Diode soldering question

Could the plate be aluminum?

Not sure, will check.Thanks

even if its steel you should be able to solder it but you'll need a lot of heat that metal plate absorb the heat from the iron so you'll  need a heavy duty  Weller gun or heavy duty solder iron to melt the solder! also you'll need a  lot of flux to make the solder stick to the steel plate also!

here is a Weller gun!

https://www.globaltestsupply.c...GTS.%20-%20Weller%20(USA)%20(PS)%20(B)&utm_term=4580771605532163&utm_content=WELLER%20-%20INSTRUMENTS

Alan

Was thinking that might be the problem. My iron isn't real heavy duty. P.o

Also too, the time it will take to heat that plate to temperature is gonna' cook the diode. You'll need to first tin the plate and then bring the diode lead into the tinned spot. 

Excellent advice. Thanks. 

Looks like aluminum.

If that plate is aluminum you have a couple solutions drill a hole and hold the diode lead on with a screw or pop rivet.  Or use one of the low temp aluminum solders such as this Harris Aluminum solder and flux. This stuff flows at around 480f which is low for anything called aluminum solder.  A trick I do in this situation is to solder a terminal on to the aluminum then put the diode lead in the wire-hole on the terminal and solder it with conventional resin core solder. I remember the first time I tried to solder aluminum back in the 60s there was a product called SalMet flux that claimed to allow common 60/40 coreless solder to work on aluminum. Yet to make that stuff work but there are low temp aluminum solders now that actually do work. The situation you have is to get the heat on the area you want to solder faster than it can flow out to all the iron touching the aluminum. I think I would pop-rivet a terminal on that aluminum.   Another handy thing when soldering electrical components on heavy metal frames are a couple of clip on heatsinks.  I like to put a drop of heatsink compound on the pincers of these clip on heatsinks.        j

https://www.harrisproductsgrou...s/Al-Solder-500.aspx

and there is this

https://www.inspiredhousehold....riant=16806180454443

can you drill a small hole in the plate, such that you could squeeze a 1" piece of solid wire into,the hole and solder it. Then take a small alligator clip to the wire as close to the plate as possible. then you can solder the diode to the wire. Also you can clip a alligator clip to the diode lead as a heat sink. Hope this helps. Charlie

Alan Mancus posted:

here is a Weller gun!

https://www.globaltestsupply.c...GTS.%20-%20Weller%20(USA)%20(PS)%20(B)&utm_term=4580771605532163&utm_content=WELLER%20-%20INSTRUMENTS

Alan

In this application a soldering gun will be fine. However, these are induction devices and have a tip potential to ground of over 30vac. I also have the large 240/325W Weller gun it has a tip potential of over 50vac at 325W  They will both fry modern electronics.  Keep them far away from TMCC and DCS boards.           j

Small screw, screwed in.  solder to the screw head?  Will be tough or impossible to meld solder to aluminum is my thought.

I'm with Bryant, I'd just drill a hole and tap it, then screw the lead to the aluminum plate.