# How do you solder pots?



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

I have been soldering pots inside the enclosure, after all the other components, so that I can make sure they are in the correct position and orientation. However, depending on the build, it can be hard to get to the leads with a fully populated board. I haven't burned anything yet, but I feel like it's just a matter of time... How do you guys do it?


----------



## Big Monk (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> I have been soldering pots inside the enclosure, after all the other components, so that I can make sure they are in the correct position and orientation. However, depending on the build, it can be hard to get to the leads with a fully populated board. I haven't burned anything yet, but I feel like it's just a matter of time... How do you guys do it?



I usually look at the board, particularly around the pot pads and plan on whether they can be soldered right away, or whether they will get in the way otherwise. 

Whatever plays out, I don’t usually solder them inside the enclosure.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

In a build with, say, 6 pots, how do you make sure they all line up then?


----------



## Kroars (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> I have been soldering pots inside the enclosure, after all the other components, so that I can make sure they are in the correct position and orientation. However, depending on the build, it can be hard to get to the leads with a fully populated board. I haven't burned anything yet, but I feel like it's just a matter of time... How do you guys do it?


I’ll populate the pcb, including all wiring then clean the entire board front and back with QD Cleaner (spray, toothbrush then spray again). Then I’ll install pots & toggles onto the pcb, put into enclosure, tighten nuts finger tight to ensure everything is lined up perfectly -then solder pots & toggles onto pcb while in the enclosure.  Then depending on led indicator location, I’ll remove pcb with soldered pots, install led and slide pcb back into enclosure to solder led.  Then tighten everything up.  Probably takes a little longer, but I like the end result.

When I first started building I probably burned (slightly) a component here or there.  Although with more practice it’s been quite some time since that has happened and I don’t have the steadiest of hands.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

That's pretty much what I do, @Kroars. I was working on a Captain Bit last night and I was having a bit of a hard time soldering the pot between a line of caps and the transformer. And my iron tip is quite thin!


----------



## Kroars (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> That's pretty much what I do, @Kroars. I was working on a Captain Bit last night and I was having a bit of a hard time soldering the pot between a line of caps and the transformer. And my iron tip is quite thin!


I started a few years ago with BYOC kits, I think I may have gotten that method from their build docs and it just stuck.  I hear ya, some pcbs are easier than others for sure.  On a side note, I’ll solder all the component and wires using the pointy iron tip, once the board is done I switch to the small flat tip for the pots, footswitch and jacks.


----------



## SYLV9ST9R (Dec 27, 2021)

For a build with a symmetrical pot layout, I will solder the pot on top of the enclosure (with the washers between the pots and the enclosure face) to make sure they are aligned and  to make soldering easier.
I'll do that sometimes for non-symmetrical layout. I'll solder what I can on top and the rest inside the enclosure.


----------



## carlinb17 (Dec 27, 2021)

I populate the entire board, and run as much of the wiring (footswitch and leads off the top of the board) first. Then solder all the pots in the enclosure, solder power and jacks... then hope I did it correctly so I don't have to take it back out of the board...


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

carlinb17 said:


> I populate the entire board, and run as much of the wiring (footswitch and leads off the top of the board) first. Then solder all the pots in the enclosure, solder power and jacks... then hope I did it correctly so I don't have to take it back out of the board...


Same!


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

I've been wondering if there exist longer, thinner tips that could make getting into tight spots easier. Here's the iron I've been using (for 10 years!).


----------



## Diynot (Dec 27, 2021)

I do the “in enclosure” soldering as well. Sometimes it’s kind of a game to figure out the best approach to not burn components. One thing you might do if you are worried ab angle of approach while the board is in the enclosure, just hit the easiest to reach leg on each pot, then pull it out and solder the rest of the pads.


----------



## Big Monk (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> In a build with, say, 6 pots, how do you make sure they all line up then?



Line up how? They flex enough that alignment should never be an issue.


----------



## Harry Klippton (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> How do you guys do it?


Very carefully 😂😂

I dry fit everything several times to check fit and alignment to determine what should get soldered in what order. I often solder wires to the board before doing the pots too if I think it's gonna be an issue


----------



## Robert (Dec 27, 2021)

I solder all components and hardware except toggle switches outside of the enclosure.   Occasionally I will install toggle switches outside of the enclosure as well but it's easier to ensure they're sitting straight by mounting before soldering.

In cases where the lugs are tough to reach you can solder the pots from the opposite side of the board. 

As for a narrow tip, the Pace ADS200 iron is thin and easy to maneuver into tight spaces. The Hakko FX951 has a similar style tip.




Another bonus of this type of iron is the availability of wide blade tips.  These make removing pots a breeze.   Heat all three lugs in one go and the pot will just fall out of the board.   Much less thermal / physical stress on the board compared to desoldering the lugs individually.   I've also used it to remove inline pin headers (like the Belton Brick module) in a matter of seconds as well.


----------



## Stickman393 (Dec 27, 2021)

If alignment is an issue, here's a tip:

Solder the center lead on your potentiometers to keep them in place.  Manuver the shafts into place, get everything where it needs to be, and slap on the other two joints.

I very rarely use conical tips for soldering...personal preference.  I find that a *small* chisel tip tends to strike a good balance between maneuverability and efficient heat transfer.  The rounds of a conical tip tend to be too finicky, and provide too little surface area for conduction.  Good for little smt bits where the heat must be controlled and precise, but for everything else I'll use a chisel tip and utilize the flat end to maximize my conductive area against the component lead and pad.

