So. I decided to make this tutorial because I'm pretty awesome at soldering.
Why deans plugs? BECAUSE ITS AWESOME!
Basically it's a pretty low resistance plug, lower resistance then an equivalent length of 12 gauge wire (what batteries normally use). It's also more secure and smaller than those big plastic wobbly thingys you get your batteries/guns with.
Why low resistance?
That energy in your battery is work. Work waiting to get let loose and pwn some noob hiding in a bush 20 feet to your left. However, it has to use some of that energy getting from the battery to the motor. Some of that energy is lost in the connector, the wires, and trigger contact. Now the wire is pretty low resistance to start off with, the biggest resistance is that darned trigger contact, which a mosfet fixes, but I will cover that some other time.
So a better connecter = more energy = more butthurt from that noob that was in that bush.
It really just increases trigger response time and rate of fire. It's not as big as a mosfet, but the two combined is an amazing upgrade for any gun.
Now first off, you will need a soldering iron.
Solder.
Deans/ulta plugs.
What you will want. Not need.
A wire stripper is VERY handy.
Electrical tape.
Solder sucker
Helping hands are those extra 500 hands you seem to be missing on these kinds of projects.
Tweezers/forceps (I bought a surgical tool set off amazon. So many tweezers and forceps!)
A clean workbench. Do as I say, not as I do. I've been soldering very complex stuff for about 5 years now. I'm allowed for my workbench to look like a garbage dump.
You will need a very HOT soldering iron. 600-700F is recommended. You can be lower if you have a chisel tip. The fire starter at radioshack might not be hot enough, now they do sell decent soldering irons at radioshack, but the cheapest one wont work very well.. Now let me explain why. Battery cells HATE heat. They die and explode if they get too hot. These NiMH cells are not like your average AA battery that can go through the washing machine and not damage anything. They're sensitive little creatures. Treat them as such or you will end up with a lower ROF and less capacity. "So, why do I want a really hot iron if batteries hate heat so much?".
Its because you want to heat the components (in this case that's the wire and the connector) quickly so the heat doesn't have the chance to spread down the wire into the cells. A firestarter from radioshack could take too long getting the parts warm enough for the solder to make the weld. Soldering is really just very low grade welding, once you have that solder it's practically impossible to pull that wire off that bit of metal you've soldered it to. If you've done it correctly.
So onto the basics.
1. Solder will flow to the hottest object.
2. The best solder is a 60/40 rosin core solder. It will have lead in it. It's much easier to work with than the lead free crap. Lead gives you cancer if you eat it. So wash your hands when you're done. I wore rubber gloves once, and only once. The last thing you want is a soldering accident melting rubber to your hands.
3. As a general rule of thumb, dont spend more than 4 seconds per joint(name for a solder weld, if you've ever heard of a cold joint, that's an improper solder weld). Any longer and you can risk hurting your battery. I've done retarded stuff to some of my batteries (started fires from shorts and stuff, accidentally) and they work fine, others I've had vent (blow up). You never know how it will react to your tender loving care.
4. Solder flows to the hottest object.
So lets get started.
Here I have 2 kits
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Qqs0P.jpg[/IMG]
On the left is the modify kit from airsoftgi, i've used it several times, until I ordered the REAL deans plugs off amazon.
The difference is that modify is made in Taiwan, while Deans plugs are made in the US. Also, the Deans plugs are made with much better plastic, which doesn't melt as easily while you're soldering (I've had it happened, super fucking annoying). Also the connectors line up a little better so it's a little easier to plug together/unplug.
Now my tools I may or may not be using are such.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/bFfpF.jpg[/IMG]
Far left is my massive spool of solder, my iron, and top center, the helping hands. Then on the cardboard (I use a piece of cardboard to save the desk from massive damage, I just change it out every so often.) from left to right, forceps, wire stripper, x-acto knife, fiberglass brush (you wont need this, trust me, I use it for sanding) solder sucker, and angle snips (fancy wire snips).
The battery I shall be working on:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/h2mNX.jpg[/IMG]
I believe this was the first battery I ever installed deans plugs on. Note the black bulge. I put black electrical tape on the contacts to keep anything from getting at them and causing a short. Now I think the proper way is to have the female connector on the battery, and the male connector on the gun, however, this is for/going into a gun that has a male connector. Shame on you sir for selling me this gun like this. Too lazy to switch connectors plus I dont have enough extra male connectors, is complex situation. If you have male connectors on the battery if it touches something metal there will be fireworks.
So, pretend I'm using a female connector.
