Hey there. I am trying to put together a lighting module that will fit onto a monopod and turn it into a handle for a cane. I havbe all the individual pieces sorted and working but cannot for the life of m get the soldering configuration stable enough to hold. The diagram below is roughly what I am aiming for. Each element works and they work together on the bench in prototype but each time I try to miniaturise it I run into problems with the joints. I have tried different types of boards, header pins and even direct wiring through the holes of the seeduino and jewel. Fat fingers and arthritic thumbs don’t help.)
The finished construct will fit inside a cylindrical sheath about 6 cm in diameter and then screw onto the top of the monopod shaft.
i Michael
Welcome
It sounds like your soldering skills are close to zero. If that is the case you are behind the eight ball to start with.I would suggest some research, there are volumes written on the subject. There is also a lot of practise to go with it.
There are also a lot of U-Tubes but quite a lot of these are just garbage with a capital G. To filter out what is useful and what is junk you really need to know a fair bit about the skill. With this in mind I would suggest you treat the U-Tubes with a lot of caution until your skills improve.
When prototyping the larger connector arrangements and all the bits of wire are not much of a problem. But shrinking all this down to a small size is where all the fun starts.
This is where soldering skills are a must. Unfortunately teaching anyone to do this properly remotely is a real problem. Face to face tuition is invaluable so if you can arrange for someone to show you that would have a big advantage. But you CAN and SHOULD read all about fluxes, melting point of different alloy ratios and the uses. I could show you some of the basics in about half an hour but would probably take a week or more trying to describe the process remotely.
Using the correct iron and tip size with a lot of confidence is a must and usually comes with a LOT of practice. If you have got the shakes stop and find something else to do for a while until you settle down. If not you need to get both hands and the job to shake together in sync. Only joking as that does not seem possible. Shaking hands is a real problem as one ages. Touch wood I have not got to that stage yet (91 next birthday) but it will come I am sure.
Study up as if you are going to pursue this hobby the soldering skill I think is a must.
Cheers Bob
I agree with Bob that learning some soldering skills is a must, but I am curious to know what you mean when you say that you’re having problems with the joints?
Do you mean the soldered joints and if so are any of the components carrying some sort of weight, such as from the glass ball? In prototyping stages, I will often leave components dangling from nothing but wires and the solder and I’ve never had any of them snap off or break with such small weights.
Depending on the weight of the glass ball, however, I can easily see some force being applied through the joints as it moves around which could lead to structural issues.
Hi Jane
I know this sounds a bit rude but when you read Michael’s post it sounds as if the soldering iron is not switched on or it is no where near hot enough.
Sight unseen it is very hard to know exactly what went wrong.
Michael if you could post some pics something might show up.
Cheers Bob
