I made a mini Arduino-powered smart home that was used for demos at tradeshows [1]. It had to be shipped first to San Fran, then it went to Vegas for CES and a few more places.
I had the same thought at first, "I should really solder these wires."
But then I realized that wires coming loose was inevitable given the hell this project was going to endure being handled by airlines, rolled across different terrain, and poked and proded by trade show attendees.
So I opted to use color coded jumper cables and include extra. In the manual, I included a simple wiring diagram to show how to hook everything up. No solder needed.
In the hands of a consumer, yes, everything should be soldered because there's a higher force needed to break the connection, but repair is also harder. Consumers typically do not repair, so the trade off leans toward solder. I suspect this is the perspective that inspires this comment.
In the hands of a hacker looking for durability, it's actually better for things to be replaceable. Because the hacker can repair, the advantage gained by soldering isn't worth the the friction added repair.
Just a friendly note: soldering wires causes them to become brittle and more likely to break at the end of the solder joint. If you're going to solder wire, and the item is subject to movement or vibration, be sure that the section protruding from the joint is held rigid with zip ties, tape or even hot glue.
I had the same thought at first, "I should really solder these wires."
But then I realized that wires coming loose was inevitable given the hell this project was going to endure being handled by airlines, rolled across different terrain, and poked and proded by trade show attendees.
So I opted to use color coded jumper cables and include extra. In the manual, I included a simple wiring diagram to show how to hook everything up. No solder needed.
In the hands of a consumer, yes, everything should be soldered because there's a higher force needed to break the connection, but repair is also harder. Consumers typically do not repair, so the trade off leans toward solder. I suspect this is the perspective that inspires this comment.
In the hands of a hacker looking for durability, it's actually better for things to be replaceable. Because the hacker can repair, the advantage gained by soldering isn't worth the the friction added repair.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWcm1S_wAz0