Why not just drill (say) 3.2 mm hole through each PSU land (two holes if you are paranoid).
... Just my thoughts - feel free to ignore
How did you know I'm paranoid? I was hoping no one noticed...
Anyhoot, I've not yet seen info that guarantees that drilling holes into the output pads of an HP HSTNS-PD43 server PSU is safe (i.e. I don't want to risk shorting the pads with internal layer traces which may not be the same function as the pads - when the output section is held towards a light source, silhouettes of traces between the output pads, in the multi-layered PCB can be seen).
Solder paste isn’t “fancy”, it’s a completely normal, basic product for electronics nowadays.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE "fancy" stuff.
Just that this purpose is quite an unusual case for me and I'd need so little of it that getting an entire tube or jar of the stuff would likely not be used for a long time and just sit in my refrigerator, which is another thing I'd like to avoid.
...
I do have Burnley soldering paste (flux) which I hope will suffice.
DO NOT use that for electronics! It’s corrosive due to the zinc chloride, and the chlorides are nearly impossible to clean off thoroughly enough. ...
I would buy some gel or paste flux for electronics, specifically an RMA (ROL0, ROL1, REL0, or REL1) type. (Can be no-clean, but with one of those four codes.) Do not get a water-soluble flux unless it’s “water-soluble no-clean”.
Those also aren’t “fancy”, they’re basic supplies for electronics.
Thanks for "de-ignorantizing" me about Burnley soldering paste & zinc chloride. It is indeed a pain to remove even with alcohol. I've been curious about such gel/paste flux you mentioned anyway so I'll look into this "RMA (ROL0, ROL1, REL0, or REL1) type" flux.
Anything that isn't obviously displayed in a shop(i.e. so I have to ask the owner), to me is "fancy". Again, this is not a negative... I LOVE "fancy" stuff.
... Ummm… you know that copper is an extremely good conductor of heat, right?? ... You certainly do not need to use a big flame from 6 inches away, where you’d be heating up all the components you want to protect. ...
I worked at a company that specialized in CPU coolers, that's where I encountered solder paste for copper heatsink fins and heatpipes. Yes, I know copper is a good conductor. Solder paste is cool stuff.
I'd use the torch say 6 inches away from the terminal for example for tinning away from the PSU's pads. If I were to use the torch with the terminal on the PSU's pads, I would now likely choose to point the torch tip away from the PSU's internal components, and have the torch tip close to the terminals portion that is extending outward(like a pool's diving board) from the pads. I'd be focusing heat on the area that diver's would hop on and have the flame bounce off away from the "diving board"(and away from the PSU). In this case I wouldn't even need to use aluminum foil heat shields. If the soldering iron turns out to be too wimpy, I'll use the torch as this would allow getting (heat) in & out fast.
... Just accept that you’ll need to give the mating surfaces a nice cleaning afterwards. I’d do this with a rubber eraser for ink, since that’s a mild abrasive that works beautifully for things like this.
Interesting... Thanks...
Voids are unlikely to be a problem if you are able to heat the whole copper mass up sufficiently, which shouldn’t be a problem, and are using solder wire.
I disagree. How much experience do you have doing rework of copper plumbing? I would far rather have a fresh, new, not tinned joint than a joint with previous solder (aka tinned) on it.
Now we've come full circle to my initial question... "to tin or not to tin"
I'm almost tempted to just flux the pads and terminal joints, slide the terminals onto the pads cold without any tinning, and just use the torch - focusing heat on the edge of the "diving board"(flame pointing away from the PSU) and feeding solder from the opposite side/pad ("anchored end of the diving board"). This would allow getting (heat) in & out fast.
DO NOT use that for electronics! It’s corrosive due to the zinc chloride, and the chlorides are nearly impossible to clean off thoroughly enough.
Kester 44 has bromides in it. It doesn't always need to be cleaned and is used widely for electronics.
Thanks...
... A different answer from the rest of the thread, but I wouldn't do this.
The output tabs of the power supply are an extension of the circuit board. The circuit board material is not constructed for mechanical strength, and is not designed to resist bending. If you solder those big copper lugs onto the board, and then bolt wires to the lugs, then significant mechanical loads will be transferred to the circuit board. It may not cause immediate failure, but it would leave me feeling uncomfortable about the long term durability of the arrangement.
It rather seems that the power supply is designed to be plugged into some kind of receptacle. It would be better, perhaps, to find the matching receptacle or socket? Or construct some kind of clip that can slip over the tabs on the power supply?
Your concern is valid, and certainly this should not be done if the lugged cable were to transfer stress directly to the PCB. BUT, in my case, the PSU will be installed in a plastic briefcase and the lugged cables will connect to panel mount XT90 connectors installed on the briefcase's sides. Therefore, this internal cabling will be entirely stress free, and the PSU's PCB outputs will not get stressed by any cable stress external to the briefcase. Also, I may add silicone rubber supports under the terminals to fill the gap between them and the plastic briefcase.
How much current is this PSU supplying? I see some small output capacitor there and edge connectors have their limits too. Those massive copper pieces seem greatly oversized.
In either case, wouldn’t it be easier to solder two one-row headers into those holes behind the connector? ...
The HSTNS-PD43 is rated 1400W 117A Max @12VDC 200~240VAC.
I'd be using it at around 12.8 ~ 14.6VDC 96~117A Max, but realistically probably never need to use it above 50~60A @ 14.6VDC.
It's intended for use during automotive diagnostics/ECU programming for keeping the battery charged up.
Appreciate all ya'll's input. Cheers~