You may have some old electronics lying around at home, or someone has left something out on the street for collection, just practice on those as well.

Hi Scacciaccheciurietti,

Ok, let's consider soldering. Yeah, it is nice to practice on something before
you jump right into the real gear. The practice boards are nice and so is old
electronics. With old equipment, you get to practice de-soldering as well.
That said, the practice boards are nice because they are "clean" so you 
have plenty of room and no old solder to contend with.  

Let me say right up front that you don't need to spend tons of money on
a soldering "station" or fancy soldering iron. You can if you want to, but
it certainly isn't necessary. An adjustable iron is nice, but it doesn't need
to be expensive. For years, I have used a 60 watt, AC powered, adjustable
soldering iron that I bought on Amazon for about $ 15 USD. Guess what?
It works great so I just can't bring myself to buy a more costly one. 

Once you understand how soldering works, it is actually not that hard. 
Most of tutorials that I have seen don't provide this basic information,
however, it is explained in my tutorial which you might want to take a
look at. 

Tutorial  How to Solder - Principles, Technics, Etc.

The tutorial pretty much explains everything and has links to articles,
other IntoFPV threads, and YT videos (some of the better ones).

I will suggest that you get GOOD solder such as Kester brand and buy some
flux. Even though rosin core electronics solder has flux inside of it and it does
work well...most of the time, I use extra flux on pretty much everything. 

Just to answer your question, I started soldering electronic gear (yeah on 
the real thing) when I was 17 (many decades ago). Even though I didn't really 
practice, it is a good idea and I would suggest it. Practicing on junk boards will 
let you see how it works without worrying about damaging something. 

Relax, don't worry, you will do fine. 

Thank you for the tutorial.
Btw I don't wanna spend much money on a soldering iron too, so I'll buy a medium price one (taking a look to the quality), I'll try to practice with some gears I'find in house and some practicing boards.

Heck, I've been using a Pinecil. Little sucker costs $25 last I checked and I love it. Also been using some 60/40 solder that's about as thick as a broom bristle and some Amtech flux. The supplies should last you for years unless you make a living out of soldering.

The solder I use is as thin as hair (0.5mm - 0.020 inch).

Specifically, I use Kester 63/37  0.5mm (0.020 inch) 

What I like about the super thin solder is that it is easier to use with
the teeny tiny (almost microscopic) pads on some of the FC boards.

Although I have used 60/40 stuff for decades, I actually like the 63/37
solder better for the following 2 reasons: 

1) It is eutectic and melts precisely at 183 C degrees instead of the 
    the 188 to 190 C degrees range of 60/40.

2) The melt point is lower for 63/37 (183 C) than 60/40 (188-190 C). 

On the one hand, these things may sound like very minor concerns and
I can certainly solder with either mixes. On the other hand, it seems like
the lower and constant melting point just makes it more consistent when 
working with tiny pads on a small circuit board. 

You know I bought a $ 15 USD 60 watt, AC, iron similar to THIS ONE years 
ago and I still use it. Sometimes I think that I should upgrade to something 
better, maybe a 90 or 100 watt one similar to THIS ONE, but then...why?? 
The one that I have works...every time, so I just can't bring myself to upgrade.

      I have just taken a little "stroll" through soldering irons on Amazon
      to see what is available. There are all kinds of irons from 60 watt to
      135 watt, some it kits, some not, most have at least solder (I would
      chuck that in the waste bin) and extra tips from about $ 8 USD to
      about $ 20 USD. I would consider one in the 80 to 100 watt range,
      but can't see the need for one of those fancy soldering stations; at
      least not for me. The iron just needs to get hot and maintain the 
      temperature (for me something over 400 C degrees). 
  
Yeah, my iron is set to 425 C degrees and the adjustment wheel is taped so that
it will not move. I like it hot...just works better that way. Nope, never cooked a
board, burned anything or lifted a pad yet. 

I also use the same medium size conical (pencil type) tip for everything from 
the tiniest pat to heavy gauge battery leads. Some might think that this is
unconventional, however, I have yet to find a tip that works any better. If
we were working with larger pads a chisel tip might work, but I find the 
smallest chisel tip to be harder to work with than my conical one. Anyway,
that is just me. 


Later, iFly