[slinkelist] Ramsey FM-10A and FM-25

[W. John Guineau]

Just a little tip. I have a Weller pencil type soldering iron, 40W, with a
relatively small (pointed) tip.

In order to control the temperature, I use a lamp dimmer (Lutron model
TT-300, available in many places that sell electrical stuff) which works
great. I can drop the temperature down to work on small surface mount stuff,
or crank it up to solder heavier items (connectors, ground straps etc).

hope this helps,
john

> -----Original Message-----
> From: slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com [mailto:slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com]On
> Behalf Of David Morgenlender
> Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2000 8:50 AM
> To: slinkelist@nirvis.com
> Subject: Re: [slinkelist] Ramsey FM-10A and FM-25
>
>
> I am now the proud owner of a Ramsey FM-25 kit.  Hopefully,
> sometime around end
> of year I'll have the time to assemble it.  I've done some
> soldering in the
> past.  But I haven't done much (any?) with more modern
> technology, e.g. chips,
> let alone a kit like this!  So I'm looking for some technique pointers ...
>
> In particular:
>
> 1.  Should I use flux?  The person at the local electronics store
> swears by it
> for soldering pins which are close together.  OTOH, the FM-25
> manual says not to
> use flux solder (Ramsey won't do repairs, if this has been used);
>  I assume this
> relates to the kind of solder used for plumbing;  but I don't
> know if it has any
> implications for this kind of soldering?  Your thoughts?
>
> 2.  Should I use a heat sink when soldering any component which
> might be heat
> sensitive?  Which are these?
>
> 3.  In the distant past, I used one of those suction gadgets to
> remove unwanted
> solder.  But I don't own one;  at the electronics store a "fine
> braid super
> wick" tape was suggested for this purpose.  I was told to dip it
> in flux, place
> it over the joint, then touch the iron to the tape.  Is this the
> best way to do
> this?
>
> 4.  My soldering iron besides being old, has a thick tip.  It's
> tough to use
> when space is tight.  So I bought a Philmore 30w soldering iron
> with a pointed
> tip for about $9.  Does this sound like an appropriate iron?  I
> just noticed
> that unlike my old iron, the tip is held in by a screw;  so
> presumably I can
> replace the tip, if appropriate.
>
> Thanks for your help!  All helpful tips are welcome!
>
> =======================================================
> Dave Morgenlender
> e-mail: dmorgen@alum.mit.edu
> =======================================================
>
>
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