Project 1 of 0
In Progress

Learn to Solder Badge

Less than 30 min

Ages 8+

What Will You Make?

Learn to Solder Skill Badge Kits have been used to teach thousands of people of all ages how to solder at Maker Faires across the country. It’s a simple, fun way to learn how to solder or teach others to solder.

Once complete, you’ll have a great blinky robot that you can proudly wear and when people ask where you got it, you get to reply “I made it!” This well thought out pin even has the directions written right on the back for easy reference. This is the best kit to learn to solder with. Just ask anyone who’s been to a Maker Faire!

What Will You Learn?

You will learn the basics of soldering. Want to learn more? Consider getting the Make: Getting Started with Soldering book as a reference.

Soldering You Badge

Step 1

We’ll start by adding a “blob” of solder to the battery pad on the back. Heat up the pad (it looks like a silver disc) for 2-3 seconds, feed in some solder, and spread it around with the tip of the iron. It should look like a shiny, flat puddle that covers the entire surface of the silver pad.

This will act as a “cushion” to help keep the battery in place later.

Step 2

Next, arrange the battery holder on the back of the pin. Place the little “arms” of the battery holder through the tiny holes in the PCB. It should NOT be flush to the PCB, but sit on top of it like a table, leaving space for the battery to be inserted later.

Step 3

Gently flip it over onto its back, and place it on a flat surface. Solder the battery holder in place by heating up the “knee” joints on the front of the PCB and applying solder where the points of the battery holder peek through the knee joints.

Step 4

Next, we’ll solder in the tie-tack pin. This will be the post that will hold the pin-back in place once the badge is finished.

Place the pin though the hole in the front of the PCB. It should be inserted from front to back.

Step 5

Now apply heat to the pin from the back, and solder it into place.

Step 6

Now add the LEDs (light-emitting diodes).

First, note which wire lead is longer on the LEDs. This is the anode (+) lead and will be inserted into the hole marked (+) on the PCB.

The shorter lead on the LED is the cathode (-). This is placed in the (-) hole on the PCB.

Step 7

Flip the board over, and spread the leads apart. This will keep the LED in place while you solder it.

Solder the LED in place, making a strong connection between the LED and the PCB.

Be careful not to create “bridges” of solder — the back of the pin should have 4 distinct dots of solder which don’t touch at all.

Step 8

Trim all the leads of the LEDs flush to the PCB.

Step 9

Now all you have to do is insert the battery.

Make sure the (+) side of the battery is facing up. (This is the wide, flat, shiny side)

Now you can pin it to your bag, hat, or anywhere you like, and show off your soldering skills!

Optional: You can cut a small piece of paper and insert it behind the battery to keep the LEDs from flashing and extend their life.

Additional Resources

Video Resources

SparkFun How to Solder with David Stillman. A short tutorial about soldering.

Soldering Primer on Make: Live with Limor “Ladyada” Fried of Adafruit and hosted by Becky Stern.

Maker Camp Community Manager, Sandy Roberts, with an educational video, Tool Time: Suddenly Solder, for the Warren County Library System. A tutorial specifically on making the Learn to Solder badge begins at 23:25. 

What Is Happening Here?

Soldering

Soldering is one of the most fundamental skills needed to dabble in the world of electronics. The two go together like peas and carrots. And, although it is possible to learn about and build electronics without needing to pick up a soldering iron, you’ll soon discover that a whole new world is opened with this one simple skill.

Solder, as a word, can be used in two different ways. Solder, the noun, refers to the alloy (a substance composed of two or more metals) that typically comes as a long, thin wire in spools or tubes. Solder, the verb, means to join together two pieces of metal in what is called a solder joint. So, we solder with solder!

There are many tools that aid in soldering, but none are more important than the soldering iron. If nothing else, you need at least an iron and some solder to accomplish the task at hand. Soldering irons come in a variety of form factors and range from simple to complex, but they all function roughly the same.

Learn more about soldering:

Soldering Card Front
Adafruit Soldering Card Front
Soldering Card Back
Adafruit Soldering Card Back
Sparkfun Soldering Basics
Sparkfun Soldering Basics

What Is Next?

Build Your Own Equipment

Now that you’ve learned the basics, why not build your soldering kit with some DIY projects?

Additional Projects

Now that you’ve completed a great starter project, why not put your skills to use with these additional kits from the Maker Shed?

Materials:

See More Projects in these topics:

Electronics STEM or STEAM Wearables

See More Projects from these themes:

Art/Craft Studio Carnival/Theme Park The Shop (Makerspace)
Maker Camp
Maker Camp is a do-it-yourself online resource to help leaders like you organize a summer camp that engages children in making. Our goal is to provide you and your campers with the inspiration and the helpful resources, along with many possible projects to fit a wide range of interests and abilities. The idea is to focus on making as a playful, social activity. Maker Camp provides enough support for anyone to get started. Making provides experiences that help children become self-directed learners and good problem-solvers.
Print Project

Maker Camp Project Standards

Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards. Learn more.

Forces and Motion

  • 3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
  • HS-PS4-5. Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.

ISTE Standards (International Society for Technology in Education)

The ISTE Standards provide the competencies for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, providing a comprehensive roadmap for the effective use of technology in schools worldwide.

1.1 Empowered Learner

  • Summary: Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
  • 1.1.a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
  • 1.1.b Students build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
  • 1.1.c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
  • 1.1.d Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.

1.2 Digital Citizen

  • Summary: Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
  • 1.2.a Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.
  • 1.2.b Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
  • 1.2.c Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
  • 1.2.d Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.

1.3 Knowledge Constructor

  • Summary: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
  • 1.3.a Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
  • 1.3.b Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
  • 1.3.c Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
  • 1.3.d Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

1.4 Innovative Designer

  • Summary: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
  • 1.4.a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
  • 1.4.b Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
  • 1.4.c Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
  • 1.4.d Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

1.5 Computational Thinker

  • Summary: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.
  • 1.5.a Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions.
  • 1.5.b Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
  • 1.5.c Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
  • 1.5.d Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.

NGSS MS.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
  • MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
  • MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

NGSS HS.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
  • HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
  • HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
  • HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.

NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.
  • 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
  • 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
For additional information on using content standards with our projects please visit the Maker Camp Playbook.
Makeyland Graphic

Sign up for monthly project ideas for young makers from the leading maker educators.

FEEDBACK