Just received my Aristocrat and most of the parts and ready to get started... but a couple of questions.
I know how to solder, but I've never soldered on a board this small.... any tips ?
And is there any particular order in populating the board ? Is there any one way that is better/easier than the other or should I just go for it ?
Thanks !
Victor
Best thing Victor is take your time. I have 50 something eyes so I always check my work with a loop and this seems to help a great deal if and when I need to debug. But the word is chill have fun and post it when you're done. Peace. J.J.B.
I should do a tutorial on some building a pedal basics I think...
But to answer your questions right now - you solder carefully. Take your time and do it right. Each solder joint should take you about 3 seconds of heat or less, but you need to make sure both the lead of the part and the pad get enough heat that the solder clearly flows and adhears to both parts. Used a fine tip on your soldering iron if you can, 60/40 solder, and you should be good to go.
As for order - the order is up to you. I go from shortest to tallest personally. So my order ususally goes like this:
Jumpers
Small diodes
Resistors
Large Diodes
IC Sockets
Transistors (or transistor sockets)
Small film caps (pf range)
Small film caps (nf range)
Large film caps
Electrolytic caps
That's usually the order as best I can remember. Wires go in last, then I test it out. I put it in the box once I've tested it out, and wire in the 3PDT switch and jacks and such. That's the method.
You should be able to do some searches if you run in to trouble. If you can't find the info you need help with, feel free to ask!
Jacob
If you are using sockets, it's a good idea to load those first and solder them. You can lay the board flat and solder them in without having to tape anything. If you are using sockets with bendable pins, then this isn't necessary.
Generally, I load all the components first and solder them in one fell swoop. If you do this, it's a good idea to stop for a minute or two once you get halfway to let the board cool down.
I like doing it this way because it's fast and because the iron stays hot and solders very quickly.
Thanks for all the help so far... I actually got started today. Not much done, but taking my time.
One more general question...
What components are I most likely to fry if they get too hot ?
Thanks again !
Generally, most. Parts handle the heat just fine. The only parts you have yo be extra careful with ate transistors and ics. Many people use sockets for those because it is easy to damage them with too much heat.
If you're careful, you won't need to worry about it though. It really does require a lot of mishandling to fry one. I've never done it myself.
Jacob
Victor,
Concerning the Aristocrat, I would advice socketing the two ICs. If not for the fact that you could fry them, but when socketed you can have the ability to try other ICs.
Thanks for the replies... I kinda knew about the IC's and have socketed them, as Steve suggested. I just wanted to make see if there were any other components that I needed to pay special attention too
Thanks again