Construction Log

Post by **marshallh** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:11 pm

The best solution is just to bit a bit of flux over the entire soldering area - just a very, very thin bit will do. Then when you go to solder to it, you won't have to tin.

The only difference between new solder and old solder is the flux has burned off.

Gamerdude · Post by **Gamerdude** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:43 pm

myersn024 wrote:Am I the only one that takes time to tin all my connections before commencing to make connections? I find that if you tin everything properly, you don't need to use any new solder when you make the connection. Just touch both tinned ends together, and heat with the iron.

That's what me and Bacteria said to do. I just don't leave a blob of solder. It is best to tin connections most of the time.

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:11 pm

Tinning your connections ahead of time is a really good idea. I hate shoving a wad of flux and solder at my delicate connections, it always ends up shorting something out.

You should also be cleaning your iron on a wet sponge, often. And i like to randomly stick my tip in flux to clean it off. (and its fun).

HazmatB · Post by **HazmatB** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 7:08 pm

Hey, I just have a quick question regarding wire.

I'm not really sure what wire is okay to use. I know for a powersource I should use a higher gauge wire than IDE wire for example.

I have heavier copper wire that I thought I might use for the power supply, but I don't know the gauge exactly.

What tips on this can you guys give?

viksmart · Post by **viksmart** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:30 am

About that wire .....
thinner and better insulated would be a great choice for a power source because of less resistance and it's easier to bend and solder it to stuff. I used Ide wire it works great on mine.

If you check out mine you will clearly see wires coming from the n64 to the psone screen that "cable" houses about 2-3 ide wires each inside em.

Hope that helps

HazmatB · Post by **HazmatB** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:05 pm

I remember in reading Bacteria's guide that he had to use heavier wire for the powersource. Maybe I am remembering wrong.

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 2:31 pm

You want thicker wire, but not too thick, about 20 gauge should work fine.

HazmatB · Post by **HazmatB** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 2:51 pm

Okay, thanks, the wire stripper I am using says that the wire I have is around 20. Perfect. Copper is okay?

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 2:54 pm

Better than okay, copper is perfect.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:04 pm

Erm...if you have any wire other than copper, it's not for electronics. Speaker wire, maybe, but not for electronics. You shouldn't be using anything other than copper wire, unless you're rich and can get gold wire.

Valium · Post by **Valium** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:12 pm

Kurt_ wrote:Erm...if you have any wire other than copper, it's not for electronics. Speaker wire, maybe, but not for electronics. You shouldn't be using anything other than copper wire, unless you're rich and can get gold wire.

They use a lot of different types of metal for wires, more often than not they use aluminum.

I used to sell a lot of scrap metal that I acquired from construction sites (they were throwing it out anyway), I always came home with more aluminum than copper, they're the 2 most common for it.

HazmatB · Post by **HazmatB** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:18 pm

Thanks guys,

I'm starting to get really impatient, I ordered a gamebit from Vimms lair almost 2 weeks ago, and I am still waiting on it before I can open up my 64.

So I am playing lots of Goldeneye.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:34 pm

HazmatB wrote:I remember in reading Bacteria's guide that he had to use heavier wire for the powersource. Maybe I am remembering wrong.

That is correct. I don't have a tool to measure wire thickness so I don't know its gauge, it was some electrical wiring I got from Maplins. When the N64 kept trying to boot, sometimes succeeding sometimes not, I pinpointed the issue to be that I used very thin wire for the power (as it was nice and bendy), by replacing it and using normal electrical wire everything was booting first time and properly.

Stupid fact: According the "Red Dwarf", the best "power sauce" is tomato ketchup! I love Red Dwarf!

HazmatB · Post by **HazmatB** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:40 pm

Did you replace all the power lines and the ground lines, or just the ones directly by the powersource?

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:14 pm

HazmatB wrote:Did you replace all the power lines and the ground lines, or just the ones directly by the powersource?

Yes, both the positive and negative power wiring was electrical wire. All the rest of the wiring was thin single strand IDE cable. I know very little about electronics, I just researched then tried things out, if they worked, great, if they didn't I fixed the problem. For example, I didn't think the N64 + PSone screen + car adapter would work off one 7.5v power supply; but it does.

I am going to try and make my portables more standardised, when I finish my GP2x mod, I will remake an N64p and try and make it 29mm thick (inc PSone screen inside) and a side cart slot within the system - it will run off mains but will use an expansion pack and a fan.