star rating to boot! I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for this stuff next trip to Seoul!
Does solder ever expire? I still have a roll of 1mm solder from the late 80s which I just dug out for a tube amp project. I wondered if maybe the flux could go bad, and, to my surprise, Kester actually says that solder wire with less than 60% lead comes with a warranty of 3 years from manufacture. The solder worked just fine on a PCB. Do you think I could use the solder, and would it give my amp a distinctive 80s sound?
63/37 is awesome!! dunno why 60/40 is so common. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutectic_system
Cardas is great