# Direct soldering vs. r minus plugs



## DARKSCOPE001 (Jun 14, 2006)

Ok guys I was at the track today and I was racing. a freind of mine loaned some packs to run for a few races. the one pack had some weird deans plug on it because if i pluged it all the way in the esc shut down but if i pulled it out just a little the power started flowing. also I use deans plugs on the motor to take alot of the work out of it. also i use deans plugs on the motor. and I was talking to a couple of guys who used to be sponsored and they boath said that yes I can use deans on the motor but if I want every last bit out of it that I should just direct solder. also they said that If I am running realy nice matched packs (and I am) that for that to even mater I should be direct soldering them. now I dont realy want to direct solder because I dont like keeping a hot iorn around my pit. but I can if direct soldering is realy the only way to get all that power out of my expensive batteries. but I was wondering if the r minus or "corraly" plugs are just as good as direct. also I will be going back to direct on the motor. but I suppose my next question will be what a good iorn is because right now i have the gun that gets pretty hot but is not great for solder joints that you have to rework many many times. also i have the radio shack digital iorn and it says that it goes up to 800 but this one dude had a old ungar or hacko that said 730 and was much much hotter than my radioshack so any suggestions on a realy good but pretty affordable iorn woud be much appreceated.


THANKS
Sean Scott

p,s. sory about the realy realy long post.


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## The Jet (Sep 25, 2001)

Sean,
Since your buying good "race" packs, you might as well get used to having a hot iron within reach. How much of a difference it makes I'm not sure, but there HAS to be less resistance with direct soldering, I do it, and you'll see all top level drivers doing it.

As for what iron, that's a subject that has been discussed alot, and you'll get alot of different answers. I use a $15 dollar, 40 watt Weller for general use. I use a mill bastard file to keep the BLADE tip in perfect condition...File the tip agressively (sp?) then kill it with solder (tin the tip) wipe it on a damp sponge and you'll have a perfect tool.

Later, Bret


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## trackman (Aug 5, 2006)

Tinning the tip and cleaning the tip of the iron is very important...I use a 60 watt iron for general use...

When you add a connector you are not only adding one connection , but you are actually adding 3 connections... ( solder wire to male connector, male connector to female connector , then female connector to solder wire...

When I work with the electric power company, they require a single strand of wire with no connectors when possible because of the loss of power in connectors...


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## DARKSCOPE001 (Jun 14, 2006)

no its not that my connections are nasty or anything its just that they tend to fall apart and become worse the more i rework them. also since I have started using a gun it makes it even harder to re-work solder jobs and have them come out ok. so I was just thinking about talking a pencil iorn to the track. right now I have a radioshack digital soldering station and a craftsman 45watt boath of them get hot enough to solder with but the probem is the tips dont last long at all. yes I do re-tin them and everything its just they never last as long as the one weller I had and the gun that I have right now. So I was just wondering if you guys could tell me of a good iorn with tips that last a good time.


THANKS 
Sean Scott


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## Rippin (Jan 12, 2006)

As long as you leave the iron on for hours at a time they will burn out. ( I do that too ) because i solder direct. And yes i'm always buying new tips. I file and re tin them till they won't go any more. I can't really say that i've honed in on one brand over another.


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

Maybe you guys are going to laugh at me, but a really good alternative to an iron is a Weller D550 soldering gun. This is the 325 Watt [max] model. When I am doing a lot of soldering I use a Weller 4033S heater (that screws into its handle). But for one or two joints, I pull out the D550. It is fully capable ([if used correctly - see below] of soldering wires to the ends of batteries without overheating the battery. (I don't mean soldering wires to the battery bar, I mean soldering directly to a battery!)

The main issue I see that people have with reworked solder joints getting ratty is not (or at least not always) the temperature of the iron, but the fact that they don't use soldering flux each and every time they make or break the solder joint. Not using flux means they have to press harder with the iron to get the heat transfer and that munges up the wires. I have soldered and unsoldered wires many times without crushing the wires because I always use flux.

