How the heck did this reach 10k views! Thank you so much everyone! I will be updating this video with much more in 2019: - Desoldering - Recommended Irons - Other tips and tricks!
>How the heck did this reach 10k views Easy - it's focused on keyboard switch soldering and informative :) I just got my first decent soldering iron myself (used borrowed ancient soviet one before with mediocre results) and after first tries now searching for ways to improve my soldering. While it's easy to solder and de-solder stuff with good results, I'm still stumbling on issues like "Why the hell my resulting solder blobs are matte and not glossy?", "What tip form is best for switch work" ("sharp needle" form as in 900M-T-I is no good, chisel is okayish), "Why my tip is unwettable with tin after cleaning" etc etc. Many can be answered with "get better quality components" but I guess all will come with experience.
This video was great. I knew the basic idea of how soldering worked and stuff in theory. But this video allowed me to actually do it in real life. I had no idea what temperature to set soldering irons to for different PCBs and this gave some insight. I've had molten solder land on my hand before a few times as a kid and that's what turned me away from doing this in the first place. Thank you for making this video.
Holy moly my dude. 1000 views in no time. Soldering is the thing that holds people back, but it's really not that hard if you go in prepared. Looking forward to more videos.
Bro, thank you for this! Been a fan of TaeKeyboards for a while, but glad I found your channel too mate! As a fellow Oz getting into the keyb community, this is super helpful. Hope your channel picks up traction this year mate!
@@goodjihad I am very worried because this is my first time desoldering and soldering. I am waiting for your guide. Taekeyboards brought me here. 😉 Thank you!
Thanks for this amazing video man, just a questions lets say I am soldering the switches and I got to do something else or just wanna fix something on pcb and I wanna put aside the soldering iron so I put on soldering on the tip and then shut down the soldering station? Later when I come back I heat it up, first clean it off then starting soldering again? Simply what you do with iron in long rest periods vs short periods to keep it clean? :) I hope you got me, ty again JUJU! :)
Just as you said. When you are done leave a blob of solder and let it get cold and solidify on the tip. This protects the tip from oxidation. When using it just dont leave it on without any solder. Always tin it with a small amount to protect the tip during a longer than usual break. Otherwise power off. That's basically it! :) I will cover more in my 2018 update coming soon
Rob R that definitely also works well. I vary between them because I find some pcbs have different results. For eg I used it on an old pcb and it was making scratch marks.
That is a good point I didn't think of adding. It's definitely a good ideal to test how the PCB will react to the iso alcohol & scrubbing in an inconspicuous area before going crazy.
Great video! I'm about to build my first keyboard so this is very helpful. What should I do if my soldering iron doesn't have an option to look at the temperature?
First of all thanks for watching. I am making a 2018 version tutorial soon! It will be fine. Put some solder on it and if it smokes toooo much then it's too hot. If it smokes a little go for it. In general most non temp reg irons are approx 350-380 deg c Preferably buy a temp controlled one even if cheap
If the wattage is between 30-40W then yes! :) No soldering iron is bad for keyboards. It's all about skill. If you cannot handle a cheap soldering iron you won't be able to use a better one any easier. Practice practice practice! :) Wish you the best of luck! Come join our discord for help ^^
Leaded solder is forbidden in the EU, probably a good thing. Could probably buy it in the States too if you want to reduce the risk of the smoke (probably not something you should breath in even when unleaded though).
Except the lead in the solder does not vaporize. That's the resin core. The unleaded is actually more dangerous with it's fumes. Lead bans are based around environmental concerns with disposal. And knee jerk reactions to anything with lead.
@@levigoldson4242 okay, actually seems to be the case. Although wouldn't surprise me of some small amount of lead fumes were produced, that said the amount might be too small to matter. How would the fumes be more dangerous in unleaded? Do they use some different resin or something?
Hey man! I currently have a Vortex Pok3r I believe its the first edition, I am thinking about changing the switches and modding the stabilisers as atm they rattle an awful amount. But I dont have the confidence to desolder all the switches and solder new ones on, could you give me any tips?
Switches have metal pins and the PCB itself has metal pads. To allow that signal to pass from switch to keyboard you need to join them with something conductive. We use solder to do that, which is a metal we flow on with a soldering iron.
Hey thanks for the helpful video, just wondering if you have to touch the metal ring and pin with the soldering iron or do you hold it close but not touching? Thanks
Good question! This is why my new video is coming out. You have to touch both of them reasonably hard and equally, not one at a time, in order to transfer the heat into both the pin and pad and let the solder flow onto both . If it is not going in smoothly add a little to the iron tip and then follow with more solder once on the two components.
