Is this soldering iron sufficient for just soldering a loop key like seen below? I know this soldering iron is shit but will it work?
Also, is that loop key image correct?
P. S. Those Trump signs are a part of a random newspaper.
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I use a cheap 40w, that one is 35w so it should be fine. just wait for it to get really hot! tin the wires, and the connections and combine.
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The loop key looks fine too. I use mine on the negative side. I don’t think it matters though.
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If you want more heat capacity you can just replace the tip with a lead one 
Do I need to heat shrink anything on the loop key?
If your anti spark came with a snap on soldering cover you could do without shrink wrap. Or skip the soldering cover and just use shrink wrap to cover the exposed part of the connector.
35 watts is going to struggle w/ large wires… But you may be able to do it. Flux is your friend too. A bigger tip for more contact area is needed as well.
the issue is the wires themselves act as heatsinks and pull heat away before you can solder the bigger wires unless your iron is hot enough.
Heatshrink is always a good idea if you can, or some of the liquid electrical tape.
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I wish I could do that! Sadly if anything I will be getting a real soldering iron as a gift and it needs to be below $50
For the price, you really can’t beat this one. Decently powerful iron and includes a hot air gun too!
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Agree here - i got an older model like this 862D+ linked for about $99 a few years ago. Awesome setup and really helped my soldering improve (able to adjust temp exactly where i want, plus spare tips for the type needed). Hot air rework is a bonus and i’ve repaired two VESC’s with this exact setup.
Hunt around and you can find them (or nearly identical to this one) for about $40-60. A bargain for what you get.
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This iron will do just fine
I used an 80W Weller soldering station to get AWG12 wires attached to XT60 connectors. That was already borderline. Not sure if a 35W iron will do the job. Important is let the stuff heat up really good and use lots of solder even while heating up to get the heat transferred. Rotate the wire couple of times and do some test cuts of the wire itself. Sometimes the solder does not penetrate fully to the center.
This will be in your price range http://www.ebay.com/itm/Weller-8200PKS-120-volt-140-100-watt-Universal-Soldering-Gun-Kit-1-/291837845023
By far this is the best investment I made. Worth it 1000x over.
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if you want to get real specific it does matter. electrons flow from the neg side of the batter to the pos. so when you have the loop key on the tops the electron flow though the loop key last than back into the battery. That means you should get less of a spark because the electrons have flown through the rest of you circuit and some have turned into moment or heat, but it should not hurt anything to have it on the neg.
o and i use this soldering iron. i like it because it heats up fast and is super portable because i can run it on 3s to 6s and its super small. the biggest plus is that it has a display with the adjustable temp. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FFPE0EG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thats actually not right.
In series connection ( which loop key definitely is ), the current is same everywhere. There are electrons everywhere pushing each other in a circle. All starts and stops to move at the same time.
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well thanks for the heads up.
It’s cheap, adjustable, and does a good job. It gets hot enough to solder larger wires and bullet connectors. If you’re just the occasional user, this will be good enough. The smaller 35watt pens take a long time to get hot and you may have some trouble with larger wires or getting the solder hot enough to stay liquid long enough to attach a connector.
Just found an 60W one in my garage last night, no pic right now but I think it’s this one. Soldering Iron 60 Watt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006NGZK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_flwuyb66MWHDR
I disagree here Mark - it will depend on your size wire (16awg, 14, 12, etc.), length, tip, solder, and probably a bit of luck/skill to use a small 35w iron… Maybe for 14 or 16 awg, but doubtful anything larger like 12/10awg.
@Michael319 - your 60w should work great - you may still want a broader tip to give more surface area/contact to transfer the heat quickly to get a good result. You can give yourself a nice bubble of solder on the tip first before pressing into the wire (with flux) which will help too.
Totally doable w/ some practice - i might practice soldering two pieces of junk wire together a few times until you feel you have the hang of it. Or you’re likely to ruin one of the anti-spark XT-90’s. Or maybe you’re already pretty proficient and no issue, but scrap wire vs a good connector - just takes a few minutes to practice first and what i’d recommend.
GL!