I'm in the process of building a Pigrrl 2 using a kit I bought from Adafruit.
I've already wired most of the components (Speaker, Amp, Powerboost, switch and the pi3 motherboard) together, but am just now realizing that I've been using 26AWG wire for my entire build when I'm "supposed" to be using 30AWG.
Will this affect my build at all? Should I resolder everything with new wiring? Or will it be okay?
Most of the wiring is completed minus the gamepad, I'd love to avoid rewiring everything just for time's sake but also don't want the build to suffer. I'm new to electronics and don't really know what difference the different size wire makes. Case is 3d printed with my Lulzbot mini
30 gauge would have made it more flexible and take up less room in case of a tight fit, but it actually makes no difference in performance.
however, your joints are kinda shitty - look at the reference pic, and compare with yours in the inset. you have like 1/4-inch of exposed wire, just waiting to be pressed against the PCB to cause a short. if it were me, i'd redo every single one, but i wouldnt recommend you redo them coz they'll only get worse.
and i just noticed your solder. it appears to be about twice the correct diameter for this kind of work. .022 or lower is what you need.
>>1209055
well I'm doing this to learn so got any soldering tips for me?
I might just redo everything with new wiring if you think it'd help to have better joints. Would a little heat shrink around that exposed wire make things better?
>>1209071
the solder in the package is .062 but I've been using a roll that's .032
the extra solder probably isn't helping my shitty joints huh
>I might just redo everything with new wiring if you think it'd help to have better joints
no, dont touch the joints. too great a risk you'll use too much heat and the PCB pads will lift off. just slide some bits of electrical tape underneath. two layers.
>any soldering tips for me?
just like with using chopsticks, and masturbation: practice makes perfect
>>1209084
copy copy. ill wrap everything up and hope for the best.
honestly this is the first time i've ever used my soldering iron. I never expected it all to go perfectly.
>>1209022
Because of how retarded Americans are 30 awg is smaller than 26 or whatever. Using a larger wire 99 times out of 10 isn't a problem.
The size of your solder doesn't matter its how you use it that counts. You can do smd with plumbing solder with a little patience.
Your wires look fucked, too much conductor exposed. Strip and tin the leads then cut to length, some of the insulation will melt. Tinned lead takes much less time to solder so the insulation won't have time to melt the second time when you join it.
Temperature controlled iron is a big help too if you know the insulation rating and stuff
Everything is plugged in and working properly from what i can tell.
I try to cover up every bit of exposed wire i could, i think it will be okay. The case just finished printing, all I've got now is tapping the standoffs and assembling it all.
>>1209077
I'd tin the wires before soldering, and flux would help with the component leads.
That would minimize the solder balls, and have a much nicer mechanical bond.
>>1209180
I watched a few videos after being told how shoddy the joints were. I was using tin on the boards but not on the wires themselves. After i started doing both I noticed alot of improvement.