Soldering tip suggestions for JBC station

[kaevee]

Hi,

I am buying a JBC CD-2BE 230 V soldering station with T-245 and T-210 handles. The default configuration comes with 2 tips for T-245 handle.

I have done some reading on what tips are used for SMT and thru hole work. But, JBC offers too many tips for similar tasks. As a newbie, this is very confusing to me. Please suggest me additional tips to buy for SMT and some thru hole work.

If you own a JBC soldering station, please share the types of tips you use. It will be of great help for newbie's like me.

Thanks,

Venkat

[eKretz]

This question isn't really specific to JBC stations. For most of the work I do, I use a 1.6mm chisel tip. Sometimes for tight areas a bent pencil tip. For very heavy work I have a 10mm chisel that holds heat a bit better. A hoof tip might be good if you often have a lot of fine pitch multi-pin ICs to solder.

[kaevee]

This question isn't really specific to JBC stations. For most of the work I do, I use a 1.6mm chisel tip. Sometimes for tight areas a bent pencil tip. For very heavy work I have a 10mm chisel that holds heat a bit better. A hoof tip might be good if you often have a lot of fine pitch multi-pin ICs to solder.

I knew my question was't specific to JBC stations. JBC has about 30 different chisel tips to choose from. Similarly, quite a few options for hoof tip too. I was overwhelmed by the choice and did not know what to choose.

I will order 2-3 different sizes of chisel and hoof tips.

Thanks,

Venkat

[eKretz]

If you do mostly smaller components like SMD, get the smaller stuff. If mostly larger components or large ground planes and through hole, get larger tips. With the higher wattage stations like JBC and Ersa the tip size is less of an issue. They have enough heating power to use smaller tips pretty easily.

[PA4TIM]

No JBC (I use Pace, Metcal and Weller) My favorite tips are gullwing and Hoof. I use them both for SMD and TH. I have some chisels for the Pace and Weller but I rarely use them. But they are useful and not a bad choise. I like hoofs more but that can be personal.

Another tip sometimes I use for SMD if the others are to big to be comfortable (while soldering under a microscoop) is a 0,1mm conical J shaped one.

The hoof is my favorite for allround use and very versatile, You can use it "backwards" to use the tip edge to heat small components, or flat down to transfer lot of heat into a pin or groundplane.

The gullwin has a little hollow shape that you use to hold some solder for things like dragsoldering (In that case you need to flux the pcb)
But also to remove some solder (just to make a joint perfect, it is far from a desolder sucker)

To make things easy    , sometimes gullwins are also called hoofs. I bought a small metcal hoof because I could not find the gullwin but it turned out to be a gullwin. (It works well but I prefer the shape of the Weller version)

[nanofrog]

Decent little kit:

• Chisels: 1.6mm, 2.4mm bare minimum (SMD & PTH respectively); I would recommend considering a larger size or two as well for lugs, wire connectors, heavy ground planes,...
• Hoof: I've a 1.6mm, 3.0mm & a 4.0mm, tinned face only. These are very useful for both SMD & PTH, and can replace chisels in many situations as mentioned above, and do stuff chisels can't.
• Gull Wing for drag soldering (works better than a hoof as it holds a ball of solder).
• Bent Conical: Great for pulling out bridges & tacking passive SMD components down (very fine point).

You can skip the Gull Wing/Spoon shape for drag soldering and use a hoof for this if funds are a bit tight (not a cheap station). With this basic kit, you'd be amazed at what you can do IME. 

Also, you might want to take a look at Hakko's Tip Selection Page, as it shows you what the different shapes are used for.

[kaevee]

If you do mostly smaller components like SMD, get the smaller stuff. If mostly larger components or large ground planes and through hole, get larger tips. With the higher wattage stations like JBC and Ersa the tip size is less of an issue. They have enough heating power to use smaller tips pretty easily.

I expect to do mostly SMD and little through hole work. I do expect to work on multi layered boards with large ground planes. So, I decided to go with higher wattage station.

Another tip sometimes I use for SMD if the others are to big to be comfortable (while soldering under a microscoop) is a 0,1mm conical J shaped one.

The hoof is my favorite for allround use and very versatile, You can use it "backwards" to use the tip edge to heat small components, or flat down to transfer lot of heat into a pin or groundplane.

The gullwin has a little hollow shape that you use to hold some solder for things like dragsoldering (In that case you need to flux the pcb)
But also to remove some solder (just to make a joint perfect, it is far from a desolder sucker)

To make things easy    , sometimes gullwins are also called hoofs. I bought a small metcal hoof because I could not find the gullwin but it turned out to be a gullwin. (It works well but I prefer the shape of the Weller version)

I was thinking of getting a gullwing tip for drag soldering. With so many tips to choose from, I am spoiled for choice. I don't want to go overboard and order too many tips. They can quickly exceed the cost of station itself.

Decent little kit:

• Chisels: 1.6mm, 2.4mm bare minimum (SMD & PTH respectively); I would recommend considering a larger size or two as well for lugs, wire connectors, heavy ground planes,...
• Hoof: I've a 1.6mm, 3.0mm & a 4.0mm, tinned face only. These are very useful for both SMD & PTH, and can replace chisels in many situations as mentioned above, and do stuff chisels can't.
• Gull Wing for drag soldering (works better than a hoof as it holds a ball of solder).
• Bent Conical: Great for pulling out bridges & tacking passive SMD components down (very fine point).

