Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 1864 conversations about:
Parod
60
Dec 12, 2015
bookmark_border
Mrlooolz
26
Dec 12, 2015
bookmark_border
ParodYour posts make me panic! can you recommend a soldering kit on amazon. different than the one you recommended before? A decent one with temp control?
I did some reading. i dont know what type of solder to get (with lead?) or if i have to use a tinner for the head. Is there some kit that has a sort of ready for Zealio , so I can focus on my skill
I did some reading. i dont know what type of solder to get (with lead?) or if i have to use a tinner for the head. Is there some kit that has a sort of ready for Zealio , so I can focus on my skill
Arch-TK
42
Dec 12, 2015
bookmark_border
Mrlooolz60/40 (Tin/Lead) solder is your best bet because it requires a lower soldering temperature than lead-free solder. The lead won't poison you and the only worry is if you were to chuck the keyboard (I doubt you will want to do this any time soon).
As for a soldering station, look for anything _temperature_ controlled which goes up to at least 350 degrees celsius, make sure to also buy a chisel tip for the soldering iron, most seem to come with conical tips which aren't that great to work with.
Buy an electronics kit to teach you soldering, practice on it, these can go as cheap as $5 or £5 (Not sure where you're from).
Finally, when soldering one of the silliest things people do is melt a load of solder onto the iron tip and try to scrape it onto the component leg. This will _not_ work. When soldering you heat the leg and the pad first (simultaneously) and apply the solder to the gap between the two from the opposing side. If you're worried about overheating components it may be easier to use a higher temperature which will heat things up much faster and let you solder faster therefore hopefully heating the component for less time in total.
And as a side note, if you are worried, you can always do one of these things: Find a local hackerspace (These seem to be all over america and the UK) and ask them to help you. Or send the keyboard to be soldered to someone who has done it before (you can get surprisingly good deals) (Check the /r/MechanicalKeyboards subreddit and ask there for help).
As for a soldering station, look for anything _temperature_ controlled which goes up to at least 350 degrees celsius, make sure to also buy a chisel tip for the soldering iron, most seem to come with conical tips which aren't that great to work with.
Buy an electronics kit to teach you soldering, practice on it, these can go as cheap as $5 or £5 (Not sure where you're from).
Finally, when soldering one of the silliest things people do is melt a load of solder onto the iron tip and try to scrape it onto the component leg. This will _not_ work. When soldering you heat the leg and the pad first (simultaneously) and apply the solder to the gap between the two from the opposing side. If you're worried about overheating components it may be easier to use a higher temperature which will heat things up much faster and let you solder faster therefore hopefully heating the component for less time in total.
And as a side note, if you are worried, you can always do one of these things: Find a local hackerspace (These seem to be all over america and the UK) and ask them to help you. Or send the keyboard to be soldered to someone who has done it before (you can get surprisingly good deals) (Check the /r/MechanicalKeyboards subreddit and ask there for help).
Mrlooolz
26
Dec 12, 2015
bookmark_border
Arch-TKThanks, I will look more into this. But I live in the middle east, so asking someone to do it would be very hard
Related Products
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop
If you are not too familiar with soldering, be careful with Zealios. The clear plastic casing has a lower melting point than the usual black/white ones. If you end up overheating a switch, the plastic surrounding the contacts can melt, allowing them to touch/short out.
Read this thread for more info: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=74807.msg1917974#msg1917974
This can be prevented by keeping the soldering iron at a low temperature (which is why everyone recommends investing in a good soldering iron with temp control).
If this happens to you, don't worry! The switch isn't destroyed, and the fix is fairly simple. Just open the switch and pull the smaller contact away with a flathead screwdriver, like in the following picture.
Otherwise, have fun with the Zealios, they're great switches.