Soldering with two different alloys

PCBAProtoLabLearnings

At DeltaProto B.V. we see that about 80% of all ProtoPCBA's still need at least one extra iteration.

This one was no exception: cut a trace, run wires diagonally across it and start testing. Sounds simple, right?

Not quite. The soldering iron heats both ends of the wire at the same time -- and that caused problems.

Our solution? On one side we solder with our standard tin/silver/copper alloy. On the other side we use a tin/bismuth alloy with a lower melting point. That way everything stays neatly in place.

HappyEngineering