Soldering tool.

[Lucky Phil]

The other day I was mounting this C-tec remote charging thing to the car. It's mounted behind and under the back of the hood and has 3 LED's that blink once/second depending on the battery state of charge. Green/orange/red. I got sick of opening the hood to connect the battery tender so I installed this which required cutting the wires and re soldering them in this particular instillation. My pet hate/nightmare is soldering loose wires together insitu, it's a propper bastard. There's a few options out there for the job on the bench but I wanted something for the bench and in situ. Here it is, brilliant. The tongs have spring loaded blades to hold the wire halves and you simply squeeze the pliers and guide the bared ends of the wires together as the strands mesh then when you have the mesh correct you lock the pliers. The ends are held firmly in place so you have 2 hands free for the soldering and the joint doesn't move. Brilliant and worth the $15aud or 2 cents USD. Well worth the expense. The Ctec thing is also great. I don't like leaving anything on a tender. I've seen them fail and destroy the battery and surrounding stuff so I connect the tender and when it's charged the battery I remove it.

 

 

[gstallons]

Soldering is a feat you have to do all the time to stay good at . Using (old) good resin core solder , good flux and a good iron or gun. I do it just frequently enough to look terrible. I hope you are using a GOOD heat-shrink tubing to close the deal ? It doesn't hurt to practice 15 mins before soldering the real connection either. 

Edited November 5 by gstallons
spelling error

[audiomick]

@Lucky Phil that tool sounds good for making a neat joint that doesn't increase the thickness of the wire at the joint.

I've always twisted the ends together. To be precise: strip the wires about 1,5 cm or so, i.e. fairly long. Twist (wrap) the end of one around the end of the other a couple of mm. back from the end of the insulation, such that the twist is around the bare wire between the start of the twist and the insulation, leaving likewise a couple of mm of bare wire on the one that is being twisted. Twist the free end around the bare bit on the other wire. Bang some solder into the twist.

It makes a blob on the wire where the joint is, but it works very well. Heat-shrink (thread it onto the wire before you strip...) over the joint, and no-one can see how sloppy the soldering is.

 

 

My biggest problem with soldering has always been that I don't have 3D vision. If anyone is interested, this is why https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

Finding the thing I am trying to heat with the soldering iron is a pain, and then finding both of those with the solder. For the brave at heart, cover one eye and try it out.

Edited November 5 by audiomick

[Lucky Phil]

4 hours ago, audiomick said:

@Lucky Phil that tool sounds good for making a neat joint that doesn't increase the thickness of the wire at the joint.

I've always twisted the ends together. To be precise: strip the wires about 1,5 cm or so, i.e. fairly long. Twist (wrap) the end of one around the end of the other a couple of mm. back from the end of the insulation, such that the twist is around the bare wire between the start of the twist and the insulation, leaving likewise a couple of mm of bare wire on the one that is being twisted. Twist the free end around the bare bit on the other wire. Bang some solder into the twist.

It makes a blob on the wire where the joint is, but it works very well. Heat-shrink (thread it onto the wire before you strip...) over the joint, and no-one can see how sloppy the soldering is.

 

 

My biggest problem with soldering has always been that I don't have 3D vision. If anyone is interested, this is why https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

Finding the thing I am trying to heat with the soldering iron is a pain, and then finding both of those with the solder. For the brave at heart, cover one eye and try it out.

My grandfather lost vision in one eye totally as a child but he seemed to live a normal life with regards to depth perception. A guy my age in the office back when I worked also lost an eye vision wise totally as a child and he road bikes and raced as well. Another guy I knew back in the 80's who was a Ducati rider and racer only had one eye physically. He lost one in a racing crash when his glasses frame pierced his eye. He still road and raced and also was a crazy keen free rock climber. His profession was a bride player believe it or not. 

I don't know how any of them dealt with the depth perception issue though.

[gstallons]

A bride player ?

[audiomick]

20 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

I don't know how any of them dealt with the depth perception issue though.

Neither do I, actually, because I've never had two normal eyes.

From things I have heard (my dad lost an eye, and he still plays footy....), I have the impression that someone who loses an eye may, possibly, deal with it better than someone who never had two. But I may be wrong there.

How do I deal with it (riding bikes, particularly), I think I scan constantly how much ground is between me and whatever it is I am trying not to hit. Also, how quick is that thing getting bigger? Parallax also plays a part, I think (with only one eye, you have to move your head a bit to get that).

One thing is certain: "ball in the air" sports just don't work. No chance. Footy, cricket, badminten, basketball, table tennis, tennis, whatever. Doesn't work. I played field hockey at school, because that was about the only thing in which I had half a chance.

As far as driving and riding bikes goes, there are moments when the brain is convinced there is no road in front of me. Here, left-hand-drive, right-hand traffic, is actually a bit harder for me (the left eye doesn't work, but I don't know how relevant that is). For instance, heading in to a left-hand curve with a car coming out of the curve in the other direction, there is a moment where the brain is absolutely convinced there is no room to get past. It requires a conscious effort, in the knowledge that, yes, the road really is there, and just as wide in the curve as where I am now, to just ride through the moment. It is only a moment, but it is there.

 

Anyway, for anyone who wants to know what it is like, try this. Cover one eye, and get someone to put a bottle on the table in front of you. It is important to not do it yourself. If you do, your brain will still know where it is, even with both eyes shut.

Try and put a finger on the top of the bottle, going from well above the bottle straight downwards. Get the other person to move the bottle again, and try again. I'd be surprised if you get the finger on the bottle first time.

For the adventurous: cover one eye and get someone to throw a cricket ball or a baseball straight at your face. I'd advise wearing protection for that one.

Edited November 5 by audiomick