Flippin Soldering........

[Paul R Owen]

Can anyone offer some guidance on this: The machine is a Roadshow with the 3 left flippers. The flippers have been fine but recently on the lower left flipper one of the 3 wires came off. So I resoldered but it continued to come off. Eventually it did stay on but now the flipper will not stay in the upright position (it does occasionally so it is an intermittent issue). I *suspect* that my “dogs breakfast†soldering is to blame and that the current is having a problem flowing through said “dogs breakfastâ€. When the flipper is energised I notice that there is a blue spark from the wire in question. Also, when the machine goes into the multiball mode the upper-left flipper suddenly goes really weak. Can someone confirm my diagnosis or is there something else that could be at fault?

 

[stoptap]

Learn to solder off the machine. Get some scrap wire and learn to solder pieces of wire together.



You do know that you don't put the solder on the tip first don't you ?

You put the iron on the wire then feed the solder into where the iron is touching the wire. The solder will flow onto the hot wire. Obviously if you leave te iron on too long you will start to melt the insulation.

This is where the practice comes in.



Andrew.

 

[Paul]

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-solder/



OR



http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

Paul

 

[Paul R Owen]

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-solder/



OR



http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

Paul

Thanks for the responses folks - I feel as though I am getting better at this soldering m'larky - the flipper is working fine at the moment. Generally - if a blue spark is seen coming from a joint, does this mean that the cuurent is not going where it should be? {there are none at the moment}.

 

[stoptap]

Thanks for the responses folks - I feel as though I am getting better at this soldering m'larky - the flipper is working fine at the moment. Generally - if a blue spark is seen coming from a joint, does this mean that the cuurent is not going where it should be? {there are none at the moment}.

No. It means that there is a break in the continuity (i.e. a loose wire, which is what you had). The spark occurs the instant that the loose wire touches what it is supposed to be soldered to and the current starts to flow again.