Version 1.32
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Recommended Solder
It is recommended that solder with flux, designed for electronics is used. This usually
has up to 2% of Silver that prevents the joint from becoming brittle over time. It
provides a much stronger solder joint but can be difficult to work with due to its lower
‘wetting’ properties, it does not flow as easily. Some electronics solder has a small
amount of copper instead which has very good ‘wetting’ properties. Whichever solder
you use, make sure that you avoid poor solder technique.
Solder Technique
Solder
means to apply the iron tip to the point that needs to be soldered to heat it and
at the same time apply the solder. The iron and solder come together at the same time
when soldering any joint or tinning a wire and the solder should start to flow evenly
around the joint. Allow the solder to cool naturally and
do not
blow on it. The
finished joint should appear shiny and not dull. Many problems are due to poor solder
technique. Clean the iron tip regularly on a wet sponge between each soldering step.
Connections
Always wrap the wire around the connection point to make a good mechanical
connection.
Connect
means to dress a wire by stripping off enough insulation and
soldering it to the connection point or first tinning the wire. When connecting a wire
to a valve base pin it is recommended that enough insulation be removed so the wire
can be wrapped around the pin to form a good mechanical joint before soldering.
When attaching wires to any of the PCB’s or switches you should strip off a small
amount of insulation and then apply solder to the exposed wire to tin it before fixing it
to the PCB.
Tips for Successful Kit Building
Read each chapter through before starting it:
You should familiarize yourself with the sequence of instructions before starting a
chapter. Also, many chapters have helpful drawings scattered through them that will
help you understand the written instructions.
Follow the sequence of instructions:
These instructions were designed to make
assembly as simple as possible and minimize interference between assembly steps.
Identify and measure parts
: Be sure of the identity/value of each part before you
install it. Many kit builders actually measure the value of resistors with a multimeter
before installing them. Note: the parts in your kit may not look exactly like the ones
pictured on our website as suppliers of parts are sometimes different. Some supplied
values may differ slightly in value from circuit diagram and are within tolerance for
the circuit.
Follow the schematic:
It is a good idea to have the schematic diagram of the unit
nearby and to compare the instructions with the schematic.