Hey dude, great vid. I’m building a keeb for the first time. My 60/40 solder says it has a melting point is 374°F, I don’t know if to use the temperature you use or to use 374°F. Pls help
@@goodjihad and btw I can't find your budget recommended soldering station because I didn't have access to credit card yet but I found this cheap solder proskit s202 can I use that one??
@@stotlekeebs as long as it heats up well and can solder a large pcb it should be fine for your first keyboard. Try test it first if you are worried. If not just test soldering one switch and if you get good results as shown then you should be fine!
Nope you do it while it is on. You press it against the brass ball and move towards you to get old solder off. When you turn it off you put a blob of solder on the tip and turn it off for storage. This is how you prolong your tips.
Hello! This is so you can build your own mechanical keyboard from scratch! You get switches and buy the kit to build your own mechanical keyboard. The switches need to be soldered in on this PCB board. There are non-soldered variants however :)
Bought an amazing Keyboard in AKKO, it arrived with a faulty In one letter, they response> try soldering the key that doesn't work. Like if it was that easy ugh-
350*C. 60/40 (great :)). Put solder onto your iron, does it take time to melt into the tip or does it melt nicely and make a puddle on the tip of the iron and then into a drip? If it does the latter it is likely working fine.
@@goodjihad i can get it to melt but it won't puddle. I have two different brands. I ordered two more to see if its still same. Its just very messy and crumbles
Don't be! Really it is all in the learning process! What you need is some patience and just decent tools to get it done. I will be making a desoldering tutorial soon so not to worry :)
I soldered my first keyoard without any help, and it looks horrile, you can proaly guess which key doesnt work, ut im going ack to work on it now that i hae watched this ideo.
i dont see why you would be aiming for a good looking soldering job. no one is going to see the bottom of the pcb, and even if you were to take it out and show someone how good of a job you did soldering, they most likely wouldnt care. as long as it works, it works.
Bad solder jobs means the joints will not last long and crack or worse. Means your soldering will likely cause your keyboard to prematurely fail. Do it properly the first time. People won't see the car bolts on your car wheel or brakes but they better be on properly or you gonna hurt yourself. What mentality would you prefer?
These are for more intense applications i believe. Do not use them. Ag chemical symbol for silver. So 2% silver and Cu is copper. Avoid both for this purpose.
You don't have to intentionally eat it. There can be residue and particles on your hands when touching it. So you may inadvertently lick your fingers etc and ingest solder.
If you have a hobby in electronics, spending that much for this iron is great. There are now some cheaper alternatives since making this video like the $70 TS100 on Aliexpress and some others.
You doing it wrong. Your "good" example is actually worse than "decent" one. Not to mention that "feed the solder" technique is not the only one applicable and yet you "teach" viewers that it's a no go.
If I read correctly, you mean a cheap iron that has no temp regulation vs one that does? Yes I would prefer one with temp regulation. The cheap 20-25w soldering irons should be sufficient for most pcbs. Desoldering can be a pain with a cheap iron. They cannot keep enough heat on the joint while pulling, etc.
2020 Tutorial coming out soon! Subscribe now! 2019 one is here - ua-cam.com/video/JpV-eJNrXjk/v-deo.html
How the heck did this reach 10k views! Thank you so much everyone! I will be updating this video with much more in 2019:
- Desoldering
- Recommended Irons
- Other tips and tricks!
Great. i broke a switch and need to replace it. so i'm gonna be waiting for your guide :D
Won't be long! :)
>How the heck did this reach 10k views
Easy - it's focused on keyboard switch soldering and informative :)
I just got my first decent soldering iron myself (used borrowed ancient soviet one before with mediocre results) and after first tries now searching for ways to improve my soldering.
While it's easy to solder and de-solder stuff with good results, I'm still stumbling on issues like "Why the hell my resulting solder blobs are matte and not glossy?", "What tip form is best for switch work" ("sharp needle" form as in 900M-T-I is no good, chisel is okayish), "Why my tip is unwettable with tin after cleaning" etc etc. Many can be answered with "get better quality components" but I guess all will come with experience.
@@sarmatiko Thank you for your informative and loving reply
This video was great. I knew the basic idea of how soldering worked and stuff in theory. But this video allowed me to actually do it in real life. I had no idea what temperature to set soldering irons to for different PCBs and this gave some insight. I've had molten solder land on my hand before a few times as a kid and that's what turned me away from doing this in the first place. Thank you for making this video.
Good tutorial but use less blur on the transitions between clips
C thanks! :) still learning premiere pro so definitely will fix on next vid!
