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First post, by buckeye

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I'm interested in learning to do this. Need advice on buying equipment and necessary accessories.

My main motivation for doing this is repairing/modding a nintendo gamecube. Know I can get on google
and get a bucket load of videos & info but figure there are quite a few on the forum here that can offer
some friendly advice.

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Reply 1 of 9, by WolverineDK

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Voultar did an amazing job in one of his videos (he did also update the description of it , by the way. So remember to read the description of it).

Buying Your First Soldering Station (UPDATE READ DESCRIPTION)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGdHJ3BTh_c

Reply 2 of 9, by buckeye

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WolverineDK wrote on 2021-10-11, 17:29:

Voultar did an amazing job in one of his videos (he did also update the description of it , by the way. So remember to read the description of it).

Buying Your First Soldering Station (UPDATE READ DESCRIPTION)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGdHJ3BTh_c

Thanks, I bookmarked his site as he has a bunch of console modding videos - perfect!

Asus P5N-E Intel Core 2 Duo 3.33ghz. 4GB DDR2 Geforce 470 1GB SB X-Fi Titanium 650W XP SP3
Intel SE440BX P3 450 256MB 80GB SSD Radeon 7200 64mb SB 32pnp 350W 98SE
MSI x570 Gaming Pro Carbon Ryzen 3700x 32GB DDR4 Zotac RTX 3070 8GB WD Black 1TB 850W

Reply 5 of 9, by Intel486dx33

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My advice is to take some classes in electrical engineering at your local city college or trading center.
Learn to read schematics and fundamentals of electrical components and engineering.
Get a Multimeter, ERS Meter, Electric Microscope, Build or buy a work bench ( Home Depot ) has some nice inexpensive ones.
Work outside in a well vented place like an open door garage.
Get some good lighting.
Don’t breath the solder smoke. So you want to use some fans and well vented room.

Don’t buy cheap solder or flux.
You want to use a reputable brand. You don’t want to get contaminated with toxic smoke or chemicals.

Reply 6 of 9, by WolverineDK

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maxtherabbit wrote on 2021-10-12, 02:54:

yeah zach is a good guy to learn from, I've never seen him demonstrate anything but good techniques

Some of his viewers has called him "The Bob Ross of soldering" 😀

Reply 7 of 9, by Jo22

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I also strongly recommend learning the basics of electricity and electronics.
Traditionally, books about crystal radios and electronics construction kits do cover Ohm's Law, tubes, diodes, bi-polar transistors etc. 😀

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 8 of 9, by Caluser2000

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I just ungraded my $15 soldering iron with a $25 one two weeks ago.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 9 of 9, by Dusko

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This video is from 2011, but I think it's still good general advice. It might be overwhelming to think about everything he recommends anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_PbjbRaO2E
In my case, I don't do electronics repairs on a daily basis and I'm not an expert. I spent more that 10 years considering if I should buy a Fluke multimeter or a Hakko soldering iron and a desoldering gun.
Long story short I ended up buying a lot of good tools over a long period of time and I'm very happy I did.
My advice: start small and upgrade to better quality tools over time.

Learn how to maintain your soldering iron tip.--> VERY Important!
I used to clean the iron tip with a wet sponge for many years, but now I use a copper wire ball and I find it much better. Tin the tip after every use. Buy good solder (Kester, MG Chemicals) and flux.
Don't use your soldering iron to open holes on plastic (or anything).

This guy is extremely knowledgeable:
How To Solder Properly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf2vxwm52fU&t=1189s

How To Desolder Electronic Parts Using Different Tools:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZLQzBOOQbw

This guy has some interesting review videos too:
https://www.youtube.com/c/KissAnalog

Get a magnifier, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/YOCTOSUN-Rechargeable- … ps%2C181&sr=8-2
Get a good microscope if you can: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32950524594.h … .7d8c2e0e7VbUST
(I don't have one yet, It's on my wish list.I don't know if that's the best for the price)

https://www.youtube.com/@myoldpc9458