* My take on correct use of the D550 soldering gun for RC: *let the tip get HOT HOT HOT!!* I pull the trigger to the low setting (I think 240 watts) until the tip is hot enough to melt solder. Then I pull to the high setting and let it heat up a while longer [I can't say exactly how long - it is something you have to develop a feel for]. By the time I touch it to the solder joint, it is hot enoigh to instantly melt the solder (because the joint was fluxed and the heat is transferred quickly). It takes a few seconds longer than a hot iron to make each joint, but is much faster than waiting for an iron to heat up.


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## Rich Chang (Sep 25, 2001)

For folks with irons that do not have on/off switches (such as the Weller 40/60 watt stick irons), a friend and I put an on/off switch on them to keep the tips from burning out.

We got them from Sears and they are the type that clamps on to the power cord, and have a rotating disk to turn the switch on/off.

-Rich


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## burbs (Apr 21, 2002)

If you use the corrally plugs, and do a good job soldering,(ie as little solder as possible) they will work fine.. I know a guy who wins almost every week at our touring track.( ON HIS BATTERIES ONLY). he is a very fast racer.. he uses the corrally plugs for weekly racing... for big events, where every last bit counts he direct solders.. The amount of loss is very minimal... with todays new batteries, and efficient elctronics, there is no way you will ever feel a difference from a good conector to a hard wire..

If you follow touring car racing, you would have seen orions new endbells... In mod TC there is alot of problems with the wire falling off the endbell due to heat.. Orions new endbells require the use of a plug, just like the coarrally type plugs.. Im sure if it made that much difference, i doubt the Top guys in the world would be using this method..

so as long as you conections are soldered good, and clean the conectors will work fine..
\


As for the switches on a oldering iron.. You can go to radio shack, and buy adjustable ones.. insert them on the plug of a standard iron, and you can make it adjustable heat.. Since basic irons, go through tips slot, you can turn down the heat while not in use.. then turn it up before use.. this saves the tip, and doesnt take as long to heat up compared to a cold iron..


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## DARKSCOPE001 (Jun 14, 2006)

ok ok guys before I get a bunch of info I cant realy use. maby I should revise my question. Do you think that an intermediate racer who knows how to solder very well would notice a difference between deens plugs and corally plugs or direct soldering? 

THANKS 
Sean Scott


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## Slider (Dec 7, 2003)

I Doubt you would ever notice between plugs or direct solder.


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## rctazmanmc (Oct 8, 2001)

You wont see a difference to answer your question. I think solder joints, bars and the type of wire would be the biggest things to vary besides the type of battery.

I have gone from plugs to direct solder back to plugs. I use Deans and RC Driver did a comparision and the plugs had less resistence than the direst solder.

Advantages with plugs is no iron required, fast hook up and removal, if someone needs a pack and are running you plugs it is a easy handoff.

I have seen no difference in direct solder except for the above mentioned and it is to the advantage of plugs.

mc


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## DARKSCOPE001 (Jun 14, 2006)

thats what i thought. so then its settled The plugs stay. and I have raced with coralys before and I hated them because one time i told my dad to plug in the pack nad he just took the two ends of the connectors and shoved them in and bam that was the end of that pack. so I think ill just keep the deans plugs just incase im in a rush and I end up having to hury and I dont blow up another battery. actualy one of my better packs is a slightly used pro-match and the solder joints on it are terible even the deans plug is discusting. so I think that the deans plugs having more resistance is a lie. I suppose if I realy wanted to reduce resistance I would just solder wire to the end of the cell and then use astoroflight (I think those are the ones with the gold plated connectors) then I would actualy have the same amount of solder joints as the direct soldering guys and I would essentialy be using polorized coraly plugs. also since these are all joints that do not need to be reworked alot I can use silver solder wich will have better conductivity than andy 60/40 and thus put me ahead of any direct wireing. so tell me what you guys think and ill get back to you. also I was just wondering Does the same hold true for the motor? because right now Im using a deans plug to connect my motor so that I can change them out fast but I was just wondering if there was an advantage to direct wireing on the motor?


THANKS 
Sean Scott


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