Then again I'm using an induction iron...where my tip temperature tends to stay pretty damned tight.  Makes life easier, bigger components only need larger tip sizes.


----------



## Stickman393 (Dec 27, 2021)

Robert said:


> Another bonus of this type of iron is the availability of wide blade tips.  These make removing pots a breeze.   Heat all three lugs in one go and the pot will just fall out of the board.   Much less thermal / physical stress on the board compared to desoldering the lugs individually.   I've also used it to remove inline pin headers (like the Belton Brick module) in a matter of seconds as well.
> View attachment 20379


Shoot I need to find one of these for my FX100...


----------



## Coda (Dec 27, 2021)

I mount the jacks to the outside of the enclosure (so, reverse of what you’d normally do. Then I line everything up, solder, and then flip the enclosure over and install normally.


----------



## Robert (Dec 27, 2021)

Stickman393 said:


> Shoot I need to find one of these for my FX100...



You can do the same trick by laying your iron sideways across the lugs, I've done this for years, but the blade makes it _so_ much easier.

It's useful enough that if I didn't have hot swappable tips I would probably buy a dedicated iron just for that purpose.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Line up how? They flex enough that alignment should never be an issue.


For example, with the Captain Bit, the transformer is right underneath one of the pots so it forces it to be slightly higher than the other 5. Without the enclosure holes as reference I find it really hard to make them all the same height.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

Robert said:


> I solder all components and hardware except toggle switches outside of the enclosure.   Occasionally I will install toggle switches outside of the enclosure as well but it's easier to ensure they're sitting straight by mounting before soldering.
> 
> In cases where the lugs are tough to reach you can solder the pots from the opposite side of the board.
> 
> ...


Nice, I gotta check that out! I am due for an upgrade after 10 years after all...


----------



## andare (Dec 27, 2021)

I also solder the middle leg of the pots, dry fit them in the enclosure and solder the remaining legs. I learned this from the Musikding docs IIRC.

I use a small chisel tip for everything. It's thin enough for tight spots but I can lay it flat against the lead and pad and get more surface contact. The larger area also helps soldering to pots and jacks.
The only drawback is I can't always solder rows of resistor legs in one go, I have to stop every few leads and cut off the ones I've done.

I think I might have bent away components a couple of times in tight builds like the Minnow - I botched that build btw  - because the pots were hard to reach.


----------



## peccary (Dec 27, 2021)

I solder the pots as one of the very last things before installing the PCB in the enclosure, but I do it on the outside of the enclosure to give my shaky hand a little more space. I run masking tape across the holes to protect the finish and put the nuts on finger tight. 

Toggles don't get soldered until the very end. It took me way too long to learn to do that and I spent way too much time wrestling with them in the past. Saving them for last is really helpful, especially if you need them at a particular height.


----------



## Barry (Dec 27, 2021)

I solder everything I can outside the enclosure, usually mounted to the top


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

peccary said:


> I solder the pots as one of the very last things before installing the PCB in the enclosure, but I do it on the outside of the enclosure to give my shaky hand a little more space. I run masking tape across the holes to protect the finish and put the nuts on finger tight.
> 
> Toggles don't get soldered until the very end. It took me way too long to learn to do that and I spent way too much time wrestling with them in the past. Saving them for last is really helpful, especially if you need them at a particular height.


Shaky hands all the way to the max over here! Since I was a teenager.


----------



## BuddytheReow (Dec 27, 2021)

Take you time with the drilling process (I’ve got a hand drill) and you’ll be just fine soldering the pots directly to the board before installing. The drill template is key. The pots can be bent a little for some extra wiggle room. It also helps if you don’t push the pots all the down before installing. The key here is to keep ‘em level with the board. When it’s all boxed up you won’t know the difference. The nuts and washers put it all into place.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

As I read this thread, I realize that it would be pretty easy to make a jig to install pots. Even as simple as a piece of plexiglass with holes aligned to the common drilling template would work miracles here… (note to self: buy a couple plexiglass sheets)


----------



## Coda (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> As I read this thread, I realize that it would be pretty easy to make a jig to install pots. Even as simple as a piece of plexiglass with holes aligned to the common drilling template would work miracles here… (note to self: buy a couple plexiglass sheets)



The enclosure IS the template…just use the outside.


BuddytheReow said:


> Take you time with the drilling process (I’ve got a hand drill) and you’ll be just fine soldering the pots directly to the board before installing. The drill template is key. The pots can be bent a little for some extra wiggle room. It also helps if you don’t push the pots all the down before installing. The key here is to keep ‘em level with the board. When it’s all boxed up you won’t know the difference. The nuts and washers put it all into place.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 27, 2021)

Right but if it’s not symmetrical you are SOL.


----------



## Coda (Dec 27, 2021)

giovanni said:


> Right but if it’s not symmetrical you are SOL.



You would be either way, then, wouldn’t you?


----------



## giovanni (Dec 28, 2021)

Coda said:


> You would be either way, then, wouldn’t you?


What do you mean?


----------



## Coda (Dec 28, 2021)

giovanni said:


> What do you mean?



If the drilling isn’t symmetrical, it doesn’t matter how perfect the pots are mounted, since they will be off anyway.


----------



## giovanni (Dec 28, 2021)

No I meant if the template is not symmetrical. Like two pots on one side and one on the other or something like that.


----------

