THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig

0 July 26, 2017, 10:57 p.m.

Main Photo: THURSDAY TESTIMONIALS: ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig

By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Whether it's wheel nuts, wings, tools, tracks, trinkets and/or anything in between, the LiveRC staff gives their testimonial and review of each every Thursday morning!

Arguably one of the most difficult skills in R/C maintenance/building to learn and master, let alone enjoy, is soldering. The skill of soldering a clean, strong, and consistent bond takes hours and hours of practice, and is quite frankly a skill that some people just never seem to learn. Regardless of how pro you are at soldering, between hot wires, strange angles, small spaces, and numerous parts, there always seems to be a need for an extra hand to hold something steady. Some people rig up a set of pliers with a rubber band around the handle as a simple holder tool, others carry around contraptions that resemble the spawn of Doctor Octopus from a Spider-Man movie. Somewhere in between all of that is this week’s Thursday Testimonials item of the week; the ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig.

ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig
PTK-5340, $16.99
www.amainhobbies.com

ProTek RC is a proprietary brand of online hobby store giant AMainHobbies.com. The brand dabbles in a little bit of everything from screw kits, paint masks, and tool sets all the way up to competition racing engines, batteries, and performance parts. The ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig was first introduced in early 2015, however, has remained one of the lesser known products produced by the brand. While discussing the blisters on my fingertips from soldering up wires on a new car build recently, a friend recommended the ProTek RC soldering jig (a burn blister prevention tool).

I am not an organized individual, therefore my pit space is already crowded and cluttered with tools, parts, tires, etc. The last thing I have room for is a craft store creation with telescoping arms, pivoting clamps, and a magnifying glass to help me solder. This is where the ProTek soldering jig caught my eye, as it is only 70x60x30mm (less than 3” in width), and is easily fit into my toolbox and onto my pit table. I am also a sucker for anything carbon fiber, so its carbon fiber build and appearance didn’t hurt either.

When you first glance at the jig you will see that there is various holes, cut-outs, and posts which are specifically designed to hold your wire, Deans, XT60, and bullet connectors. The jig is spring-loaded, therefore by pinching it together the holes and posts open up, and by releasing it the jig clamps down on your wire or connector that you put in place.

The Test

To test the soldering jig, I decided to dig out one of each compatible wiring connectors, an extra strip of wire, and go to town. The Dean’s and XT60 connectors both fit the rectangle cut-out, while bullet plug connectors ranging from 6.5mm and smaller fit the round cut-outs. The silver posts are designed to clamp and hold your wire. There are no instructions included for all of this, but it is pretty straight-forward as to what you are supposed to do – not to mention no one said you can’t get creative and use the slots and posts for other things as well…

(With a little help from the JConcepts Pinion Puck to angle it back, the ProTek Soldering Jig is also ideal for holding your phone during work to watch the latest episode of "Come Drive with Us")

The overall construction of the jig is made up of 3mm carbon fiber layers with smooth cut edges. Three button head screws hold the assembly together, and it has a claimed weight of only 55 grams. The jig fits nicely in my toolbox, and if you have even more crap and less room than I do, the wire clamping posts unscrew making it even more convenient for travelling.

The Dean’s/XT60 connector holders work well, however, the slightly tricky part is making sure your connector is pushed in far enough that the jig can clamp it in place firmly – yet not too far that the scorching hot opposite end touches your work table while soldering. The Dean’s connector has a “step” in it’s shape, which makes it harder for the rectangular cut-out of the jig to hold firmly, whereas an XT60 connector has flat sides and is able to be held in place much easier.

(Left - Because of its stepped side shape, in order to get a firm hold the plug must sit so far through that it touches the table. Right - The flair style bullet connectors have a very small tip, which is what the jig uses to clamp on to. In turn it provides a wobbly hold on this style of bullet connector.)

The bullet plug connector holders work well if you are using the ProTek R/C style bullets that are one diameter from top to bottom. If you are using connectors that are smaller on top and bottom with a flair in the middle, it is slightly harder to hold them in place. Unlike the Dean’s/XT60 holder, the bullet plug holders have a base piece to prevent them from pushing too far through and touching the table. The bullet plug cut-outs will hold bullet plugs up to 6.5mm in diameter, in which I’ve only ever seen a plug that big used on something such as “high-power charge cords” for an iCharger. In other words, if you have a bullet plug intended for normal R/C use, there is a 99.999999% chance this jig will hold it.

The wire holding posts provide the most stability and grip on the wire when using both sets of posts on the wire, but if you have a short wire or need a very light grip using one set of clamping posts will do the trick. These clamping posts are my personal favorite part of this jig. They keep your wire looking clean, as opposed to have smashed or plier marks, and they are a finger tip saver by eliminating the need to hold the hot wires by hand.

Pros:

Clamps and holds wire, Dean’s, XT60, and almost all bullet plug connectors.
Very small compared to most jigs, and can wire clamping posts can easily be removed for even easier transportation.
Keeps connectors and wires looking new and free of plier or serrated clamp marks.
Prevents burning your finger tips trying to hold hot connectors and/or wires.
The 3mm carbon fiber is cut smooth with no sharp edges or burrs.

Cons:

Works great with XT60 connectors and bullet plugs which are one diameter from top to bottom, but does not provide the holding power desired on the stepped Dean’s and flair-style bullet connectors.

Final word:

If you are looking for a simple and cheap solution to holding your wires and connectors, simply take a rubber-band and wrap it around the handle of your favorite pliers. If a single helping hand is not enough, and you are looking for Doctor Octopus to help you solder, AMainHobbies.com also offers options like this at twice the price. If you are looking for a simple, efficient, lightweight, and relatively cost effective helping hand somewhere in the middle – this is the ticket. If you are purchasing this jig, I highly recommend while you’re on the A Main site, also purchase either the ProTek “TruCurrent” XT60 connectors (#PTK-5030), or a set of the appropriately sized ProTek RC bullet connectors for your application. If you are a Dean’s connector fan, I think you’ll be disappointed, but otherwise, the ProTek RC Carbon Fiber Soldering Jig is a solid solution to keeping your finger tips blister free, and offering a helping hand to ensure your solder joints are as clean and durable as possible.