So is there a trick to soldering board mounted pots? No melted caps…

[e_man]

I really like board mounted pots.  They make for a neater build and saves on wiring time.

My problem is I have trouble getting my iron on the pot legs without melting a cap or two next to them.

Does anyone else have this trouble?  What do you do to avoid it?  Sometimes it’s so tight I feel like I’m playing the old “Operation” game.

Thanks.

[Cybercow]

e_man – yup! It’s definitely a game of “Operation”. No avoiding that. Smaller soldering wands help. But it’s still like playing “Operation” and takes a steady hand and even then, practice helps. I know of no special tricks.

[Bruce R]

I do most of the layouts here for circuit boards with PCB-mounted pots. My focus lately has really been to keep short components at the top of the circuit board for those people who want to use “top jacks” on their 125B enclosures. The PCB can go higher and the jacks sit right over the top of the circuit board. And we have a lot of boards with plenty of components without a ton of available real estate. Unfortunately, this means that the capacitors go lower on the circuit board, which means they are more likely to be close to the Potentiometer lugs. Everything has to go somewhere, and I think the solution may be to look for a set of solder tips that work well. A conical point may be great for the ones near the edge, but you may need a narrow stubby-pointed tip to get a lot of heat coming straight-down between rows of capacitors. Maybe the third from the right (see image below) would deliver heat quickly when coming straight down on the pads of the pots.5th from the left for most everything else. Just don’t burn yourself swapping them out. A set like this is cheap on Amazon.

 

[Barry]

So I suggest to experiment with Tip types and of course it requires a bit of finesse and practice.

We have all burnt a cap corner but the more you do it the less it happens.

Board space is of a huge premium not just to fit into an enclosure but for my costs so I can sell at a reasonable rate to all of you.

[Barry]

Perhaps the better solution would be to use MLCC in around the pot lugs (or everywhere).

These cap types are cheaper, don’t melt when touched and have a much smaller profile which includes a 5mm spread. Even if you buy kits it is good to keep these in popular values handy anyway.

Oh an they sound just as good.

[wilkie1]

+1 to Bruce and Barry!  I melt a few caps now and then myself.  So far, none have failed.  I REALLY like the MLCC caps!!!

[e_man]

Thanks for your responses guys.  I was really more venting than anything.

Bruce R. please don’t think I was being critical of the boards layout or design.  While I only have a limited knowledge of things electronic, I appreciate the challenges of laying these PCB’s out and think you do a great job.

As I said, I really prefer board mounted pots and if the tight fit is a part of the deal then it’s worth it.  I have some narrower tips for my iron so perhaps I’ll give that a try.

this is a pot style I was considering giving a try.  They would solder on the same side as all of the other components.  I would just need to check the leg length compared to enclosure depth.  Would also have to pay attention to leg orientation so that leg 1 is in the correct spot.

I would like to say to each of you, (Barry, wilkie1 and Bruce R.) I appreciate this site and the GuitarPCB business as a whole.  This is great resource for me and look forward to building some great stuff in the future.

Currently I’m working on a combo of Tight Box, Cranky Charles, and a SHO’Nuff booster.  Independent booster with A/B switching between the two Marshall sounds.  It’s gonna be killer when i get it done.

Thanks again for all you guys do.

Later.

[Author]

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