I need of a soldering iron

SexieWASD

So I've got my PCB's ordered and the components are coming, but I've tested soldering and desoldering 16 pin ttsop chips from an old phone with my rat-shack iron, and it's just not going to cut it.

I've been dreaming about this WD-1001 www.drillspot.com/products/74647/Weller_WD1001_Soldering_Station (yes I dream about soldering irons)


That will mean an extra week before I can get started, This is for a custom guitar that I've already blown loads of cash on and am getting anxious to have it done, and a bit to start programing it, but I need to know that the board works before I have it routed for it.

Anyway back to the story, I don't really want too just get a cheapy that won't last just to get this project done. Does anyone know of something that will do smd work well and will last but is cheap? Or should I wait to get a weller?

EDIT: I've found this that looks decent, I've heard bad things about their combo stations, so I don;t know if it will last, or has any accuracy at all. Aoyue 2900 store.sra-solder.com/product.php/6363/0

mctrivia

I would recommend a jbc iron over weller. Weller tips burn out in about 2 weeks of serious soldering and you can't change tips hot.

My jbc ad2700 has not needed replacement tips in 5 years even with heavy lead free soldering.

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Greg LaPolla

I have one of these and I have no complaints.


Greg

SRLM

mctrivia said...
Weller tips burn out in about 2 weeks of serious soldering and you can't change tips hot.

I'd like to disagree on both points. I have one of these, and I really like it. The engineering lab at my school also has one as their main iron, and it's lasted though years without ever hardly changing the tip. And you can change the tips hot.

@SexieWASD
Anyway, I'd recomend the iron that I linked, even over the on that you linked. In particular, it's smaller, easier to work with, and the numbers are easier to read from different display angles and lighting conditions.

Mike2545

I have one of these, been working for years

www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=180&P_ID=965



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Mike2545

This message sent to you on 100% recycled electrons.

mctrivia

Srlm I just know when I worked at evertz I had to change tips every 2 weeks because the tip would corrode and pit to badly to use with surface mount parts.

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photomankc

I picked up an analog Hakko station and I have so far loved it. It was under $100 and the included tip has worked out very nicely. It is a world of difference to the Radio-Shack thing I was using prior to it. I don't know how it stacks up against other stuff but I really like it. Of course it's the first temperature controlled station I have owned so......

$WMc%

SexieWASD

I would get the Weller. Its well worth the investment.... If you Don't use crappy solider, You won't Smile-out the tips.

The Iron I have at work was purchased in 1987 and it still works today.I use it almost daily.

Another benefit of the Weller is if you do need a new tip, You can find one for it.

I do remember changing the tip on the Weller, But it was years ago!

And finally, its made in USA!!!!

You'll like the Weller, Be sure to read the DOC.s that it comes with.


_______$WMc%______

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The Truth is out there············································ BoogerWoods, FL. USA

mctrivia

Are you doing surface mount work? I have 2 tips I switch back and forth between all the time that was why I wanted hot swap capabilities. I will say the weller irons themselves are work horses. But they heat slow and changing tips is not an easy process when hot(yes it is possible). Jbc are just as reliable but heat almost instantly and no tools needed to change hot tips.

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Want to make projects and have Gadget Gangster sell them for you? propmod-us_ps_sd and propmod-1x1 are now available for use in your Gadget Gangster Projects.

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sam_sam_sam

Here is one

http://www.howardelectronics.com/xytronic/169D.html

I have this soldering station for about 4 year now and had to replace the tip once a year




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··Thanks for any··that you may have and all of your time finding them

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Sam

Post Edited (sam_sam_sam) : 8/27/2009 3:57:32 AM GMT

skylight

weller,weller,weller. tell me more, tell me more

Agent420

Just another thumbs up for XYtronic gear.· I've got an older 168-3C and never had a problem or tip burn out.
Their tips are very high quality, made in Japan and last a long time, with a large selection of styles.· They seem to be well known in commercial gear.

I'm sure Weller makes some good equipment, but they seem a bit more expensive than some alternatives that are equally good if not better.




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Post Edited (Agent420) : 8/27/2009 10:54:24 AM GMT

Leon

Metcal makes superb soldering equipment. I use a second-hand older STSS power unit with an MX-500 handpiece and MX-500 cartridges; it cost me £120 (GBP) including five cartridges. Cartridges can be changed in seconds, heat up in under 20s, and last a very long time.

Leon

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Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Suzuki SV1000S motorcycle

SexieWASD

Leon, have you ever been annoyed by not being able to manually set the temperature? I think I can just squeeze a metcal into my budget if they are that much better, which is what I've been hearing so far.

I seem to be having a hard time finding trustworthy online stores that carry JBC, anyone have a link?

I like the idea of a dual power station so I can have one fine tip and a normal/large tip on two pens at the same time.



+



I couldn't afford a second pen+tip at the same time though [noparse]:([/noparse]

It would solve the changing tip hot problem though

Leon

Not having to set the temp. is an advantage, and is why Metcal is so widely used in industry! It's actually set very accurately by the cartridge itself, you only need different temp cartridges for different solders (lead vs lead-free for instance). Because they use RF heating, the cartridges have a very high heat capacity, so I never miss not having adjustable temp. The correct shape and size cartridge needs to be used for a particular job for optimum results - I have about eight different ones and they cope with everything I need. They are expensive but they last a long time.

A second-hand Metcal system will cost about the same as a new Weller, and is very much nicer. The newer MX-500 power unit supports two handpieces, but only one can be on at one time. Many people just buy two used STSS power units (about $100 or less) so that they can have two different tips powered up at the same time.

