HAKKO FX-888 teardown + review

[saturation]

I have never heard of a Hakko China factory. Their most recent factory is in Malaysia. Even the cheapest nastiest Hakko Red is made in Japan.

The clones are alarmingly identical until you look at the circuit board.

The original 936 was made in Japan, so it was interesting to see the new 888 move to Malaysia.  The 888 cost much less than the 936 when it was introduced, and you get more accessories with it. 

My experience with Weller quality is also very good. I have a WD1002 station which I am very satisfied with.

Weller is good, but their have been quality reports about low cost stations, the longevity of its heating element and tip quality; but just looking at Amazon, the differences are tiny; between the WES51 vs the 936 which are are similar products, its between 4+ stars vs 5 stars. 

Since China is the current top source of electronic manufacturing, its a good testament to Hakko's reputation that copies are made of Hakko 936 and not Weller.  You can of course, get better performance than the 936 by buying more costly stations, but it seems Hakko 936 technology turned out to be a good balance of heating accuracy, temperature speed, and low cost, and so the new FX 888 takes off on the 936's reputation as a general purpose workstation, rather than something for factories.

Its hard to compare irons, because you really have to compare similar models not just the entire brand, as Weller and Hakko make a lot of products.  Here is one example of measurements.

http://www.oemelectronics.se/upl/doc/performance_comparison_0909_1_.pdf

I don't think the difference shown really will matter in home lab use, it probably will in assembly line use in terms of errors and poor joints, doing 1000 of joints a day by hundreds of employees.

[ivan747]

Sorry to hear.

We have always been the homeowners. The person who did the wiring was probably a subcontractor, and I have never heard of anybody inspecting an electrician job here. It was wired 7 years ago, so tracking him is nearly impossible.

It takes me off when I think about what's happening out there.

[hacklordsniper]

I have ordered a bunch of tips. I bought from same seller again, he even made special listing for me to use combined shipping (his auctions require immediate payment).

If somebody needs he is niosales on ebay

[ivan747]

Hey, have you seen the new HAKKO 8802 and 8803 irons? They look very good. I like the wide selection of products compatible with the FX-888. I see they are allowing distributors to include different tips. They say they can include 220V transformers on North American orders, they have different colors (not available in the Americas, though) and they include the brass sponge, even if it isn't pictured in 80% of the product photos I have seen on online retailers.

[saturation]

Here is a set of reviews from eHam, many which compare similar Hakko to Weller models.

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2871?page=1

Here is a guy with an impressive collection of soldering tools, and he reviews them too:

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/416001/reviews-some-people-collect-amps-i-collect-soldering-stations#post5547567

[elCap]

I quote myself here just to tell that FX-888 made for US works very well in Japan. I case someone wonder..
And I must say 888 is very good, nice design, heat up quickly and it's easy to handle the iron during soldering. I'm very happy with it.
Got it from Tequipment for $76 (+shipping of course, but it was a big order so it was ok) , very good price compared to what you have to pay for it if bought in Japan, $170.

Thanks for some good teardown pictures. And good timing as I also was thinking of buying one from US, although I'm in Japan. Less than half price in US compared to here!
The problem is that US have 110V while Japan have 100V. I hope there are taps on the trafo for 100V. Should be as it seems that Hakko only has two type of trafos (seen in this pdf http://www.hakkousa.com/AHPDirect/download/UM/FX888e20100831.pdf). Or I'll just leave it.. I have measured mains to 105V at home so it should work ok I guess.

[RCMR]

Does anyone know of an online source selling these for the 220-240VAC market and which takes PayPal?

[Freighternut]

RS NZ sells them. However I cant find if they take payment via PayPal.

http://newzealand.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=6803464

I buy from the quite often, but always by credit Card.

Cheers, Roger...

[Thomas]

You could try http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale/wholesale-hakko.html

[nukie]

Buy from aliexpress with care, there are lots of immiation. But most sellers are honest enough to tell you if its clone or genuine if you contact them.

