Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

K tip is pretty good. I went full Chinese production soldering yesterday and blasted through about 100 LEDs in 3 minutes. Took longer to clip the leads.

Amazed at how much energy those irons can kick out.

The K tip is the one I use must of, I also the smaller ones like KU but all the K series are good to use. What temperature do you use?

[bd139]

370 which is the same default temperature as my Weller iron

K is genius. You can use it for:

1. Desoldering SOIC and tiny 0805 packages
2. Drag soldering
3. Blasting whole boards
4. Getting shit out of the gaps between stripboard tracks
5. Hitting ground planes hard.

I'm going to order some more K tips. Get the feeling I will get a couple of KU's as well for smaller parts and leave it at that.

[Mr. Scram]

You should trust your judgement, of course.

I was talking to someone at the local Hackspace last night, and he made an interesting observation. I make no comment on its accuracy or inaccuracy. In the "west" it is normal to start a price high and then move the price down. In the "east" it is normal to start the price low and then move it up, and face can be gained by selling something at more than it is worth. It would be interesting to read Bunny Huang's book on doing business in Shenzen to see if that sheds any light.

Having said that, in the UK it is normal for outsourcing firms to lowball bits on the grounds they will be able to up the price once they've achieved vendor lockin.

I can't say I'm not a bit bummed. I was great to have get a set with a spare included. Now I still don't have a spare and those things aren't the cheapest, but claiming the full amount would be twisting the guy's arm.

It struck me yesterday that I now have a desk full of top quality stuff, though it's all top quality stuff in various states of disrepair. Worst thing is that I didn't even buy them to fix them up, it just turned up broken 

[djos]

K tip is pretty good. I went full Chinese production soldering yesterday and blasted through about 100 LEDs in 3 minutes. Took longer to clip the leads.

Amazed at how much energy those irons can kick out.

The K tip is the one I use must of, I also the smaller ones like KU but all the K series are good to use. What temperature do you use?

I just built this little guy tonight with the small K tip ... I like it but I prefer a tidy chisel tip, just set in my ways I guess.



Soldering those big ass strain relief pads for the DB25 socket with the K tip and the Quicko set to boost (370c) was flaming brilliant tho, soooo much easier than what I'd been used to.

Oh and the sharpness of the K tip was great for the tiny little pins and tiny pads on the micro USB connector too.

anyhoo, here's my 2.4mm chisel tips - the excessively chunky one on the left is the T12, imo it's useless. My ZD-917 tip on the right is just about perfect imo!

[TheUnnamedNewbie]

Box with HP 8657A just arrived. Not of to a good start.

Was sold as "just not able to test it but powers on". I receive it and it has a massive sticker on the top "CALIBRATION REJECT - FAILS MULTIPLE TESTS - NEEDS REPAIR".

I hope it actually works but otherwise I don't know what to do with this. I mean, clearly this is not in the condition they stated it would be in? I think I have a right to complain to ebay about this?

[Mr. Scram]

Box with HP 8657A just arrived. Not of to a good start.

Was sold as "just not able to test it but powers on". I receive it and it has a massive sticker on the top "CALIBRATION REJECT - FAILS MULTIPLE TESTS - NEEDS REPAIR".

I hope it actually works but otherwise I don't know what to do with this. I mean, clearly this is not in the condition they stated it would be in? I think I have a right to complain to ebay about this?

How was the condition listed on eBay?

[Specmaster]

K tip is pretty good. I went full Chinese production soldering yesterday and blasted through about 100 LEDs in 3 minutes. Took longer to clip the leads.

Amazed at how much energy those irons can kick out.

The K tip is the one I use must of, I also the smaller ones like KU but all the K series are good to use. What temperature do you use?

I just built this little guy tonight with the small K tip ... I like it but I prefer a tidy chisel tip, just set in my ways I guess.



Soldering those big ass strain relief pads for the DB25 socket with the K tip and the Quicko set to boost (370c) was flaming brilliant tho, soooo much easier than what I'd been used to.

Oh and the sharpness of the K tip was great for the tiny little pins and tiny pads on the micro USB connector too.

anyhoo, here's my 2.4mm chisel tips - the excessively chunky one on the left is the T12, imo it's useless. My ZD-917 tip on the right is just about perfect imo!

I suppose you could always take a file to the tip and take a tiny bit off on each side, but not to much and then keep it well tinned.

[djos]

I suppose you could always take a file to the tip and take a tiny bit off on each side, but not to much and then keep it well tinned.

Unfortunately I think that would result in a useless tip which could never be re-tinned. 

[tautech]

370 which is the same default temperature as my Weller iron

K is genius. You can use it for:

1. Desoldering SOIC and tiny 0805 packages
2. Drag soldering
3. Blasting whole boards
4. Getting shit out of the gaps between stripboard tracks
5. Hitting ground planes hard.

I'm going to order some more K tips. Get the feeling I will get a couple of KU's as well for smaller parts and leave it at that.

Have you only just discovered them ? 

Now you where saying your where just getting into SMD and as you do further you'll have one on a spare pencil permanently, especially for rework on passives.

[TiN]

Sorry, but soldering is about thermal mass and surface area, not the temperature. I never use anything over 290C, yet, no problems for large pads/multi-layer PCB soldering given the proper tip size & plenty of solder wet the area. Heat transfer capacity of the iron piece is key too, to be fair. 

[TheUnnamedNewbie]

Box with HP 8657A just arrived. Not of to a good start.

Was sold as "just not able to test it but powers on". I receive it and it has a massive sticker on the top "CALIBRATION REJECT - FAILS MULTIPLE TESTS - NEEDS REPAIR".

I hope it actually works but otherwise I don't know what to do with this. I mean, clearly this is not in the condition they stated it would be in? I think I have a right to complain to ebay about this?

How was the condition listed on eBay?

This was the item I bought https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/HP-8657A-Signal-Generator-100-kHz-2060-MHz-50-Reverse-Power-Protection-/382290889834?

In addition, it seems (but I don't want to open it up yet untill I hear from the seller) that the one I got has the OCXO option. At least it has a big "CALIBRATION VOID IF REMOVED" thing across the fine/coarse adjust of the OCXO option?

It appears to me that this is just not the one that they show in the pictures. It also has a bent front N connector.

I contacted the seller, will see what they have to say. I'm hoping I can get my money back, as I would have never bought this if it had this sticker on it. This really feels like a bait-n-switch type deal. Oh well...

[djos]

Sorry, but soldering is about thermal mass and surface area, not the temperature. I never use anything over 290C, yet, no problems for large pads/multi-layer PCB soldering given the proper tip size & plenty of solder wet the area. Heat transfer capacity of the iron piece is key too, to be fair. 

I've always found 320c to be pretty good and minimises dwell time.

[Mr. Scram]

Sorry, but soldering is about thermal mass and surface area, not the temperature. I never use anything over 290C, yet, no problems for large pads/multi-layer PCB soldering given the proper tip size & plenty of solder wet the area. Heat transfer capacity of the iron piece is key too, to be fair. 

You only need thermal mass when the power supplied isn't adequate. It is all about temperature in the sense that an iron that can keep a certain temperature is key. Ideally it does this through providing enough power without providing too much. This can be helped by a large thermal mass, but thermal mass has its downsides. If both fail, people turn up the heat and compensate by higher temperatures.

[Mr. Scram]

This was the item I bought https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/HP-8657A-Signal-Generator-100-kHz-2060-MHz-50-Reverse-Power-Protection-/382290889834?

In addition, it seems (but I don't want to open it up yet untill I hear from the seller) that the one I got has the OCXO option. At least it has a big "CALIBRATION VOID IF REMOVED" thing across the fine/coarse adjust of the OCXO option?

It appears to me that this is just not the one that they show in the pictures. It also has a bent front N connector.

I contacted the seller, will see what they have to say. I'm hoping I can get my money back, as I would have never bought this if it had this sticker on it. This really feels like a bait-n-switch type deal. Oh well...

A "used" description item should work. Otherwise it should be sold as "defective or for parts", which obviously impacts the price. If the sticker you mention isn't on the photo's then you certainly didn't get what you bought.
 
Just open a dispute if the seller isn't cooperative.

[Specmaster]

I suppose you could always take a file to the tip and take a tiny bit off on each side, but not to much and then keep it well tinned.

Unfortunately I think that would result in a useless tip which could never be re-tinned. 

I don't think it would do as I used to have to use a massive iron like the one in the picture below (125-150W) during my apprenticeship and to get nice edge on it we were always filing away at it with big engineers files and we had that iron for many years. In fact it was there when I started and was still there and working when I left 10 years later.

Anyway, the cost of these T12 tips from China is so small that I'd be inclined to give it a go and see if you can replicate the tip that you like, its not going to leave a massive hole in your pocket if it fails is it.

[Cubdriver]

Box with HP 8657A just arrived. Not of to a good start.

Was sold as "just not able to test it but powers on". I receive it and it has a massive sticker on the top "CALIBRATION REJECT - FAILS MULTIPLE TESTS - NEEDS REPAIR".

I hope it actually works but otherwise I don't know what to do with this. I mean, clearly this is not in the condition they stated it would be in? I think I have a right to complain to ebay about this?

How was the condition listed on eBay?

This was the item I bought https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/HP-8657A-Signal-Generator-100-kHz-2060-MHz-50-Reverse-Power-Protection-/382290889834?

