EVENT REPORT: CPP IEEE Soldering Tutorial
VENUE: Cal Poly Pomona – Bldg. 9 Rm. 431
April 26th, 2014: 12:00PM – 5:00PM
This past April 26th marked the 7th Quarterly Soldering Tutorial at Cal Poly Pomona. First
initialized in the Fall Quarter of 2013 by Peter Seiler to allow students to hone their skills in the
art of soldering, IEEE has kept the soldering tutorials alive and growing. Due to the absence of
soldering classes and/or workshops on campus, IEEE’s Soldering Tutorials serve as many
students’ first time working with tools of the trade. In addition, these students leave with a fun
kit they assembled themselves and a select few leave with a first or second place prize thanks to
the generosity of Panatron.
Out of the twenty-three students in attendance, fifteen were new to soldering. The demographics
of our audience were spot-on and targeted the individuals for which the tutorials were started for.
This event even reached students from California State University, Fullerton and University of
Southern California simply by word of mouth. Our presenters for the tutorial included IEEE
officers for the 2014-2015 academic year: Robert Goya (President), Roberto Park (Vice-
President), and Aaron Chang (Secretary).
During the tutorial, many students came across problems such as component leads freezing in via
holes, applying too much solder to joints, and placing components backwards. Although many
students learn about diodes and BJTs in class lectures, being able to follow directions and place
components correctly according to their behavior is an experience not all students can benefit
To conclude the tutorial, Max Cherubin, Aaron Chang and Robert Goya held a contest on the
craftsmanship of everyone’s soldering kit. Based on overall neatness, consistency, and soldering
joint quality, the first place prize of a $20 Starbucks gift card was awarded to Nicholas Brown.
The second place prize of a $15 In-N-Out gift card was awarded to Arthur Giourdjian.
Upon completion, many students found the tutorial to be beneficial and most importantly, fun.
Anytime when students find course-relevant material to be fun, it will always serve as a reason to
further enjoy their major. Overall, the Cal Poly Pomona Chapter of IEEE would like to thank
Panatron for their sponsorship and their support for a program that reaches out to so many
students every academic quarter.
Left to right: The soldering contest winners and judges: Aaron Chang, Robert Goya, Nicholas Brown (1st place), Arthur Giourdjian (2nd place), Max Cherubin
Students watching IEEE’s Soldering Tutorial presentation
Max Cherubin inspects Nicholas Brown’s Color Night Joule Thief kit
The judging process for a 3.3/5 V Breadboard Power Supply kit
