Where should i ask for help regarding the tools selection?

[Terramoto]

Hello,

I'm just trying to start on electronics and i've been doing some research on the recommended tools, i would like to ask for help on this tools selection but not sure which section it should be asked at.

[KD0CAC John]

Good answers come from good questions - detailed & specific .
" There are no bad questions , except the ones not asked "
Are you talking about tools , or test equipment ?
What is being worked on ?
3 different sections under the same heading ,
PRODUCTS
  Test equipment
  Other equipment & products

[RandallMcRee]

Tell us what you are trying to do, specifically. "Electronics" encompasses a dizzying array of possibilities.

Stick to beginners until you have a particular problem with a particular circuit, etc.

Plenty of helpful folks here, just give them something to chew on.

Randy

[Terramoto]

As the question suggests i did some research on tools used in electronics which is a bit vague but the main focus of the topic to find the right place to ask for a suggestion regarding the best possible solution for the job. I didn't want to elaborate in order to avoid the "this is not the right place for this, it's been asked several times, search for it" or get banned for posting here.

I'm currently looking to start playing with some motherboards by removing components and fix or try fixing the ones that have a chance, as i don't expect results right away i also don't want to spend that much on a soldering iron and currently looking for a cheap alternative that will allow me to learn through the course of time.

I tried to delete the topic and create a new one on "Other equipment & products" as it seems most requests are there, would it be possible to have this topic moved there?

Currently i've been looking into the following stations:

Yihua 898d+

I believe this ones might come with a 2 year warranty since they are being sold in my country
Yihua 853d+
mlink h5

Would there be a better alternative around the same value? How much do i need an hot air gun?

[bson]

You'll need a hot air gun for surface mount parts, at least to get them off.

[KD0CAC John]

That looks like a generic copy , so I am not familiar with it .
Its possible it can work , nice to have both hot air & soldering tip .
I call it kind of a truism , it takes more skill to make a cheap tool work than it does a quality tool .
If try to learn with a cheap tool , you may get frustrated and quit leaning , or pickup bad habits from using the cheap stuff .
I would suggest learning to solder / desolder with scrap boards that you would not even try to make work , then when you get some skill developed , try on board / component that you do not value , but is in working order , so as to see if you can get a valued board / component working after desoldering and resoldered inplace .
If you try to learn on something that you value , it may get beyond repair - through the learning process - so start with scrap boards / components . 

 

[Terramoto]

Thanks for the replies, the only info i found was regarding the Yihua 853d+ on this forum and the owner seemed happy with it, although there was only a total of 10 replies to that topic so not much info to go on.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/new-toy-yihua-853dplus-rework-station/

I've worked with a 5$ soldering iron before and i know the pain it was to solder/desolder (if it desolders at all) with cheap stuff but it did let me fix some headphones and a laptops power jack which basically consisted on soldering cables and mounting an arduino unit kit.

both Yihua 898d+ and Yihua 853d+ appear to have the magnetic trigger for the hot gun and the hotgun uses a brushless while the mlink h5 appears to be using a diaphragm pump, the only ones that have a 2 year warranty are the 853d+ and the mlink h5. I believe to have made my selection by going with the 853d+, if you happen to have any other suggestions then please let me know!

[KD0CAC John]

There are other , but not is those price ranges .
I picked up a used , broken  Hakko hot air station and repaired , also have one of the clones .
Hakko hot air use to be lower cost , now they have made a Name for themselves with quality and the prices are higher .

[Terramoto]

How much you want to pay? I would say $200 for a soldering station and reflow station is appropriate. Anything lower may not be a good idea especially factoring in the cost of fried chips and the frustration and swears.
I would say getting a Weller/Hakko soldering station is not a bad idea, prepare $80 for their cheapest offerings.
Then you need a hot air station, for beginners, I recommend any Quick station. Quick doesn't make shitty quality tools, while being low cost. Not the best brand, no bells and whistles, but definitely not shitty quality. Prepare $120.
Since we are talking about getting a hot air station, you also need to prepare some money for solder paste (both leaded and SAC for different boards), solder flux (both NC and WS for different pads), fine tweezers, solder suckers/pumps and at least one reel of solder wick. To fix thin traces, you also need a microscope and a reel of thin gauge magnetic wire.
Some other supplies include acetone, IPA, or some strong stubborn flux remover, ultrasonic cleaner, kimwipes, swabs and other cleaning equipment.
Getting a proper SMD prototyping station will cost you at least $300 if you want things to really work, and you want to spend more time using them than servicing them.
There are also something that are good to have, though not mandatory, such as a macro lens camera, a couple pairs of ultra thin DMM probes and scope probes, a set of precision screwdrivers, a wire cutter, a pin cutter, aspirin tablets (good solid flux for magnetic wires and iron tip recovery), board clamps, a high intensity desk lamp and infinite supply of colored thin gauge ribbon cables.

Unfortunately 200$ is about the price of a Hakko fx-888d here...

Would you recommend a Hakko fx600 (500ºC, heavy), ts100(400ºC, less weight) with a quick hot air station?

[Terramoto]

Hello,

I ended up buying this... Not really a beginner's tool but, meh, we learn with our mistakes.
http://www.banggood.com/Digital-Soldering-Iron-Station-Temperature-Controller-Kits-for-HAKKO-T12-Handle-p-993248.html
http://www.banggood.com/4A-To-6A-24V-Switching-Power-Supply-Board-AC-DC-Power-Module-p-969204.html