experience = confidence

[cooldan]

Geoff (Calimori) came over yesterday, and we spent several happy hours tinkering inside my machine. it's amazing how just doing something once can completely change your perspective on things mechanical, he just grabbed a screwdriver and dived in. he showed me how to take apart and repair/replace jet bumpers, how to test and tweak switches, and that everything comes apart.



armed with that confidence, i now have no worries removing all the plastics and rubbers, even lifting off a whole ramp, something i'd never have considered even a few weeks ago

i still have no idea how to solder or how to use a multimeter, i suppose those are the next steps - and i can start by trying to solder this thing, using the world's nastiest soldering iron:



[attachment=902:world's worst soldering iron.JPG]

 

[Pudsey pinball]

Nice one ,I've learned loads from other people on here,good bunch of folks

lol your soldering iron is the same as mine think we both need to invest in a new one.

 

[stoptap]

A good soldering iron is probably the most important tool for a pin monkey.

 

[cooldan]

i think i might be the world's worst solder-er, check out this dogs' breakfast:

[attachment=903hoto.JPG.jpg]



i just can't do it.

i need one hand to hold the iron, one to hold the solder, and one to hold the wire i'm trying to attach.



i've watched all sorts of how to solder tutorials, and i've watched people doing it, but i just cannot get to grips with it.

what you see is the end result after about 30 minutes trying to attach just these two wires. there are globs of solder all around me, i must have used about six inches of solder wire, and i may even have rogered the switch, i was getting that middle prong so hot, it was sagging into the black plastic bit.



/sigh

 

[Calimori]

Glad to see you are getting stuck in with the soldering, though I think you are allowed to blame your tools as that iron looks wrong.

The trick is practice and being aware of the heat, as you know, I am worried that my gas powered iron gets too hot and gives off too much heat. Something we witnessed first hand when we melted that jet switch cup.

My motto is to always have a go but then be prepared to pay an expert to fix it, switches are cheap, we can fix it, so practice until you are happy.

You are now opening up a whole new area to enjoy on your machines plus saving yourself time and money

.

 

[bartron]

Dan,



buy this :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DURATOOL-...erTools_SM&hash=item2ebd03510d#ht_2318wt_1139

great iron for the money.



and these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hemostat-...ruments_ET&hash=item2ebe6165f1#ht_4410wt_1185

the forceps hold the wire in-place, making soldering easy. it also doubles as a heat shunt.



and this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/powerflow...Plumbing_MJ&hash=item3376f26fe7#ht_500wt_1156

helps the solder to flow.



and clean down all areas to be soldered with one of these ;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4mm-SCRAT...pareParts_SM&hash=item3a700a88b0#ht_573wt_952

also doubles as a ramp flap cleaner.



it's cleanliness that lets the novice down. use the pen or fine wet and dry emery/sandpaper, then clean with isopropanol alcohol.



stan

 

[Paul]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170806572681



Most invaluable thing in soldering (other than the iron and LEADED solder...)

 

[cooldan]

Thanks Stan



i have my heart set on one of these, since i saw The Legend using one at The Slam, and i really want to go wireless, as it gets pretty cramped in my garage, and i'd rather not fire up the generator just for soldering - http://www.maplin.co.uk/solder-pro-70-gas-soldering-iron-34514



and i currently use solder that's flux-cored and 40% lead. what's that powerflux stuff in the tub, do you dip the solder in it, or splash it all over, 'Enery Cooper style, or what? i do like the look of those clamping forceps, presumably you don't go too near the action zone, or you can't get em off - is there anything else along similar lines that's smaller, less heavy-looking?



finally, i have no idea what that scratch brush pen thingy is, or how you use it. do i rub that over the surfaces? and where do i get the alcohol, is it a spray? sounds a bit flammable



i plan on getting a new iron, then practising in the house (on what?) before i risk totally buggering up my machines like a bull in a china shop.



dan

 

[bartron]

Dan,

as I said, you have to clean the surfaces that you intend to solder.

Once you de-solder the wire/ connector, you clean the surface that you are going to solder to with the pen. rub with alcohol. let it dry, strip the old wire, to expose new cable . clamp it with the forceps to hold in to the switch.tin your tip. ie coat the soldring iron tip in solder, shake off excess. dip the solder in the flux about 5mm, heat the joint you want to solder for about 5 secs, apply solder but not directly on to the tip. the solder should flow and not just 'ball up'. gas irons are alright for switches and the like, but for board repairs, you need the control of a temparature controlled iron. 2 inch forceps for little jobs, big ones for pulling wire bundles through the playfield. IPA can be bought at a chemist shop.

stan

 

[replicas]

Dan

A great thing to practise you soldering skills on before you attack your machine are Paper Clips.

Solder them together and un-solder them. The more practise you have soldering the better you become and the easier it gets.

Check out You Tube, I am sure there is something on there that will help you.

 

[stoptap]

It is expensive but I would recommend tin/lead/silver solder. I use it everyday at work (and on my pins) and never need to use flux. Brace yourself: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solders/0551671/



It helps if you have a good iron. I use a Weller station.



A common mistake is using the wrong size tip. Too small a tip will not heat up a large enough contact patch to allow the solder to flow. Too large and you can damage components etc.

 

[johnwhitfield]

hi Stan,



cheers for the link to the clamps. I'm going to try these out. Always been crap at soldering, tending to adopt the wave the iron around a bit and hope that it magically connects the wires method. Hopefully these might help hold the wires in place long enough to connect them,

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Yep having the confidence to attempt it is the first hurdle.



I just spent a good few hours yesterday helping a new owner rerubber and tweak his Dr Who. He has loads of tools, knows how to use soldering iron etc but was terrified of taking anything off the playfield - he just needed to see someone who had done it before and reassure him that *yes* it would all go back together. Thought he was gonna pass out when I started pulling the main ramp off

But he loved it and by the end of the day said he felt he had learned loads more and was less nervous now of getting the nut drivers out !



For the record it was the 1K Doc Who from ebay a couple weeks back - cabinet one of the nicest I have ever seen, virtually no fade, hardly a mark. Had been sat in a dark basement for 16 years and it shows. Playfield not bad at all, even the mini not too battered.



Oh and I always recommend this soldering vid - even with the annoying 'soddering' voiceover

 

[Calimori]

That is a great video, very useful. I feel ashamed of how bad my soldering is compared to the demo.

Time for me to look at my kit and see if I could do with some more tools, I always like new toys so won't complain.

 

[cooldan]

........was terrified of taking anything off the playfield - he just needed to see someone who had done it before and reassure him that *yes* it would all go back together. Thought he was gonna pass out when I started pulling the main ramp off

Oh and I always recommend this soldering vid - even with the annoying 'soddering' voiceover

that's it exactly, you distilled for me what i was trying to say. i remember that vid from last time i complained about my inability to sodder, will have another watch later. today i have been on ebay and bought the forceps and that pen thingy Stan recommended, a sodder sucker, and the Maplins soddering iron i linked to above. i also dug out some paper clips from all the drawers in the house, and will be working on these as soon as all my crap arrives.



if all this goes well, i intend to try to 'shop' my R&B once the MB is all put back together and working as it should (I managed to get the ramp back on, but there's a couple of plastics that i still don't know where they attach, so i have to research by seeking out pics ......; then we still need to work on the Frank motor and replace a few switches in there....).



i don't mean a full everything-off R&B shop, i just mean new bulbs, new rubbers, remove the ramps, hone the flippers, polish the pf. this is fun

.

 

[replicas]

Good on yer.

You will be giving advice next.