Hi all,
After using only Chinese soldering stations for years (as a hobbyist), I just acquired on Ebay a Metcal MX-500 at a good price.
I quickly discovered that the tips are quite a headache for the (hobby) Metcal users, mainly because they are very expensive compared to the more "normal" tips manufactured by the Chinese.
1. Looking on the Internet I found these sources of tips:
-Metcal: $25-$65 per tip or more for the more exotic ones
-Thermaltronics: about the same as Metcal, a bit less in some cases
-Easy Braid: cheaper, is some cases 1/2 of the Metcal prices for the more expensive (>=$50) tips
-Ebay, Aliexpress, etc.: used tips from $6 to $10 for the most basic ones
So not many choices for affordable tips.
Are there Chinese clones of the Metcal tips, as there are for many other types ?
Are there other sources of affordable tips ?
2. With the Chinese soldering station I was soldering at 350C. Initially I tried soldering at 300C since I mainly work with delicate components (SMD chips, etc.) but that didn't work well.
Soldering at 350C works well and doesn't damage the components.
However, Metcal recommends the 7xx tips for regular work which solder at 410C, a big difference from 350C.
So I tried to purchase used tips from the 6xx series which solder at 354C. But those are much rarer than the 7xx series.
Another possibility would be to build the DIY Metcal supply from the excellent thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/diy-metcal-13-56-mhz-rf-supply/but that would mean I bought the Metcal power supply for nothing. I might still build it later because it's such an excellent project.
So, should I go with Metcal's recommendation and use the 7xx tips for SMD work ? Or purchase only tips from the 6xx series ?
Thanks for your help.