Soldering, General

Soldering, general
Soldering is a relatively easy method to apply to cable terminals. No expensive equipment is required and the core area dimension is not a critical factor.
The disadvantages with soldering are uneven results and that impurities and dirt on the contact points make it more difficult to get a clean soldered connection.
To ensure a good contact the soldering point must be free from dirt, oxidized metal, grease, paint etc.

Note! Note! Avoid soldering connections that carry a high power load.

Soldered connection quality
Choice of solder wire, flux and soldering tool as well as the location and method used affect the overall quality of a soldered connection.
Ensure that solder does not creep too far up the cable when soldering a terminal on to a cable, as there is a risk the cable can become brittle and break.

Soldering tool
There are different types of soldering tool. Usually a soldering iron with temperature control is used so that the temperature created on the soldering iron tip can be adjusted.

Soldering wire
It is important to use soldering wire with a high quality non-corrosive flux. Use 50-50 or 60-40 rosin core solder.
Do NOT use acid flux solder (e.g. plumbing solder) as this will cause oxidization.

When to solder
If a terminal has been crimped using a tool not intended for terminal crimping then the cable terminal must be soldered.

To avoid soldering

Caution! Soldering cable terminals can be avoided by always making a point of using only Volvo special tools for terminal crimping or other tool recommended by Volvo.