[Mr. Oczka]

Well guys, here I am attempting to put the finishing touches on a pair of x-sls's and I have managed to really screw up. I was installing the crossover board into the cabinet.  While doing this, the positive wire for the tweeter pulled loose from the crossover board.  I attempted to re-solder the wire on to the crossover board and have ruined the connection.  The metal ring that would allow contact on the crossover board is gone and the wire will not connect.  Does anyone know if/how I can correct this?  Any help is greatly appreciated! 

Thanks,  Tom, the "ugly solderer"

[S Clark]

It is often possible to track the tracing back to the next connection. A wire leading from the crossover to the tweeter likely goes to a capacitor or a resistor.  In either case, there should be enough of the lead on the cap or resistor to allow you to solder the speaker lead directly to that.  If you have a schematic, clear it with Danny, then send me a copy (my email is in my profile), and I can tell you exactly where to solder. 
Scott

[S Clark]

oops, double post

[Captainhemo]

As S. Clark says,  you should be able to follow that back to the .47 uF cap and 7 ohm resistor that are in parallel and connect to the out going sides ( I don't have a borad in fron t of me so not actually sure how it is  laid out.
Your other option,  depending on  how bad the   tracer that went to the pad (the ring you tried to solder to), it may be possible to  scrape some of the  varnish off the tracer and  still poke the pos tweeter lead through the hole in the board, bend it over and solder it directly to the exposed tracer.

I guess even another option  ... if you want to work on your soldering skills,  get the schematic from danny, remove all the compnents from the boards,  and build yourself some point ot point  networks.

Danny has a  great  cross over build thread  near the top of the page in the sticies  to help guide you through it.

jay

[Danny Richie]

Flip the crossover over and solder the positive wire to the tweeter onto the connection that the two resistors make on the bottom of the board.

[Mr. Oczka]

Thank you guys for the guidance and advice!   Tomorrow is my day off and I plan to work on getting this corrected.  I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again,

tom

[JerryM]

The very best soldering advice I have ever read here on AC:

.....  This isn't a criticism in any way, but if you are not familiar with good soldering practices, take some time to perfect your soldering technique with some "junk" parts and terminals BEFORE you tackle this kit.  ALWAYS keep a clean tip on your soldering iron and tin it before making your solder joints.  If you have the budget for it, purchase a Weller "controlled temperature" soldering station, rather than a Radio Shack el-cheapo!  You will spend less time, and get MUCH better results - results that will last and last!  Keep a damp sponge handy to clean the tip of your iron.  If you are using the Weller "controlled-temperature" soldering station, they make it easy by including a good sponge, and the tray to put it in.  USE it - OFTEN.  Then "tin" the tip after it's clean.  Over the years, I have "standardized" on this procedure:

1.     Turn on the iron and bring it up to temperature.
2.     As it warms up, clean the tip against the sponge until it shines!
3.     "Tin" the tip by applying solder.  Place the iron in the holder.
4.     When it's time to make your solder joint, clean the tip against the sponge.
5.     Re-tin the tip of the iron.
6.     Apply the tip of the iron to the work.
7.     Place the solder against the opposite side of the work from the tip of the iron.
8.     Allow the solder to flow over the joint and remove the solder.
9.     THEN remove the iron from the work.
10.    Clean the tip of the iron.
11.    Re-tin the tip of the iron and place it in the holder.

     Repeat steps 4 through 11 as necessary.  When your "soldering session" is completed, clean the tip of the iron again.  Re-tin the tip of the iron and place it in the holder.  THEN turn the soldering station off and allow it to cool.  If you do all this, you'll stand a MUCH better chance of winding up with solder joints that are clean and shiny, not crystalline and dirty.  If you DO wind up with a crystalline appearance to a solder joint, do it again!  "Cold" solder joints are the most common reasons why a project like this fails.  I'm stressing all this because the quality of the "Ultimate Stereo 70" kit is SO high, you'll want the quality of YOUR work to be just as high.

     I hope you haven't considered this "update" a waste of space or time.  It really IS important to properly prepare BEFORE the first component is soldered in.  In our next update, we'll actually BUILD the "Ultimate Stereo 70" printed circuit board!  Honest!

Sincerely,

Bill Thomas

If you click on the bold print "quote from Bill Thomas:" above, you can go through one of his threads and see what a great craftsman he truly was.

Have fun,

Jerry

[Mr. Oczka]

I want to thank all of you for your advice and guidance.  I was able to get a clean solder connection and get everything Is working today! 

Attached are a couple of pictures showing them off.  I wanted to pick a crazy color for them.  WAF is not that great but my kids like them.  Currently the kids are all negotiating with me on who will take ownership of them.  My wife doesn't' care who gets them, as long as they Aren't in the family room.

Thanks again!  Tom

[Folsom]

The very best soldering advice I have ever read here on AC:

If you click on the bold print "quote from Bill Thomas:" above, you can go through one of his threads and see what a great craftsman he truly was.

Have fun,

Jerry

I don't wholly agree with it. It depends on the thing being soldered. Sometimes you can't deliver enough heat unless you put the solder directly to the iron tip, in such a way that the bubble will rest on whatever it is you're trying to get the solder to flow on. Doing this it's possible to solder things some people wouldn't think could be done. Sometimes there is no other choice because you're faced with too much heat dissipation.

[corndog71]

A bold choice.  Like a neon green highlighter.   

[Mr. Oczka]

The boss does not like them, but she named them Kermit the frogs

[JerryM]

[Captainhemo]

I want to thank all of you for your advice and guidance.  I was able to get a clean solder connection and get everything Is working today! 

Attached are a couple of pictures showing them off.  I wanted to pick a crazy color for them.  WAF is not that great but my kids like them.  Currently the kids are all negotiating with me on who will take ownership of them.  My wife doesn't' care who gets them, as long as they Aren't in the family room.

Thanks again!  Tom

I like em man   

You need some  pink on there, the kids will love that  , look at the colors my neice chose for the dog house we  built last  spring,  you know, the one the dog never goes near 



jay

[ACHiPo]

I want to thank all of you for your advice and guidance.  I was able to get a clean solder connection and get everything Is working today! 

Attached are a couple of pictures showing them off.  I wanted to pick a crazy color for them.  WAF is not that great but my kids like them.  Currently the kids are all negotiating with me on who will take ownership of them.  My wife doesn't' care who gets them, as long as they Aren't in the family room.

Thanks again!  Tom

Tom,
What are the speakers flanking the Kermits?  Look like OBs?
AC

[SoCalWJS]

I don't wholly agree with it. It depends on the thing being soldered. Sometimes you can't deliver enough heat unless you put the solder directly to the iron tip, in such a way that the bubble will rest on whatever it is you're trying to get the solder to flow on. Doing this it's possible to solder things some people wouldn't think could be done. Sometimes there is no other choice because you're faced with too much heat dissipation.

+1.
In my very limited experience. I think it's a combination of several things including how hot your soldering iron tip gets, the melting temp of solder you're using, and the temp that the "work" can take w/o getting damaged.

I learned early on that putting a hot soldering iron down onto a circuit board and then waiting long enough for it to heat the work enough to cause the solder to flow could easily damage the circuit board and nearby objects.

[HAL]

Most electronic components also have a maximum time for soldering.  Usually around 10 seconds with the soldering iron at 300C. 

An important thing is to clean the tip and tin it with solder before putting it on the board, wire or component lead.  I use an old exacto knife and sponge to clean the tip before tinning.

 

[Mr. Oczka]

AC,

The speakers flanking the kermits are hawthorne iris's with dual augies.  They were my first diy speakers.  I like them fine, but between u and me, the x-sls's sound much better! 

[Mr. Oczka]

All of the advice that has been given has been a big help.  I think it is time to replace this soldering iron.  It seems like it never got hot enough to properly complete a good solder connection.  The issue I experienced when I wrote in was just like what HAL said earlier.  I kept that soldering iron on the connection point for too long and it ruined that area.

Thanks again guys,

tom