soldering iron upgrade time, what are you using?

[bhc303]

Hi all, looking at buying a new soldering iron ( well the mssis is, for my 30th  :) ) she just doesn't know it yet  :P

Cant find a temperature controlled 15W to 30W soldering iron / station any where local, by the way I live in Australia...

I have found this...

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4aa7813804c62b90273fc0a87e0106c0/Product/View/T2250

would this be any good for pcb soldering & delicate jobs (midibox) or would it be to hot?

I thought I could adjust the temp to suit as it has tip temperature that is adjustable between approx 200°C and 450°C, and a bright-red display that clearly shows the current temperature.

What is the optimin temp for doing pcb soldering?

Whats your recommendations?

[Smithy]

It cant get too hot since its temperature controlled,

it will only get as hot as you want it to.

The higher the wattage the faster it will heat up,

or regain its temperature after you put on a damp sponge.

The reason you cant find them is because temperature controlled stations usually only come in higher wattages.

If youre willing to spend that much on an Iron my vote would be the Hakko 936.

[bhc303]

cheers smithy!

Hakko 936 will look into it!

[bhc303]

http://australia.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=2692421#header

looks good, what size tip would you recommend?

[Smithy]

This guy on the left hand side:

I prefer largish tips personally, as they heat the pad + joint quicker than the smaller/thinner tips.

Thats pretty much your "standard" size,

i have a hakko clone myself, and bought fake/clone tips from ebay.

I have 3 types, and unfortunately that type i recommended doesnt seem to heat up properly, and fits loosely into my clone's iron.

I think I may even be a longer version of it, but it sucks,

with your genuine hakko and tip it will fit perfect.

So im using this bevel shaped tip now:

...which is a bit tricky to heat both the pad and the Joint at the same time with.

I kinda have it turned sideways, heating the joint, and the solder blob just about touches the pad, and i wait for it to flow onto it.

An advantage of bevel shaped tips is that you only need a small bit of solder covering the flat bit,

with the conical shapes you kinda have to rotate the tip as you tin it, and make sure its covered evenly.

[lylehaze]

It sounds like you know this already, but I'll mention it for the sake of other readers..

The ideal is "temperature control", not "wattage control".. having a thermostat makes all the difference in consistent soldering.

I have an OLD Weller WTCPN iron. It is NOT adjustable, but it IS temperature controlled. I wouldn't trade it for anything. In these, the tip sets the temperature. You can hear them "clicking" as they regulate the heat.

The modern equivalent is something like:WTCPT

You can upgrade if you want to for variable temperature, but do NOT downgrade to "wattage control" in the consumer models..

Just my two cents.

[Wilba]

This is what I have:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/T2250

(your link didn't work for me, but it's the same one based on product code).

Temperature controlled and cheap (129 AUD) though my definition of cheap might differ from yours.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and excellent bang for buck.

Seriously, do not bother with anything that isn't temperature controlled.

I've never needed a different tip for this one, even for SMD ICs (using solder wicking method, see curiousinventor guides). I usually set it to 330 deg, and crank it up to 400 for brute force desoldering or soldering pads "direct connect" to ground planes (which will dissipate heat much faster and require more heat to do a good joint).

[nebula]

At my work I have one of these bad boys, and I'm saving for one myself:

http://www.amazon.com/Pace-MBT-250-SDPT-Solder-Desolder-System/dp/B000PDUQMO

The MBT-250 features a vacuum desoldering tool, a very quick-heating temperature-controlled iron,  a hot air blowing tool for soldering SMT stuff with solder pastes, and thermal tweezers (usually used for removing SMT stuff).

There are five of these at my work.  Mine's the oldest - about 12 years.  Three are about 9 years old.  One's brand new.  We've never had a problem with any of them.  And they are ridiculously expensive.

[latigid on]

I've got the Duratec one here:

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=TS1620&CATID=29&form=CAT&SUBCATID=425

Fairly cheap and works well. Tip is replaceable; I haven't looked for spares yet.

This one

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=TS1560&CATID=29&form=CAT&SUBCATID=627

looks very similar, but the holder is plasticy and will slide around. Also, the actual "pencil" seems a bit more "sturdy" or "substantial" on my one.

[Screaming_Rabbit]

http://www.ersa.de/art-0ana60a-257-1259.html

Not more and not less than I need... I'm very happy with it! It's about US$ 200-300.

