First attempts at self built pedal kits

[sumitomo]

Well you are getting practice in.I wouldn't desolder it,try and clean it up and see if it works.Take it apart and it will become a real mess.Sumi

[Suhnton]

If you cut the legs off the components and clean the underside off with alcohol, it might not look as bad as you suspect. I've seen repair jobs worse than that.

You could try desoldering some of the messier joints.
You don't have to get every last bit of solder out, just aim for removing the excess.
Then give the joint a quick solder shot. It should be a "touch-and-go" type action. It might take a little practice, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.
Don't hold the soldering iron on the component and "feed" the solder in.
Don't try to remove the components or you'll break an etch.

Also to answer your question, when soldering components in, the board should be sitting on the table/bench (don't try to solder with one hand while holding the board in the other). Therefore put components that sit relatively flat to the board in first i.e resistors, then gradually build up so that the components that sit proudest (stick up the most) go in last. It's a lot easier that way. That's how I do it anyway. Wiring always goes in last for me.

Good luck.

[vroomery]

Ok...I've cleaned it up quite a bit. Everything looks really good but i just can't get this one last leg to stick. I have cleaned it the best i know how. Cleaned the iron and then done the cleanest solder job I can. It just wont stick to the eyelet. Is there anything else I can try that I haven't tried yet? I really really don't want to have to scrap the job because of this one stupid solder joint. It's driving me crazy haha. Pleaseeee tell me theres something simple I can do!

[Suhnton]

If it's not sticking to the eyelet it probably means the etch has come away/off. Can you take a photo? If that's the case, there are a couple of options:

1)
At the end of the track that the eyelet connects to, scrape away the coating to reveal the bare copper track.
Be very careful if/when you do this, and always scrape in the direction of the eyelet. This will prevent the track from lifting off the PCB.
You should scrape only enough away to allow soldering to the track (3 or 4mm). Then, either:

A) Fold the leg over, cut it to size and solder directly to the track or
B) Using fine wire, do a couple of wraps around the leg, solder and then cut and solder the wire to the track.

2)
The other option is to run a wire connection from the component leg to the other end (where it should connect to). For beginners, this might be easier/safer than scraping away the coating.

If you can post up a photo, it will be easier to assess what needs to be done.

Cheers.

[vroomery]

I think it may be the case that the etch has come off over the eyelet. I had thought about bending the lead over and soldering it down, but I have no clue about those sort of things. I'll take a picture and get it up tomorrow before I do anything else to that particular part.

[Suhnton]

Yeah I was thinking about it after I posted my response earlier.
I would definitely recommend option 2 (running a new wire connection from the "broken etch component" to the other end). I think overall the job will look tidier.

[duhvoodooman***]

Is your problem that the top part of the eyelet etch has come off, but you still have continuity between the rest of the eyelet (hopefully the eyelet on the component-side of the board is still there) and the trace it attaches to? If so, a simple trick may be just soldering the lead on the component side of the eyelet, as long as it's accessible. I've done this a couple of times with good results. Just check for continuity between the eyelet (either side of the board) and the terminus of the trace it connects to.

If, on the other hand, the eyelet has detached from its trace, that method won't work. A good trick for that situation is similar to Suhnton's second suggestion, but using the component lead itself as a "quasi-trace". Locate where the connecting trace for the eyelet goes to, then bend the component lead over and spot solder it to that point. In practice, this usually works only for short traces, and you have to be sure that the bare metal lead isn't going to short against anything else in between. If that's a problem, use a length of insulated hook-up wire instead, per Suhnton's option 2. I agree with him that you're better off avoiding trying to scrape on the trace. That's pretty easy to screw up.

And don't sweat it--problems of this sort are virtually always fixable. Might not look too great, but once you button up a pedal, as long as it works reliably, nobody cares what it looks like inside....

[Suhnton]

nobody cares what it looks like inside....

That's right, look at them Jetters - hot melt glue everywhere