Made my first XLR cable back in the early 1970s using my Father's old Weller Soldering Gun. Made several of them that lasted several years without a single failure while I was playing 6 nights a week. The Store bought cables that the other band members were using were breaking several times a year. I kept re-soldering them for them and offered to make them cables like mine. My Father passed it down to me shortly before he passed away but it was lost during a move about 10 years ago. It still worked as well as it did back when I was a kid. That said, I have moved on to newer pencil irons that are much more appropriate for soldering cables and solid state repair work. But I really miss that old Weller with it's Bakelite case. It was a workhorse.
Solder rarely these days, but bought an inexpensive Hakko years ago for occasional cable repairs and small installs and never looked back. Thanks for continued educational support of our community!
I don't know how many thousands of joints I have done with my Hakko FX888D, but it's a lot. Everything from point to point amplifier repairs with a bigger tip, to soldering API 2520 style discrete opamps with a very small tip. Highly recommend!
I am a Weller funboy. In my opinion, temperature is of course important during soldering. But just as important is "temperature inertia". Means what thermal energy capacity your equipment has. This gives you the confidence to solder quickly without overheating the weld.
Thanks for your update on portable irons. I know it’s been a while since this video came out and there have been a few developments. I keep a USB powered iron and use it with a battery supply. there are also some that use an internal lithium cell. Those are god for quick repairs but are not really suited for production work since the charge is limited. Some use the same power module as other devices you may find in a local non-tobacco store. By The way I learn to solder about 60 years ago using an old Weller gun and most of my life have used the simple plug-in irons with no regulation. I’m pretty easy to live with so I don’t mind waiting for the iron to heat or having to clean up a bit of extra solder but I can appreciate all of your suggestions and for the occasional user, a moderately priced adjustable iron is well worth the investment.
Great video, Dave. Thanks. I am in the market for a new one. I have a butane. It always seems to be empty when I go to use it. Thanks for the real world pointers.
I've heard that some bands will build new XLR cable sets before every tour to make sure they are in good shape. Not sure if Dave does or knows those who do.
I like soldering stuff, but it took time to learn to do it well. I remember when I first learned to solder a cable I was 13 years old. It was a guitar cable (the only one I had, so it really had to work) and in one afternoon, time after time again, I kept choping 5cm at a time and soldering it until i got it right. Started by being a 3 meter cable and ended being about half the size by the time I was done! Still makes me laugh, eheh. In a positive note, it worked so well that it only started showing some signs of a bad joint after 10 years + of use!
Great work Dave I'd like to suggest you never solder out in the feild if at all possible. I too have come from the entertainment industry and have been expected to fix a lead while drapped over a beer stained table at some venue... I've had mates move into the broadcasting game where they have a bench setup for repairs of various items. You soon become aware that your work is way more tidy when done at a proper bench. What i found before this was.... out in the feild you could be asked to solder anything from a thin mic cable to a mains earth cable. Then you have the problem of the heat being taken away from the slightest bit of wind. I always used a hotter tip in the Weller Solder station to cater for this. It meant i had to be faster on the bench or swap to a lower temp tip. I'd say you really need a soldering iron that can step on the gas when needed. Any iron that plugs straight into the wall and doesnt have heat regulation is a waste of your time. This ended up with me finding a little carry case for my Weller Station iron to go on the road. You will never see me with a Butane or Plug direct into the wall type iron for this type of work.
after spending 3 decades touring, repairs while in the field are the norm. Make it in the shop and fix it in the field, never burn through all your spares. Back before airline regulations were so strict, I've actually repaired mic lines on plane flights with a gas soldering iron. Tour bus and hotel room fixes are a luxury and the road case workbench is is the norm. The guitar and bass techs usually travel with fully equipped workstations and so making friend with them and doing repairs while they are on dinner break is great.
@@DaveRat I just bought a dewalt USB Charging adapter that goes on the battery and opened it up and added a nice silicone cable coming out of it and put the correct barrel plug on it. the barrel adapter is wired direct to the battery terminals so it can still also be used as a USB charger
I run my Hakko at 750 for my soldering, which is mostly PCB stuff. But I'm pretty good so I don't need to linger on the PCB too long to get a good joint, and I don't lift traces.
Hakko 926 still going strong after 20 years. Though good tips are getting difficult to find. I prefer a bent tip for wiring. Rarely need more than 650 degrees on anything except heavy gauge.
