[ctt956]

Originally Posted by Ari423

I'm wondering what CD's opinions are of the new soldering heat shrink tubes that AndyMark just released. They require no soldering skill, only a heat gun and these (or these)heat-shrink tubes.

In my opinion, learning how to solder is an invaluable skill that students can learn to do well through FIRST and carry on with them into their careers. I would say that, for most of the robot, these aren't necessary and it will be cheaper and a better learning experience to solder and heat-shrink by hand. I do think this is a great option for those quick electrical modifications between matches where you don't want to have to wait for a soldering gun to heat up and then have to squeeze inside the robot to solder two wires. It just takes ~30 seconds with a heat gun, which heats up almost instantly.

What do you think?

I think these seem like a great idea! Soldering guns heat up about as quickly as a heat gun; it's soldering irons that take 3-5 minutes to warm up. That said, these tubes are a lot less work than it would be to solder wires the traditional way. Also cleaner and safer, as there's no chance of molten solder dripping somewhere you don't want it, unless you melt through the tube. I agree with everyone who has said that soldering is an important skill to have. I learned long before I was in FIRST, and it has allowed me to repair and build a lot of things I couldn't have otherwise. I don't think these were intended to completely replace traditional soldering, but for fast repairs and soldering wires easily. And I see it working very well for that purpose.