Connection Wire for Open Jacks

[turdadactyl]

Is everyone using stranded wire for the open style input/output jacks? I'm having trouble with solid core wire (22 or 24) coming unsoldered from the jacks from Tayda. Oddly the solder is just coming clean off the jacks but not the wire. Thoughts?

[MaxPower]

Try heating the jack a bit more. Or maybe give it a light scrub with some steel wool.

[GGBB]

the solder is just coming clean off the jacks but not the wire.

As MaxPower alluded, either you are not getting the jack contacts hot enough, or they are dirty, and therefore the solder is not bonding properly.

[bloxstompboxes]

If the contacts are extra shiny, dull them down with a piece of light grit sandpaper. Be gentle. You just want to make them a little more porous to accept the solder better. I've had to that with some cheaper jacks before.

[PRR]

> trouble with solid core wire (22 or 24) coming unsoldered from the jacks from Tayda. Oddly the solder is just coming clean off the jacks but not the wire.

That's bad jack. Nothing to do with your wire.

"Bad" in the sense that it is not solderable with the flux and tool you use.

You may not be getting hot enough. Could be too-mild flux.

But I *have* seen jacks which had unsuitable plating (you can't solder Chrome) or were contaminated with oils. In some cases I resort to a file to cut-down to bare clean copper.

[Rixen]

I had a batch of PCB mount battery holders with nickel plated pins. Couldn't wet them with solder and ended up crimping bootlace ferrules on to make them solderable. Sanding them down also worked, but was more work- but probably the solution in your case

[PRR]

> nickel plated

That's probably what I had. (Chrome is too expensive for dollar jacks.)

[turdadactyl]

I agree with you, Rixen and PRR, that these cheapo jacks are likely the issue.  Hell, I even had one that had the tip and sleeve directly shorted.  I mean, like full on pushed up against each other.

[italianguy63]

I agree with you, Rixen and PRR, that these cheapo jacks are likely the issue.  Hell, I even had one that had the tip and sleeve directly shorted.  I mean, like full on pushed up against each other.

Yes.  The cheap jacks can "spin" when tightened because the barrel is not crimped real well.  I quit using the cheap chinese jacks a long time ago and just started using Nuetriks.....  Also, sometimes if you tighten them real good, the barrel will split, and the jack breaks in half!

MC

[amptramp]

Solderability has been a big problem with almost every manufacturer and this has been going on for a long time.  We found that bright shiny plating on a circuit board ensures that you can't solder to it but the duller boards soldered well.  This was due to the shiny plating having excessive tin whereas the dull ones had a composition close to that of solder.  We also had a problem with gold-plated leads on metal-can 2N2222A transistors.  The gold is porous and forms an electrolytic cell that forces the Kovar leads to rust underneath it.  Kovar is used to match the temperature coefficient of expansion of the glass seals.  We had a horrible time with that on the Hermes spacecraft.  The audiophools love gold plating but those of us who have dealt with these problems are not as impressed.


The OP's problem could be from contamination with oil or plating that was not solderable.  Contact cleaner and sandpaper may solve the problem.