Is this video good enough?

Mine arrived today! Woo! (Ordered 2, because that's what I do) I must have gotten in before "The Clivening" (you can have that. you're welcome) and the prices bumped up a little. I'm looking forward to the little "LED dice" kits I bought too. Good simple fun that keeps me in my happy place. Thanks, Clive! Abundant and unending thanks.

Michael Thompson

Sure. I think it is a fine video. You got me back into electronics with this sort of stuff. Go for it!

Miek Buchanan

Even though I have been soldering since I was 12 (57 now) I found it a perfect introduction to the world of soldering.

Zeedijk Mike

Even after 50 years I can still brand myself with a soldering iron. The one real no-no is to try to catch ti if you drop it as it is guaranteed that you will catch the hot end.

Alice Chapman

Back in the day in the 80s/90s we used Warton Metals solder at work. I still have a small supply of around 200g left. I do have 2kg of Farnell branded "Multicore"™ solder, both 60/40 tin/lead. My only experience of lead free was in the early days of its introduction, and back then it was crap.

Alice Chapman

Strangely I have 2kg of 60/40 Sn/Pb solder from when I worked in a school.

Alice Chapman

Quite acceptable and accurate, fits perfectly in the series with the component explanation.

Video looks fine to me, and a good concept for the channel. The USB Soldering iron is new to me, they have probably been around a while, bought two on banggood cheap and then saw Mike Bird's comment & your reply so will have to wait and see what I get but I suspect they will need fettling !

Robert

Late for the party again; yes that's me! Anyways, great subject but the video could be a bit more coherent, like, first the overview: these are the tools and then review one item at a time :) Btw: my tip for a super affordable diy soldering iron tip cleaner: buy the finest steel wool you can find from your hardware store and just stick a knot of it into an empty jar. Works really well!

Are you a teacher that had a bit too much marking to do over the summer?

Phil in the kitchen

That should be as simple as bridging the transistor.

Big Clive

I hard wired the original one, purely because I didn't like the jack plug and wanted to reduce voltage drop on the cable.

Big Clive

PileOfStuff did a great review of the USB soldering iron, including the (fairly common) problem of them being shipped with the wrong mini-plug end. The irons are wired to receive a Tip/Ring/Ring/Sleeve plug with the Tip positive and the Sleeve negative. But both PileOfStuff and I got a Tip/Ring/Sleeve cable wired so it would short out the power pack. We both just cut off the plug and hard-wired it into the iron, but it looks like you got the right cable, so maybe they've fixed the supply problem.

Mike Bird

I think it's spot on. I've been a hobbyist since 1972, but I think this is a good thing you're doing. You should offer it to the Arduino and Raspberry Pi Foundations.

Mike Bird

Thanks for the video Clive. I was skeptical about USB irons. I'll have to get one and a meaty power bank too. And I need some more Poundland screwdrivers.

Nuts 'n' Proud

As somebody who's mustering up the courage to mutilate a cheap USB hub so it will integrate into a keyboard, I very much appreciate the entry-level video! (At least I've already checked off the "metal end of iron gets hot" and "it's not a screw cap" items.)

Ulrich

One thing this video gives (and Clive's flight light mods) me an idea to try - mod my touch sensitive USB soldering iron so it runs continuously, since the touch sensor does not work with power banks. This should save me purchasing another.

Seán Byrne

Looks fine to me. Astonished what you can do with so little money these days.

Yep. That's fine. Good idea to welcome noobs in with the basics.

Bill Kerr

I think it’s important to give people the confidence in starting out so that they have the basic knowledge to attempt repairs and adaptations to some of the gadgets they have lying around there is far too much inbuilt obsolescence on things these days and to be able to have a go at repairing things is really important and it also gives a hell of a sense of achievement when you manage to fix something although that might just be the engineer in me talking :-)

And Great Scott's bench kit video came in at around $15,000. I kinda want people to know you can start with a much simpler kit.

Big Clive

I've got mixed thoughts on the tinning before storage thing. I used to always wipe my iron tip clean before putting it in the holder and the Antex bits used to last for ages with very long spells of use. Basically the iron went on with my workbench lights.

Big Clive

The horrible thing is that many joints made with lead free solder look just like dry joints. (And often behave like them too.)

