How do I know if my solder connection is bad?
Here are some indications of a bad solder joint:
- The pad and lead aren’t completely covered with solder, enabling you to see through one side of the hole through which the lead passes.
- The lead is loose in the hole or the solder isn’t firmly attached to the pad.
- The solder isn’t shiny.
Why is my soldering not working?
Heat is the number one reason that solder flows. Without it, you’ll unsuccessfully try to solder a piece for a very long time. Just enough to hold it, but not to pull a lot of heat from it. If it’s still not working, consider a charcoal block which reflects heat, making it easier to solder.
What can cause a poor solder connection?
Top 5 Reasons for Solder Joint Failure
- Unintended Stresses from Potting, Underfills and Conformal Coatings.
- Unexpected Temperature Cycling Extremes.
- Mechanical Overstress Events.
How do I fix bad soldering?
If the solder refuses to flow the way you want it to:
- Stop and let the joint cool.
- Clean and tin your iron.
- Clean off any burnt flux from the joint.
- Let the iron come back up to temperature.
- Then reheat the joint and try again.
What is the cause of cold solder defect in soldering?
Cold joints occur when the soldering iron is at a low temperature or the joint wasn’t heated for long enough. Cold joints are messy, do not last as long, and do not work as well.
What causes solder to ball up?
Solder balls are caused by gassing and spitting of the flux on the surface of the wave or by solder literally bouncing back from the solder wave. This is caused by excessive back flow in air or too high a drop in nitrogen environments. Figure 6: More solder balls caused by spitting.
Why is solder sticking to my iron?
The solder is sticking to the tip of your iron because of lack of heat transfer usually caused by oxidation . 1. Everything should be clean and shiny and tinned-the iron tip, the pads or whatever your soldering to and the leads of the part.
What is the cause for solder defect in soldering?
When too much solder is used, large bubbles of solder can form at the joint. The joint itself could be functional, but the PCB could have hidden mistakes beneath the solder ball. Using too much solder is a mistake commonly made by beginners who have a hard time gauging how much is too much vs. not enough.
What are three common causes of improperly soldered connections?
Common Reasons for Solder Joint Failure
- Poor solder joint design. There are various types of solder joints to choose from when soldering electronic connections.
- Poor-quality soldering.
- Low-quality solder materials.
- Unintended stresses from polymeric materials.
- Tensile fracture.
- Creep failure.
- Fatigue failure.
- Corrosion.
Why does my solder bubble?
It is caused by flux boiling through the solder you’re laying down. The other possibility is that your soldering iron is hotter than necessary and causing more boiling. If you are sure you’re not using too much flux, try putting a temperature control on your iron.