I wish you could see the content I make now :)
@@goodjihad Reupload it with less blurr. We can´t see what you are doing.
@@tucatucz i will be remaking the video this year in 4k JUST for you! 😊 can't wait!
@@goodjihad epic youtuber right there,I heard enough,Im subbing lol
Congrats on getting linked by The Verge!
Lol thanks! Just happy they changed their host! He definitely researched the topic well!
Can't believe I have hit nearly 3k views on my first video! I hope it has been very beneficial to you all building your first keyboards :)!
Holy moly my dude. 1000 views in no time. Soldering is the thing that holds people back, but it's really not that hard if you go in prepared.
Looking forward to more videos.
Thanks Chokkan
Just soldered my first keyboard, all works fine from first try!!! Thanks a lot
Congratz!
Bro, thank you for this! Been a fan of TaeKeyboards for a while, but glad I found your channel too mate! As a fellow Oz getting into the keyb community, this is super helpful. Hope your channel picks up traction this year mate!
No worries Calvin! Hope it got you out of trouble ;) thanks for commenting!
Will try this when my replacement switches arrive. I hope it goes well on my first try. Thanks for the guide!
No worries! Will be updating my guide soon anyways!
@@goodjihad I am very worried because this is my first time desoldering and soldering. I am waiting for your guide. Taekeyboards brought me here. 😉 Thank you!
A usb C guide would be great, going to be building my own keyboard soon
How did it go?
great tutorial. thank you for also explaining the technicality behind it. the illustrations really helped.
yalla bye.
Pleasure :)
Great advice! I'm new in the keebs community and this seems like a helpful guide for solder related tips.
There is more on my newer video! You would be missing out if you don't! Thanks for watching :)
Awesome, I'm excited to give my first MK a go!
Be sure to watch my dedicated keyboard tutorial on my channel! 2020 version coming soon :)
Thanks for this amazing video man, just a questions lets say I am soldering the switches and I got to do something else or just wanna fix something on pcb and I wanna put aside the soldering iron so I put on soldering on the tip and then shut down the soldering station? Later when I come back I heat it up, first clean it off then starting soldering again?
Simply what you do with iron in long rest periods vs short periods to keep it clean? :)
I hope you got me, ty again JUJU! :)
Just as you said. When you are done leave a blob of solder and let it get cold and solidify on the tip.
This protects the tip from oxidation.
When using it just dont leave it on without any solder. Always tin it with a small amount to protect the tip during a longer than usual break. Otherwise power off.
That's basically it! :) I will cover more in my 2018 update coming soon
USB-C mod plz
You got your wish bro :)
Thanks I’m trying to sell custom keyboards and this taught me a lot
For an extra clean look on the back of PCB use 99% iso alcohol & a old soft toothbrush to remove all of the flux from the solder joints.
Rob R that definitely also works well. I vary between them because I find some pcbs have different results. For eg I used it on an old pcb and it was making scratch marks.
That is a good point I didn't think of adding. It's definitely a good ideal to test how the PCB will react to the iso alcohol & scrubbing in an inconspicuous area before going crazy.
Excellent guide dude well done
Alexandros Bakolias thank you!
very informative video! thanks a lot
Very Nice Bro Keep It Up
Thanks!
Great guide! Thanks for posting this :)
Thank you! Glad it helped! 2019 version will be better!
this helps me, wanna say thanks :)
Glad to hear that!
USB type C mod tutorial pls!
Thanks for the vid!
Thanks!
Thank you for this video!
My pleasure!
Great video! I'm about to build my first keyboard so this is very helpful. What should I do if my soldering iron doesn't have an option to look at the temperature?
First of all thanks for watching. I am making a 2018 version tutorial soon!
It will be fine. Put some solder on it and if it smokes toooo much then it's too hot. If it smokes a little go for it. In general most non temp reg irons are approx 350-380 deg c
Preferably buy a temp controlled one even if cheap
@@goodjihad Alright cool, thanks!
can you use a regular steel pad those are everywhere or does it have to be brass?
REALLIRIL REALLYY BAD! you make my day haha
will a cheap soldering iron also work? I have a 20$ soldering iron and don't know if it is bad for keyboards.
If the wattage is between 30-40W then yes! :) No soldering iron is bad for keyboards. It's all about skill. If you cannot handle a cheap soldering iron you won't be able to use a better one any easier. Practice practice practice! :) Wish you the best of luck! Come join our discord for help ^^
Nice info!!
Thank you! Hope it was helpful :)
Electronics stores don't exist anymore where I live at least!
They going out! That's true :(
Can't say I agree with your soldering iron tip choice. It looks either like a conical tip or a VERY small chisel tip.