Big Clive

JUICY! Lead based solder.

Big Clive

I suspect the cheap self regulating irons will have temperatures more suitable to lead solder. I agree that some form of cleaning/tinning compound should be added. especially with the crap flux in cheap solder.

09Klr650

I thought it was a great video Clive, I know EV Dave did a start-up lab kit and his came in at several hundred dollars yours however is a much more accessible starting point and I’m sure will be greatly received by anybody who is thinking about getting started in electronics.Keep up the great work buddy

From one Clive to another 👍

SMD removal using 2 of these soldering tips stabbed through a small block of silicone might work. If done right they may act as tweezers but would overheat the component ? But just being able to shove the SMD off the PCB would be good.

John Harrison

Oh... And a usb powered supply box would be great!

I like it, it's a good basic "get involved" type thing. I'm really liking my little usb iron too! It's good to know what's "good enough" and what's technically great but also overkill for low power home projects

Very basic video. Good for beginners. The only thing missing is something to clean the iron, and a tip to always make sure that there is solder on the tip before putting it away. It might also have been good to mention to folks to never use anything abrasive to clean the tip, as it will destroy it, and never try to modify the tip.

Rocco Rizzo

Great Video for anyone starting out, My missus has recently enjoyed watching me make all sorts and wanted to learn to solder, i got her a little soldering kit from CPC and now she's away making 12v LED String Lights (xmas lights) and some cheap ebay kits. I had a go with her solder and hated it, I personally use loctite multicore 309 60EN 60/40 solder, i'm now intrigued on what other pro and hobbyist users like??

Interestingly, these people are not actually financially "supporting" any creators. Just an observation.

I concur with all the above - I only noticed one glitch, but that was because I was looking for it, a casual viewer wouldn't notice. Definitely agree that cleaning your soldering iron is the only thing missing. Please put links for the items featured in your comments section, some people are curious, but also lazy.

AlfaGuy

When I worked in a School I was told to get rid of the lead based solder and order Tin solder. This was great because I took all the lead based solder home. I still have my 50 Watt temperature controlled iron from RSComponents that I bought about 40 years ago.

Jeremy Travis

That little USB iron surprised me! Handy little device. Just one thought - would it be worth covering Dry joints - how to spot them - Maybe some close ups like you do for reverse engineering to show shiny/dull joints and explain how the resistance/mechanical integrity of a joint can have repercussions later on?

Whippet Gas

Lead based solder!!! You monster! 🤣

Lostngone

It's a very helpful video, covers all the basics. I keep one of those little USB irons in a tool bag for those random soldering jobs.

Wim

Video flows better than the solder, its good though, shows a great range of tools and just how little and cheaply it can all be done. I might need to buy another of those USB irons now, it staying on (and therefore keeping the powerbank alive without a diy usb plug with resistors) is very handy!

Richard Robinson

Maybe that's what he meant, nobody said clothes were essential for soldering 🤪

The Tinkering Shed

This video is fine as it is for the intended audience, newbies won't spot any minor continuity errors as they just want to start soldering. Anal nutbags (Patreons) on the other hand will post an annotated time stamped list of all the errors in the comments 🤣

The Tinkering Shed

Haven't watched it yet, but it's generally a good idea. How about another series of "basics" where you explain the things one hears in your videos a lot - capacitive dropper, buck regulator, switchmode power supply, voltage dividers, voltage multipliers and so on? You know, the kind of common techniques that you are likely to see in electronic stuff these days. I think that kind of thing would be of a more help to get started in electronics than merely learning the mechanical process of soldering. Anyone can half-arse it and make a component stick somehow, but if you don't know what you need to build to achieve a specific result, you won't begin soldering at all. Also some advice on building circuits without having to make a circuit board first (breadboards, stripboards and such...) would be great.

horrovac

You could never make enough beginners type or kit building vids Clive. Longer and more detailed the better. They just never get old.

Mike Wynne

Looked good! As others have noted: Solder iron cleaner (brass "sponge" thing) and a small roll of de-solder braid would be good additions: the braid is good for fixing those "oops, too much solder" issues one gets when starting out and the tip cleaner to help avoid those issues. I'd expect, if one chose US Sellers only (for those in the US who won't want to wait 30+ days for the slow boat from China), between $20 and $30. Some shippers offer discounts for multiple items.

