Raspberry Pi A, User Manual, Page: 233 / 314

C H A P T E R 1 3
L E A R N I N G T O H A C K H A R D W A R E
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Figure 13-6:
Soldering a
through-hole
component into
a printed circuit
board
When you’ve finished, remember to re-tin the tip of the iron. If you don’t, the tip may corrode
in storage and need to be replaced significantly sooner than would otherwise be the case.
TIP
Remember to heat both surfaces with the iron. Heating only one surface results in what is
known as a
dry joint or cold joint
,
where the solder is not properly mated to one surface. Over
time, these joints will fail and need to be re-soldered.
As with any skill, soldering takes practice. Many electronics shops sell kits that include a
printed circuit board and a selection of components, which you can use to practice soldering
through-hole components. Some add-on boards for the Raspberry Pi are also provided in kit
form and require soldering, including the Slice of Pi from Ciseco. You’ll learn about these in
Chapter 16, “Add-on Boards”.