2dfx I don’t agree with it either! It’s a small chisel tip. It’s the only one I had at the time :)
Is it important that the solder is 0,7mm? Would for example 0,6mm work too?
Honestly yes of course! 0.7mm is just a standard wire I use for most through hole and smd soldering. Easy to handle! The smaller the better for smd.
JUJU ok thanks!
Leaded solder is forbidden in the EU, probably a good thing. Could probably buy it in the States too if you want to reduce the risk of the smoke (probably not something you should breath in even when unleaded though).
Except the lead in the solder does not vaporize. That's the resin core. The unleaded is actually more dangerous with it's fumes.
Lead bans are based around environmental concerns with disposal. And knee jerk reactions to anything with lead.
@@levigoldson4242 okay, actually seems to be the case. Although wouldn't surprise me of some small amount of lead fumes were produced, that said the amount might be too small to matter.
How would the fumes be more dangerous in unleaded? Do they use some different resin or something?
USB C is the FUTUUUUURRRRE
Hey man! I currently have a Vortex Pok3r I believe its the first edition, I am thinking about changing the switches and modding the stabilisers as atm they rattle an awful amount. But I dont have the confidence to desolder all the switches and solder new ones on, could you give me any tips?
Im thinking about building a custom keyboard but i am curious as to why you have to solder.
Switches have metal pins and the PCB itself has metal pads. To allow that signal to pass from switch to keyboard you need to join them with something conductive. We use solder to do that, which is a metal we flow on with a soldering iron.
Hey thanks for the helpful video, just wondering if you have to touch the metal ring and pin with the soldering iron or do you hold it close but not touching? Thanks
Good question! This is why my new video is coming out.
You have to touch both of them reasonably hard and equally, not one at a time, in order to transfer the heat into both the pin and pad and let the solder flow onto both . If it is not going in smoothly add a little to the iron tip and then follow with more solder once on the two components.
Is it ok if I use 60 40 0.8mm solder? I can’t find any 0.7mm ones. Also is a Rosen core ok?
Rosin core solder is used for electronics
Hey dude, great vid. I’m building a keeb for the first time. My 60/40 solder says it has a melting point is 374°F, I don’t know if to use the temperature you use or to use 374°F. Pls help
Join our discord for help :)
Hi I just wanna ask in my local store there is only 0.8mm soldering tin can I use that one
That is fine for through hole yes.
@@goodjihad and btw I can't find your budget recommended soldering station because I didn't have access to credit card yet but I found this cheap solder proskit s202 can I use that one??
@@stotlekeebs as long as it heats up well and can solder a large pcb it should be fine for your first keyboard. Try test it first if you are worried. If not just test soldering one switch and if you get good results as shown then you should be fine!
@@goodjihad thx for the guide man appreciate it
After de soldering all switches, should i put every single switches in the same order as it was? Or can I put it in any order?
Any order.
@@goodjihad Thank you!
will 60 tin 40 lead 0.6mm solder work just fine??
yes perfectly!
mate leave the lead out its pure poison.. theres lead free solder
Masel okay! I’ll look
@@marcel1352 LEAD FREE IS BAD FOR KEYBOARDS
Sounds like interstellar soundtrack in the background.
Good movie :D
is one supposed to turn off the soldering iron when cleaning the tip?
Nope you do it while it is on. You press it against the brass ball and move towards you to get old solder off. When you turn it off you put a blob of solder on the tip and turn it off for storage. This is how you prolong your tips.
@@goodjihad Really appreciate the quick and informational response !
Is there a way to pay people to do it and where do you find these people I am trying to switch the switches on my keyboard
Many on mechmarket :)
Hey, mech noob here, heard about people talking about this so I checked it out, but what does this do?
Hello! This is so you can build your own mechanical keyboard from scratch! You get switches and buy the kit to build your own mechanical keyboard. The switches need to be soldered in on this PCB board. There are non-soldered variants however :)
@@goodjihad Oh so if I buy a geek gk61 board without the switches will I need to solder to put in MX black switches?
what pcb do you use in this video?
Where's the link to the solder spreadsheet?
Watch my more recent videos :)
@@goodjihad I don't see the spreadsheet on any of them
Hey should i avoid soldering if im immuno defiant
You would have to check this yourself. I cannot give you medical advice.
JUJU ok thanks
I’m pretty scared I have a ducky varmillo miya pro and I want new switches but that means I’ll have to desolder then re solder any advice
DO IT! Maybe first learn about soldering and desoldering first on some other things :)
JUJU Thanks for the reply❤️ Just Subbed
Where do u get a 60% pcb. I can’t find it and all the youtubers pcb links don’t work. Pls help
Kbdfans!
JUJU what’s it called. What do I have to search on kbdfans to find it. And thanks for the real fast response time
@@msitomahawk1676 if you buy any of his kits it will come with a dz60. If you just want the pcb then get the DZ60.
JUJU ok thank you
Bought an amazing Keyboard in AKKO, it arrived with a faulty In one letter, they response> try soldering the key that doesn't work. Like if it was that easy ugh-
great im ready for my temporary asthma!
yeah remember to clean your tip guys
yeah this doesn't work for me. My solder instantly turns solid (yes I have 60 40). It's super messy and I can't get a clean puddle like you do.
350*C. 60/40 (great :)). Put solder onto your iron, does it take time to melt into the tip or does it melt nicely and make a puddle on the tip of the iron and then into a drip? If it does the latter it is likely working fine.
@@goodjihad i can get it to melt but it won't puddle. I have two different brands. I ordered two more to see if its still same. Its just very messy and crumbles
Hey can you do the type c mod on a blackwidow chroma X Te?
I don't know what it looks like inside to say! Sorry :)
usb-c mod please :)
Where did you buy your solder wire I can not find a store that carry’s it
In Australia? You can get some at Jaycar, Mektronics, and a handful of other places. I use 60/40 Leaded Solder
I am so scared to destroy a pcb or a switch. I have to desolder a pcb first though.
Don't be! Really it is all in the learning process! What you need is some patience and just decent tools to get it done. I will be making a desoldering tutorial soon so not to worry :)
@@lionelcooper7251 a couple of weeks time and it will be out
I soldered my first keyoard without any help, and it looks horrile, you can proaly guess which key doesnt work, ut im going ack to work on it now that i hae watched this ideo.
Clean your tip regularly 😂
My IPC training right now 😶🙂😊🙃😟😣🙂🥵
Solder boy
All the blurry shots are making my eyes hurt :(. But, thank you!
Video from 3 years ago my friend. I have so much more new ones on the description and on my channel! Check them out!
i dont see why you would be aiming for a good looking soldering job. no one is going to see the bottom of the pcb, and even if you were to take it out and show someone how good of a job you did soldering, they most likely wouldnt care. as long as it works, it works.
Bad solder jobs means the joints will not last long and crack or worse. Means your soldering will likely cause your keyboard to prematurely fail. Do it properly the first time.
People won't see the car bolts on your car wheel or brakes but they better be on properly or you gonna hurt yourself. What mentality would you prefer?
I've found solder wire that is Sn62/Pb36/Ag2.
What is Ag2?
I have also found Sn60/Pb38/Cu2. Same question. What is Cu2?
These are for more intense applications i believe. Do not use them.
Ag chemical symbol for silver. So 2% silver and Cu is copper.
Avoid both for this purpose.
i get soooo drunk to looking for solder my keyboard... not disappotinted tho
I broke my keyboard *sobs*
Ohh no! Let me know if you want help. Come join my discord!
discord.gg/hnpqcuN
Wrist strap? Respect lost 😂
"I have modded mine up to 180g" made me think of this ua-cam.com/video/KakxXgk8AGg/v-deo.html
This looks tricky Imma get hotswap keyboard then
2:32 "Do not consume solder and wash hands after use."
Is anybody actually stupid enough to consume solder and wash hands at the same time?
You don't have to intentionally eat it. There can be residue and particles on your hands when touching it. So you may inadvertently lick your fingers etc and ingest solder.
@@goodjihad That was jump an attempt at a joke, not discredit. The video is very helpful.
@@423985728945 ohh i know! :) haha sorry should have chucked smiley in there! I was just saying what I and others might do lol
Stop the Blur
Are you on the beat?
ONLY 165 DOLLARS 🤣😂
"Only" $165 for a soldering iron.. hmmm...
If you have a hobby in electronics, spending that much for this iron is great. There are now some cheaper alternatives since making this video like the $70 TS100 on Aliexpress and some others.
You doing it wrong. Your "good" example is actually worse than "decent" one. Not to mention that "feed the solder" technique is not the only one applicable and yet you "teach" viewers that it's a no go.
is it okay to desolder and solder switches with a cheap soldering iron that plugs directly to the wall or should i get a soldering iron?
If I read correctly, you mean a cheap iron that has no temp regulation vs one that does? Yes I would prefer one with temp regulation.
The cheap 20-25w soldering irons should be sufficient for most pcbs.
Desoldering can be a pain with a cheap iron. They cannot keep enough heat on the joint while pulling, etc.