Roland Roberts

Video is great, maintains the standard! In the optional area I'd add a flux pen and de-solder braid along with the tip cleaner mentioned by others.

Mr B Shepherd

I also wanted to suggest something to clean the soldering iron. Preferably one of those brass sponges.

Elliott Krimchansky

Great video as usual, Clive. Can't say I noticed any continuity issues. I'm surprised that soldering iron is so damn cheap, even to ship out all the way to NZ.

Randi Tastix

I sent them to random subscribers a while ago. If you'd been chosen you'd have received a message asking for your address. There will be more in the future.

Big Clive

That's part of the inspiration for this one. I don't regard a $12,000 oscilloscope or $2,000 bench PSU as essential kit.

Big Clive

This video was just fine; the edits and references to a previous version were slight enough I didn't even notice them.

Charles

I was wondering where the boards are, Clive said he sent them out to patron supporters 😳 did I miss a shipment,

Mike

Nice vid Clive. Just checked, CPC still seem perfectly happy to sell leaded solder to anyone. Their house-brand (?) Duratool is great but the Loctite SD00061 is my current favourite, just luxurious solder! Refusing to sell it except to businesses makes no sense in the context of the RoHS because it's /selling/ electronics that contain lead that's prohibited, normal/home/hobby use it utterly unrestricted.

Chewie

Great video. But no mention of methods to clean excess solder from the soldering iron tip?

Andrew Donaldson

The video is fine for newbies and even moderately experienced peeps like me. I didn't know that the USB irons had evolved... I have one of the original tap/movement types and it drives me nuts always switching itself off just when you go to use it. Time to look for one of the clicky new ones I think... If you are going to redo or make a part 2, then I'd add to the list one of those brass pot scrubber iron tip cleaner things. They are much better than the wet sponge at cleaning your iron tip. It can be pretty miserable with a manky, cruddy, crusty tip.

Ross Robertson

The video's just fine. The solder, however... kind of a travesty.

Mike O'Keefe

Pretty good, you mentioned using tape earlier but you hadn't mentioned it earlier

Dr Andy Hill

Watching now. It looks pretty comprehensive to me. As an aside, I've been seeing ads for this kit on Facebook. The price seems pretty amazing for what they pack in there. https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Iron-Kit-Temperature-Desoldering/dp/B07Q2B4ZY9/ref=pd_ybh_a_19?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CABZE5TVETTP3BXA79AM

As for the USB iron, definitely avoid the touch sensitive model. I bought one (Silverline Tools model on Amazon) after Clive mentioned about USB irons in a live stream as I thought it would be handy as a portable mains-free iron. It does not work on powerbanks as its touch sensor seems to depend on sensing the 50Hz mains frequency. Even though it works on USB chargers, it keeps turning off every 30 seconds unless I keep my finger on the touch sensor. The video seems good otherwise.

Seán Byrne

I thought it was good! My only suggestion might be to say something about maintaining the soldering iron tip. I used the wet sponge/paper towel method for years and it worked well enough though I vastly prefer the tip cleaning wire now.

With the amount of soldering that goes on in China you would have thought good solder would be a given!

Mike Hanley

I liked it, great introduction for the newbies, it does beg the question though on how we can ensure we're getting decent solder! Which is best, lead free or crap leaded?

Mike Hanley

It's a great video, very straightforward to follow and with lots of useful advice for the beginner. 👍

Robin Cooper

I picked up one right after BC´s review, it was DOA,seller sent another....... also DOA, didn´t fancy 3 in a row, tried amazon, after 8 months its still burning my fingers. Strangely pleased.Lol

Agree it's a wee bit weird probably due to being cut down. I noted minor errors @15'10" you mention using 'sticky tape I described earlier' @15'25" you start talking about circuit operation, but we havn't seen circuit diagram @16'19" you mention you should put circuit up but it doesn't happen (maybe link at tail or in comments?) @16'47" repeat of 'carry solder to work' explanation (not objectionable) @21'27 it would have been nice to compare the joint shiny-ness between the two boards Overall, pretty good video, not sure if re-shooting is justifiable as the spontaneity may be lost? Thank you for the marvelous channel, well done!

