How to Solder Speaker Wire (7 Steps)
Content
- 7 Easy Steps to Solder Speaker Wire
- A few tips that may be helpful when soldering
In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about soldering speaker wires.
Do you find it difficult to hear sound clearly from the speakers? This may be due to loose ends on the speaker wires. You may need to properly solder the old wires. Or you may need to solder new wires. To help you with the above issues, here is a simple guide to soldering speaker wire.
In general, to solder an acoustic wire:
- Gather the necessary tools/materials.
- Identify the positive and negative wires and speaker terminals.
- Strip the wires (if necessary).
- Insert the speaker wires into the terminals.
- Heat the joints with a soldering iron.
- Apply solder.
- Don't forget to clean your soldering iron.
Read the step by step guide below for a detailed explanation.
7 Easy Steps to Solder Speaker Wire
Step 1 - Gather the necessary things
First of all, collect the following things.
- Speaker
- speaker wires
- Soldering iron
- Solder
- For stripping wires
- Small flat head screwdriver
- piece of wet sponge
Step 2. Identify the positive and negative wire and speaker terminals.
If you are soldering the free end of the wire, it is not necessary to identify the positive and negative speaker wires. Just solder the free end to the terminal. However, if you are soldering new wires to the speaker, you will need to correctly identify the positive and negative wires. And the same goes for speaker jacks.
Speaker connector identification
Determining the speaker terminals is not so difficult. More often than not, you will be able to find specific markings for the positive or negative terminals on the speaker terminals.
Speaker Wire Identification
In truth, identifying speaker wires is a little tricky. But this is by no means impossible. There are three different methods for this.
Method 1 - according to the color code of the insulation
Undoubtedly, this is the most commonly used method for identifying speaker wires. The red wire is positive and the black wire is negative. This red/black combination is the preferred color code for most manufacturers.
Method 2 - by conductor color
Some use a silver conductor (not insulation) for the positive speaker wire. And the negative wire will be represented by a copper wire.
Method 3 - By stripes
This is also a common method for identifying speaker wires. Some wires come with a red stripe (or other color) on the insulation, and some have a smooth texture. A wire with a red stripe is a minus, and a wire with a smooth texture is a plus.
important: Proper identification of terminals and wires is an important task. If you reverse the polarity when connecting the speaker wires to the terminals, you may damage the speaker or the wires.
Step 3 - Strip the Wires
After identifying the wires, they can be stripped.
- Take a wire stripper and strip two wires.
- Make sure that the length of the strip does not exceed ½ - ¾ inch.
- Remember not to damage the wire strands. Damaged wire strands can cause problems in your audio system.
Quick-Tip: After stripping the two wires, twist the wire harness with your fingers.
Step 4 - Insert the speaker wires into the terminals
Before connecting the speaker wires, they must be inserted into the terminals in a certain way so that a good connection between the wires and the terminals can be made.
To do this, first run the wire through the speaker terminal. Then bend it up. Your speaker wires are now perfectly positioned for soldering.
Step 5 - Heat up connection points
Before applying solder to the wires and terminals, heat the two connection points (two terminals). This will allow the solder to flow evenly around the terminals and wires.
So, plug your soldering iron into a suitable outlet and place it over the connection points of each speaker terminal. Hold the soldering iron there for at least 30 seconds.
Step 6 - Apply Solder
After you heat the connection points, bring the solder close to the connection points and let it melt.
Be sure to let the solder run off both sides of the terminal.
Thus, the wires and terminals will be connected on both sides.
Step 7 - Clean the Soldering Iron
This is a step that most people ignore. But it would be better if you didn't. An uncleaned soldering iron can cause problems for your future soldering project. So, clean the soldering iron with a damp sponge.
But leave some solder on the tip of the soldering iron. This process is called tinning, and it will protect the soldering iron from any corrosion. Always try to keep your soldering iron tip shiny. (1)
A few tips that may be helpful when soldering
Even though soldering speaker wires seems like a simple task, a lot can go wrong. Here are some soldering tips to help you with the speaker wire soldering process.
- Always use a quality soldering iron.
- Use a suitable soldering iron tip according to the size of the wire.
- Apply heat to the connection points first.
- Let the solder joints cool on their own.
- Perform soldering in a well ventilated area. (2)
- Thoroughly clean and tin the soldering iron tip.
- Wear protective gloves to protect your hands.
Follow the soldering tips above for clean and reliable soldering.
Take a look at some of our articles below.
- How to solder speaker wire
- What size speaker wire for the subwoofer
- How to connect speaker wire
Recommendations
(1) Corrosion - https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/corrosion
(2) proper ventilation - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143277/
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