Soldering Techniques

Author: Leonard Krugman

Generally, junction transistors (Raytheon types 720, 721, 722, Germanium Products Corporation types 2517, 2520, 2525, Western Electric 1752, etc.) have long pigtail leads. These types can be soldered directly into a circuit. However, due to the temperature sensitivity of the transistor, solder connections must be made quickly. It is always a good idea to heat sink all solder connections by clamping the lead with a pair of long nose pliers connected between the soldered point and the transistor housing. This provides a shunt path for a large part of the heat introduced at the solder joint. If it is at all possible, transistors with short leads should not be soldered directly into the circuit. Several types of sockets will accommodate these short lead types. For example, the Cinch type 8749, type 8672, and regular 5-pin subminature tube sockets will handle point-contact transistors similar to the Western Electric 1698, the General Electric Gil A, etc.