Learning to solder is one of the terrifying aspects of the homemade mechanical keyboard hobby. You already have everything; all you need to do is put it together (for those who still need a power supply).
Soldering is enjoyable for many enthusiasts when creating their unique keyboard. But the procedure may also be quite irritating. When I initially began (particularly if you’ve never soldered before). Because I had any tools or resources to draw upon, I mended boards, broken PCBs, and squandered materials entirely. This guidance is intended to help you avoid headaches and losses.
The techniques described here are primarily for soldering a mechanical keyboard to a PCB, but if you found this website from Google or another source, you’re welcome to use them for basic in-hole soldering.
Safety First!
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You will be dealing with a hot iron and molten solder wire, so you must take the proper safety procedures to protect yourself. Nobody wants to appear canine. I advise you to wear safety glasses to protect your face from the vapors.
Static electricity must be kept off the circuit board at all times. Electrostatic discharge may be harmful, especially when the air is dry or it is chilly outside. as a result of PCB damage. I have personally witnessed internal LEDs permanently damaged and clew board PCB damage. (Bound like a moron over my carpeted floor.) Static electricity may be avoided by grounding it using a rubber pad.
Conditions For Soldering A Mechanical Keyboard
As I said in the opening, I posted a positive review on the initial purchase. If you still need to get soldering tools. You may find instructions here. What you need before beginning:
- Keyboard and PCB assembly
- Key (acceptable global key) (worldwide accepted key)
- wire soldering
- Soldering station or iron for soldering
- Copper Wick or a Desoldering Pump
- Add-ons: a rubber mat
Selecting The Proper Solder Wire For A Keyboard
0.8mm is often thin enough, but if you require accurate soldering, you should seek a thinner wire like this 0.6mm solder wire. As you may have observed, solder coils come in various diameters. Considering how few of the parts are, it definitely could be a better idea. To prevent fumes while soldering the switch, I suggest using lead-free solder.
Why are Good Soldering Techniques Important?
First, maintaining a clean circuit board can aid in avoiding technical failures like short circuits that can harm your keyboard. The PCB may sustain long-term damage via the short circuit. Therefore, it is crucial to take great care to ensure that no surplus flux or solder is left behind. The board is also as spotless as it can be.
Suppose a short circuit happens as a result of a soldering error. Permanently damaged LEDs are one drawback (LEDs placed on PCBs are challenging to repair!). And keys that are always unresponsive. (If your keys are printed, it will be easier for you to comprehend.)
Another benefit of clean soldering when building bespoke mechanical keyboards is that it is simpler to re-solder the board. People like to deal with clean PCBs when they want to sell or trade your keyboard on a community site (like Reddit’s r/mechmarket). The new owner frequently wants to modify the key to suit his requirements.
What temperature should be used while soldering switches? What should I do to prevent the keyboard from melting?
Make sure your soldering iron is in good working order and hot enough to melt the solder, according to my top advice. Compared to 361°F/183°C for roughly 40% lead-free solder, lead-free solder has a temperature range of 422.6°F/217°C.
However, it is advised to heat it to the solder’s melting point if your soldering iron or station has a very low wattage and temperature control; otherwise, you risk burning the components. The risk of melting exists. For instance, the maximum temperature of my soldering station, which is 842°F (450°C), prevents it from swinging its sword into the beam next to my circuit board. No need to go too hot. If you can’t obtain actual platinum solder wire, 422.6°F/217°C will do. The issue with the keys is that these cretins weren’t designed to withstand the heat of a volcano!
Soldering Basics
Soldering is seen as being easy. Even while working with bare PCBs may seem repetitious, staying focused is crucial. Since you’ll be handling a hot iron and molten solder, it’s crucial to take safety measures. This shields you from harm and guards against harm to the keyboard set you worked so hard to acquire.
The workspace has to be cleaned first. To provide enough room to work, there should be a clear work area of at least 1 x 2 inches.
Ensure that everything is prepared. The last thing you want to do is allow your soldering iron to heat up while digging around your power supply box for anything else. A hot iron must always be supported!
Before soldering, you can connect every switch to the PCB. PCB-mounted switches include extra plastic feet that may be placed directly to a suitable PCB for enhanced stability if the switch is PCB-mounted and the PCB supports it. However, this is not supported by all PCBs and switches.
For improved alignment, panel-mounted switch systems are used in most bespoke mechanical keyboard sets. The switch’s wires can be attached to the first board and mounted on the PCB. Verify that all copper wires can be seen through the PCB’s holes. If some switches come off the PCB, don’t worry! Not all pages can fit.
Additionally, before soldering, some pads can come out. At the same time, doing cross-disciplinary work and storing keys. More steadiness ought to be apparent.
How To Hold A Soldering Iron And Wires Correctly.
To keep the soldering iron stable, you must hold it like a pencil. Based on the image on the bottom right, try Miss Pinky if your hands are trembling like mine. Although it’s not the simplest approach, utilizing the little finger spade is. But after continuing, I saw that I was detecting this in places where a little more accuracy was needed. Generally speaking, your dominant hand should hold the soldering iron. Even though it might seem intuitive, keep in mind that a soldering iron conducts and warms metal. No metal is emitted by it. If you keep this in mind, you may find it easier to adjust to new motions. It may take some getting accustomed to, but you can do whatever you want when holding the pen.
Soldering Switches To Your Mechanical Keyboard PCB
You can now know how to install the device properly and safely. This section will walk you through soldering switches to a PCB. Heating up, putting the wire through, and going on to the next switch are all necessary steps in proper soldering. When you first start, you’ll discover that you can find a “rhythm.”
Every five to six changes, or whenever you detect that the soldering iron’s tip is beginning to rust, the solder tip has to be cleaned. Use a moist sponge if you want. Including a sponge for cleaning brass wire or the soldering equipment is customary. Because brass wire cleaner is so simple to use and clean after soldering, I advise using it. The soldering iron tip may be kept in good condition to ensure extended life. However, it’s also a safety measure due to the uneven heat distribution of soldering irons that have been heavily oxidized.
Post-solder Clean Up
Cleaning the board of paste residue is the final and most frequently skipped step in the soldering process. If you use the right solder wire, there will be leftover flux surrounding the solder wire (lead-free). The board may still be used despite these tiny “flux poles” passing through completed solder holes since they are not intrinsically harmful. Removing residue with a moist cotton swab or sponge is excellent practice since excessive quantities might eventually harm PCB components. It would help if you typically waited until everything was dry before attaching and plugging in the remainder of your keyboard because most fluxes are water-soluble.
