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Unread 15-06-2010, 22:59
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VEX Robotics Engineer
AKA: Arthur Dutra IV; NERD #18
FRC #0148 (Robowranglers)
Team Role: Engineer
 
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Re: Mechanical going Electric

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber View Post
As a warning, do NOT buy just the module thinking you can solder it yourself. They are .1" spaced solder pads and are a real pain to solder to.
.1" spacing is a walk in the park to solder. It's surface mounted (SMT) parts that are royal plain.

All it takes to solder small things is good eyesight (or a magnifying glass, which is helpful for SMT parts) and a steady hand. The latter takes some practice at clearing your mind to reduce shaking, but once you've done it enough you can chug a cup of coffee still be able to solder parts.

A good way to practice soldering is grab some old electronics; 1990s or earlier vintage is recommended as many of these still used through-hole (.1" spacing) parts. Do NOT disassemble CRT monitors or CRT television sets, as they contain very high voltage components that retain deadly charges for years. I'd recommend VCRs, as they also contain a few motors to play with. But just desolder and resolder parts on the circuit boards. To desolder parts you'll need a solder wick or solder sucker (or just heat the solder up and slam the board on the table and momentum will cause the solder to fly out ).
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Art Dutra IV
Robotics Engineer, VEX Robotics, Inc., a subsidiary of Innovation First International (IFI)
Robowranglers Team 148 | GUS Robotics Team 228 (Alumni) | Rho Beta Epsilon (Alumni) | @arthurdutra

世上无难事,只怕有心人.