Soldering Equipment & Advice

We get asked a lot by beginners what is the best equipment and methods to use when soldering electronics such as the NAND-X kit.

Treat the following simply as a guide. You don't have to stick to the exact parts - but I have used these personally and do the job just fine.

Soldering Iron: For beginners the best advice is to get a 15 Watt soldering iron with a fine tip. You can use up to 30 Watt but you risk overheating your board / components if you are not experienced.
USA - Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062728
UK - Maplin: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4052

Solder: 60/40 Rosin-Core Solder 0.32" Diameter is our preferred solder. It doesn't have to be EXACTLY this - but it's the one we recommend.
USA - Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062715
UK - Maplin: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=2819

Flux: The most important part of soldering is adding flux. it will make the solder process smooth, clean, fast and easy. Those who don't use flux are always the ones posting about problems they are having. Always use flux when soldering. Let me repeat this again ALWAYS USE FLUX WHEN SOLDERING !!! I personally use a Chemtronics No-Clean Flux Dispensing Pen - but its not cheap and is used mainly by pro's. You can use most kinds of Flux paste too.
USA - Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2049774
UK - Maplin: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=33849