Leon

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Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Suzuki SV1000S motorcycle

Post Edited (Leon) : 8/28/2009 12:46:08 PM GMT

mctrivia

I got my jbc from

http://www.howardelectronics.com/jbc/ad2700.html

Interesting metcal is ir.

Takes 2 seconds for my 50w to heat up. I like that when you put on stand drops to half temp or off depending where you put it.

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Agent420

> Not having to set the temp. is an advantage, and is why Metcal is so widely used in industry!

I imagine in a production environment that might be useful, and it would keep employees from being able to fiddle with the settings (seems a common problem, as many adjustable stations offer a lockout feature to aid that).

But in a varied home-use environment, I would personally find that limiting.· If I am working on a project board, and need to solder both some ic's and then sockets or connectors, pots or other items (or brute force desoldering) that might require a higher temperature, I prefer the option to set the temp as I need it without having to resort to changing cartridges.· I've only swapped the tip once on my XYtronic over the years, because it finally became worn out (chipped more than lost plating, and that from misuse trying to scavange parts).

I used to have an older Weller fixed temp station, and it drove me nuts.

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Post Edited (Agent420) : 8/28/2009 3:37:40 PM GMT

Leon

With the Metcal I just swap cartridges, which takes a few seconds. It's much quicker than fiddling with the temperature on other systems and much safer for the PCB. How do you know what temperature to use? You should always use the correct bit for the job with any soldering system, the temperature shouldn't need changing if you do. I wouldn't swap my Metcal for anything, except one of the new models (they are rather expensive). Other Metcal users have the same attitude.

Leon

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Post Edited (Leon) : 8/28/2009 3:50:49 PM GMT

Agent420

> How do you know what temperature to use?

lol...· I guess the same method I use to set the temp on my portable propane iron.··Burning fingertips have a particular odor precisely at 250 C ··· Really, it's not hard to figure out.· Probably the same logic you would apply to determine what cartridge to use.

Not that I wouldn't like a Metcal, I just think that for the home hobbiest an adjustable station is more affordable than investing in several cartridges for different temperature needs.

I guess I'm just a hack ;-)

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Leon

It's very simple with Metcal STCC cartridges:

-5xx for 500F
-0xx for 600F
-1xx for 700F
-8xx for 800F

Different temperatures aren't needed unless one changes from leaded to lead-free solder.

Leon

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Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
Suzuki SV1000S motorcycle

Post Edited (Leon) : 8/28/2009 5:25:15 PM GMT

Agent420

Even easier... [noparse][[/noparse]turns knob to desired temp] ·· j/k

Out of curiosity I looked up those Metcal tips...· Is it correct that each tip is a specified temperature?· So where I have perhaps 4 styles of tips (small / big chisel, conical, bent) that I can use at any temperature, you would need each physical tip style in several temperature ratings?· That seems like a substantial investment.

edit -

I guess I'm confused on the single temperature thing.· When I'm soldering power wires onto big lugs, it seems I need a higher temperature to accommodate it's thermal mass than when I'm doing fine board work.

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Leon

You don't understand soldering. The temperature setting depends on the type of solder, nothing else. If you have to turn the temperature up for a particular type of joint you either have something wrong with your iron or you are using the wrong tip. The tip should be roughly the same size as the item you are soldering, for optimal heat transfer, assuming that the iron has adequate heat capacity. Metcal cartridges have a very high heat capacity and deliver as much heat as is required rapidly on demand, because of the RF heating technique. The temperature is sensed very close to the tip, which helps a lot.

Assuming I am using leaded solder, I only need a small number of cartridges with different tips for nearly every soldering job, but they all use the same temperature.

Leon

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$WMc%

SexieWASD

Like Leon said "You don't understand soldering."


If Your trying to mass produce a product by soldering them by hand,You will not be competitive. A 13 year old Malaysian Girl will out solder you in a heartbeat...Besides running a re-flow oven/tank and some other methods of soldering.

If Your doing development work, use two or more irons with deferent tips....

I recommend the Weller

__________$WMc%__________

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SexieWASD

As far as price, the Weller + pen + 2 tips is about $20 less than a mx5010, so it's not that big of a stretch as far as price goes for a brand new Metcal. This is an investment so I'm willing to spend a bit (less than $700) but I would only be able to get one tip this week as my rent is also due, what single tip could do 24pin ssop, 1206 resistors and some through hole capacitors with 63/37 solder?

OK so I have gone through all of the differences between the Weller and the Metcal, and I must say that there isn't that much of a difference between the two, but only because of the WMRP pencil for the Weller, it's a ripoff of what all of Metcal's pens are, only with better tip swapping, but not as high power, and the rest of the pens aren't near as good.

There does seam to be one difference as far as I know, The Weller has much more power than a MX5000. With the Weller it can combine the two channels to power one pen, so 150W pens are available which could be handy to have around.

Who knew that choosing an iron would be so hard? basically it's one really nice pen for smd, and just ok pens for everything else, or nice pens for everything, but no option for big stuff.

[noparse][[/noparse]edit #1]

@ $WMc%
I'm just messing about really, this is just hobby work.

[noparse][[/noparse]edit #2]

I think I have decided on the MX5010, and the "ultra fine" pen down the road, and a Weller solder gun if I run into any heatsinks. It's the tip selection that made the most difference. Metcal has a ton more choices than Weller does.

Thanks, leon you helped make things a bit more clear on what the more important features were.

Post Edited (SexieWASD) : 8/29/2009 3:31:04 AM GMT