Here's an update on my sleep stand mod for my Thermaltronics TMT-2000S system.
The stand I've got is the SHH-4 model. This stand has a microswitch that closes when the handle is placed in the stand. When the CC-1 "connection cable" is installed between the stand and the TMT-2000S/TMT-5000S power units the station will completely power down when the handle is resting in the stand. (Note that the CC-1 is just a 3.5mm male to male "stereo cable".) I'd rather not completely power down the system every time the handle is resting. A sleep stand will reduce the tip temperature by about half, according to Metcal:
http://blog.okinternational.com/why-use-a-soldering-sleeper-standFirst, the top part of the stand is separated by removing two screws from below. Next, I removed the microswitch assembly and installed a pair of rare earth magnets that were salvaged from a hard drive. These strong suckers measure 32mm x 20mm x 10mm thick. Unlike most hard drive magnets these are pretty thick and they have only one pole on the largest faces. The magnets were installed in the stand so that they were repelling each other. A bit of RTV helped hold them in place.
I tried smaller less powerful magnets and they weren't very effective on my TMT-2000S station. (These smaller magnets were however effective on the Metcal 13MHz stations though -- maybe the curie-point alloys are different in 13MHz and 470kHz inductive systems?)
I don't have a thermocouple to take a direct temperature reading at the tip, but it's clear that when sleeping the tip temperature drops significantly, just about to the point where 60/40 solder begins to melt, which I'd guess is in the 180C-190C range. Remove the handle and it's back up to full temp in a couple of seconds. The Kill-a-Watt shows:
Handle idle, off the stand: 10-11W
Handle idle, in the stand: 6W
Soldering big stuff to power planes: 25W
So, anyway, it seems to work fine. It's a cheap way to transform the basic stock Thermaltronics stand into a sleep stand on the TMT-2000S and TMT-5000S systems. (The TMT-9000S comes standard with the sleep stand.)