Pro Volt-Modders~Critique me!

[SolidxSnake]

Well, since I got a spare mobo that didn't have any use, I just thought I'd practice soldering on it. I am not by any means someone who can solder VERY fine things (things like small IC legs and tiny surface mount points, things required in Volt Mods). Anyway, I've been really thinking of volt-modding my P4P800 (I'm lookin' for a backup board, anything equivilant, like a P4P800SE/IS7/IC7-G/MSI 865PE Neo2, if you have one, PM me plz). So before ordering a new board, I thought I'd see if I have the required skills. This board (a rebadged Intel Desktop Board pulled from a Dell) had the same kind of ICs and solder points/resistors as my board (this is a P3 board we're talkin bout). So I thought I'd see how well/if i could even solder wires to these ICs and points in question. The mods for my board can be found here.

Pics of my amateur soldering skills:

http://www.fritzilldo.com/~solidxsnake/Comp Pics/VoltModding/practice.jpg
http://www.fritzilldo.com/~solidxsnake/Comp Pics/VoltModding/practice (1).jpg
http://www.fritzilldo.com/~solidxsnake/Comp Pics/VoltModding/practice (2).JPG

Please post critiques. Good? Bad? Any suggestions?

Btw, this was done with the cheap RadioShack 40w iron, and those tips are pretty big stock. So I grabbed a file, and filed it down to a sharp point (sharp enough to stab someone with some success =/)

 

[shellshock]

ya, looks ok good idea with practicing a lil bf you go with the real thing

 

[speed bump]

Make sure you practice alot. Those look pretty good. However when I tried voltmodding my 9500 2months ago I killed it becuase I really didn't practice much before hand and I got impatient. The good thing about is now I can solder to the little legs of various chips. Also one other thing to practice soldering is the removal of the little black ICs. The are great practice for controlling heat and carefully soldering as you have to use a pair of tweezers as well as solder and the iron at the same time.

 

[wannaoc]

Yea practice doesn't hurt but nothing teaches you like frying a $100.00+ pc part. I would get a better iron before moving to the real thing though, it can make all the difference in success. Nothing over 20 watts is really needed, if you feel safe with your current then have at it but a 40w can burn through a circuit board pretty fast.

 

[SolidxSnake]

Yea practice doesn't hurt but nothing teaches you like frying a $100.00+ pc part. I would get a better iron before moving to the real thing though, it can make all the difference in success. Nothing over 20 watts is really needed, if you feel safe with your current then have at it but a 40w can burn through a circuit board pretty fast.

Its not the heat of this iron, its the horrible tips they sell. I had an older iron (40w, but wasn't RadioShack. Plastic handle, no grip, I liked it more), but it has no tip. All I need is a new tip for my Iron, cant find me other one.

But really, is 40w too much?

 

[Dan0512]

Its not the heat of this iron, its the horrible tips they sell. I had an older iron (40w, but wasn't RadioShack. Plastic handle, no grip, I liked it more), but it has no tip. All I need is a new tip for my Iron, cant find me other one.

But really, is 40w too much?

40w should be ok as long as you dont keep it too long touching anthing.

Dan

 

[man_utd]

Looks pretty good, what kind of gauge wire were you using?

 

[crimedog]

40w is ok if you only touch it for a second... i have a 15w that i've been using

40w is probably the reason you have such long wire leads (burns off insulation). i hear RS has a 20/40w that works real well for cheap.

 

[SolidxSnake]

40w is ok if you only touch it for a second... i have a 15w that i've been using

40w is probably the reason you have such long wire leads (burns off insulation). i hear RS has a 20/40w that works real well for cheap.

Yeah, i'm thinkin of gettin a small 15w or something, not too expensive

 

[speed bump]

You can buy tips at Ace, sears, and probably radioshack home depot lowes and most hardware stores. Best part is 3 only cost about $5.

 

[SolidxSnake]

Looks pretty good, what kind of gauge wire were you using?

The wire was .28 gauge, the solder was .31 gauge Rosin-Core (I had some RadioShack .32 gauge Rosin-Core, but I don't trust radioshack too much )

I'm thinking of just buying a new $8.95 15w iron from radioshack. If I want a new tip for my iron, then it HAS to be from radioshack, i've NEVER seen another tip like that (its not a normal tip where you slide it down the main shaft and screw a screw in the side to hold it, its tip is screw-on).

 

[Drec]

Actually looks pretty good, maybe try using a little less solder next time, keep practicing and it'll be second nature after awhile.

