solder temperature?

number0987 · Feb 1, 2023

I am looking for some advice on soldering new motors to the esc modules on my Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. What temperature do you recommend I that set the solder station at? I don't want to overheat any of the components and I did not see anywhere on the boards recommendations for temperature range I should use.

I had broken the top shell and cut the wires and used low temperature solder connectors to reattach the motors on a colleague's advice. When I restarted the UAV I got the 1esc, 2esc, 3esc, and 4esc errors. I didn't have any errors before I made the repairs so I am guessing that the ware cutting and splicing was the wrong thing to do as I now see on some of the previous posts.

Any other recommendations or suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Starz · Feb 2, 2023

I would suggest some experimenting time at different temp settings. You would want the setting to make the connection itself at a quicker pace rather than slower. Slow constant heat at the board should be avoided.

horsepowerphoto · Feb 2, 2023

I personally get my soldering gun/iron as hot as possible and hit the connection as quick as possible.

CR125Honda · Feb 2, 2023

Did this a years back. It may have been me, the equipment I was using (or?) but that was one of the more difficult soldering jobs I've done as I recall. Almost as if each strand of wire had some type of coating on it. Recommend a good dose of flux and tinning each wire before attaching to the ESC. Best o luck!

horsepowerphoto · Feb 2, 2023

CR125Honda said:
Did this a years back. It may have been me, the equipment I was using (or?) but that was one of the more difficult soldering jobs I've done as I recall. Almost as if each strand of wire had some type of coating on it. Recommend a good dose of flux and tinning each wire before attaching to the ESC. Best o luck!

Hah... yep same boat here... I replaced a motor on my P3 Pro.... Instead of messing around with the ESC soldering, I decided to cut the wire and splice them together.. I had a hell of a time... I ended up burning most of the insulation off trying to get the solder to stick... Then, doing some research, found the info about having a coating on them... When I looked further, the ends of the new motor wire were stripped back and tinned already... Doh! I tried burning the coating off, grinding it off... Ended up having to buy a new motor and solder the ESC.

number0987 · Feb 2, 2023

Thanks everyone. The new motors and my soldering station will arrive in a few days. I’ll keep you posted on how it is going.

Andyfalc · Feb 3, 2023

It's more about time holding the iron on than temp. A moderately high temp and short solder time puts less heat into other components. As suggested earlier a little practice really helps. Tinning the wires really helps aswell.

Droneted · Feb 4, 2023

I set mine at 450 and use a touch of flux. You want to get it done quickly but be sure it melts nicely. I also use one of those big magnify glasses so I can see it better. After I am done I use a cotton swab with alcohol to clean it up. The solder should be smooth like it was before you started.

Earthman · Feb 4, 2023

I have made "zillions" of solder connections, but not the one you are going to make on your drone , so I may not know what I'm talking about. Still, I suggest using plenty of acid-free flux, cleaning off any coating on the wires by lightly scraping them with a sharp blade; and tinning the wires with flux and solder before trying to attach them to the solder pads on the ESC.

I prefer using leaded solder, which I think flows better and seems more consistent and predictable than lead-free solder.

Solder is an alloy of different metals and each alloy melts at a different temperature, which you probably won't know, so experiment. Based on online sources, soft solder melts between 90 to 450 °C (190 to 840 °F) depending on the alloy, so quite a wide range. In any case, you will need to heat the iron hotter than the melting point of the solder so there is enough heat to heat the wire and solder pad "quickly." As indicated by others, you don't want to heat up the joint slowly because it may de-laminate the copper trace/solder pad from the circuit board. The less time needed to flow the solder the better.

Also consider buying the following soldering tools and solder training kit:

Desoldering wick: https://www.amazon.com/Lesnow-No-Cl...521350&sprefix=soldering+tool,aps,117&sr=8-18

Solder sucker: https://www.amazon.com/MOGAOPI-Sold.../B08QW6HVX2/ref=psdc_8107034011_t3_B08FDY2SGS

Solder practice PC board: https://www.amazon.com/iFlight-Prac...x=drone+soldering+practice+kit,aps,92&sr=8-30

Wire: Buy some wire that is a similar gauge as the wire you will be soldering and practice with that on the solder practice PC board indicated above.

If you don't know how to solder, watch a few YouTube videos, or get some help. Practice on other stuff before working on your drone.

Melted solder flows toward the heat. Flux is needed to prevent oxygen from contaminating the molten metal. Molten solder oxidizes instantly when exposed to the air.

Finally, don't be in a hurry. Soldering is a skill that isn't as easy as it looks if you don't know how it works and haven't done it. So, take your time to practice and learn how to do it before trying to solder your drone.

CR125Honda · Feb 4, 2023

Earthman said:
I have made "zillions" of solder connections, but not the one you are going to make on your drone , so I may not know what I'm talking about. Still, I suggest using plenty of acid-free flux, cleaning off any coating on the wires by lightly scraping them with a sharp blade; and tinning the wires with flux and solder before trying to attach them to the solder pads on the ESC.

Thanks Earthman.. Without scraping the wires, that's pretty much the process I used to tin the original motor wires. Was probably 4 years ago but my guess would be they were 18 gauge wires with thin hair like multi-strands. Strands were very small / fragile. Thoughts then were my best bet to get the motor wires to tin was to flux, heat then wipe clean, flux, heat, wipe, etc. until the coating melted away. Then flux and apply solder. Seemed to work well and then got a solid attachments to the ESC.

Looks like I need to up my game and get some "Acid-free" flux. Is there one you recommend? I've mostly relied on the tubs of Oatley #5 for my soldering needs over the years (plumbing, wiring, etc.). Need to research that and also re-educate myself on when to use the different solder cores (rosin, acid and also when to use silver solder). Not something I do every day. Need a handy cheat sheet.

Droneted · Feb 4, 2023

The motor leads are 2 wires not strands of fine wire so they are easy to scrape clean

Earthman · Feb 4, 2023

CR125Honda said:
Thanks Earthman.. Without scraping the wires, that's pretty much the process I used to tin the original motor wires. Was probably 4 years ago but my guess would be they were 18 gauge wires with thin hair like multi-strands. Strands were very small / fragile. Thoughts then were my best bet to get the motor wires to tin was to flux, heat then wipe clean, flux, heat, wipe, etc. until the coating melted away. Then flux and apply solder. Seemed to work well and then got a solid attachments to the ESC.

Looks like I need to up my game and get some "Acid-free" flux. Is there one you recommend? I've mostly relied on the tubs of Oatley #5 for my soldering needs over the years (plumbing, wiring, etc.). Need to research that and also re-educate myself on when to use the different solder cores (rosin, acid and also when to use silver solder). Not something I do every day. Need a handy cheat sheet.

Use a rosin paste flux similar to this on electronic stuff:

2 Jar Solder Flux, Flux for Soldering, Rosin Soldering Flux Paste for Lead-Free Electronics Soldering and Soldering DIY (1.2oz/35g in a Jar) https://a.co/d/29v52pp

No need to clean off the residue/excess from rosin flux except to be neat. I generally clean off as much as I can.

CR125Honda · Feb 5, 2023

Droneted said:
The motor leads are 2 wires not strands of fine wire so they are easy to scrape clean

Earthman said:
Use a rosin paste flux similar to this on electronic stuff:

2 Jar Solder Flux, Flux for Soldering, Rosin Soldering Flux Paste for Lead-Free Electronics Soldering and Soldering DIY (1.2oz/35g in a Jar) https://a.co/d/29v52pp

No need to clean off the residue/excess from rosin flux except to be neat. I generally clean off as much as I can.

Thanks Earthman, ordered some on Amazon