The Weller WSM 1C is a cool portable unit, runs on a built in battery (or AC)...doesn't quite do your temperature though, lol, think it's 400C max...I looked into that TS100 also; was skeptical also, and the hassle of getting a separate battery pack, so went with the Weller...judging by your video I think it's a little bit better, though you have to buy the wider tip for it, the one it comes with is too small for xlrs etc...I have that same weller gas one also, I find it clogs up a bit and goes a bit haywire sometimes, or maybe i got a dodgy one, it does get a lot hotter than the wsm though...i prefer the wsm, it's very consistent...the way the tips change is cool also, you can change them on the fly...
I just bought a Pinecil soldering iron (made by pine64.org)...new generation of soldering irons.. they use the TS100 tips but with a 32-bit RISC-V SOC; so highly customizable and thermal performance is out of this world. That issue you have with cool air affecting your outdoor soldering is a thing of the past.. and dammmmmn Dave.. look at the state of that Brass Wool you use for cleaning those tips! That's seen just a tiny bit of use, eh? hehe That's how a real engineer's brass wool should look! #lifegoals
Bit (pun intended) late to the game on this one..... I just semi retired my Weller with the magnetic thermostat bit after 30 years, fast to heat, plenty of thermal massin the it and the comforting "click hummmmm" of the transformer in its metal box. 100% reliable in a my grandfather's axe kinda way, I only replaced the bit(s), the element, the handle and the transformer.... Its replacement is one of those new fangled Hako jobbies, nice! Tin it and flick it FTW. For that extra clean, a quick swipe or 2 with thumb and forefinger every time. Sponges are for Bath time and coral reefs.
Speaking of temperatures. You soldered with 400 C of F? 🤔 If C seem too much for me and F seems too low. I solder XLRs and most things comfortable at 300 higher temps ruining my tips over time.
Running a hotter iron may shorten tip life but it also allows you to solder faster with more localized heat. Which is better for the wire, the connector and the integrity of the joint. Higher temp localized heat will reduce insulator melt back and the solder will solidify more quickly reducing potential for cold solder joints.
Thanks Dave. Is it safe to assume you’d recommend the same units for TRS cables? I’d like to rewire my patch bays w/ custom lengths and terminate everything myself.
Hi Dave, another great video! We use the Hakko FX-951 on our production line. We upgraded from the old trusty 936 back around 2011. The 951 has the heating element built right into each tip. There is like no distance the heat has to travel. You can also swap them while hot. Your 888D iron is built just like the 936 except higher wattage. The 951 is 75W. We run 750F for almost everything, 800 for tiny soldering. We run a 4mm chisel T15-D4 for everything, even tiny stuff. AIM brand glo-core solder is the stuff. SN100C 2.5% glo-core flux will stinkin blow your mind. When you do lead, you can buy 63/37 with 2.5% glo-core. If you can't find SN100C, you can get REL-61 with 2.5% CX-18 (newer version of glo-core) SMTSupplies dot com. Good aerospace pcb solder will change your life. Lots of great advice, I like to do the fling the solder off technique too!
My FX-951 will run with a MX500 and it cost only $250. PLus tips in the USA are only $11 from Kimco, free shipping. See my channel for a video demo of the FX-951. FX-888 is classic and reasonably good, but the 951 is a big upgrade and a better value even at the higher price.
It's BRASS wool. DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL. Steel is harder than the silver solder on the tip of your iron and sill destroy it. Brass wool is all you should use.
@@DaveRat agreed but there reliability is second to none I bought a basic digital one and it’s the best thing I ever bought plus a support network second to none not to mention all there other areas of Interest to various trades. AND I’m just editing a video I make mention to you along with others of the “audio” community in general as a bit of a thanks for all of you sharing your passion for all of us to increase our knowledge. Should be live on the 30th of this month. Party on!
Hey Dave I have a question and I don't know who else to ask. My bands current wired IEM setup involves a stereo 3.5mm male to female cable zip tied to our instrument cables, with a small clip that attaches the female end of the aux to our belt loop for strain relief. My question, is this something I could make as one cable? - 2 cables under 1 wrap essentially. 5 conductors total, 2 for the instrument and 3 for the stereo aux. Are there any inherent electronic issues with this?
You should be able to use a 5-pin connector to replace him there's some cool small-format five or more pin connectors in the professional video field and you could just put the two cables into the one connector and have the two cables come out of the female of the other connector
@@DaveRat That sounds like a good solution. Let me make sure I understand correctly- chop off the female end of the 5-pin(?) hard wire my instrument input and 3.5mm output to it- mount it. The male connects to that and at the end of it (the chopped female end) wire my instrument and female 3.5 leads? Thanks so much for your time, I seriously appreciate it.
Yeah, I don't like cords either. I thought I posted a vid with the electronic soldering iron, but may only be in the member side. Or maybe way at the end of the vid
