Introduction to Soldering

Make sure you have the following tools:

Soldering Iron with sponge

Tweezers or wire cutters

Brush and Paste Flux

Helping Hands

Soldering Wire

(optional) Magnifying glass

Always turn ventilation on before you solder!

Turning on the Soldering Iron is important too :)

Before we get started, ensure that the ventilation tube is as close to the helping hands as possible without being in the way

Attach the RGB LED to one of the helping hands so the sockets you are going to solder are facing away from you

Clamp the longer pins of the corresponding LED so the short pins are pointing up

Once both parts are clamped move the helping hands close enough so that the short pins go all the way through the three holes on the LED

If you are having trouble with keeping the helping hands still where you want them try "pre-tensioning" the hands so the parts are moving towards each other, and not away

With a pair of tweezers or wire cutters cut some soldering wire from the spool. You should only need at most 2.5 in of wire.

Keep the wire going through the guiding hole.

Use a small brush and gently dab it in some water soluble paste flux.

You only need enough flux to coat the pins and sockets which in this case is not that much.

Do not stroke the brush as it makes it more likely to get flux in unnecessary places of the LED,

Now it is time to solder! Grab a soldering iron, preferably with your dominant hand, and the previously cut soldering wire

Begin by placing the soldering iron onto the pin AND the socket.

While holding the soldering iron on the pin and socket being to push the soldering wire onto the pin.

Move the wire all around each socket to ensure the pins are completely soldered onto the LED

Move the wire all around each socket so there are no open holes in any of them. A magnifying glass can be helpful during this process.

You're finished! Feel free to take your soldered part off of the helping hands.

These steps are the same for soldering several types of electronics. As long as you have proper ventilation and the tools available you should be ready to solder!