[Elecraft] Just ordered a KX1, and have a question

[Don Wilhelm]

Marty,

First of all, I believe .031 solder is too large a diameter for use on 
Elecraft products, especially the KX1.  I use .015 with great success, 
and I do not recommend a larger solder than .020 for the KX1.

The reason is that with the large diameter solder, there is not great 
control over the amount of solder applied - by the time the solder is 
molten, there is already too much on the connection.  Just enough solder 
to fill the plated thru hole is adequate, although I like to see a very 
small fillet of solder with the edges of the solder tapering down to 
zero thickness on both the solder pad and the component lead to be 
certain everything has received adequate heat during the soldering 
process.  See the soldering tutorial on the Elecraft website if you have 
any questions about what I am describing.

Also, the 44 flux is a highly activated flux, there also seems to be a 
lot of flux residue when using it for soldering.  The Kester 285 mildly 
activated flux is much better on untarnished components because it 
leaves the board cleaner - save the highly activated solder for working 
with components that have acquired a bit of corrosion and need the 
higher activity.

OK, so you have some Kester 44 .031 solder that you would like to use on 
your KX1 - fine, use it, but be aware of the cautions about the amount 
of solder.  If you find too much is applied, use solder wick to remove 
some of it.  OTOH, If you are buying solder for the KX1, I recommend the 
Kester 285 in a .015 diameter (Multi-core is a great solder, but may be 
difficult to obtain).  Many areas of the KX1 are quite dense with 
components and more care with soldering is required than for most of the 
other Elecraft kits.

That does not answer the question of why Elecraft does not include 
solder with the kits like Heathkit used to do - I can't answer that, but 
I can offer some cautions based on my experiences repairing the KX1 - 
some builders have trouble because of inadequate heat when soldering 
(700 to 750 deg F is the best) and the application of too much solder 
are often encountered problems here.  I have 'fixed' several KX1s by 
simply removing the excess solder and reheating the connections - that 
process takes about 2 hours to complete, so you figure the cost of a 
'repair' caused by sloppy soldering - good solder is cheap by comparison.

73,
Don W3FPR

Marty Young wrote:
> Hello All:
> 
> I ordered a KX1 and it was shipped Priority Mail on
> 7/23 and have not received it yet.  Danged post
> office!  In doing my preliminary research and
> preparation I have a question:
> 
> Soldering is important, I think we all agree.  The
> selection of the correct type and size is critical to
> success.  Why isn't a hank of 0.31 dia Kester "44"
> included with the kit?