Saike 937 / Atten AT969D Soldering Station - Are they OK?

[jamesmith134]

Hello,

I wanted a budget hot air rework station and a budget digital display soldering station, so far I've found the Atten 858D+ as the hot air rework station, but now I can't find a budget soldering station with a digital display that has reviews or some feedback. But one of the sellers at aliexpress showed me the Saike 937 : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-Saike-937-Soldering-Station-ESD-220V-50W-5pcs-free-tips-2pcs-Welding-line-1pcs/1087608224.html.
I also found a nice looking soldering station, but the problem is, it is called Atten AT969D : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Arrival-220V-Atten-AT969D-Digital-Soldering-Stations-Soldering-Irons/433436660.html, and I couldn't find any information on it on the Atten website or somewhere else, so I am wondering if it is a real Atten or a hazardous fake station?     

Thanks 

[staxquad]

Hello,

I wanted a budget hot air rework station and a budget digital display soldering station, so far I've found the Atten 858D+ as the hot air rework station, but now I can't find a budget soldering station with a digital display that has reviews or some feedback. But one of the sellers at aliexpress showed me the Saike 937 : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-Saike-937-Soldering-Station-ESD-220V-50W-5pcs-free-tips-2pcs-Welding-line-1pcs/1087608224.html.
I also found a nice looking soldering station, but the problem is, it is called Atten AT969D : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Arrival-220V-Atten-AT969D-Digital-Soldering-Stations-Soldering-Irons/433436660.html, and I couldn't find any information on it on the Atten website or somewhere else, so I am wondering if it is a real Atten or a hazardous fake station?     

Thanks 

The first is 50W, the second is 60W (the Yihua is 75W).  More controllable power the better.
(edit: the Atten is 60W?, well it looked like a copy of the Yihua, but it ain't in power alone, bummer, not much better than the first)

The Atten AT969D is (not) the  same (less wattage) as the Yihua 939D which is available from Oz (if you're one of them) for $59.99 +$18 shipping (free pick up Nunawading, Victoria).   $74.25US =  $82.82AUD, so better,  faster, safer deal from OZ @ $77.99AUD (if you live there).

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-YIHUA-Soldering-Station-SMD-Rework-Solder-Iron-YH-939D-Digital-New-/291009033167?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item43c17d73cf

from China shipping to Australia, $52.52AUD complete from the seller 97k (I got it from 97k-cube for $49.48 AUD shipped to Canada, looks like the same people)

oops, looks like they now ship to Australia at a lower rate than the rest of the World
other parts of the World, AU $46.86 shipping, not AU $21.66

anyway, look for YH-939D on Ebay for lowest cost

220V
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KDQ2-SMD-SOLDERING-EQUIPMENT-HOT-SOLDERING-IRON-REWORK-STATIONS-YH-939D-220V/360690595629?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222006%26algo%3DSIC.FITP%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107090050%26meid%3D5460192016866969110%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D20140107090050%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D350718082079

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KDQ23-SMD-SOLDERING-EQUIPMENT-HOT-SOLDERING-IRON-REWORK-STATIONS-YH-939D-220V-/231001653778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c8c58212

110V
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KDQ2-SMD-SOLDERING-EQUIPMENT-HOT-SOLDERING-IRON-REWORK-STATIONS-YH-939D-110V-/141010520703?tfrom=360690595629&tpos=top&ttype=price&talgo=undefined

Chicken and egg, I think the Yihua is original and the Atten is a copy.  The Yihua has a metal stand that actually works, the Atten looks like a plastic piece of shit stand that doesn't hold (like my Kada air station).  Makes me suspect the rest of the Atten station if the stand is cheap ass.   "Blue meets yellow to form the color green. Green is the color the electronics manufacturing industry has embraced as the universal color to denote Lead-Free electronics manufacturing". The Yihua is adorned with the blue and yellow color (GREEN PROJECT), the Atten has a hasn't got a clue color or underpowered for no-lead and colored appropriately.

