Any way to put pins on a big easy driver without soldering?

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

I’m working on a project where I need a big easy driver to control a stepper motor.

So far I have spent close to $100 on three different big easy drivers which all seems to have gotten ruined in the process of me trying to solder connection pins on to them. I don’t know if I’m damaging the boards with heat or if I’m short-circuiting something or what it is, but I hate soldering and I would preferably never do it ever again in my life, this has been an extraordinarily depressing experience.

Is there any way at all to use a big easy driver without messing with soldering? Is there any connection method that does not require soldering on the board? Or is there an alternative driver that comes with pins already installed on it?

Thanks.

2

I would preferably never do it ever again in my life

It makes me sad to say that you picked the wrong hobby. Why not find a friend with good soldering skills to help you out while you improve your soldering skills by just soldering things you you don't mind messing up... like old 56K modem boards you will never use again...

And if you have a crap $10 soldering iron, your results will never be "decent". Invest in a good soldering iron.

3

pwillard:
And if you have a crap $10 soldering iron, your results will never be "decent". Invest in a good soldering iron.

Yes I suspect that’s actually the main problem here, I had a good soldering iron that suffered some electrical malfunction in the middle of my first soldering attempt, and then I bought a $10 soldering iron which has more or less been unable to melt the solder and the head of it is way too big so I’m burring things all over the place. Hence my newfound hatred for soldering.

4

Hate your crappy tools... not your skills.

A good iron and decent flux core solder will make up for novice skill level.

5

Update:

I just found out that this exists:

Could that be the answer to my problems? Anyone who knows if it would fit the holes of an easy driver?

6

Probably.

7

You picked "compliant pins" in your header. These were used for years for the multi-layer PCBs used heavily in large automatic test equipment business. Compliant pins work great if the hole is accurate and plated through.
You pay much more for the pins, but in your case, that would be acceptable.

8

petters:
I don’t know if I’m damaging the boards with heat or if I’m short-circuiting something or what it is

Post a (in-focus) photo or two, we'll be able to tell you...

9

MarkT:
Post a (in-focus) photo or two, we'll be able to tell you...

Yeah - you should really do this, and we can advise as to what the problem is - most all of us remember learning to solder (or teaching other people how), and can recognize what you're doing wrong from pictures. Just a little while ago someone posted about how they'd been having problems soldering, and we immediately diagnosed the problem, and shortly thereafter they posted a picture of some nicely cleaned up solder joints :wink: