Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

Careers | Training | Resource!!!

arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All Products See All Knowledge See All Services & Support See All Solutions See All About See All Contact Us See All Demo See All Load cells title
arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All Acoustic End-of-Line Test Systems See All DAQ and instruments See All Electroacoustic application See All Software See All Transducers See All Vibration Testing Equipment See All Electroacousticsb - OLD unpublished See All Academy See All Resource Center See All Services See All Support See All Applications See All Industries See All Our Business
arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All Actuators See All Combustion Engines See All Durability See All eDrive See All Transmission Gearboxes See All Turbo Charger See All DAQ systems See All High precision and calibration systems See All Industrial electronics See All Power Analyser See All S&V Handheld devices See All S&V Signal conditioner See All Accessories for electroacoustic application See All DAQ See All Drivers API See All nCode - Durability and Fatigue Analysis See All ReliaSoft - Reliability Analysis and Management See All Test Data Management See All Utility See All Vibration Control See All Acoustic See All Current / voltage See All Displacement See All Load cells See All Pressure See All Strain Gauges See All Torque See All Vibration See All Temperature See All LDS Shaker Systems See All Power Amplifiers See All Vibration Controllers See All Accessories for modal exciters See All Test Solutions See All Training Courses See All Primers and Handbooks See All Calibration See All Installation, Maintenance & Repair See All Support Brüel & Kjær See All Acoustics See All Asset & Process Monitoring See All Electric Power See All NVH See All OEM Custom Sensors See All Structural Integrity See All Vibration See All Automotive & Ground Transportation See All Business Ethics
arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All CANHEAD See All GenHS See All LAN-XI See All MGCplus See All Optical Interrogators See All QuantumX See All SomatXR See All Fusion-LN See All Accessories for industrial electronics See All Handheld Software See All Accessories for S&V handheld devices See All BK Connect / PULSE See All API See All Microphone sets See All Microphone Cartridges See All Acoustic calibrators See All Special microphones See All Microphone Pre-amplifiers See All Sound Sources See All Accessories for acoustic transducers See All Experimental testing See All Transducer Manufacturing (OEM) See All Accessories for strain gauges See All Non-rotating (calibration) See All Rotating See All CCLD (IEPE) accelerometer See All Charge accelerometer See All Impulse hammers / impedance heads See All Cables See All Accessories See All Calibration Services for Transducers See All Calibration Services for Handheld Instruments See All Calibration Services for Instruments & DAQ See All Resources See All Electroacoustics See All Environmental Noise See All Noise Source Identification See All Product Noise See All Sound Power and Sound Pressure See All Vehicle Pass-by Noise See All Production Testing and Quality Assurance See All Machine Analysis and Diagnostics See All Structural Health Monitoring See All High Voltage See All OEM Sensors for the Agriculture Industry See All OEM Sensors for Robotics and Torque Applications See All Structural Dynamics See All Material Properties Testing
null

Ensuring Highest Reliability Through Lead-Free Soldering

This article gives some hints on how to perform lead-free soldering of strain gauges professionally and how to ensure a high reliability in your measurement.

Lead-Free Soldering of Strain Gauges

Electrical strain gauges are connected to a bridge amplifier module after bonding to their base material with a bridge amplifier module, before starting the strain measurement. The connection between the strain gauge and the wire is usually performed by soldering. The correct soldering of strain gauges with the corresponding connection wires is a process which requests the correct setting of process parameters such as solder temperature, the right equipment, and, of course, some experience. A wrongly processed solder connection could lead for example to a zero-point drift of the measurement signal or to the complete failure of your measurement because of a connection loss.

Video: Learn How to Solder Strain Gauges

Watch the video for a quick overview of the different soldering steps:

  1. Removing the oxide layer on the solder pad (using an eraser pencil)
  2. Cleaning the solder pad to remove eraser residue and other dirt (with RMS)
  3. Pre-tinning of the solder pads
  4. Pre-tinning of the wire
  5. Soldering the wire to the solder pad
     

Suitable Soldering Tips for Strain Gauge Installation

 
null
 
 
null
 
 
null
 

Unsuitable Soldering Tip for Strain Gauge Installation

 
null
 

How to Ensure High Reliability Through Lead-Free Soldering?

  • There are a lot of different things to consider when soldering a wire with an electrical strain gauge, such as the solder tip geometry. They must have a suitable thermal capacity, which means that narrow, or spiked, soldering tips are typically unsuitable. Chisel-shaped, rounded, or broader soldering tips are better-suited to lead-free strain gauge soldering.
  • Additionally to ensure a correct processing of the solder the temperature of the soldering tip needs to be in a specified range.
  • If the temperature of the soldering iron rises above the upper use limit, it could prematurely vaporize the fluxing agent used to prepare the substrate material. This could result in a significantly weakened solder joint. It could also delaminate the strain gauge solder terminal, reducing the adhesion of the components. Conversely, if the temperature is too low the solder may not wet correctly. This necessitates longer soldering times, which can damage the strain gauge soldering terminal and reduce the efficacy of the test equipment. Temperature is also a critical factor in the maintenance of the soldering iron itself. Prolonged use can accelerate the oxidation of the soldering tip, so it is advisable to lower the temperature or switch off the instrument entirely during pauses. Ideally, the soldering time should be as brief as possible, and the solder tip should be re-tinned between uses to prevent surface oxidation.
Download PDF 
null

Strain Gauge Solutions from HBM

At HBM, we are committed to providing unique services and solutions for all your strain gauge applications. With over 65 years’ experience developing and supplying unique test bench accessories and components to sectors all over the world, we are proud to offer you our expertise, services, and products. If you would like any more information about wiring strain gauges with innovative techniques or accessories, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Related Products

No more result to load

Modern Slavery Statement     Imprint    Cookie Policy    Privacy Policy    Sitemap    Ethical Business

 

© 2025 Hottinger Brüel & Kjær

 

 

close
nCode logo
Graphics Brand

We haved moved ${referer} to www.hbkworld.com

 

This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.

close
ReliaSoft-Logo-webp
Graphics Brand

We haved moved ${referer} to www.hbkworld.com

 

This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.

close
Prenscia HBM-Logo rgb
Graphics Brand

We haved moved ${referer} to www.hbkworld.com

 

This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.

close
HBM-Logo blue rgb
Graphics Brand

We haved moved ${referer} to www.hbkworld.com

 

This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.

close
logo of Brüel & Kjær (BKSV), experts of sound and vibration measurements from HBK
Graphics Brand

We haved moved ${referer} to www.hbkworld.com

 

This will bring together HBM, Brüel & Kjær, nCode, ReliaSoft, and Discom brands, helping you innovate faster for a cleaner, healthier, and more productive world.