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  1. #1
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    What type of solder to use?

    I am not new to flight simulation at all. However, I am new to the idea of piecing together magnificent creations that many of you have put many hours towards. I hope to someday be able to dedicate myself to having merely half of what I've seen here. I read a post from a member here about taking an old controller and disassembling it and reconfiguring the buttons or switches to do what you want. I have come across a controller that I would like to do that with. I also have a broken throttle quadrant that I know can be fixed. Since I haven't ever soldered before, I'm looking for recommendations on the type of solder to purchase. With the research I've been doing, I've been reading that a rosin core wire would be best for my application. What size? What's too big? I know for sure that my throttle has a wire that has been disconnected and a good soldering should fix it. For reconfiguring my old controller for buttons and switches, I assume I'll be doing something similar (disconnecting wires and replacing them where needed) so I can place my buttons how I imagine. Thanks for the help!

  2. #2
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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    Just get the normal 40/60 flux (rosin) cored, about 0,7 - 0,8mm (sorry, don't know how the translation of this to imperial)

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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    And remember, cleanliness is everything in soldering : always keep your tip clean.

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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    Thank you for the recommendation and tip. I've been reading and researching and I think I'm ready for my first attempt.

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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    Good luck !

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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    If you are given the choice avoid lead free solder. I tend to find it does not flow as well. For the work you are talking about you want to be able to work quickly but efficiently with a nice hot iron and not have to spend too long prodding it about. This is when you start to cook your buttons or your wire.

    Good luck,

    H

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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    Well, I'm not sure what happened but my repair didn't work. The solder job appears to be solid but I'm not getting a response. Likely, the potentiometer I'm using was defective before my repair but unfortunately I can't confirm that. I appreciate the advice.

  8. #8
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    Re: What type of solder to use?

    First thing is to confirm the potmeter is working. That should be easy enough with a multimeter.