{"id":1627,"date":"2014-07-16T12:25:46","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T19:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.digilentinc.com\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2021-06-17T08:52:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:52:11","slug":"uses-of-different-soldering-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Uses of Different Soldering Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello, friends of the Digilent blog!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Many\u00a0of you have likely done some soldering before, but if you are like me, you may not be familiar with all the different soldering iron tips that are out there. I know that I used to be under the impression that there were only two types of soldering iron tips and only one useful type&#8211;the one currently on the soldering iron.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, I recently got a set of 10\u00a0soldering iron tips from <a title=\"The DIY Outlet\" href=\"http:\/\/thediyoutlet.com\/products\/10pcs-standard-soldering-iron-tips-set-900m-t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The DIY Outlet<\/a>,\u00a0featuring five\u00a0different types of 900M tips, forcing me to revise my opinion on soldering iron tips.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1628\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1628\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1628 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Ten piece soldering iron tip from The DIY Outlet\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips-1200x900-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ten-piece soldering iron tip set from The DIY Outlet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While I admittedly still only use two types of tips, I am much more familiar and confident that I can use any type of tip.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1627 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/round-b-series-close\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/round-B-series-close-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/round-B-series-close-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/round-B-series-close-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/round-B-series-close-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1633'>\n\t\t\t\tRound B series tip.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/chisel-d-series\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/chisel-D-series-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/chisel-D-series-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/chisel-D-series-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/chisel-D-series-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1629'>\n\t\t\t\tChisel head D series tips.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/hoof-c-series\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/hoof-C-series-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/hoof-C-series-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/hoof-C-series-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/hoof-C-series-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1630'>\n\t\t\t\tFlat sided C series tips.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/pointed-i-series-close\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/pointed-I-series-close-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1632\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/pointed-I-series-close-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/pointed-I-series-close-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/pointed-I-series-close-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1632'>\n\t\t\t\tPointed I series tip.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/i-vs-b-series\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/I-vs-B-series-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/I-vs-B-series-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/I-vs-B-series-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/I-vs-B-series-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1634'>\n\t\t\t\tI (top) vs B series tips.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/uses-of-different-soldering-tips\/knife-k-series-close\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/knife-K-series-close-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/knife-K-series-close-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/knife-K-series-close-600x600-cropped.jpg 600w, https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/knife-K-series-close-1200x1200-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1631'>\n\t\t\t\tKnife-shaped K series tip.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>Many of these tips are quite versatile in their application, like the general purpose B and my personal favorite, the D series soldering iron tips. The difference between these two is that the D series with its chisel-shaped head has a larger surface area so more heat is able to be transferred, arguably making most soldering applications easier.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For more detailed work, you can use the needle-point I series tip. The drawback with this one is because it has smaller surface area, it&#8217;s hard to get enough heat transfer to do relatively larger soldering applications.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The C series tips are ideal for evenly spreading small amounts of solder over closely packed soldering points, such as the pins on a surface mount IC. These C series are not quite the same as &#8220;hoof&#8221; soldering iron tips (the CM series) because they do not have a concave impression on the surface to easily distribute or remove excess solder.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The knife shaped K series tip, although it&#8217;s one of the most bizarre looking soldering tips, is actually one of the most applicable. It&#8217;s slanted knife edge allows for point soldering on the tip, as well as soldering larger components with it&#8217;s large surface area. You could also use it for drag soldering or removing excess solder and fixing solder bridges; even the ones across super small pitches.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are many other types of soldering iron tips out there which I did not cover, but no matter the soldering job, there is a tip out there to do the job.<\/p>\n<div class='watch-action'><div class='watch-position align-left'><div class='action-like'><a class='lbg-style6 like-1627 jlk' data-task='like' data-post_id='1627' data-nonce='e5335d04d0' rel='nofollow'><img src='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post-pro\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Like' \/><span class='lc-1627 lc'>+5<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='action-unlike'><a class='unlbg-style6 unlike-1627 jlk' data-task='unlike' data-post_id='1627' data-nonce='e5335d04d0' rel='nofollow'><img src='https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post-pro\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Unlike' \/><span class='unlc-1627 unlc'>0<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> <div class='status-1627 status align-left'><\/div><\/div><div class='wti-clear'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many of you have likely done some soldering before, but if you are like me, you may not be familiar with all the different soldering iron tips that are out there. I know that I used to be under the impression that there were only two types of soldering iron tips and only one useful type&#8211;the one currently on the soldering iron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":1628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1563],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[4469],"class_list":["post-1627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guide"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/soldering-iron-tips.jpg","authors":[{"term_id":4469,"user_id":17,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jamescolvin","display_name":"James Colvin","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/509febded809c5de0423909f6ae6587f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Colvin","last_name_2":"","first_name":"James","first_name_2":"","job_title":"Applications Engineer \/ Technical Support Engineer \/ Product Support Engineer \/ Technical Writer \/ the person to bother about T&M and JTAG when the senior design engineer is busy","description":"A local Digilent employee who is sometimes tricked into making other content besides documentation and supporting customers on the Digilent Forum, but then I get to write a little more informally so that's a plus. \r\n\r\nA sassy engineer, lover of puns and dad jokes, father and husband. \r\n\r\nI know both way too much and simultaneously almost nothing about a number of nerdy topics. If you want to hear me rant, ask me what data rate USB C operates at."}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}