Solder Your Wireless Set - Eddystone Short Wave Manual

EDDYSTONE SHORT WAVE MANUAL
39
SOLDER YOUR WIRELESS SET
THIS ARTICLE WILL HELP YOU.
For noiseless and consistent short wave
reception it is advisable to employ soldered
joint connections wherever possible in
the
receiver.
Connections
screwed
together often
become loose and cause erratic performance
or noise ; another point usually overlooked
is that after a time oxidisation occurs under
locking down nuts and what was originally
a good connection
develops into
a high
resistance joint.
To secure best results all sets described
in this Manual employ soldered joints, and this
article is written to aid those who find soldering
difficult.
Many people experience difficulty simply
because the job they are working on is dirty
and will not allow the solder to run perfectly
on the two surfaces, or the iron they are
using is dirty or not tinned.
If the instructions given below are closely
followed, they require only a. few seconds to
carry out and when thoroughly mastered
soldering will be found the quickest way of
wiring a set. Furthermore, there are many
occasions in the home when a soldering iron
is useful.
The essentials for soldering are the iron,
the solder, and a soldering flux. For radio
work most fluxes are corrosive and for this
reason soldering spirit should never be used.
Resin is a good non -corrosive flux and resin
cored solder which contains the right amount
of resin to make a good joint is strongly
advocated.
Resin sets hard and after the
joint is made can be scraped off with a pen-
knife. Flux should not be left, it aids corrosion
and collects dust. If ordinary solder is used
a tin of good paste flux, such as Coraline
or
Fluxite is next recommended, and in any case
a tin of one of these is wanted for cleaning and
tinning the soldering iron.
If electric supply is available an electric
iron is of great advantage. When once hot
the current keeps it at a constant heat and it
cannot overheat as an ordinary iron.
To
prepare a new electric iron bit for soldering,
let the bit heat up, dip into the paste flux
and apply solder to the end of the bit until it
is nicely tinned all over.
When soldering,
keep the end of the bit clean and always
tinned.
A piece of rag for wiping the bit
should always be kept handy. The bit of an
electric iron should very rarely need filing.
An ordinary iron must be heated exter-
nally with a gas ring or fire. Naturally it
is more difficult to keep the bit clean. In the
first place warm the bit up until the solder
runs easily when touched, remove' any oxide
from the bit end with a file, dip it into the
flux and tin end of bit as before. The bit of
an ordinary iron must always be kept clean
and well tinned to solder easily.
If the bit is
allowed to become red hot the solder will
burn off arid the bit must be retinned.
Unlike
the electric iron, the bit will have to be filed
from time to time.
Now, with the iron nicely warm and the
bit well tinned, you are ready to solder.
The
two surfaces or wires to be joined together
should be cleaned if necessary with a file
or glass paper, if nice clean tinned copper wire
is
being used this
is
usually unnecessary.
Apply the iron to each connection separately,
as the iron heats each part apply the resin
cored solder so that each
is
coated with
solder, then place the two parts together,
apply the iron and a little more solder and
when the solder runs remove the iron, but
take care to see that the two wires or parts
being joined remain perfectly still until the
solder becomes dull and solidifies. Your joint
is then made, test thoroughly to make sure
if
it comes apart it isn't, and you must try
again.
As stated before, after a little practice
soldering
is
quick and easy and a useful
accomplishment.