Hakko FX-888 randomly stops working

[congia]

I've been using a Hakko fx-888 soldering station for about a year now, and recently it starts to have a heating problem. Sometimes the tip works fine, ie. it's hot and the LED blinks to indicate it's heating but sometimes the LED is completely off and the tip is cold, even though soldering station still hums (it's on), and no matter how high I turn my dial, nothing happens. Buying a new soldering station is out of my budget at the moment, and I really like this soldering station. What can I do to fix the problem?

[amyk]

You could check the triac first.

Is there a pattern to the symptoms? I.e. stops working after being used for some time (possibly heat-related)?

[Psi]

When the problem is happening (tip cold) try move the cable in various ways and see if the light comes on (heating).
Could be a break in one of the wires.

[juanfermed]

Hi! What Psi said might lead you to the problem. I got the exact same soldering station and for almost the same time (a year too) and I have had experienced twice what you say. In both oportunities the problem was that the cable was not making contact with the inner contacts. The station detects that there is no hand tool connected and the leds stops flashing, even though you "see" it connected.

Hope it is only a contact problem.

[congia]

Right now, I'm checking for the resistance of my heating element is off the chart ~8ohms compared to the normal 2.5-3.5 ohms range, so there turns out to be a problem with the heating element. All the solder joints seems to be intact so far.

In both oportunities the problem was that the cable was not making contact with the inner contacts.

Which inner contacts are you referring to?

[amyk]

The station detects that there is no hand tool connected and the leds stops flashing, even though you "see" it connected.

The FX-888 has heater-open detection? That sounds like a new feature as on the 936 (and clones) the LED is driven off the comparator that drives the triac.

[congia]

You could check the triac first.

How do you check the triac? Today the Hakko stops working altogether, so I'm not sure where to start.

[IanB]

How do you check the triac? Today the Hakko stops working altogether, so I'm not sure where to start.

Check the hand piece for continuity and appropriate resistances. There is information in the manual about this, I think. Also check that the hand piece plug is making good contact in the socket. Some have suggested that this plug and socket might be a weak link in the iron.

Intermittent failures tend to occur as mechanical problems rather than electrical problems. So check for things that can break mechanically before you worry about electronic failures.

[DigiGal]

When the problem is happening (tip cold) try move the cable in various ways and see if the light comes on (heating).
Could be a break in one of the wires.

I had this happen with a Weller WTCPT.

[saturation]

The analog Hakko handstations share a similar troubleshooting guide and pretty easy to work through with a DMM:

http://www.hakko.com/english/maintenance/topic_hakko_938_b.html

[congia]

Today the iron works again, moving the iron cable around doesn't seem to stop it from working.

The analog Hakko handstations share a similar troubleshooting guide and pretty easy to work through with a DMM:
http://www.hakko.com/english/maintenance/topic_hakko_938_b.html

I've got a copy of this but for the Hakko FX-888, last time I checked it, it was way off but today, it is in range again (resistance ranges). Since it's working, I'd prefer not to mess with the wiring. All the solder joints are intact, continuity checks out. I'm not sure how the triacs work and where it is so I haven't got to check it yet.

Also check that the hand piece plug is making good contact in the socket. Some have suggested that this plug and socket might be a weak link in the iron.

How do you check for continuity between the plug and socket since it's all closed up and pushed against one another?