L. Brait

Better than other beginner vids ( i love Great Scott, but he has some strange ideas about affordable basics. ) You have covered the tools, and shown how to use them effectively, to build 90% of the kits avalable online easily. A great guide to start someone onto the path of hobby tinkering with electronics. Enjoyed watching.

I see nothing to complain about. Good video, nice topic.

If you want multiple lines press SHIFT+ENTER I hit ENTER all the time and post a half message.

With the exception of the mention you made to a previous part that does not really exist, the rest is absolutely cohesive. Nice, enjoyable. People will pick up on that "like I mentioned before", and it will be a reason for a good laugh, but I'd still post it.

Carlos Capriotti

Ahh, must remember not to hit 'ENTER' otherwise it sends message.

L. Brait

I just mentioned flux on another comment. I had no idea about it and once I did soldering was a lot less frustrating. I got started around the same time.

Agree it's a wee bit weird probably due to being cut down.

L. Brait

Great point. It took a long time for me to learn about flux when I started and it was frustrating. Then I learned I could crack pieces off the rosin box for my violin bow. They worked pretty good as flux.

Seems reasonable to me. You did repeat the soldering technique twice and I'd agree with David Jackson about the unnecessary bit around 12:27. I only spotted one of the previous version references. Most obvious gotcha that would happen from building that board is putting the transistor in the wrong way around. Now I just wish I could see well enough to actually solder things!

Mark Gray

Any video that includes a brief but welcome appearance of "clampy" the UT210 is good enough for me. I'd watch these all day long ...you can stick your hot dogs ...oh, no wait ...you did already!

Phil in the kitchen

I agree with Alex about mentioning a flux pen and also for that price range the use of a wet sponge, even so I think the video is a great start for anyone as is

Glenn Achten

Insane. I have been watching your previous videos on soldering to get recommendations on equipment. As per usual, A+ content.

Ginger Spice

Nice vid. Sounded fine to me on iPad. Enjoyed the approach. I have a USB iron like that but with the tactile on switch. Would much prefer the clicky switch. I have another light iron which runs off a 12v supply module. I use that for small joints regularly. Recently replaced a faulty cap in my DVD player as well as a bad joint in the ribbon cable connector. Works very well now. I learn a lot from you so thanks.

Stamped approved

I think it's great :-D

A flux pen would be worth mentioning

just_noXi

I didn't notice anything odd about the video. It sounded perfect.

Mark Trombley

Nothing wrong with that, Clive. 👍

I looked at all of those kits... stupid dice! Always like building those! Hee! Make it a double for monopoly

Michael Thompson

I only wish cheap eBay tools and Youtube had existed back in the early 90s when I got started on electronics. This video would have been a good start, especially the bit about flux. I didn't really understand the purpose of flux until much later.

George Dorn

This is a very practical video for getting started. It is similar to what I had. An old spool of my dads radio shack solder, a no temp control soldering iron with a pitted tip and a pair of diykes. I lol'd at 17:45 "so flux fog doesn't go up your snitch". Snitch is very close to snatch, which is the UK fanny.

good one.

Peter Stimpel

It was easy to follow, and as always you've done a fine job of educating people. one thing, I picked up 2 of those mini irons, and both died after 15 minutes :) but I wasn't too bothered for the price.

Mark Hazlewood

Seems perfectly good to me. You can't really make a "proper" how to start electronics guide. Because that has more interpretations than the Bible. So this is at least a good cover on what you should get to get going. It's for sure the right budget for most people and the tools will do the job. Practice makes perfect.

a good and educational video for newbies

John Catterall

Most likable from so many angles! I like all of your videos so count me as a yes man from back a-ways! I've got one of those original USB soldering irons thanks to you, and now I've got two of the new ones inbound because... yeah as cool as it is it's a pain to use sometimes. I also want that power bank, but I want all of those too...

Michael Thompson

Overall it's fine Clive, between 12:27 to 12:45 ish is probably unnecessary. It's the only bit that felt like there was a jump between two videos.

David Jackson

add: 20 minute is a decent length tho ;)

Michael Gilchrest

I feel like most youtubers have shortened their vids. I like the long vids but it seems like most people prefer shorter ones.... guess that’s what the live streams are for ;)

Michael Gilchrest

nothing wrong with it, its a thumbs up!

Just thinking I needed some Clive in my life tonight. You have delivered.