Thanks all, seriously appreciate the video and direction, and apologies for bringing this all back up again, I see it covered in various older threads. I’ve plenty of test pieces and a good few weeks off over Christmas, practice makes perfect. Maybe I’ll post a picture over the break…
Very useful video, thanks.
Maybe you could recommend similar tutorial for Naim native speaker plugs, especially when soldering at 180 angle, like here:
Seems, that soldering Naim plugs is much more difficult task, because solder can easily spill over and it is more difficult to insert and fix wire in this kind of plug.
Hard to find any video that’s gets the real training job done.
After a lifetime in service & training in some form or other, face to face hands on is the best way bar none.
Your photo looks like not enough heat is applied for too long. With the right heat (residual heat not just temperature) those joints should have been done in about 5 seconds, the semi melted insulation tells me it was 10 maybe 20 secs.
2nd point is those Naim pins are designed for 90 degree angle, waste of a good 90’ application if used “straight”. Get some large solder bucket Deltrons.
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Honestly it just takes loads of practice with off-cuts. I mean loads of practice. Preferably with someone that can rate your joints and offer course correction.
It’s only 10% know how and 90% practice acquired skill. Similar to how you can read the manual for a new car but that doesn’t mean you can drive.
On the plus side, it is like riding a bike. You can master it, then not do it for 10 years and still be able to do it pretty well.
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You need to use a powerful iron and do it quickly, like very quickly, and apply the right amount.
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Thanks, Mike. That’s exactly what I’ve thought about 
. I have no practice in soldering, but logic says that it is very very hard, nearly impossible to solder Naim plugs properly at 180 degree angle On the other hand it is strange that Naim sells these plugs with Nova and Atom, where 180 degree angle is required.
I’ve checked Ebay, and found several versions of Deltrons, differently sized and with different metal alloys.
There are Silver-plated and Nicklel-plated versions. I’ve read in archived forums that this is the same, but seems that it is not, because the same seller lists two different versions: nickel and silver. I assume that nickel plated is more compliant with Naim amplifiers?
Also, they have different “Max Conductor diameters”. There are 4.0, 4.5, and 5,5mm.
Seems that this version is best suited with Naca5 if I’m not mistaken:
Conductor diameter max 4.5mm
Outer diameter cable max. 7.1mm
Connector type 4mm banana plug
External length 48.75mm
Outer diameter 10mm
Nickel-plated construction
Light, yet tough & versatile
Soldering optional with set screw
Outstanding performance
Current Rating 10A
RoHC** **Compliant
Or maybe it is better to use plug with 5.5mm “Max Conductor Diameter”?
Good advice from others especially Mike. Do ensure you have the right soldering iron for the job… with the right power and sufficiently large tip. As Mike says if it’s taking much more than 5 seconds to solder a connection it won’t be optimum and may be very poor … you can end up burning the flux off. So ensure sufficient power and temperature, large enough tip, and practice.
When I did mine I used a heat gun like this. It allowed the connection to be made quickly.
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NACA5 is 4mm/2 (that’s conductor area size)
4mm/2 is 2.3mm diameter
Luc
I soldered Deltron plugs of the same spec. (Soldering optional with set screw) onto NACA5 a couple of weeks ago. I’d recommend using the solder only option.
The problem with using the set screw option, is the bucket is very large. I didn’t actually manage to fill the bucket with solder, although I’m happy the joints are good. The solder flowed past the screw hole and has a nice shiny appearance where visible at the entrance of the bucket.
I used two soldering irons, one to pre heat the plug, the other to solder. I also use Cardas Quad Eutectic Solder, which has a lower melting point compared to other solders.
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