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HOW TO SOLDER 371

Solid Figure 30- 6 Types of hookup wire: solid and
stranded. Each has its place. Solid conductor wire is
ideal for use with solderless breadboards. Stranded
Stranded
wire is good for general jobs.

CONDUCTOR TYPE
Wire is made of one or more strands of metal, as depicted in Figure 30- 6.

• Single- strand wire has just one metal conductor. It’s said to be single stranded, or solid
conductor.
• Multiple- strand wire has many conductors and is said to be stranded. For any given wire
gauge the conductors in stranded wire are small. When banded together, the individual
strands make up the gauge of the wire.

Which is better? Both— it depends on the application. Solid wire is commonly used when
building circuits using a solderless breadboard. It’s cheaper to make, so the wire is less expen-
sive. It’s also easier to solder. Stranded wire is more flexible and doesn’t break as easily when
it’s repeatedly flexed. It can also carry a bit more current, per gauge, than solid conductor
wire.

How to Solder

Few electronic projects can be assembled without soldering wires together. Soldering sounds
and looks simple enough, but there’s a bit of science to it. If you are unfamiliar with soldering,
or you need a quick refresher course, read the primer on soldering fundamentals provided in
this section.

SOLDERING TOOLS YOU NEED

Good soldering means having the proper tools. If you don’t have them already, you can pur-
chase them at RadioShack or most any electronics store. Let’s review the soldering- related
tools you need.
G We’ve already introduced the soldering pencil earlier in the chapter. See Figure 30- 7 for a
description of the pencil’s main parts. Be sure to get one with a three- prong power cord. This
provides important grounding of the tool, which is needed for safety.

Stand
If your soldering pencil doesn’t come with a stand, be sure to get one. They’re used to keep
the soldering pencil in a safe, upright position. You should never simply lay a hot soldering
pencil down on your work table.

Sponge
Keep a damp (never dry) sponge by the soldering station. Be sure to keep it wet. Use the
sponge to wipe off globs of solder that may remain on the tip. Otherwise, the glob may come

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