How can I make saddle pack batteries for my R/C car? I can not seem to get the solder to stick to the batteries.
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ANSWERS: 3
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Two big things to check here: 1. Make sure you are using a high-wattage soldering iron. I'd recommend at least 80 Watts, with 100 or more being preferable. Batteries are very sensitive and they're hard to warm up, so a very hot soldering iron will heat them up faster and allow you to solder faster, thereby minimizing the potential of damage by overheating. 2. Make sure you are using rosin, or a rosin-core solder. Rosin helps the solder flow over the surfaces you are soldering. Here are the general steps: 1. Add solder to the end of the shunt (wide, flat wire) or battery bar you are using to connect the batteries together. 2. Add solder to the face of the battery, over approximately a 1/2" diameter area. 3. Now that both surfaces are prepared, touch the prepared wire to the face of the battery, and then touch the soldering iron to the wire until the solder in the wire and teh solder on the battery have both melted. Then take the iron away, while holding the wire in place. 4. If the solder has set correctly, the surface should look shiny, and the connection should be *very* sturdy. Good luck! -
If I could add one tip to AB-Joel response, use a fine grit sandpaper 100 or higher to clean the + and- terminal of battery. If the surface is oily or dirty in any way solder will not bond to surface,(you can not always see the dirt that is inhibiting the solder joint) it will just ball up and roll off. The same goes for the connecting wires, if it is tarnished then its dirty, it needs to be cleaned. The biggest killers of batteries is heat so you should do this in the first soldering attempt. If you tried it 3 or 4 times already with the same cell it's shot, it might seem like it's working but the capacity has been compromised.
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one other tip for that is the batteries that come with soldertabs made on them
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