Greets, Roger

[bhc303]

latigid on, the second set up looks like the Hakko 936, do you think it's a re branded (out of the same factory) or an imitation?

What temp setting do you usually use on your Duratec?

nebula, that is one serious looking bit of kit, I bet it can cook breaky to! don't think my wife will to keen on the price tag though.

I do like the temperature display feature on Wilba's,

thanks for feedback all, now all I gotta do is pick one  ???

[bhc303]

unfortunately the Hakko 936 is a Discontinued Product, it has been replaced with the FX888, cant seem to find a price for this though...

looks like either the jaycar types or the T2250 like wilba's

[Flying Panther]

I have a Velleman VTSSC50N, not cheap but not very expensive either. I'm very happy with it, it does everything I want it to do. For the soldering work I do (which is not that much) a more expensive digital controlled soldering station would be an overkill.

[latigid on]

latigid on, the second set up looks like the Hakko 936, do you think it's a re branded (out of the same factory) or an imitation?

I'm not too sure, sorry. If you can get to Jaycar I'd recommend having a look at both.

What temp setting do you usually use on your Duratec?

I'm using 60/40 0.71mm rosin flux solder, and with the knob on halfway it works very well. Of course, you don't get an exact temperature readout, but that's why it cost $70 instead of more  ;)

Good luck and Happy Birthday!

[seppoman]

I'm using a Weller WS81 station which is quite pricey at about 200-250 Euros but it's worth every cent if you solder a lot.

beware of the blue Jaycar thing, it's way overpriced at 60 AUD. This one is relabeled China crap, available from eBay sellers for under 10 Euros (e.g. http://cgi.ebay.de/Regelbare-Loetstation-ZD-98-180-480-C-48W-mit-Loetkolben_W0QQitemZ390084512514QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDE_Haus_Garten_Heimwerker_Elektrowerkzeuge?hash=item5ad2d94b02&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14). I've had to work with one of these and it was no fun at all - tips wear out very fast, heating is slow and badly regulated, the iron is heavy and plasticy, the cable stiff and not flexible enough and the screw for fixing the tip either gets loose all the time or gets damaged easily.

If you plan to solder more than just a few cables per year, do yourself a favour and don't buy the cheapest station you can get. The Aoyue stuff is supposed to be good value for the money, their prices are quite reasonable - looks like they either are the original manufacturer of the Hakko station or did a very good clone of it: http://cgi.ebay.de/AOYUE-936A-Loetstation-200-C-480-C_W0QQitemZ180383691392QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDE_Haus_Garten_Heimwerker_Elektrowerkzeuge?hash=item29ffb4b280&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Happy soldering,

S

[SLP]

beware of the blue Jaycar thing, it's way overpriced at 60 AUD. This one is relabeled China crap, available from eBay sellers for under 10 Euros (e.g. <snip>).

Beware of anything from China with a rubber grip.

It's very likely that they contain PAHs. They are pretty dangerous.

(and can lower your IQ according to Wikipedia. But me assuming wikipedia right being.)

If it smells, throw it away or wrap something around so there's no skin-contact.

I really like my Weller WHS40 (the analog one. There is also a more expensive WHS40D existing).

http://www.reichelt.de/?ACTION=3;ARTICLE=47768;PROVID=2402

[img width=200]http://www.reichelt.de/bilder//web/artikel/D200/WHS40.jpg

60€

[latigid on]

^

^^

Time for a new iron?  :o

[mrmeana]

I have a metcal SP-200, its the best it heats up in about 3 seconds and is always a constant heat. It is truely amazing to work with makes other irons seem a bit crappy, the ok industries irons are suppose to be great too. look on ebay for good second hand deals these things are damn near indestructable

http://www.okinternational.com/product_soldering/sp200 

[strophlex]

It sounds like you know this already, but I'll mention it for the sake of other readers..

The ideal is "temperature control", not "wattage control".. having a thermostat makes all the difference in consistent soldering.

I have an OLD Weller WTCPN iron. It is NOT adjustable, but it IS temperature controlled. I wouldn't trade it for anything. In these, the tip sets the temperature. You can hear them "clicking" as they regulate the heat.

The modern equivalent is something like:WTCPT

You can upgrade if you want to for variable temperature, but do NOT downgrade to "wattage control" in the consumer models..

Just my two cents.

I have the same iron. Baught it second had from german e-bay after tips from my firnd of both Weller and german e-bay for cheep but good soldering stations.