Explorerlover
So I'm upgrading the electronics on the Aria hollowbody I have and while the pots, caps and switches and Retrotrons are on the way, I'm getting as much info on the wiring etc. My main issue is this...how do I make sure that I don't fry the pots with the soldering iron when trying to get the whole "harness" done? Is there a specific type of solder to use.? Is there another way I can wire it without having to attach the wires to the back of the pots?
Please bear with me, this is a first attempt. :-[
nick
Pot can take a fair bit of heat, tin the wire first, then heat the back of the pot, flow some solder. Before it starts to cool completely reheat till its molten and move the wire into the pool, remove heat and done!
AlanRatcliffe
An important thing is to make sure you have an iron big/hot enough to heat the soldering area of the pot up quickly before the heat spreads and damages the innards. At least 30W and ideally 60W or more.
Explorerlover
Thanks Gents...I believe mine is a 45watt, but my tool gas is almost as bad a my guitar gas so I think I can get a "hotter" one as a from me to me prezzy.
Rudolf
Second what Alan said...get an iron that can pack a punch and do it quickly. If you need to hold the soldering iron on the pot for anything more than a second and a fart before the solder starts flowing on it you're gonna need a better soldering iron. The key is to heat the spot you want to solder to very quickly and get out asap. This pretty much applies to any electronics, you can ruin anything letting the heat run. Don't forget to get a little solder on your iron tip when you're shooting to make contact with the pot or whatever, and then knock it off again with a wet sponge right after. The molten solder on the iron will help get the heat flowing into the part quickly (Spreading the contact point).
nicovlogg
On some pots it also helps just to scuff up the back with a bit of sandpaper, seems to take the solder a lot better that way.
costafonix
You can also use a 'heat sink' if you're worried, essentially its a metal crocodile clip or similar (you can buy at most electronic shops) and attach it to the pot (the metal side of the pot closest to where you're soldering) while you're soldering, and what that does is help absorb some of the heat onto the clip.
Brastep
Give the surface a GOOD rub with a clean cloth and a light sanding. Helps the solder to "stick".
Bob-Dubery
I opened up my mongrelcaster recently. I wanted to add to the mess inside. I found that all the pots had a lug on the casing which would take a common size of spade connector. I was only adding one piece of wire, but it occured to me that the way to go maybe to solder all the wires to a spade connector and then fix the spade connector to the pot and add a blob of solder to secure it.
Of course you have to figure out exactly what has to go where first.
Explorerlover
Turned out not to be such a big deal. Went with thinner solder wire and the Bourns pots are a dream to work with......famous last words though.
I had to fabricate new pickup rings out of walnut that could house a humbucker but with "wider wings" to make sure that the original pup holes are covered.Hooked up everything, struggled for half a day to get the jack back in place through the thin F hole and pickup hole, making sure that I don;t rip the other wiring apart while trying to get it in there and that the entire harness is still in tact. Fitted the new bridge, strung up and aligned the new bridge with the "Bigsby-like" tailpiece.....plugged her in and.....BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ......which is even worse when I touch any of the knobless pots. So no guitar sound, just noise.
Obviously, it all needs to come out again.
Btw, where would you ground the wires in an archtop hollowbody?
AlanRatcliffe
The ground is loose somewhere - probably the jack or where the output joins to the selector.
BTW - Tie some wire or fishing line to the jack before you pull the jack back into the body and you can pull it back into place again when you're finished. Same with any of the other parts you need to loosen.
Btw, where would you ground the wires in an archtop hollowbody?
There should be a wire coming from the tailpiece to ground the strings.
RobK
Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
An important thing is to make sure you have an iron big/hot enough to heat the soldering area of the pot up quickly before the heat spreads and damages the innards. At least 30W and ideally 60W or more.
I take it you're not talking about the 100 ront 60W soldering irons, 'cause I have one of those and the solder just laughs at it. My 40W Weller, on the other hand, gets hot enough to tin 12 AWG wire in under 5 seconds(don't quote me but it's fast ? ). So W != W when it comes to soldering irons, AFAIC.
Wizard
I followed Alan's advice and soldered to a common earth "lug" rather than to the pots.
Another interesting problem is soldering an earth wire to the back of a Strat trem "claw".
I tried a new experiment which I really like.
My wife bought a mini blow-torch for making Creme Brulee.
Works like a "dream" for heating up a large bit of metal when needing to solder a wire to it.
Little bit of advice though ... don't touch it after soldering ... for quite a long time. Or a very long time.
Gearhead
Just dangle the claw on the wire and dip it in some water - cools quick quick.
RobK
So, all the earth wires don't need to be soldered to the pot, right? What was the logic behind soldering to the pot in the first place? Just curious as I was looking at a few wiring diagrams and all mention soldering all earth wires to the back of the volume pot.
AlanRatcliffe
Usually soldering to the pots is just convenience. In your case, they do need to be soldered to the pots - that grounds the covers so they are screened (where in a Strat or Tele, the pickguard screen will earth the covers). It also helps keep the wiring rigidly in place so there is less chance of a short from the external cable screening moving and touching a hot.
kp247
As others have said here the pots can take a lot of heat without any major problem, however, if you intend doing this sort of hobby job on a more regular basis, it would be a great idea to invest in a good Weller soldering iron. You don't have to buy a very expensive one, even the entry-level ones are fantastic!
Just to add: Remember the pot covers are just that - covers. They can be clipped loose from the body of the pot assembly and they don't touch any part of the carbon track or contact points anyway, so heat isn't normally a problem, unless you apply so much heat that the whole thing becomes so hot that it starts warping and then the wiper might become stuck or the carbon might come off it's glued base or something like that.