Now lets get that heat shrink tub- :wtc:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/L6FYy.jpg[/IMG]
Shame on me for doing this. That joint, if you can even call it that, is enough solder to do like, 4 batteries. Guess this really was my first battery. Jesus what a mess. Guess I'll just snip this off like so:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ryWXf.jpg[/IMG]
NO NO NO NO.
DO NOT DO THAT.
BAD BAD BAD IDEA.
THERE WILL BE FIREWORKS.
Do this instead.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/oG1k5.jpg[/IMG]
Cut ONE wire at a time. Dont ever cross the streams. Be aware at all times what is touching what. Solder is conductive and can cause shorts.
trim the wire and strip a few millimeters of insulation off. Twist the strands a bit so they dont fray everywhere.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HlV6f.jpg[/IMG]
Ok here we go. I already have the heat shrink tubing on because I tend to forget it, so I like to put it on early, but if you suck and get your wire to hot that tubing will shrink and stick right there.
Now you need to tin your iron and your wire.
Tinning your iron means you put solder on the tip so it conducts heat better to everything it touches. You MUST do this. Just dab a bit on the tip.
Next we need to tin the wire. That means we fill the exposed part of the wire with solder, like this:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/8VgK7.jpg[/IMG]
Place the iron tip on the bottom of the wire, and hold the solder on the top. The soldering iron and the solder should never touch when you're making a joint (unless you're tinning the iron tip). Dont put to much solder in it. Practice on a bit of similar wire first. It has to have all those strands, do NOT EVER use speaker wire. Just trust me. So now that you have the two wire tinned, tin the contacts on the connector, look at the connector in the above picture. You simply put a tiny pool/coating of solder on the side of the contact you'll be attaching the wire too.
Now you should not need any more solder after this point. I got ahead of myself and forgot to take pictures, but here:
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/bi7aT.jpg[/IMG]
you hold the wire on the contact, and hold the soldering iron on the contact. You warm the contact up and it melts the solder on it that you applied earlier, which than melts the solder in the tinned wire. It will look almost the same as before you melted everything but you should notice the difference, wasn't very noticeable on my camera so no picture for you!
Slide the heat shrink tubing up and hold the iron next to it, but dont actually touch it. It will shrink and look nice and professional.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/MOMtQ.jpg[/IMG]
It's really really really easy provided you have the right iron/tip. The thing about a chisel tip is it has more mass/surface area so it holds more heat/transfers heat quicker. The Wattage on an iron only tells you how fast it heats up, not how hot it gets.
I'll do one on a mosfet next.
Also learning to solder is an amazing skill. I fix so much shit (expensive headphones etc) that would normally end up in the trash just because I can solder properly. Just in case you needed an excuse to drop $40 for some half decent soldering equipment.
Amazon links (I have amazon prime so I buy almost everything there. Free 2 day shipping on most items)
[URL]http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Plug-Male-Female-Set/dp/B000BOTWW2/[/URL]
This is what I use. It is an ok iron. I have a nice digital weller iron but somebody borrowed it.
[URL]http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SL-75-Soldering-Station/dp/B002KIYSHQ/[/URL]
Also if you dont have an iron, weller is the king of all soldering irons. Very expensive. Very good. If your dad doesn't own a weller soldering iron than he's a bad dad :v: (just an observation I've noticed that every dad who loves to tinker will own a weller just like his dad owned.)
Aoyue is a chinese brand that is pretty good. They make great RGB rework stations and heat guns (ever wanted a small hairdryer that can put out 600F air?). It really doesn't matter what brand as long as you can get a chisel tip for it, also 50 watts or higher is nice. If you want to solder your own battery packs that requires a very, very, very hot iron. In fact, you pretty much need what's called a soldering gun to do battery packs. 1300 degrees Fahrenheit of fun.
So yeah that's about all I have to say.
Best tip: Don't do it. Run out of battery? Good luck getting someone else to give you one.
[QUOTE=FPKawaii;29912026]Best tip: Don't do it. Run out of battery? Good luck getting someone else to give you one.[/QUOTE]
I made a couple adapters. After the first time that happened.
Damn hipsters with your deans connectors.
[QUOTE=FPKawaii;29912026]Best tip: Don't do it. Run out of battery? Good luck getting someone else to give you one.[/QUOTE]
Or carry multiple batteries like a smart person.
[QUOTE=Taepodong-2;29918212]Or carry multiple batteries like a smart person.[/QUOTE]
Being smart is too mainstream, man.
[QUOTE=Stupideye;29919606]Being smart is too mainstream, man.[/QUOTE]
You've pretty much summarized the hipster subculture there
Reminds me of a Cyanide and Happiness strip where they meet a guy too hipster for necessary body processes.
