Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 9Making a Firefly LED String - Part 3 of 4
Soldering the LED -
Using another microclip, pick up the green wire first and mount it in the helping-hands.
Now comes the hardest part of the project, soldering the LED. Manipulate the helping hands so that the exposed part of the green wire is resting gently on the cathode pad of the LED. This is the time-consuming part that requires patience and cannot be rushed. Plan your moves in advance and act slowly and with deliberation. This is basically ship-in-a-bottle type delicate work and shouldn't be underestimated. However you don't have to be the favorite son of a watchmaker in order to pull this off either, it *is* within the realm of mortals. I find it considerably easier to manipulate the arms of the helping hands rather than the wire itself or the microclip.
Rest the exposed part of the wire on the cathode pad and arrange your mangifying gear and lighting to make sure you can perfectly see what you're doing in preperation for soldering.
Using a soldering iron set to around 260 degrees C, pick up a very small blob of molten solder onto the tip of the iron and, very gently, touch the tip of the iron to the cathode pad on the LED. A small amount of solder should instantly run off of the tip and onto the pad (thanks to the flux), securing the wire to the pad in the process. Be careful not to burn the LED by holding the iron to the pad too long (3 seconds max, when done right you need less than 0.10 seconds of tip contact, it's very fast).
Unfortunately what tends to happen here is that you knock the wire off the pad with the tip of the iron, forcing you to go through setting it all up again. For that reason you have to be *very* slow and gentle with the iron. I tend to place my elbows on the workbench on either side of the helping-hands and hold the iron with both hands in a seppuku type grip, gently bringing the iron down towards the pad. This grip is sometimes the only way I can get enough control. Another tip: don't drink a pot of coffee before attempting this.
This does get easier with practice.
(Very gently) tug on the green wire to test that it's firmly secured. Release the wire from the microclip and, without changing the orientation of the LED, repeat the process with the red wire, only this time soldering it to the anode pad of the LED. Since the red wire will be flying over the cathode (green) pad, it's important to not have too much exposed red wire, lest it come down in contact with the cathode pad and create a short.
Using another microclip, pick up the green wire first and mount it in the helping-hands.
Now comes the hardest part of the project, soldering the LED. Manipulate the helping hands so that the exposed part of the green wire is resting gently on the cathode pad of the LED. This is the time-consuming part that requires patience and cannot be rushed. Plan your moves in advance and act slowly and with deliberation. This is basically ship-in-a-bottle type delicate work and shouldn't be underestimated. However you don't have to be the favorite son of a watchmaker in order to pull this off either, it *is* within the realm of mortals. I find it considerably easier to manipulate the arms of the helping hands rather than the wire itself or the microclip.
Rest the exposed part of the wire on the cathode pad and arrange your mangifying gear and lighting to make sure you can perfectly see what you're doing in preperation for soldering.
Using a soldering iron set to around 260 degrees C, pick up a very small blob of molten solder onto the tip of the iron and, very gently, touch the tip of the iron to the cathode pad on the LED. A small amount of solder should instantly run off of the tip and onto the pad (thanks to the flux), securing the wire to the pad in the process. Be careful not to burn the LED by holding the iron to the pad too long (3 seconds max, when done right you need less than 0.10 seconds of tip contact, it's very fast).
Unfortunately what tends to happen here is that you knock the wire off the pad with the tip of the iron, forcing you to go through setting it all up again. For that reason you have to be *very* slow and gentle with the iron. I tend to place my elbows on the workbench on either side of the helping-hands and hold the iron with both hands in a seppuku type grip, gently bringing the iron down towards the pad. This grip is sometimes the only way I can get enough control. Another tip: don't drink a pot of coffee before attempting this.
This does get easier with practice.
(Very gently) tug on the green wire to test that it's firmly secured. Release the wire from the microclip and, without changing the orientation of the LED, repeat the process with the red wire, only this time soldering it to the anode pad of the LED. Since the red wire will be flying over the cathode (green) pad, it's important to not have too much exposed red wire, lest it come down in contact with the cathode pad and create a short.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
4
comments
|
Add Comment
|
Jun 6, 2010. 7:33 PM3tones
says:
I found it easier to attach the wire to the top side of the LED. I put the wire perpendicular to the LED, and rest it in the corner (see the picture for a close up of the LED.)
Reply
4
Feb 22, 2009. 12:23 PM
bikeNomad
says:
bikeNomad
says:
An easier way to attach the wire to an LED is to make a fixture. I'll post an instructable on this.
Reply
4
Feb 22, 2009. 1:44 PMbikeNomad
says:
bikeNomad
says:
I have just posted an easier way to do the LED soldering if anyone is interested...
Reply
1
Aug 2, 2007. 11:34 AMpoor_leno
says:
Wow. I'd have to employ The Borrowers to do this sized solder job. There's no way I could keep my hand steady enough. Almost as difficult as the D0 point on the XBOX.
Reply
2
Jan 11, 2007. 1:46 AMmark101
says:
Thanks for telling of the LED polarity. I always wondered how to tell it on SMD's
Reply
 |
Add Comment
|
