Home » Questions » Computers [ Ask a new question ]

Can superglue be used instead of soldering, and would it be safe?

Can superglue be used instead of soldering, and would it be safe?

Can superglue be used instead of soldering, and would it be safe?

Asked by: Guest | Views: 311
Total answers/comments: 6
Guest [Entry]

As others have said super glue is not conductive. You can buy conductive adhesive which is used when normal soldering is not practical. It can come in numerous styles (in a syringe, tube, or other type container). It is an option when a normal solder job can't be done. It is not as good as solder for many reasons but it can be very useful if soldering can not be done normally.
Guest [Entry]

IDK but it worked for me! I used it to solder a broken wire on my headphone and it worked!
Guest [Entry]

"There are always alternatives, some better than others. Of course soldering is the best practical option. While intimidating to those that have never done it before, it is easy. Most are intimidated from trying at some point and it not working, likely at all. But they watch videos and see others doing it and can't tell what they did wrong. Secrets are in the little details. A good condition soldering iron head, clean everything. Body oils will prevent solder from sticking. Flux is not optional. And all Flux is not created equal, and each type has a purpose. You can not just make it work with what you have. If you have plumbing Flux and silver plumbing solder, you will fail or damage your device. Silver soldering is more in. Actuality brazing. One must take a bit of time, relax and understand the details. If it doesn't flow and stick you're doing something incorrectly and you need to stop and learn a bit more, and adjust something. Don't just keep trying, you'll make things worse and harder or you'll destroy your gadget. Proper solder, Flux, clean everything, easy job.

That being said, there are other options. As said, glues are going to break. There needs to either be enough flex or rigidity to survive normal function. A usb port gets pulled, pushed, levered in every angle. They break with metallic solder connections. Super glue is only super under certain circumstances. If desperate and want some sort of possible way for a quick easy fix that will not last but will get you through a day and not make a mess of things permanently, liquid electric tape mixed with graphite or some extremely fine mesh copper or silver powder could do the job. It will not last forever. Maybe not even a day. But it buys you time. Or maybe you do it every night to charge a phone. Do what ya gotta do. Note, the more graphite or powder you add, the more conductive it will be. Also the more brittle it will be. This will give a bit of flex, and no rigidity. But it will peel right off when ready for a real repair.

There are other options not readily available to most. 3d printer metallic ink could work. There are ways to make your own. Biggest issue is most require heat to sinter properly. Heat and gadgets are generally a bad combo. There are chemical depositing methods that offer weak adhesion.

All and all, soldering is actually the easiest most straight forwards, practical solution. Even without a solder iron, there are ways if careful and ingenuitive. If it just is not working for you because you can't get the solder on the iron or to transfer you likely need to clean. Something or have a Flux or heat issue. Solder flows to heat. Cold items will not take solder. One option that can make it a touch easier to begin with is to make your own solder paste. File a piece of lead free solder till you have a small pile and mix a fraction of that in Flux paste. Just enough to make it stick together and to items. Then you can apple it to where you need, all of which got cleaned and not touched by skin, and you could use a heat gun if careful about it. If there is any pressure or force on any other wire or component in the heat it will disconnect tho. Too much heat kills components and melts plastic. If you like your gadget, and want to keep it, do it right or find help or bring it to a shop. If you can't afford to, can you afford to risk your item being permanently toasted?"
Guest [Entry]

Hilanderbob, it really is not. There are no substitutes to soldering. There is no tensile strength with superglue and any time you will use the port it will crack etc. the port will most certainly fail within a couple of days, but that time you will lose the traces and solder pads for sure.
Guest [Entry]

NO...it is not a conductor (it doesn't transfer electric current)> 2nd solder has a much better bond for these applications then superglue.
Guest [Entry]

no it's definitely not as because it will damage the solder points