They’re probably 100% order allocated for like 2 years. So only supply chain leaked cells
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That requires practice, since there are a few things at play in that kind of assembly that contribute to a higher quality whole.
Properly tinning the end of the wire prevents solder wicking too far into the jacketing, which usually makes the curve more difficult. This then leads to more difficulty getting an angle that enables a smooth loose curve which aids in strain relief between the segments both within the connection itself and during movement when it’s in use.
If my wires had those sharp bends in them, I’d throw them out and do them again.
Or, before doing it again, go through some wire and practice tinning ends while avoiding wicking. There are a number of ways to do it, often depending on the specific wire being tinned, the kind and size of solder, shape/size of tip, type of flux, etc.
Practice is really the only way to both get the manual action consistent, as well as the familiarity with the specific materials used and their behavior.
To me, the bends show a somewhat soaked wire which may or may not be problematic in use.
And the nickel being as wide as it is, extending out the sides of the segment, may also pose problems in assembly.
Your mileage may vary.
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thanks for the tips. a part of it is that when tinning I tend to add extra solder to be extra sure it’s tinned properly, and when connecting to the solder pools on the nickel I try to be as quick as possible and sparing with the iron to avoid transferring heat to the cells.
and you’re right that bend you circled was wicked like 1cm up the wire on both ends. was definitely the one of the 3 I’m considering re-doing. a real PITA to solder on as well.
No one sells them yet.
The P45B is expected to be released for sale Q3-Q4 2022. Availability will probably not be good for a long time though.
I haven’t heard anything about the P28B being released to N-Power Energy (the global distributor to vendors selling to end users) for “public” sale. They might all be going to Moli’s large commercial customers.
Ordering direct typically has a MOQ in the millions of cells or a sales rep that risks her/his job by selling you a few thousand cells that are diverted from a larger shipment.
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Can people please send picture of how they have their loop key configured.
dude just search for it
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Yup, that’s the best one.
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I’ve used longer flat vice grips or something like it to hold my wife whille I pre tinned em, guess it acts as a heatsink so the rest can’t get as hot?
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Umm…you lead an interesting married life. 
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Yea, works great to prevent the solder from wicking up wire or, especially, braid. Hemostats work great too.
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Right! That’s wht they were, thanks. I know them as joint holders but no longer indulge so I couldn’t remember the name yes they worked a wonder although I can’t remember where I learnt it. Probably here lol.
Ahahaha I meant wire
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Send me a link to these. Need to hold someone in some iron claws for a while.
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Hold her tight m8
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Did you get a chance to check out my 10s4p video? There’s a long middle section in it on how I solder mine
You’ve got lots of good tips from others too but if you want it in video form you can see how I did mine there.
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That’s a symptom of insufficient soldering iron power. The longer it takes to solder a joint, the more heat soaks along the wire, and solder follows heat. You need to tin the wires faster, so there’s less time for heat and solder to make their way up the wire.
Max it out, go to 450 or 480 or whatever the highest temp the TS100 is capable of.
Also make sure to use a nice fat tip - the dinky little TS-B2 “pencil” tip that comes stock is not suitable for this. The TS-C4 size is recommended.
If that’s still not doing it for you, you may just need a more-powerful iron. A good budget option would be one of the various soldering stations that take T12 tips - they’re available pretty cheaply from the usual scumbags.
An easy way to get nice clean tinned ends is to tin them before stripping the insulation. Add a drop of flux to the end of the wire, get a blob of solder on the iron tip, then hold the solder blob on the end of the wire until it is absorbed. You can then strip the end and have a perfectly round, compacted, tinned end.
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It is maxed out, I broke the one I had with custom FW so I’ll have to flash this one to go above 400F. I’ll do that this evening.
The TS100 was my “good budget” option, what would you suggest or recommend?
Does this only work on silicone wire?
Yeah, only silicone due to its extreme heat resistance. If you try it with others, you’ll just end up with melted plastic XD
Something like this. Search for “T12 soldering station” or similar, there are a lot of different ones available. Some have internal power supplies (will run straight from the mains), some need an external ~24v power brick, some are even available in kit form. Doesn’t have to be from Amazon either, you can find them from Aliexpress and Banggood, and lots of other places too.
The TS100 is a great general purpose iron, just a bit limited in maximum wattage output.
These clone stations are great because they use common and cheap Hakko T12 tips, which are available in a huge range of shapes. Something beefy like a D4 or C4 is ideal for soldering chunky wires and connectors.
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Gotta love bad stock photos.
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For the days you want a skin graft or three.
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