So... I want to learn to solder...

[Anapan]

I had good results with that braided thin-wire desoldering tape stuff. You just lay it on the part to be desoldered and lay the iron on top. It soaks up the solder and leaves a clean surface. I went through a lot of it on the xbox and ps2.

[Metalcrack]

By the way, can anyone recommend a good online shop for switches, resistors, capacitors and such things? Ideally based in Europe but anywhere would be fine as long as they ship worldwide.

I believe Farnell would be what you are looking for. http://www.farnell.com/ and pick your country. Major countries are listed.

[Metalcrack]

Soldering is easy to learn, but hard to master. Soldering simple through hole chips on single sided PCBs is easy enough.....but trying to tackle surface mount as a beginner smells like trouble to me. I've been soldering...almost every day, for the past 7 years, and the best tip i can give is, less solder is more. You don't want gobs of solder on your joints or connections. Any repair should end up looking like a factory connection (if it's a cheap Chinese gadget...most likely a better one ).

It's an invaluable skill for people who like to tinker or fix electronics, and I suggest anyone interested to learn.

[Ziggy]

That's a pretty good tip, I highly second that. I love (as in think it's funny) when I open up a guitar that some one tried to "fix" and there's just globs of solder on everything.

I had good results with that braided thin-wire desoldering tape stuff. You just lay it on the part to be desoldered and lay the iron on top. It soaks up the solder and leaves a clean surface. I went through a lot of it on the xbox and ps2.

I just use a little rubber thing with a nozzle on it, its like a little turkey baster or infant mucus remover. It was like $3 or whatever, and it by far the best money I've spent on a tool to help me solder better. It really is essential, it makes for a nice clean job.

[Gwb]

A good soldering iron is a MUST. Cheap brands such as Radioshack will not do the trick. Trust me; I know this from experience!

Weller and Hakko are both reputable companies. A lot of people have complained that Weller's quality has been slipping on newer models. I did my research and ended up getting a Hakko 936-12. Hakko is primarily used in China for major assembly line work so you can guess that the soldering irons have to be up to snuff.

I paid around $97.00 shipped for my iron new from an authorized reseller on eBay.

[marurun]

Gee, I know lot of people who've done mods successfully on retro systems with a 15 watt Radio Shack iron. I wouldn't use it on anything newer than a PSX or Saturn, but it does work fine for older systems.

I'm sure more expensive ones are much better, but $100 is a big commitment when you're learning. I still say start with the $15 15 watt RS special for practice, do some simple mods or projects, and move up to better equipment and bigger projects only when you feel ready.

[SnowKitty]

Gee, I know lot of people who've done mods successfully on retro systems with a 15 watt Radio Shack iron. I wouldn't use it on anything newer than a PSX or Saturn, but it does work fine for older systems.

I'm sure more expensive ones are much better, but $100 is a big commitment when you're learning. I still say start with the $15 15 watt RS special for practice, do some simple mods or projects, and move up to better equipment and bigger projects only when you feel ready.

this is how i learned, i bought an el cheapo ratshack iron and practiced on dead PCBs. the more you work with the stuff, the better you get at it.