Build Your Own Clone Message Board

when i solder the wires to the input jacks, it never takes. so the wire hangs loose. is this normal? i get it soldered down and it so easily comes off, i place it down and the wire is already undone. i have stripped the wire down short enough so the soldering on the other side keeps it pretty much stable but i wouldnt mind it actually fusing or what have you.

Normal? Sort of. Correct? Definitely not. .

Have you read Stephen's tips for a successful build? It's got good tips on making a solid mechanical connection of wire on lug before making it permanent with solder.

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I've noticed in recent months that the solder tabs on the stereo input jacks jacks, esp. the middle sleeve tab, seem to have some sort of coating on them that makes solder adherence poor. But if you take some fine sandpaper and rough up the tab surface a bit, I find that the solder adheres much more readily.

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

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+1 to DVM. I started sanding all my jacks now. I use 220 and a couple of quick hits. Also, you can lay that iron over a tad and get more of the iron on the tab. Sort of like on the side a bit. That heats up faster and just run that solder in there. You surely don't want loose wires at all. You can also strip it long enough and wrap it around once on the tab to secure it if it helps you. Once you get the hang of it you won't need to do that.

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