soldering on a connector, and then getting the top on.

micky formulerede Friday:

I think the reason for the hole is not to put the wire through, but to minimize the heat transfer from the flap to the jack.

I don't use the hole in the ring-connector. Actually, I call the connectors tip, ring and sleve, then sleve also having the longest connector, which is also compressed around the cable.

Leif

soldering on a connector, and then getting the top on.

The tv amp required soldering a 1/8" jack on one set of wires and a

I usually have trouble with this, because both the tip and the ring have connection points just barely inside the circumference of the cover. If I put the wire through the little holes in each connector, the solder plus the wire make a bump that interferes with screwing the cover on.

I've been putting the wire through from the outside, so the amount of wire outside is limited.

Or maybe I should ignore the little holes and just rest the wire on the connection points to solder it. I hope t hese last two paragraphs are clear.

How do you all solder small plugs so the solder and wire doesn't interfere with the plug's cover?

Don't put the wire through the hole. Tin the wire the same length of the connectors, tin the connectors, then solder it on flat.

If it stands proud, you can quickly wipe the soldering iron down its length so it just melts and flattens the high points and doesn't unsolder the joint.

Gareth.

I agree. That's the way I do it. Strip the insulation back as little as possible. Hitting the wire with the soldering iron will cause the insulation to shrink back anyway. Add shrink tube over the wire if you have room.

Yeah, that works. If I'm sloppy and build up too much solder, I just reduce the solder buildup with a solder sucker, or solder wick.

I agree. That's the way I do it. Strip the insulation back as little as possible. Hitting the wire with the soldering iron will cause the insulation to shrink back anyway. Add shrink tube over the wire if you have room.

Also, heat the tinned connector first and use this molten solder pool to heat and solder the wire. Less chance of damaging the wire insulation that way.

Gareth.

Well, all 3 of you agree. I wish I'd asked this quesion 40 years ago, but I had no one to ask. (AIUI back in those days, sci.electronics.repair ran on the USPS mail and it took much longer to have a discussion. It really took a long time when people from more than one country were invovled. And postage charges -- especially international mail to and from Denmark and the Netherlands -- were substantial if there were 50 or more on the mailing list. Plus I didn't know about it it then.) .

But if things go right, I have 2 or 3 decades to use what I just learned. Thanks.