SOLDERING

There is a fundamental point of soldering. The reason it is done is to prevent oxides from building up around conductors. Oxides prevent the flow of current. "But why don't electrical outlets in the home have to be soldered?" you might ask. Because the voltage there is high enough to burn the oxides as soon as they form. To solder you need a soldering iron, solder, and something to solder. The tip of the iron sould touch the copper pad and the lead that is getting soldered. Place the end of the solder to the opposite side of the iron and wait for it to melt. Do not remove the solder until the whole pad it full and the solder got sucked down into the hole around the lead. You can tell if it is a good joint if it is shiny silver in color. If it is a dull silver it should be done over. When soldering any semiconductor device, be sure to heat sink the lead. Semiconductors are heat sensitive and too much heat will destroy them.

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