Whats the best way to solder a resistor?

Question

I am making a cable that goes from my car head deck on one end to female rca(white red) on the other. The connectors are 13 pin DIN.

After researching, I found out that a 10 KOhm resistor is required between pin 3 and pin 9 in order for the deck ro switch into correct AUX mode.

The wires on pin 3 and pin 9 are 24 guage stranded.

a)Should I put a bend in the resistor, or is it best to leave it straight and leave one cable longer.

b) Should I take the straight end of the resistor, stick it in the middle of the strands, then just twist everything tight then solder? Or should I twist the strands tight first, tin the tip, then solder the resistor in?

c) Can Shrink Wrap go over the entire resitor or should I leave some of the resistor exposed?

Thanks

Answer 1

I doubt it's going to be dissipating any power, but I can't be sure.

Does it get warm to the touch? if not, you can put tubing over it all.

Just twist the stranded wire around the lead and solder.

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Answer 2

OK, I understand the problem, and been there, done that. You want to be careful soldering as you can get shorts, and even worse, dry joints.

- First, use an iron with a very fine tip.

- do the job sober

- tin each end prior to making the joint

- I would personally snip the wires on each end of the resistor short and solder one into the socket and the cable onto the other end - shortening it by the resistor length.

- when finished, give the joint a good visual inspection for shorts or breaks and test with a meter if possible (high ohms range to detect leakage - NOT the low range - a frequent mistake of beginners)

Use about 1/8th inch of bare wire onto a slightly longer amount of wire from the resistor.

Now, you shouldn't ideally solder up against the resistor body, but can get away with it with a hot iron, with both ends tinned prior to making the connection. Still, leaving 2mm gap  would be better.

I would actually use 2 pieces of heat shrink. But thats me - the second piece (the first you slide up the wire) longer than the lower piece. Certainly use one and make sure it covers the resistor fully, the joint to the wire and another 3-4mm at least.

Hot iron means a faster joint - please, don't let this be the 1st time you have used an iron for a fine joint. Automotive electronics are susceptible to vibration more than much other electronics and a field of its own (as th early car radio manufacturers found out a long time ago).

As a hint - I sometimes use nail lacquer as a "paint on" insulator. Use 2 layers. It isn't very strong or effective but can save against light, brief contacts that could otherwise cause failures or blown fuses. Certainly don't use it in preference to heatshrink, but in addition to ... if you see fit. It is hard and non-conductive. Using it won't make things worse - unless you plan on unsoldering it, in which case it becomes a holy mess.

Another hint, if there is a thick cable within th cluster, consider using a fine cable tie to tie th resistor, so it isn't 'floating' - this is not critical, but worth doing if possible. The resistor is not designed for much load bearing.

Finally, before making the joint, ensure that the plug housing will physically fit the resistor and without putting undue stress on it. This is very important and may dictate that you do it another way.