Soldering workshops

Electronics
#1

I have a PCB I built specifically for soldering workshops that i’m hoping to test run before taking to a larger event. Would this be something that I could potentially host in the electronics area or lobby classroom? Are there soldering irons available for workshop use other than the higher quality irons set up in the electronics area?
I’m trying to determine if I’d need to crowdfund some kits first… When I worked at a college we used kits like these, which were decent enough for an intro workshop.

TIA for the info

#2

First, let me applaud your willingness to teach soldering.

JMO, but I think teaching a newbie to solder without a temperature controlled iron is just plain mean.

While most of the stuff in the kit you reference is potentially useful, with few exceptions none of it that is actually useful is necessary to teach soldering. As I said above, an iron without temperature control will do a disservice to the students.

We do have every item needed in the elab, just not enough copies of everything. I believe we have 6 complete irons (Hakko, Metcal, etc. ) It would be nice to have identical irons for each student, but that’s not essential. I have a portable Weller 1010 kit that I’d be wiling to loan if more are needed.

I do not believe we have enough side cutters, but decent Hakko CHP-170s are decent and about $5 each
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
(Note the stupid volume pricing penalty.)

Again, JMO, but while surface mount parts are increasingly the norm, I don’t think it’s a good topic for an intro class. So tweezers should not be an issue.

You might post an outline of what you intend to cover and get some feedback on that before you sweat facilities. It will also likely get some interest from potential students.

#3

While most of the stuff in the kit you reference is potentially useful, with few exceptions none of it that is actually useful is necessary to teach soldering. As I said above, an iron without temperature control will do a disservice to the students.

Yes half of the stuff isn’t necessary, these kits are so generic. I picked this kit because it had the core components I was hoping for:

  • temp controlled soldering iron (temp dial is on the handle)
  • soldering stand w/ sponge
  • wirecutters
  • solder in a tube (I might swap it out for better solder tho)
  • solder sucker
  • solder wick
  • tweezers
  • screwdriver
  • & helping hands…
    The rest is mostly free giveaway for whoever wanted it, but some of the components would also make the kits more multipurpose for other future workshops. If there was a kit that just had those items I mentioned I would prefer that, but for $17 its hard to find a better deal.
    Also, like I mentioned, i’ve used these kits for workshops before and they worked good enough for a beginner class. I always make sure the tips are not oxidized and wet with solder which mitigates a majority of soldering issues I’ve encountered when teaching soldering.

Again, JMO, but while surface mount parts are increasingly the norm, I don’t think it’s a good topic for an intro class. So tweezers should not be an issue.

Correct, SMT soldering is not appropriate for a beginner workshop. All my components are through hole, and I worked to make sure that the various components have different form factors and through hole spacing so its harder to mix them up. a BOM with clear descriptions is included in the workshop.

I did a soft mention a few days ago on socials, and will announce it more broadly once a location is determined and my workshop materials are figured out. Not trying to sweat any facilities, just inquiring about what equiment is available for soldering workshops. Here’s some images of the board. Webpage is still WIP. I’ve taught I think 10 previous soldering-specific workshops, but haven’t taught with this particular board yet.

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#4

IMG_20230730_210631370
IMG_20230730_2106313701600×1200 216 KB

I tend to teach using two solder pens, and microscope. Is that over kill?

#5

if you’re teaching surface mount soldering its quite helpful. I am not teaching surface mount soldering though. I’m just asking if there are soldering setups meant specifically for teaching soldering-based workshops, and if I would be able to host the workshop in the electronics area or the front lobby classroom.

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#6

Okay so couple options here in regards to kits.

  1. if the kits are meant to be kept by people that are taking the class, the class should charge what is used to cover those generally. If we build our own kits, electronics committee might cover some amount of the cost.

  2. If these are kits that we are going to keep locked up in the electronics area specifically for teaching classes and are planning on reusing them, the electronics committee can purchase those and maintain them. The caveat with this is that any teacher that wants to teach soldering and gets permission would be able to use said kits.

Classes can be held in either the electronics area or north lobby. Generally, we require that any classes that have primarily non-member guests are held in the north lobby classroom. This can be arranged differently with prior engagement to the board. If the class is mostly members (with maybe one or two guests) then it is not as big of a deal and can occur in either location. (Although the instructor must handle letting the guests in and making sure that they’ve signed waivers and everything else)

I personally am in agreement - although mentioning the differences between surface mount soldering and regular soldering is reasonable, don’t overcomplicate it with SMT right away… Same with dual wielding/ using hot air and soldering irons and everything else at the first time- that’s how people get scared off in my experience (me being one of them for the longest time).

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#7

awesome, thank you for the response @jsnowfreedman

so the answer is:

  • soldering kits meant specifically for workshops don’t currently exist.
  • workshops are best hosted in the front lobby classroom if its composed primarily of non-members.

I will think about this and look at some pricing. Might fund the purchase myself and keep the kits, or come up with a proposal for the org for kits that would remain in the lab for any teachers to use.

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