Hey guys, do you have any tips on soldering wires onto solder terminals on DB9, DB15, etc type connecters? It's like I need three hands to be able to do it, to hold the wire in the hole, hold the connector, and the soldering iron. Also, everything's so close together and a pain to work with.
I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks!
First, heat the tip the wire's going into, and apply a touch of solder so the tip turns silver. A little extra is fine, but try not to plug the hole. This is called tinning, you're essentially preparing the surface of the pin.
Your wire should also be tinned.
What I do next is rest the wire against the pin, in the little groove, and put the iron on top of the wire, so the wire heats first and then sinks into, and becomes soldered to, the pin.
As for holding it steady I find just resting it on the desk and pushing the far side down with a spare finger is enough to keep it stable, though you might consider a desktop vice or one of those weird little arms-akimbo clip things Radio Shack is so fond of.
I use Silly Putty or that blue Poster Tack to hold things in place while I solder, both do a great job.