Ask HN: Resources to get good at soldering?

Posted by tosmatos 2 days ago

Hello. I've recently started soldering, specifically wanting to repair the joysticks on several Playstation 4 controllers I have, but I also want to get good at electronic repair in general.

Right now I've busted a board, and managed to desolder and resolder a stick but the controller doesn't turn on anymore. I'm doing this all by myself, and I think I'm following good advice (ventilation, good iron tip, using flux etc...).

But there are many variables, and a lot of experts have different opinions on stuff. Does anyone know good resources that I could use for getting good and making less mistakes ? Thanks.

98 points | 63 commentspage 3

bigbuppo 10 hours ago|

The only way to learn is to do the damn thing. You'll eventually figure it out. Tinker around with projects that don't matter but are still rewarding. Like, commit a 555 timer and blinky LEDs to proto board. Then find some kits on tindie that seem interesting but won't break the bank. Wash, rinse, repeat until you're building your own multiprocessor homebrew 6502 computer.

radicalbyte 12 hours ago||

You can buy a whole lot of practise kits on Amazon. Start with push-through components and move on to surface-mount if you fancy that.

I'd recommend checking out one of the many youtube channels who do repairs for an idea of the tools and stuff you need. Many have links and most use similar tools.

For $300 in tools from AliExpress you can have a pretty complete setup.

jrflo 11 hours ago||

FYI you're trying to repair surface-mounted components by hand, that's pretty tricky. Most hand soldering is done with through hole components, not surface mounted. Not to say it can't be done, but you're starting on hard mode for sure.

readme 6 hours ago|

I've taught people to start with surface mount before. It's really worse depending on what you're soldering. A lot of people doing hardware hacking will get tons of mileage just out of being able to solder on a chip with a soic-8 package. That's easy enough that you can learn it on day 1.

anotherhue 11 hours ago||

This guy's youtube videos are, IMO, incredible: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4EJfQf0KJXCyQ5qiNlcUg/vid...

zachlatta 1 day ago||

For teens ages 13-18, Hack Club is running a free grant program to help kids learn to solder! They can sign up and get a free kit from us at https://solder.hackclub.com/

neom 12 hours ago||

This guy does a lot of videos about what you're trying to do, and explains what he is doing and why: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeyDoesTech

mcshicks 11 hours ago||

This set of videos from eevblog worked for me.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ

sscaryterry 9 hours ago||

Don't overthink it, seriously. Avoid the fumes, if the joint looks shiny, its probably cool.

tosmatos 15 hours ago||

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'm motivated now !

tootie 3 hours ago|

I took a local class that really helped but the lesson was really just a basic project that had like 40 solder points. First few barely stuck, last few looked perfect. Just do it over and over and you'll get better pretty quickly.

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