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Can I solder contacts MRH product support
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Active Member 90 posts swannert Active Member 90 posts
swannert

I finally figured out that my contacts on my DCC locos keep wiggling loose, under the gray pin. Can I solder these brass contacts or is there another way to secure these contacts. I'm removing the shell several times a day and bending the contacts so it's only a matter of time before I break something.

Thanks

Tim
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DKRickman Prolific poster 3,069 posts
DKRickman

Yes

You can solder the contacts, as long as:

  1. You are comfortable soldering small contacts in somewhat confined spaces, and
  2. You don't expect to take the model apart again frequently.

I almost always solder all of my contacts, as I do not trust any form of mechanical connection.  I've also ruined a few circuit boards when I was learning to solder them..

Ken Rickman

Danville & Western HO modeler and web historian

http://southern-railway.railfan.net/dw/
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swannert Active Member 90 posts
swannert

Thanks Ken, I'm not great at

Thanks Ken, I'm not great at soldering. The only soldering I've done is on my N scale track. Is there another way to secure the connections or do you just recommend soldering the connections, once I'm comfortable?
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burgundy Active Member 86 posts
burgundy

Soldering contacts

Tim. At the risk of suggesting a blinding glimpse of the obvious, play around with soldering some lengths of wire to each other. If the plastic sheath on the wire starts to melt, you know that you are taking too long and that you would probably be doing damage to a DCC chip (which might be a bit more expensive).  Once you have the technique sorted out and feel confident, then have go with the real thing.Good luck. Eric    
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Pelsea Prolific poster 2,398 posts
Pelsea

Practice, practice, practice

A good way to learn delicate soldering is to drop by radio shack or http://www.jameco.com and pick up a cheap prototyping board. Once you have the hang of soldering wires to the pads on those boards, you are ready to work on something expensive. (Hint: go over the board with some fine sandpaper. RS lacquers the copper so it will stay shiny for years at the back of the store.) pqe
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