[Edit]: It looks like all the pictures I've included have dissapeared, I don't manage to get them back in. Sorry about that. Does anybody have a tip how to include them? (They're jpegs)
[Edit 2]: I seem to get the pictures in now, but not after it has been read. I had to take the quality quite down, sorry about that. But they're still good
So, as my old soldering station recently released the smoke, I was posed the dilemma of going the cheap route and fixing it, or after 12 years, finally getting an upgrade.
Now, there is obviously the budget constraint and being a broke student, the obvious path was to go: "fuck it, you don't turn 21 twice!" So, as you may have guessed by the title, a new station it is. And of course, go big or go home (rolling quite successfully with this mantra for the past 20 years), I wouldn't do it under two channels.
I've always been faithful to Ersa, as they are readily available in Luxembourg and I have always been very happy with their products.
My previous station was the Ersa RDS80, (I'll get back to that), and at the University we use almost exclusively Ersa (several models).
The least expensive ("cheap" is not appropriate here) 2 channel Ersa is currently the i-Con2V, available in several packages, I went for the one with two i-Tools, which are the normal irons.
Prices vary depending on your location, but from a german dealer, the fun starts at 450€, for the station and one i-Tool.
I thought I'd write a blog entry about it, as I believe we didn't have the i-Con2 on the blog before, I remember reading about the i-Con1, but I think this one has not been covered.
I will split this up into several posts, so we don't get one massive one, which is hard to read i find. Also, if there should be questions by somebody, I can directly incorporate them into the review. On this first post I'll only unbox the thing and show you what you get.
The pictures you see are shot at my office desk, as my workbench really doesn't have the space for all the stuff and is terribly messy at the moment.
So, on the first picture you can see the box, plain and white, says Ersa on it. Not really fancy, but it goes once around the product, exactly what a box is supposed to do. The little box on the side is not included in the package, I got that one separately. I ordered a tool holder from the previous generation, as the new ones don't hold a sponge and I wanted to habe that option.
On the second picture you see said tool holder. It is still being made, as it comes with the Digital2000.
On the third picture you see what greets you when you open the box. The manual and blurb are presented very nicely at the top, but who reads manuals anyways, that's cheating.
Lift up the cardboard flap and there is the station. It is surprisingly big, larger than you expect it. Without measuring, I'd guess about 13*17cm. It is very low though, and not too heavy. Just the right amount of gravity to feel solid, but not overweight.
On the left are the iron and holder you always get, on the right would be the tool you choose to go along, or no tool.
Compatible irons are the i-Tool, micro-Tool, power-Tool and tech-Tool. There are two solder suckers, the X-Tool and X-Tool vario, and two SMD-Tweezers, the Chip-Tool and Chip-Tool vario.
So, first imressions then. The soldering iron is absolutely tiny, feels almost like a scope probe. I will do a comparision shot when I have some other irons on hand. For now, here is a picture of it in my hand. I must state that I don't have particularly large hands (medium glove size). The iron almost feels like a pen, not like a burning hot metal poking bit.
The holder is very small, it has four posts to put down the tips, which are tiny as well. It is made from rubber and is quite flexible. The insert is ceramic and is replaceable, should you break it.
The station itself has a very simple layout, one knob, one switch, two plugs. I won't go into detail, as it will be taken apart tomorrow. I can't wait to give it a run, but that has to wait a bit.
As the word of our Lord goes: "Thou shalt not turneth it on, before thee hast not taken it apart."
So, of course, I will show you the inside as well, look for german engineering (and maybe dirty secrets?).
So for now, I hope that may have caught your interest, and I will take it apart as soon as I find the time, and of course give it a go afterwards. Sorry to leave you hanging at this point, but as I am typing this, we're approaching 1:00am.
Cheers from Luxembourg
Ivo