Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarwood
Which solder was bad?
Can someone identify what is wrong in this photo?
Curious how to identify good vs. broken solder.
They all look the same to me.,
 |
There's at least 2 pads that are cracked, and a few suspect looking ones. There's about 7-8 pads in that photo that I wouldn't be able to resist re-working once I was sitting there with a de-solder pump, an iron and a reel of multicore...
A lot of Bosch solder work from the period was just awful. Solder joints should look smooth and shiny. And a fresh one is bright and shiny. That last will oxidize and dull over 4 decades - especially as that is "real" solder (== "contains lead").
But rough, dull and lumpy? No good solder joint looks like that. It's sort of like welding; once the joint is up to temperature, the metal is hot enough to flow and gets wicked in - at the same time, the flux burns off, because its done its job..
Another dead giveaway is big puddles of flux around all the solder pads - like my Bosch climate control had...
Did the factory do better solder work on that Motronic, or did they just wash the excess flux off with solvent? I know which way I'd bet...
Worth pointing out that reflowing your solder joints can also affect how willing someone might be to repair the unit later; many of those components can be damaged by excessive heat, and an expensive electronic box probably not the best place to learn that skill.. But it's not difficult, exactly.