I've had the Yihua 939D for a year, it was clean looking inside when I tore it down, no issues at all.  It operates nicely, turn it on, move the analog dial up or down and it displays the target temp, then displays the ramping up (and down) temp until it reaches target temp, the red led steady on while heating, then flashing led when trickling.   Takes 10 seconds to 200*C, and another 10 seconds to 320*C.  When I put it in sleep mode (dial it down to 200*C), it's ready to use quite quickly. 
On the Wattmeter, after you turn the unit on, shows a momentary surge to 120 Watts, gradually drops to about 75 Watts after a few seconds, stays there while heating, then at temp it pulsates from 4 watts to from 40 Watts to 75 Watts every second .  When cooling down it stays at 4 Watts.  Turn the unit off completely while the iron is still hot, then turn it on, there's a spike to 75 Watts for a fraction of a second, then back down to 4 Watts.  The temp controller works fine and it solders nicely (for a budget soldering station, well worth $50, I'd be hard pressed to find something better at that price point, plus it's easy to use, none of that full digital frustration, a beautiful analog dial with a digital readout, hear that Hakko?).     

If you get an original Hakko tip(s), they fit snugger, so better heat transfer and longer life making the Yihua 939D an unbeatable unit at that price.




youtube video, but the guy didn't even solder with it, just played with the dial and the on-off.

[jamesmith134]

thank you so much! now that you said that higher wattage is better, I've found this Atten AT980D, though I couldn't find any information about it,
Maybe you know something about it? It's an Atten AT980D:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/New-ATTEN-AT980D-LCD-Digital-dispaly-ESD-safe-80W-Soldering-Iron-Station/608446_757165172.html

[staxquad]

thank you so much! now that you said that higher wattage is better, I've found this Atten AT980D, though I couldn't find any information about it,
Maybe you know something about it? It's an Atten AT980D:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/New-ATTEN-AT980D-LCD-Digital-dispaly-ESD-safe-80W-Soldering-Iron-Station/608446_757165172.html

What country are you residing in?  Please update your country flag in the Forum Profile so that post interaction is relevant.

It's probably the same wattage, the Yihua 939D has "* power: 80 W" in the Ebay auction description, the ATTEN shows "Power Consumption: 80W (max)".  I just put 75W because that's what I observed, who knows what you'll observe if you put a watt meter to the Atten, or what that wattage consumption translates to in heating the tips.


That's upping the price somewhat (US $120.43 vs US $44.40 to $67), and depending on where you live, it's already into new Hakko and used JVC prices territory. 

How much time does it take to reach soldering temps? Is the temperature regulation effective?   It doesn't state that it uses any newer technology for that (as in like JVC or Metcal or Hakko 951)

If you're in Australia, you'd want to pay $76 more just for a different digital interface, which probably makes it more complicated to use, not easier?

[amyk]

Do you really need a digital display?

There's a ~$15 936 clone by Yihua mentioned on here a few times before and it's received quite favourable reviews.

[jamesmith134]

Thanks everybody I've eventually ordererd the Yihua 939D   
By the way, will Hakko tips fit this station, so it will be easy to get replacements?

[staxquad]

Thanks everybody I've eventually ordererd the Yihua 939D   
By the way, will Hakko tips fit this station, so it will be easy to get replacements?

it uses Hakko T18/900M tips http://www.hakkousa.com/products.asp?CID=192,341

the original Hakko tips fit, heat, last better, but are 10 times more expensive

you might want to get one or 2 heavily used shapes from original Hakko and get a set of 10 fakes for $7 for shapes you might not use too often but will be glad to have.



and maybe get a shape that's not common but needed; I got this T18-S3 for the larger chisel tip (shuffled cells on a LiPo that had 8 gauge cabling)

[Jason114]

Hello,
......

I also found a nice looking soldering station, but the problem is, it is called Atten AT969D : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Arrival-220V-Atten-AT969D-Digital-Soldering-Stations-Soldering-Irons/433436660.html, and I couldn't find any information on it on the Atten website or somewhere else, so I am wondering if it is a real Atten or a hazardous fake station?     

Thanks 

It seems to be an old model that was discontinued officially. Check out this url: http://www.atten.com/discontinued/