Well, I was gonna post something, but my wife interrupted me. I had to hang some plastic over a window in the kitchen that has a largeish air conditioner. The heat-shrinkable plastic mounted with two-sided sticky tape keeps out this winter's cold air. Of course we are betting that there will be a cold winter this year... the temperature is balmy again today. Anyhoo, when I finally got back here
@Martaine2005 and
@Gryd3 had answered with everything a beginner needs to know...
Well, almost everything. A beginner should purchase a
solderless breadboard kit, a goodly supply of components (dirt-cheap assortments available online) such as
@Gryd3 mentioned (except for buttons; my wife keeps a box of assorted buttons, but you may want to buy a few push-button switches instead), and a few spools of various colored insulated hook-up wire. The hook-up wire should be 22 or 24 AWG (American Wire Gauge) tinned solid copper. Avoid the use of stranded (more flexible) wire until your soldering skills are up to snuff. If you must use stranded wire, consider using crimped terminals with it. Avoid un-tinned copper wire like the kind salvaged from telephone house wiring. It is difficult make good soldered connections with un-tinned copper wire until you have a lot of practice under your belt.
Make sure your soldering iron is not too big or too small. A 40 watt
"pencil" type iron will do for most projects. Use either a spade or conical shaped tip. Conical tips work well for small places while spade tips will transfer more heat quicker (not necessarily a good thing, depending on what component you are soldering). Stay away from lead-free solder until you acquire good soldering skills. A 60% tin 40% lead alloy about 0.032-inches diameter with a rosin flux core will serve you well. I one pound spool will last many years, but smaller quantities are available at truly exorbitant prices If you can find it at a reasonable price, a eutectic 63% tin 37% lead alloy with a rosin core will make nearly perfect solder joints with just a little practice. It is important to heat the joint quickly and not be mechanically disturbed while soldering. Apply solder opposite to the position of the iron tip, on the other side of the solder joint. A little solder placed between the tip and the joint may improve heat transfer, but it is easy to get a "cold solder" joint when doing so. Always wipe the tip of the iron on a damp sponge before soldering, and apply a little bit of solder to the tip after soldering. The tip of the iron must remain clean and bright with a thin film of solder attached to the tip.
Okay, enough advice for now. Do what Martin and Gryd said: get some junk boards and practice, practice, practice un-soldering and soldering components. Some final words of advice: stay away from aluminum. You cannot successfully solder aluminum. Do not use paste flux from a can or bottle unless you are familiar with the contents and are absolutely sure the flux is non-corrosive. Do not believe the labeling that it is non-corrosive: know the chemistry first. After soldering, you can clean off the excess solder flux (which leaves a brownish residue) with a stiff bristle brush and 90% isopropyl alcohol. If the result is a bright, smooth, and shiny joint, chances are your solder connection is good to go.