 

[corruption]

It looks good but watch out for the length of wire that you're using. (The bare part making the connection, not the insulated part of the wire.) If you leave it too long it can touch another connection on the board and short out.

Even though you have solder with a rosin core, I'd recommend getting some Rosin Flux. Flux makes soldering, in general, so much easier....it's much easier to tin wires after putting some flux on the wire. It cleans the surface that the solder will stick to (removes oxidation), aids in heat distribution, and helps the solder to flow. (You want the solder to flow from the component towards the iron.) It will leave a sticky almost gummy residue on the board after soldering, but it can be easily cleaned up with alcohol. Just brush the alcohol on with a paintbrush and gently dab the wet area with a piece of lint-free cloth (like a coffee filter).

(This is an example that I found from a 30 second google search)http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/835.html

Pick some up and see how much easier it is than soldering without it... .....keep us posted.

 

[the adam]

I have a 15/30 watt radioshack soldering iron... it works pretty well. I got my soldering experience after 2 years of building R/C cars (those wires in the speed controllers can be a real P.I.T.A)

The soldering looks good... but like others said practice ALOT and you might want to use less solder.

Also try to leave most of the wire unexposed. Don't heat the solder too long (I don't think you did this but you want the solder to be a nice shiny color)

 

[SolidxSnake]

I have a 15/30 watt radioshack soldering iron... it works pretty well. I got my soldering experience after 2 years of building R/C cars (those wires in the speed controllers can be a real P.I.T.A)

The soldering looks good... but like others said practice ALOT and you might want to use less solder.

Also try to leave most of the wire unexposed. Don't heat the solder too long (I don't think you did this but you want the solder to be a nice shiny color)

Yeah, i have a problem with high-watt irons. Its like, the first joint I make, I think that the wire isn't in the right place, or its gonna rip off. So I go back and move it around to a position I really like, but that ends up heating everything a ton.

 

[corruption]

Yeah, i have a problem with high-watt irons. Its like, the first joint I make, I think that the wire isn't in the right place, or its gonna rip off. So I go back and move it around to a position I really like, but that ends up heating everything a ton.

Since you're new to soldering, I'd really recommend getting a 15watt iron.....you should pick it up when you pick up some flux. The 15watt iron will take a while to heat up the solder, but it will give you more time to think about how to position it before removing the iron. (Although you should have it exactly as you want it to stay when you apply the iron to the joint.) Also, the smaller your tip, the longer it will take to heat up a soldering point so keep that in mind.

Flux will help the solder flow before the insulation melts on the wires that you tin. If you need to keep the exposed portion of the wire long (about 1cm) while you tin them, do so. Afterwards, trim them so that they aren't too long as to pose a threat of shorting out your board. If you're worried about the wire being pulled off of the soldering connection, you can always use some hot glue to tac the wire to an empty portion of the board as an anchor.

No matter how big the connection being made, a magnafying glass will help a lot especially if it has arms with alegator clips to hold onto things....like a third hand. It's not required but it helps make things easier. I've taken a high precision soldering class, dealing with miniscule surface mount components and have done quite a few mods requireing soldering. (I have to say that soldering paste is the best invention ever.......at least where soldering is concerned.) Trust me, anything that can help make things go more smoothly, quickly, and with less hassle is worth the extra $15-$25bucks!

Quick note: Don't forget that solder is about 60% lead and 40% tin. (Although there are different kinds/"mixtures" of solder available.) Wash your hands well with dish soap after soldering and MAKE SURE TO WORK IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA! I can't stress enough how important it is. Ventilation will help you avoid headaches and will aid in keeping frustration levels low.

Hope this helps in your "adventure" with soldering.

 

[SolidxSnake]

Since you're new to soldering, I'd really recommend getting a 15watt iron.....you should pick it up when you pick up some flux. The 15watt iron will take a while to heat up the solder, but it will give you more time to think about how to position it before removing the iron. (Although you should have it exactly as you want it to stay when you apply the iron to the joint.) Also, the smaller your tip, the longer it will take to heat up a soldering point so keep that in mind.

Flux will help the solder flow before the insulation melts on the wires that you tin. If you need to keep the exposed portion of the wire long (about 1cm) while you tin them, do so. Afterwards, trim them so that they aren't too long as to pose a threat of shorting out your board. If you're worried about the wire being pulled off of the soldering connection, you can always use some hot glue to tac the wire to an empty portion of the board as an anchor.

