Soldering Iron

Discuss tool-related stuff including soldering irons/technique, multimeters, etc.
User avatar
Robots86
Posts: 268
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:18 am
Location: Birmingham, UK
Has thanked: 39 times
Been thanked: 28 times

Soldering Iron

Post by Robots86 » Wed May 11, 2016 9:31 am

So I've just got out my soldering iron and it appears to be dead.... No heat after about 5 mins?
Any recommendations on a new one? Not sure what be the ideal iron for board work? Would a 40W be ok?

CandyManCriminal
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 8:54 am
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by CandyManCriminal » Wed May 11, 2016 10:42 am

DO NOT get this one, unless you can afford to burn through batteries

https://www.radioshack.com/products/rad ... 7188843077

User avatar
wermy
Site Admin
Posts: 1346
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 8:51 pm
Has thanked: 620 times
Been thanked: 1322 times
Contact:

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by wermy » Wed May 11, 2016 12:18 pm

Robots86 wrote:So I've just got out my soldering iron and it appears to be dead.... No heat after about 5 mins?
Any recommendations on a new one? Not sure what be the ideal iron for board work? Would a 40W be ok?
Unless there is a switch on it somewhere that you missed then yeah it sounds dead. :\ They should be fully heated within a minute or so.

40W should be ok but I'd recommend getting one with adjustable heat (I don't even have one of those yet though, haha) and replaceable tips.

This is the one I'll be getting whenever I have some extra money: http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY ... ering+iron

Or for a little cheaper (but still adjustable heat): http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX601-02-Ad ... ering+iron

I use Hakko tips on my cheapo Radio Shack one currently.
ImageImageImageImage

User avatar
Spruc3Moose
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 4:00 am
Location: Maryland
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by Spruc3Moose » Wed May 11, 2016 12:22 pm

The cheap one I picked up from HomeDepot has been really good so far.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weller-25-Wa ... /204195328

User avatar
crispy_tofu
Posts: 340
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:51 am
Location: Australia
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by crispy_tofu » Wed May 11, 2016 7:27 pm

Well the first question is: How much are you willing to spend on a soldering iron/station?
For less than $20, I would probably recommend the Hakko 936 clone on HobbyKing (wait for a few minutes, the price will be lower).
For about $50, I would recommend a slightly better digital Hakko clone. I don't really have any names, try searching it up on eBay. Otherwise, a second hand soldering station would be your best bet.
For about $100, the Hakko 888D/Weller WES51D would be your best bet. Be wary of Hakko 888 clones! There are a lot of them!
For over $100, that's probably the station we all dream of :D Metcal and JBC would be your best bet.

Another way is to make your own soldering iron controller (there's a lot of guides on the internet), but of course you'll need a soldering iron to make it. :D

Another forum, the EEVBlog, has a lot of posts on this subject, so this might be helpful in your research.
Hope this helps! :)

User avatar
crispy_tofu
Posts: 340
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:51 am
Location: Australia
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by crispy_tofu » Wed May 11, 2016 7:29 pm

CandyManCriminal wrote:DO NOT get this one, unless you can afford to burn through batteries

https://www.radioshack.com/products/rad ... 7188843077
And probably burn through PCBs too, maximum temperature of 565 Celsius and not temperature controlled?! :lol:

CandyManCriminal
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 8:54 am
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by CandyManCriminal » Wed May 11, 2016 7:36 pm

crispy_tofu wrote:
CandyManCriminal wrote:DO NOT get this one, unless you can afford to burn through batteries

https://www.radioshack.com/products/rad ... 7188843077
And probably burn through PCBs too, maximum temperature of 565 Celsius and not temperature controlled?! :lol:
not much of an issue, actually
the batteries are dead before it gets that high lol

User avatar
Helder
Trailblazer
Trailblazer
Posts: 2985
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 8:33 am
Location: Rogers, AR
Has thanked: 1459 times
Been thanked: 3114 times

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by Helder » Thu May 12, 2016 1:53 am

I have an Xtronic station which works awesome for anything and I have a cheapo station but works surprisingly well and I use it very often since I have it around my little project area and takes little space.


http://m.ebay.com/itm/291587767212?_trk ... rkt%3D1%26
Chat with me and other members On Discord

Don't contact me about obtaining my board files (as you will not get them). If my Boards or PCB Kits are sold out, they will be restocked as soon as I can get them and there is demand for them. You can join the mailing list on my Website to be notified when they are available.


Helder's Game Tech Website

We will not support any cloned work so don't come to us with technical issues to resolve, go talk to the cloner for help.

User avatar
theking
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 7:37 am
Location: Slovenia
Has thanked: 1 time

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by theking » Sat May 14, 2016 12:21 pm

I bought this one : http://www.banggood.com/HAKKO-FX-951-St ... 32706.html
I must say its very good soldering station. I made a little researche and find out that the company that makes the original hakko stations that sells for 300$. Make this one as well in free time and sells them for low price..

User avatar
crispy_tofu
Posts: 340
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 1:51 am
Location: Australia
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Soldering Iron

Post by crispy_tofu » Sat May 14, 2016 4:35 pm

Eh, pretty sure that's a fake Hakko. :D
But if it suits your needs, then that's fine. ;)

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest