Over at Street Tech, bOING bOING senior editor Gareth Branwyn posted the first Street Tech Thumbnail Guide. This one is a primer on soldering, complete with illustrations by our very own Mark Frauenfelder! (Mark’s drawings first appeared in Gareth’s excellent book Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Building Robots.) From the Thumbnail Guide:
In all my years of hosting Street Tech and writing technology books, I’ve been amazed at how many people I’ve heard whining about how much they wish they could solder (or complaining about how awful they are at it). Truth be told, I used to be one of these people. And while I’m not likely to win any beauty contests for my lead-laying, I’m at least competent enough to repair damaged electronics, assemble electronics kits, and even scratch-build some of my own frakenrobot creations. If you want to do the same, read on. Soldering is not some rarified art. It does take a little bit of patience and some practice, but mainly, it’s a question of having the proper tools to do it right, carefully following a few simple steps, and steering clear of a few common pitfalls.
Previously on BB:
• Boing Boing Boing podcast #3 — Gareth Branwyn Link
• Mark Frauenfelder’s Illustration Portfolio Link
• How-To: Build a Robot from a Coat Hanger Link