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26
Mastering the Art of Soldering
4. Insufficient Wetting (Pad)
Insufficient wetting of the pad results when the solder after wetting the leads does not form
good bond with the pad. These are usually caused by a dirty circuit board or when the pad
and the pin are not heated properly.
How to Repair:
Heat the solder joint evenly by touching the of the soldering iron to the base
of the joint until solder flows to cover the pad
How to Avoid:
Carefully clean the board and heat the pad and pin properly
5. Insufficient Wetting (Pin)
From the image, you can see that the solder has not wetted the pin at all. There was not
enough heat applied on the pin and not enough solder has flowed nicely to cover the pin.
How to Repair:
Reheat and apply enough solder and make sure that the tip of the iron is
touching both the pin and pad
How to Avoid:
Heat the pad and pin evenly
6. Solder Starved
When a joint does not have sufficient solder, it is called a starved solder. This case may still
have good connection but since it is not a strong joint, it will usually develop cracks over
time.
How to Repair:
Reheat the joint and add enough solder to make the joint stronger