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Old chief's advice about solder joints finally made sense after 20 years
Back in 1996 at Travis AFB, a crusty old chief named Sergeant Doyle told me to tin the wire before landing it on the connector pin, not after. I thought he was just being slow and old school. My joints looked fine and passed continuity every time, so I ignored him for years. Then last month a flight control computer started throwing intermittent faults on a C-130, and I found a joint that looked perfect but had a cold solder ring under the microscope. I pulled out my old notes and realized he meant tinning first lets the solder flow into the strands before you touch the pin, so no hidden voids. Tried his way on the next three harness repairs and every single one passed thermal cycling first try. Anyone else ever had an old timer's trick turn out to be the right call after you fought it for years?
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mila39523d ago
That part about no hidden voids is spot on, but tinning the wire first isn't what prevents them. The voids come from flux burning off before the solder wicks in, so it's really about heat control and getting in fast. Tinning first just makes it easier to hit that window clean.
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