[saturation]

Try HakkoUSA.com

Does anyone know of an online source selling these for the 220-240VAC market and which takes PayPal?

[RCMR]

Try HakkoUSA.com

Couldn't find any 220-240AC models there and no PayPal.

[alm]

Most real distributors will not take Paypal. It's mainly used by vendors too small for a real merchant account, companies that customers don't trust or that banks don't want to do business with.

[saturation]

To get a 220V version from HakkoUSA you must discuss availability with LIVE HELP using the chat.  Best to speak to a live person, don't leave a message, and wait for the shop to open,  they are on Pacific daylight time.  They may not ship outside the USA but the rep is very helpful and friendly and can decide for you.  I asked them about it some time ago.  Follow the directions on the website.  They take Paypal for web orders and it will say so at the checkout.  I just bought some other items 3 weeks ago and used Paypal.

http://www.hakkousa.com/kb/article.aspx?id=10524&query=FX888

@alm: I agree, but HakkoUSA goes out of their way to please the customers,  so they are one of the few that offer paypal from their webstore.  They do not advertise their webstore so as not to compete with their distributors, and their prices are a little higher ... but there is a catch, its often free shipping and handling in the USA for UPS ground and there is no minimum purchase, and there is a free gift from them for each dollar limit,  t shirts, hats, mugs, etc.. that you can choose!   

Try HakkoUSA.com

Couldn't find any 220-240AC models there and no PayPal.

[eternal_noob]

I hope I'll give some useful information here, but please arrest me if I'm lying too much.

The transformer in FX-888 is a ''turbo charged'' 25 to 30VA or so, EI66 core (most likely one that can handle high flux density) with a low impedance primary to keep good voltage regulation on the secondary. The core and transformer will be too small for continuous loads, but since a solder station under normal circumstances only represents a intermittent load, it still does the job without having a breakdown.
So if people want to modify their '888 for 230 Volts, they will need a core (and primary winding) with similar specs as described above. There are  a few EI66 cores out there with different thicknesses, but with equal mounting hole spacing, so there's nothing wrong in using a bit thicker core. It will still fit in the '888.
I'm actually a bit surprised I haven't seen Chinese made 230V transformers for the '888 on e-bay yet. Could possibly bring in some money for those who decides to do.

[IanB]

The transformer in FX-888 is a ''turbo charged'' 25 to 30VA or so

Interesting. I've noticed the case of my FX-888 gets slightly warm when I use the iron continuously to make lots of joints.

[nukie]

Would kill-A-watt meter be quick enough to read the wattage while its heating up?

[IanB]

I used my FX-888 today with a large chisel tip to make some joints with a lot of metal to heat. Boy, is this iron mean! It turns up the heat and it's like having a furnace blasting in your face. Needless to say it completed the soldering task as effortlessly as a stroll in the park. I'm getting to be seriously impressed with this tool.

[saturation]

Yes,  but it will jerk around a lot when the LED blinks, but you can estimate its power consumption from there.

Would kill-A-watt meter be quick enough to read the wattage while its heating up?

[nzo]

So far, I love my Hakko FX-888. Been using it to put together a Softrock Ensemble RX2 ham receiver and it has performed like a charm. But then again, I'm not an electron counter

[SgtRock]

I have 2 Hakko 936s sitting one atop the other. One with a 908 conversion and the largest chisel tip for desoldering. One with a 907 wand and the standard chisel for ordinary soldering. Both have the green LED power on conversion. I plan to get a used one and set it up with a 906 wand for fine work. They are bullet proof. I love them.
Clear Ether

[lpc32]

What's that on the side?

[amyk]

It's a BCR5KM. You'd rather bump a 4-year-old thread instead of Googling?

[timofonic]

Why aren't they using a toroid transformer instead?

[lpc32]

It's a BCR5KM. You'd rather bump a 4-year-old thread instead of Googling?

Thanks. My search for DCR5KM didn't come up with much. But the real question is, why is it located there and not on the PCB like the FX-888D?

BTW, I don't see why the thread age is a factor. Ageism?