Soldering
Common terms
Common terms you may read or hear about related to soldering.
Here's a list of some common terminology related to soldering that is used both in our documentation as well as online.
If you're missing a term here, please feel welcome to alert us of it by sending us an email.
Terms
- Bodge wire
- A wire that was manually applied between two or more pads or components, as to repair a broken Trace.
- Desoldering
- Desoldering is the process of undoing a Joint which was previously applied by Soldering.
- Joint
- A mechanical bond between two metallic surfaces, usually between a Pad and a Lead. A joint is formed using Solder.
- Lead (of a component)
- A metallic part that extends from the body of the component. Sometimes also called a "leg" or "pin".
- Pad
- An exposed metallic surface on a PCB, onto which a joint can be formed. Pads with a hole in them are also called "plated through-holes", and accept THT components, whereas pads without a hole in them accept only SMD components.
- PCB
- Abbreviation for "printed circuit board". It forms the basis of most electronics, including our keyboards. A PCB consists of a substrate, with one or more layers of copper and solder mask. The copper has been etched away to form Traces, which lead electricity to support the functioning of the product.
- SMD
- Abbreviation for "surface mount device". Usually refers to a kind of component. SMD components are usually small, and their tiny leads are soldered directly onto the PCB. Also see "THT" for their larger counterpart.
- Solder
- Solder is an alloy consisting of various metals and other additives, which usually has a relatively low melting point. Solder is used in forming joints.
- Soldering
- Soldering is the process of joining various components or pads together using Solder.
- Soldering iron
- A soldering iron is a tool with which heat can be transferred onto Pads, Leads and Solder, as to form Joints.
- THT
- Abbeviation for "through hole technology". Usually refers to a kind of component. THT components are usually bigger than SMD components, and usually have long metallic legs. To install them, their legs may be bent, and then inserted through the PCB, after which a joint is formed. Also see "SMD" for their smaller counterpart.
- Trace
- A trace is a connection contained on a PCB between two or more Pads, made out of a thin copper layer.
Questions? Help us improve!
Do you have questions after reading the documentation? Do you have feedback about this page, or about the documentation in general? Please send us an email. You can use the buttons below which will open your mail client or app with a template, or send your mail to support@splitkb.com.