No matter how big the connection being made, a magnafying glass will help a lot especially if it has arms with alegator clips to hold onto things....like a third hand. It's not required but it helps make things easier. I've taken a high precision soldering class, dealing with miniscule surface mount components and have done quite a few mods requireing soldering. (I have to say that soldering paste is the best invention ever.......at least where soldering is concerned.) Trust me, anything that can help make things go more smoothly, quickly, and with less hassle is worth the extra $15-$25bucks!

Quick note: Don't forget that solder is about 60% lead and 40% tin. (Although there are different kinds/"mixtures" of solder available.) Wash your hands well with dish soap after soldering and MAKE SURE TO WORK IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA! I can't stress enough how important it is. Ventilation will help you avoid headaches and will aid in keeping frustration levels low.

Hope this helps in your "adventure" with soldering.

I'm not new to soldering, per-se, but I'm just getting used to soldering finer parts (small SMD points etc.). And I always thought my solder was 60 tin/40 lead.

And my wires leads were much smaller, but the wire got hot while soldering, burning off the insulation. Either way, it wouldn't matter much cause I would hot-glue the wire down anyway. It IS okay to put hotglue over a solder point, correct? Doesn't conduct.

 

[shellshock]

no bud, I dont think hot glue conducts

 

[four4875]

what's your method? how are you going about it? i do it as...

heat iron, clean the tip, and get everything out.

strip wires to about 1/4 inch (i have a habit of using this little gap in the middle of my 4 front teeth for smaller wire ) and then twist them nice and tight. i have a habbit of twisting it clockwise, but i dont think it really matters.

tin wires by touching iron to bottom of wire (position it somehow so its end is stickin out in the air, a third hand is a great tool) and put the solder down on top of the wire. if it is being difficult to take, touch a tiny bit to the iron itself in the corner of the wire and tip, this should make a good thermal contact and heat the wire nice and perrdy. quite often the solder will tin the wire back inside of the insulation, this is fine, as long as you arent melting the plastic too bad.

trim it so theres just a teeny tiny bit showing, about a MM.

put the wire to the pin you want to connect to, make sure its lined up nice and pretty. i like to go from the legs toward the chip, then you can glue the wire to the top of the chip.

press the tip into the wire, thus pressing it into the pin. should take but a second to melt the solder and stick it to the pin.

hold the wire still as best as you can, and pull away the iron. hopefully it has just enough solder to hold everything nice and good, but not bridge over to the pins beside it. if it does, use less solder while tinning the wire and be sure that there isnt a gob on the end of the tip (clean it regularly) and hopefully the wire isnt of a low enough guage to get un-rounded and bridge over. Ive found a nice supply of tiny little wires is to cut the ends off of a parallel printer cable, then pull out the wires. gives a nice asortment of colors as well. another source is from rounded IDE and floppy cables, if you have one that is individual strands and not a rolled / split ribbon.

after you have the wire soldered on, and are sure it isnt bridging pins it shouldnt be, you can glue it down to the chip's surface. hope i didnt leave anything out here.

oh, and if you need to solder to a pin that is on the same copper pad on the board as the one beside it, you can lay the wire in the crevice between the 2, and get more surface to solder it to and less concern of getting solder where it shouldnt be. just be sure that they are directly connected on the motherboard.

edit:
after all of that i completely forgot about the critiqueing. only problem i see is the length of the exposed wire, looks from melting off from being touching too long. if its from when you tinned the wire, just snip off excess. if from when soldering to the pin itself, you're taking a bit too long. try a lower power iron if you can. could try this if you're adventurous. http://www.afrotechmods.com/cheap/iron/iron.htm

it should lower the temps of your iron. just have to practice and youll get better. you can always take off the wires you have on there and clean it up and try again. could try in old / dead mobos and random cards around too.

 

[SolidxSnake]

NICE four4875... your method is GREAT. Tried it today, got great results.

First, after selling some sticks of ram, I bought a 15w iron. Just from the start, that tip was TINY compared to my 40w iron. Much smaller, easier to use too.

So first, I got some more wire out, and then stripped both sides, around 1cm each. Tinned it, and cut it down to around 2mm max. Then, for the IC, I just pressed the wire into the solder pad. I seemed to need more solder on the red wire, and then I just royally screwed up on the red point. But the white point is FLAWLESS compared to my first solder job.

Then I tried the 'droop mod simulation' with the SMD resistor and smd point. The red wire again, I didn't do as well. The white wire seemed flawless as well.

Pics:

http://www.fritzilldo.com/~solidxsnake/Comp Pics/VoltModding/15wIronPractice.jpg

http://www.fritzilldo.com/~solidxsnake/Comp Pics/VoltModding/15wIronPractice (1).JPG

That second pic came out NICE, but the first was lightwashed