DIY/Practice Soldering Projects?

Science, Engineering, & Tech Security
1

My end goal is to make a monitor out of an iPad display. But it's been years since I've used a soldering iron. My Dad gave a soldering iron and a bunch of solder the other day, and I just finished building my workbench. Now, what are some cheap soldering projects I can try out as practice? Any ideas/sources for this kind of stuff you guys are familiar with?

2

Velleman, Conrad, etc... cheap, well documented, fun, easy.

3

Broken electronics, especially older computer electronics with cheap capacitors. Often these are only broken because a cap blew or some connecting piece broke slightly. I have a 9600 GT next to me that is clearly only broken because 4 caps went bad and blew their top, easy to practice soldering both for removal and installing soldered on parts.

4

Thanks, bookmarked :P

5

I was thinking about picking up some broken video cards on eBay for next to nothing and trying to fix them. Are schematics (I'm guessing this is what I would need for component info) usually available for most graphics cards out there? I'm assuming I would need to know what type of capacitors to use.

6

If all you have is an iron and a bench, you're going to need more, and you're going to need a new iron for any quality work if it's a low powered cheapo POS.

 

Wet sponges are absolutely useless, so you'll need one of these to keep the tip clean

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-sponge-needed/dp/B005C789EU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1387508159&sr=8-5&keywords=soldering+accessories

 

You'll need angle clippers, and a solder sucker, and desoldering braid for desoldering work.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Amico-Aluminium-Desoldering-Solder-Remover/dp/B00BG62F6E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1387508232&sr=8-6&keywords=solder+sucker

http://www.amazon.com/SW-3-Desoldering-Wire-Handy-Dispenser/dp/B0002LLW5E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1387508323&sr=8-5&keywords=solder+braid

 



Use good ventilation too cause solder fumes are toxic.

7

Tho I loathe google, it's pretty decent for finding schematics. Google images.

 

8

I was expecting all of that stuff to be expensive but I was wrong thanks for the links! And I have a good industrial quality iron. It's a Weller WES50.