How do I join this cable?

[Tim84]

Well that's a spot of luck, just chopped one open and I have a red, black and yellow. Black must be the common ground but at least it's a cable, so easy enough to solder. Let's hope the others are the same.

Now to work out why my gas soldering iron won't melt solder these days...

 

[danechip]

The lead free solder you're using now by any chance ?

 

[Tim84]

The lead free solder you're using now by any chance ?

Funnily enough, I think you're right. I bought a new plug in iron for £7 and some lead solder and the above cable joining went fine. The lead solder was so much better to work with that I'm fairly convinced the lead free was my issue before...

 

[danechip]

The lead free solder you're using now by any chance ?

Funnily enough, I think you're right. I bought a new plug in iron for £7 and some lead solder and the above cable joining went fine. The lead solder was so much better to work with that I'm fairly convinced the lead free was my issue before...

I just had a hell of a time at work trying to set my robotic stations back in 2006 when the new law came in. No instruction, just handed boxes of this new solder wire and paste. I had to set new temps around 20C hotter for the lead free ****e. Should be around 190 for leaded and 210 for lead free but I was running at 230C for the speed my stations were running at. I would just pick up a roll of good old 60/40. That's what I still use at home.

 

[Sam Gangee]

I would just pick up a roll of good old 60/40. That's what I still use at home.

Likewise.

 

[Gees]

Me Too

 

[bernardgreen]

Me too.

 

[Sam Gangee]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the banning of lead was a political decision - not environmental. Someone at the top probably wanted to stuff whoever controls the mines in South Africa.

 

[Tim84]

So is lead actually banned in solder then? I bought 63:37 tin:lead solder off Amazon for this job last week and it worked a treat.

 

[bernardgreen]

Lead is banned form use in almost all equipment intended for domestic, commercial and industrial uses.

There are a few exceptions.

Electronic equipment used in aircraft avionics.

Medical equipment

and others I cannot recall from memory. The reason the use of solder with lead is permitted in these applcation is that lead free solder can become brittle and result it failed joint far more often that solder with lead in it when subjected to vibration and extremes of temperature.