Soldering Of Electric Components(2)

Hello Guys,
Today we are gonna continue where we left off last time. We are gonna talk about safety precautions and tips.

                                                SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

1. Caution: A soldering iron can heat to around 400°C, which can burn you or start a fire, so use it carefully.
2. Unplug the iron when it is not in use.
3. Keep the power cord away from spots where it can be tripped over.
4. Take great care to avoid touching the tip of the soldering iron on a power line. If a power cord is touched by a hot iron, there is a serious risk of burns and electric shock.
5. Always return the soldering iron to its stand when it is not in use.
6. Never put the soldering iron down on your work bench, even for a moment!
7. Work in a well-ventilated area.
8. The smoke that will form as you melt solder is mostly from the flux and can be quite irritating. Avoid breathing it by keeping your head to the side of, not above, your work.
9. Solder contains lead, which is a poisonous metal. Wash your hands after using solder

                                             Tips
Reliable operation of a circuit with soldered connections depends on good soldering practices. Here are some tips for successful soldering.

1. Plan before you start to solder. Identify all the parts that you will be using.
2. It is helpful to attach each part to a piece of paper and write what it is and its value (for example, resistor #1: 100 ohms).
3. Some components, such as LED's, must be placed the correct way around in order to function.
4. The following is a suggested order for the installation of various components:
• Integrated circuit (IC) holders (note the orientation). The IC will be added later.
• Resistors
• Capacitors, less than 1 micro farad
• Large capacitors, 1 micro farad or greater, note the orientation.
• Diodes, note the orientation.
• LED's, note the orientation.
• Transistors, note the orientation.
• Solid wire connections between components on the board
• Solid wire is fairly rigid, so it will stay in place once attached.
• Stranded wire to parts that are connected by wire to the circuit
• Stranded wire is more flexible than solid wire.
• Integrated circuits
• Connect them the correct way around.
• Many IC's are static sensitive.
• Leave IC's in their antistatic packaging until you need them, then ground your hands by touching a metal water pipe or window frame before touching the IC's.
• Carefully insert IC's in their holders. Make sure all the pins are lined up with the socket, then push down firmly with your thumb.

    To be continued…

Next time we will talk about preparing the soldering iron and how to solder components.

Thanks for reading.