Soldering iron question

[henryd99]

Hi i am new to the forum i am 14 years old and i am looking to buy a soldering iron and i really don't have very much info i have to spend under 40 bucks so if you could give me some info it would be appreciated thanks

[snipersquad100]

Just try and get a temp controlled iron, not those cheep constant on ones.

[henryd99]

so any temp controlled will work

[snipersquad100]

The best you can afford. Mine was £60 from Maplin and I cant fault it. I've had it 6 months and never changed the tip yet.

[henryd99]

thanks for the info but would you think its a bad idea to just stick with a conical tip or get a screwdriver tip

[IanB]

It's best to avoid the tiny pointy tips. A medium screwdriver tip or a horseshoe tip (conical shape with a flat section at the end) works best. The reason is you want a good contact area to conduct heat from the tip to the job. Tiny, pointy soldering tips are bad at this. You will end up holding the iron in place for longer while waiting for the joint to get hot enough, the flux will dry up and stop working, and the parts may be damaged. The ideal solder joint is completed in 1 or 2 seconds.

[henryd99]

ok thanks

[nanofrog]

Here's a few that might be of interest...

Used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antex-TCSU1-Soldering-Station-Controller-with-Pen-/171124139624?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d7cb2668 Tips are still available (~$6.00 per on Amazon; sticker on the back photo tells the compatible tips & their temps at each setting).

Used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CSI-2900-SOLDERING-STATION-/130954701467?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7d822a9b#ht_6028wt_1254 Needs a holder. Tips include heating elements & sensors, so they're a bit more expensive (~$12 per).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/936B-ESD-Iron-Soldering-Station-SMD-Desolder-Welder-Welding-w-Stand-Sponge-1-Tip-/390635897189?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af3b6c165

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Soldering-Station-BK-938-Welding-Equipment-Soldering-iron-tool-Station-/271168235577?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f22e2e839#ht_7009wt_1399 Tell the seller the input voltage.

[henryd99]

thank you I just bought one

[nanofrog]

thank you I just bought one

What did you decide on?

FWIW, if it's a Chinese unit, you might want to take a look inside before using it to be sure there aren't any safety issues (i.e. hot or neutral tied to the chassis ground). There are threads on this, as a few members have had such issues, but usually a very easy fix.

Good luck, and enjoy. 

[henryd99]

Thanks i bought a yihua 936 its a knock off of the hakko 936 but it has some pretty good reviews and it has a thirty day return policy so if its not up to par i can just send it back

[nanofrog]

Thanks i bought a yihua 936 its a knock off of the hakko 936 but it has some pretty good reviews and it has a thirty day return policy so if its not up to par i can just send it back

That works too.   

FWIW though, fixing it yourself can save you the return shipping if it's something you can tackle.  And you get to practice your skills/learn by doing. 

[henryd99]

Thanks thats a good idea ill see what i can do

[amyk]

Thanks i bought a yihua 936 its a knock off of the hakko 936 but it has some pretty good reviews and it has a thirty day return policy so if its not up to par i can just send it back

That works too.   

FWIW though, fixing it yourself can save you the return shipping if it's something you can tackle.  And you get to practice your skills/learn by doing. 

That is, if you have another soldering iron to fix the broken one

If it's the Yihua that's around $15, definitely buy another one for spares. They're based on a dead-simple analogue controller (a simplification of the Hakko one) and there's not much to go wrong with them, but you never know...

[henryd99]

yeah that's the one i bought