Soldering 101

Yesterday evening I did something I had not done before: I soldered a bit.

I had gotten a soldering iron a few months ago, but never got around to using it. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to get started—I was afraid to destroy one of my Arduino boards or sensors.

But a couple of weeks ago I came across the “HHTronik Quarantine Occupation Kits” on Kickstarter. That was exactly what I needed and I ordered both the through-hole and surface mount device (SMD) beginner sets. I also watched the (Dutch) Soldering 101 video from Sebastian Oort to learn a bit about soldering.

So yesterday I took the plunge and got started. Since I’m an absolute beginner, I started with the the through-hole kit for my first “project.” HHTronik provides excellent, detailed instructions which made my life a whole lot easier.

As you might be able to see, I can still use a bit of practice. But I’m happy with the result, the light actually works and most importantly: I enjoyed myself! It was not as hard as I expected and I will probably try the SMD kit soon.

If you feel inspired, I can highly recommend one of the Q.O.K I learn soldering kits from HHTronik.