Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!
This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.
It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:
- Something interesting that happened to you
- Something humourous that happened to you
- Something frustrating that happened to you
- A quick question
- A request for recommendations
- Pictures of your pet
- A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
- Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)
So how’s it going?
So it turned out another server on the same rack as our one was experiencing a DDoS attack, which affected us as well. Lemmy seems to have been pretty stable for me the last couple of days, so I’ve started reenabling things. Apologies about the downtime we have had recently, hopefully this is better from here on out.
Also if you missed it, go and complete the Lemmy.nz Census.
Also, 5 sleeps until our 1 year birthday!
Hope the ddos did not cause any issues! I have just filled in the form
The host has done some magic to mitigate and we seem in much better shape.
Thanks for filling in the form!
I made it to my latest covid booster without catching covid, hooray!
In related news my arm hurts.
Oh shit I knew there was something I was supposed to do. Better get onto it this week.
Anyone got some tips on soldering? Trying to fix a loose connection.
Also if anyone knows of any good/cheap kits out there to practise on too
tips on soldering
In addition to the other comments - if you’re soldering to something that can sink a lot of heat (a great big copper connector, or the ground plane on a circuit board), you will probably need a fairly broad tip. A finer tip can’t transfer heat fast enough, so you end up having to hold it in contact for far too long to get hot enough to melt the solder and (counterintuitively) you end up melting plastic or overheating components. Doubly so if you’ve cranked up the heat to help.
Good to know, I’m mainly looking at repairing a few things for now, but hoping to find some small hobby kits to practice on later on.
The key to good soldered joints is cleanliness, both the iron tip and the wires/terminals you are soldering.
The iron tip needs to be kept clean, typically by wiping the tip on a slightly damp sponge. Most iron stands include a sponge. Use multicore solder, this has the flux built-in. Once the iron has heated up clean the tip with fine emery paper, and tin the tip with a small touch of solder. Wipe the tip on the sponge.
Never carry molten solder on the tip of the iron, use the iron to heat the wire/connector and apply the solder to the joint. Remove a short length of the wire insulation, if it’s multi strand, twist and tin the end before assembling the joint.
The size of the iron depends on the size of the items you are soldering. Bigger connectors and wires will need a bigger iron.
Remember keep everything clean!!! A fibre-glass pencil works great for doing that.
Thanks!
I’m trying to solder a loose socket on a circuit board. There seems to be very little solder originally on it, which I believe was causing the issue I was having when trying to turn on the appliance. I did make sure to get 60/40 solder with rosin core, but I think it’s too big and would be easier if it was thinner. I think it was 1.6 mm.
Is one of those brass wool tip cleaners fine by itself, or do I need a sponge as well? I did manage to get a few different tip sizes, so I can play around and find which works better
It could be that the problem with the socket are the plated through holes in the PCB. The socket gets regular plugs/unplugs and that’ll move the socket and could break one or more of connections to the PCB. The connections to the socket are potentially on inner layers of the PCB, that might be tough to fix.
Bulk assembly of PCB’s is fully automated these days, the components are machine fitted and the whole board is then flow soldered.
The damp sponge will wipe away any burnt on resin from the bit. If you use thinner solder, say 0.8mm, you’ll need to use a smaller iron bit.
I’m not sure how to explain it, it’s a power connector (I believe) on the inside of an oscillating fan but not the part that gets plugged in to the outisde. It’s the 4 pin header type of plug if you know what I mean. So it stays plugged in all the time. Sorry I don’t know all the terminology, I’m still trying to learn!
OK, that’s unlikely to be a high tech circuit board. Try simply resoldering the connector pins, I’m guessing there are 4, but that is a guess. Apply the clean iron tip to each pad in turn, and run a little fresh solder to them.
Will give it a go this weekend!
@[email protected] it seems The Bambino only went down to $350. There are:
- The Bambino - $357
- Delonghi Decica EC950M - $357
- Delonghi Dedica EC685BK - $312
Or this beast, Sunbeam Barista Plus, that is $500 but it was $1100!
Are any of these a good deal?
Input from others is allowed too!
Ooh, maybe this one? A bit pricier though, but I see it’s recommended on the /r/espresso wiki.
Sorry, damn work keeps on getting in the way of social media. Yeah that price isn’t amazing for the bambino; checked priceme and it definitely goes on sale with steeper discounts. Could always check again for Matariki at the end of June.
The barista express is the same machine as the bambino but includes a grinder. I think you said you already have a grinder?
Yeah, it’s not a great grinder, but I do have one. I think my eyes are also a big bigger than my bench space, I got a bit carried away. The Bambino is probably a much better size. Also when it comes down to it, I don’t think I’m willing to spend $700.
I think I’ll just keep watching The Bambino until it has a deeper sale. It’s not like I’m in a rush because I desperately need an espresso machine 😆
Just butting in to suggest the Presso.
If you get cycloned and lose power, but have a coffee addiction - then something that can make near Espresso without electricity is a boon!
I’m not sure I’ll ever be desperate for coffee but unwilling to use a plunger 😆.
It it worth considering instead of an espresso machine?
Ive had mine for 10 years and use it daily. Makes pretty good espresso, not as good as a good barista would, but good enough.
https://presso.co.nz/shop/hand-powered-coffee-makers/rok-gc-espresso-maker-silver/
They are pricey given they just do a black coffee and all though.
I think at the moment I want more of a traditional espresso machine, but I’ve written it on my wish list for the future once I learn how to make espresso.
I really like that they designed a newer version, but they sell conversion kits so you can upgrade your 20 year old one!
Yeah I converted mine to the new version - they had a really good guarantee when I bought mine as well which was 10 years, if something breaks send a photo & we’ll send a replacement.
That’s really cool, it’s definitely on my list for the future! I just have no idea what I’m doing with regards to espresso so am wanting to go with a more standard machine first. Plus I’m pretty sure the kids will love some mirco-foamed milk!
