Having issues soldering pixel strips

W

Wacamoe

Member
So I'm pretty new to everything - but I must have spent hours watching videos on the internet....

I am pretty novice at soldering, and I'm trying to solder up some pigtails to the end of some pixel strips. I cannot for the life of me get the wire to fuse to the pad. I ordered an iron of amazon (so granted not 'high end') - I believe I'm getting some solder on the pads after cutting away the silicon on the strip. Then i'm kind of tinning some 16 gauge wire. When it comes time to join the wire to the pad, the solder just doesn't melt anymore - so it just sits there and doesn't re-melt or fuse. I try to improvise with additional solder (against all the advise out there) and then it just turns into a big mess. And without the ability to melt or wick away the solder onto a wick, i end up cutting a pixel of the strip and trying again.....

5 pixels in and still nothing - I'm up against a wall. Any advise? or videos that are REALLY good out there?

Thanks in advance.

Materials I am using:
Strips: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M9BJ9N8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Iron: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082F1RKTM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Wire: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13733
 
To me it sounds like an undersized iron. Advice: Make sure you use a very sharp knife and scrape the pad clean just moments before you tin it. Next hint Make sure your solder has some flux in it or that you add "electronics grade" (not plumbing grade) flux at the moment you apply solder.
 
I have pulled my hair out with the same problem in the past. What Martin said, Clean and Flux!!

It is also the reason I no longer use strips. I just can't deal with it. Good luck.
 
Doesn't look like the solder I have says anything about flux - have seen that in some of the videos - so I'll get some of that and try it again.

Thanks for the advice so far!
 
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