Good Vs. Bad Soldering

• When Soldering you should pay close attention not to ruin the circuit board:

Good Soldering Should...

A large glob sitting on top of the bit, leaving it unconnected to the copper and easily able to fall off. Additionally, below the glob exists a soldering bridge connecting 2 pieces of copper.

• Be shiny thus making it less sponge like and more conductive.
• Be underneath the component and not all over it, ensuring it is connected to the copper and not just sitting in a glob.
• Not be a giant glob on the top of the component, not connected to the copper.
• Be very thin so that when heated it will not melt and spread.

  

  Smooth and thin layer soldered perfectly onto the copper.

• Be small enough so that the clamp is able to clamp directly onto the legs of the component with no troubles from the solder.

Too much solder on component legs will get in the way of making good connections with the programming clip, shown here.

Good Soldering Should Not...

• Be a dull color making it more sponge like and full of holes and harder for electricity to pass through.

  

  A dull, not shiny blob sitting on top of the component.

• Be soldered onto the top of the component, stopping it from connecting to the copper.
• Be very thick, making it more likely to melt and spread wherever it pleases when heated.
• Run over the edges of the copper connecting two traces and shorting out the circuit board.
• Form a bridge between copper traces, shorting out the board.
• Leave bits of solder lying in random places all over the board.

  

  Bad soldering with burnt, and raised components and solder strewn across in all sorts of unnecessary places.

• Burn the components you are trying to solder on.
• Be so underneath as to cause the component to raise up high off of the circuit board.