yo all. As a noob. I was wondering, when you are ready to build your arduino circuit. Do most people actually solder the wires to arduino, or just clip them on there in case they want to take the arduino out, but then it would not be connected securely. Just wondering what most people do?
It depends entirely on the nature of the project and whether or not the Arduino needs to come out. It isn't a convention thing. You do what you need to do for your particular project.
By the time most of my projects get to the final implementation, there is no Arduino anymore. Just a bare 328P on perf board and that definitely gets soldered.
Actually, it goes in a socket and the socket gets soldered. That way I can pull the chip out if I want to change the program any.
That's why I got my hands on a few Arduino Nano. So many options. I can connect wires directly or install the header pins. With the pins, I can use push on connectors, or insert the whole thing into a proto board.
I have a digital clock design in prototype stage with the push on jumpers. I'm planning to build a final unit with soldered wires once I'm back in my workshop. I want to keep the USB serial interface so it's not worth it to me to go with a custom board.
Although solder connections are usually more reliable than the push on connectors, the multiple pin types are not too bad. I wouldn't hesitate to commission a final product based on a good shield.
I make a DIY standalone PCB.
You can also use point to point wiring or use wire wrap.
I use the UNO only for quick setups etc.
Hi,
Googlw bareduino
You can use veroboard or strip board to make the minimum arduino.
You use an IC socket so you can program the IC in the uno, then plug it in your board.
There are also other ways of programing the controller in circuit.
Tom.... 
It totally depends on the project you are doing. If you're making something just for fun, there's no need to solder anything.
However, if you find a good use for something you make in real life, then maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep it.
My UNO has holes for wires next to the normal headers.
So you can solder wires to it if you want to.
Leo..
An Arduino board that supports shields, and shields do have mounting holes.
You can use them to fix these to each other.
I like to use pro mini's and solder those as a module to a pcb if i get close to finishing a project that needs a PCB.
I also recently got myself a pro micro (which is a non official board), which has a 32u4 and so native USB support, to play with.
Most of my projects are experiments and do not need any definitive connections.
Through hole soldering is when you have parts that go through metal holes in the printed circuit board
Nearly all my kits and other simple projects are done using through-hole parts. Practice and master this skill first, then you can move onto more advanced techniques!
Tutorials
I could make my own tutorial but seriously, there's so many good ones out there already, it's probably a waste of my time! All of these are really nice. Don't forget that you still need to practice if you want to actually get better, though!
CuriousInventor has a really nice detailed tutorial with lots of pictures and video.
SparkFun has a step-by-step soldering page
Here is a good PDF on how to solder , very recommended
If you've never soldered before, this set of soldering videos from NASA may do you right! (Very high quality, six steps to great soldering)
Finally, here is a blip.tv video about How to Solder/Desolder (starring Bre & Joey G ) more overview of everything, but doesn't have as many close-ups as the above videos
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In this Make: Video Podcast, Joe Grand shows us how to solder and de-solder electrical parts.
In any project I undertake that involves using an AVR microcontroller, I use a Uno as a prototyping platform only, never intending it to be used permanently in the project once I'm satisfied that the project works the way I want.
Initially, once I decided to make the project a finished product, I used a 328p and any other needed components on a home made PCB. Once I discovered the Arduino Nano, in most cases, it no longer made sense to do that. Now I embed the Nano in a PCB used in a project. What I'm left with is a mini Uno permanantly embedded as the heart of a project. They're cheap; not as cheap as a 328p and supporting components but close.
That method may not be practicable where saving space is important. If that were a priority, I'd tend to use a 328p or one of it's smaller sibling.
- Scotty