In addition, it seems (but I don't want to open it up yet untill I hear from the seller) that the one I got has the OCXO option. At least it has a big "CALIBRATION VOID IF REMOVED" thing across the fine/coarse adjust of the OCXO option?

It appears to me that this is just not the one that they show in the pictures. It also has a bent front N connector.

I contacted the seller, will see what they have to say. I'm hoping I can get my money back, as I would have never bought this if it had this sticker on it. This really feels like a bait-n-switch type deal. Oh well...

If I'm reading that auction page correctly, they had more than one unit for sale?  It appears that they took pics of the best and sent you one of the others.  I think I'd be inclined to fight it if I were you, especially given the bent output connector.  That's physical damage beyond 'not able to test but powers up' IMO.

As to the high stability time base, if it has one there should be a sticker on the back somewhere (usually near the s/n sticker) that says 'Option 001’.  That is the more accurate oscillator option.

Ohe good thing if you get a satisfactory refund and are allowed to keep it is that there is a fairly legible PDF scan of the service manual on the Keysight website.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

-Pat

[bd139]

Just on the T12 front I’m running mine hot at the moment only because the power supply it is hooked up to can’t provide enough volts to maintain tip temp. I’ll sort this later. Busy today unfortunately.

As for have I just discovered them: yep. I used to do rework many years ago and it was all TH and we used Weller and Pace irons.

[Specmaster]

Just on the T12 front I’m running mine hot at the moment only because the power supply it is hooked up to can’t provide enough volts to maintain tip temp. I’ll sort this later. Busy today unfortunately.

As for have I just discovered them: yep. I used to do rework many years ago and it was all TH and we used Weller and Pace irons.

I like the K tip I used them all time on my 936D clone, good tip with enough thermal mass to do most jobs without trouble.

[bd139]

At my parents' house clearing out crap today and I have just hit the jackpot. There was a load of stuff I thought I had sold years ago but didn't:

Tektronix 465B scope (no trace by the looks - there's a surprise).



Leader LCR-740 bridge (battery has leaked - looks recoverable)



Plus about 20Kg of components.

Win win more toys!

[Mr. Scram]

I think I heard one of the classic traits of a hoarder is stashing stuff everywhere, including other people's houses.

[mnementh]

We are a bunch of enablers.
Someone once asked why we all have 20 Oscilloscopes and 20 DMMs>
Hell Why not.

Indeed!

I was hoping to get my workbench all tidied up over the holidays, so I could have a nice arrangement of equipment on/around it. Well, that failed.

Some of us are lucky... we find an "enabler" and marry her.


Yeah... imagine that. 




My office/workbench is where EVERYTHING got boxed up and dumped to make room for the Christmas tree and prezzies and moving the couch.    In my defense, this is an ongoing battle with the whole family; EVERYTHING they don't know what to do with or that needs something fixed just gets dumped on my workbench.






That's how this...





...became this with a new synthetic marble top reclaimed from a worksite...





...which became this 30 minutes later...





...which became this today. And honestly, that has been tamed quite a bit; I had to claw and dig for 15 minutes to drill down to the level where I could find my effing camera to take this picture.        

Maybe that "marrying an enabler" thing is a bit of a double-edged sword...

Not too concerned about working with the handle but the design of it. That PCB frame looks hooky as hell. The 9501 seems to be as solid as rock. It's far more solid even than the Weller handles.

Edit: I didn't see those videos - any references? K tip is what I want. I've got lots of boards of SOIC ICs to drag solder so they look pretty good for that.

Actually, that PCB frame isn't half as bad as the ones I got. The shell GND has double wipers, all the wipers are pretty heavy gauge metal and the leading edge faces back, which means very unlikely to jam and fold under the end of the tip when you shove it in there. Unlike mine above, which just use recycled wipers from a MOLEX connector facing the wrong way. 

It will actually probably work okay, aside from tending to be a bit loose and rattly (all 3 of mine were) which I don't think you can prevent without using the proper plastic contact assembly. That and it is STILL the modded 907/936 handle, which balance is all out of whack.


mnem
*Still trying to catch up*

[bd139]

I think I heard one of the classic traits of a hoarder is stashing stuff everywhere, including other people's houses.

I only moved out of home because it was full

[mnementh]

Thanks to a network outage which has kicked me off the company network, I have put the 9501 handle on. Even better!

Warning if you swap the handle over: you're supposed to use the mercury switch but mine didn't come with one. I have bodged the ball switch in and it works fine

No, you can choose which type of switch you use, the ball switch is probably the best one as it responds to vibration so it will switch the iron ON quicker, whereas  the mercury switch will need to be tipped into a certain orientation before it will switch ON.

Unless you actually order a 9501 handle that states it is specifically for the OLED controller that the handle will not come with either the switches as its a direct replacement for the original Hakko iron which instead relied upon a dedicated iron holder/stand that had a cradle connected to a micro switch fitted to it so that when you picked the iron up, the micro switch would signal the controller to switch on to full power. 

So you like the 9501 handle even more than the 907 eh? It does give you more control of the tip.

Postman, (lady actually, quite nice one too) has just been and delivered my new pre-wired 9501 handle which is fitted with the 5 pin plug/socket already for the controller (when it turns up) and that also has the ball switch fitted and also the thermister

Yeah, the 9501 is smoooove, like buttah. 

I wouldn't cut the white wire; I'd solder it to the shell GND along with the black wire on both ends. it NEVER* hurts to double up on your grounds.

I like the tiny mercury switch; none of my kits came with that. I wonder if it will make the handle feel "sloshy" like the old mercury thermostats I used to bust up for their glass switches? Probably not; the "sloshy" feel was greatly amplified by the bimetal coil... but still. I do notice the rattly feel of the ball/tickler switch in the handle on my mLiNK S4 station whenever I use it, but that one is a fair bit larger than the one in these and I don't notice it near as much in my T12.

*ALMOST never; I'm certain any of us here could think of SOME way in which it would cause us great pain, given enough time and alcohol to lubricate the cogitative engine.

I think I heard one of the classic traits of a hoarder is stashing stuff everywhere, including other people's houses.

I only moved out of home because it was full

Heyyyyy... you know, some of us have "help" with that. 


mnem
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cheshire Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be;" said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

[Specmaster]

Thanks to a network outage which has kicked me off the company network, I have put the 9501 handle on. Even better!

Warning if you swap the handle over: you're supposed to use the mercury switch but mine didn't come with one. I have bodged the ball switch in and it works fine

No, you can choose which type of switch you use, the ball switch is probably the best one as it responds to vibration so it will switch the iron ON quicker, whereas  the mercury switch will need to be tipped into a certain orientation before it will switch ON.

Unless you actually order a 9501 handle that states it is specifically for the OLED controller that the handle will not come with either the switches as its a direct replacement for the original Hakko iron which instead relied upon a dedicated iron holder/stand that had a cradle connected to a micro switch fitted to it so that when you picked the iron up, the micro switch would signal the controller to switch on to full power. 

So you like the 9501 handle even more than the 907 eh? It does give you more control of the tip.

Postman, (lady actually, quite nice one too) has just been and delivered my new pre-wired 9501 handle which is fitted with the 5 pin plug/socket already for the controller (when it turns up) and that also has the ball switch fitted and also the thermister

Yeah, the 9501 is smoooove, like buttah. 

I wouldn't cut the white wire; I'd solder it to the shell GND along with the black wire on both ends. it NEVER* hurts to double up on your grounds.

I like the tiny mercury switch; none of my kits came with that. I wonder if it will make the handle feel "sloshy" like the old mercury thermostats I used to bust up for their glass switches? Probably not; the "sloshy" feel was greatly amplified by the bimetal coil... but still. I do notice the rattly feel of the ball/tickler switch in the handle on my mLiNK S4 station whenever I use it, but that one is a fair bit larger than the one in these and I don't notice it near as much in my T12.

*ALMOST never; I'm certain any of us here could think of SOME way in which it would cause us great pain, given enough time and alcohol to lubricate the cogitative engine.

I think I heard one of the classic traits of a hoarder is stashing stuff everywhere, including other people's houses.

I only moved out of home because it was full

Heyyyyy... you know, some of us have "help" with that. 


mnem
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cheshire Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

I would not recommend the Mercury switch because for it operate the handle would need to be tipped upwards for the tip to heat up from a sleeping mode. That would add extra seconds to the process, the ball switch works on vibration and taking the iron out of the stand wakes it nicely and is ready much quicker.

[Specmaster]

Actually, that PCB frame isn't half as bad as the ones I got. The shell GND has double wipers, all the wipers are pretty heavy gauge metal and the leading edge faces back, which means very unlikely to jam and fold under the end of the tip when you shove it in there. Unlike mine above, which just use recycled wipers from a MOLEX connector facing the wrong way. 

It will actually probably work okay, aside from tending to be a bit loose and rattly (all 3 of mine were) which I don't think you can prevent without using the proper plastic contact assembly. That and it is STILL the modded 907/936 handle, which balance is all out of whack.


mnem
*Still trying to catch up*

Yes the frame is really not that bad, the wipers are also double staked on the board to add robustness to them, I can see from your picture why you recommended getting the 9501 handle but in reality the Quicko setup is really quite good and if people have from a 936  iron to a T12 with a 907 handle then they should feel at home as the handle is the same and even the length of the tip is the same so if cost is a factor, the 907 handle would certainly knock the cost down a bit.