You can skip the Gull Wing/Spoon shape for drag soldering and use a hoof for this if funds are a bit tight (not a cheap station). With this basic kit, you'd be amazed at what you can do IME. 

Also, you might want to take a look at Hakko's Tip Selection Page, as it shows you what the different shapes are used for.

I was looking forward to suggestions like this. All of you have saved me from ordering tips I might never use.

Thanks to eKretz, PA4TIM and nanofrog. I hope other newbie's like me benefit from this thread.

Venkat

[eKretz]

IInteresting to see that we all have about the same tip recommendations, however my understanding is that hoof tips are the same as gull wing tips. Is there a difference that I'm unaware of?

[PA4TIM]

I think the name versus shape varies per brand. A hoof has a flat tip, a Gullwing a hollow one. But the ultimate Gullwing is German and has for wheels http://www.springleap.com/blog/great-design-monday-mercedes-gullwing/

[nanofrog]

IInteresting to see that we all have about the same tip recommendations, however my understanding is that hoof tips are the same as gull wing tips. Is there a difference that I'm unaware of?

Different manufacturers use various names for their dedicated drag soldering tips. But to be clear, a bevel/hoof would have a flat face under this description, while a dedicated drag soldering tip has a scoop/hollow out of the face of an otherwise bevel/hoof (recess/spoon vs. flat face if on a flat surface, which is what allows it to hold a ball of molten solder).

So a dedicated drag tip literally mimics a wave process (you will need to make sure there's enough additional flux across the IC pins/devices to be sure the joints form properly vs. leaving a bunch of bridges & other unwanted conditions).

[kaevee]

IInteresting to see that we all have about the same tip recommendations, however my understanding is that hoof tips are the same as gull wing tips. Is there a difference that I'm unaware of?

Different manufacturers use various names for their dedicated drag soldering tips. But to be clear, a bevel/hoof would have a flat face under this description, while a dedicated drag soldering tip has a scoop/hollow out of the face of an otherwise bevel/hoof (recess/spoon vs. flat face if on a flat surface, which is what allows it to hold a ball of molten solder).

JBC callls gullwing tips as spoon. I am buying couple of gullwing/spoon cartridges along with chisel and hoof/bevel cartridges. Some dimensions are off by 1/10th of a mm from the suggestions received. They have a cartridge guide with suggestions which can be downloaded from their site. One can find it here

http://www.jbctools.com/pdf/brochures/cartridge_guide.pdf

Venkat

[nanofrog]

4JBC callls gullwing tips as spoon. I am buying couple of gullwing/spoon cartridges along with chisel and hoof/bevel cartridges. Some dimensions are off by 1/10th of a mm from the suggestions received. They have a cartridge guide with suggestions which can be downloaded from their site. One can find it here

http://www.jbctools.com/pdf/brochures/cartridge_guide.pdf

FWIW, different station manufacturers use various names as there's trademark issues involved. So it's just a matter of finding whatever the manufacturer calls them.

Sizes vary a bit too, but they're usually close as you've seen (i.e. 0.1mm variance). The main issue is to properly match the tip to the pad/hole (same size, or as close as you can get). 2.3mm vs. 2.4mm for example won't make a difference in the real world IME so long as it's the appropriate size for the joint.

[kaevee]

FWIW, different station manufacturers use various names as there's trademark issues involved. So it's just a matter of finding whatever the manufacturer calls them.

Sizes vary a bit too, but they're usually close as you've seen (i.e. 0.1mm variance). The main issue is to properly match the tip to the pad/hole (same size, or as close as you can get). 2.3mm vs. 2.4mm for example won't make a difference in the real world IME so long as it's the appropriate size for the joint.

JBC has a precision and general purpose handles. I have decided to buy an additional precision handle. I don't see JBC giving any power rating for precision handle cartridges. Do you see any problem if I buy smaller size cartridges for precision handle?

Venkat

[nanofrog]

Do you see any problem if I buy smaller size cartridges for precision handle?

Assuming it's suitable for the joint, I see no problems whatsoever. 

If you're working under a microscope, the micro iron will be a lot easier to use (that's what they're made for). Otherwise, you'd be best to stick to the T245 IMHO (can handle bigger joints with ease).


For disclosure, I've both a general purpose iron as well as a micro iron (Weller WSP80 & WMP respectively). Both get used, but the general purpose gets used a LOT more than the micro iron. Like the JBC T245, there are tips suitable for SMD work (rather nice when you encounter heavy ground planes and such IME).

[kaevee]

For disclosure, I've both a general purpose iron as well as a micro iron (Weller WSP80 & WMP respectively). Both get used, but the general purpose gets used a LOT more than the micro iron. Like the JBC T245, there are tips suitable for SMD work (rather nice when you encounter heavy ground planes and such IME).

I had concerns about heavy ground planes and thought of checking with you. I will try to strike a balance. It looks like I need to put aside a decent budget for cartridges.

Venkat

[kaevee]

Do you see any problem if I buy smaller size cartridges for precision handle?

Assuming it's suitable for the joint, I see no problems whatsoever. 

If you're working under a microscope, the micro iron will be a lot easier to use (that's what they're made for). Otherwise, you'd be best to stick to the T245 IMHO (can handle bigger joints with ease).


For disclosure, I've both a general purpose iron as well as a micro iron (Weller WSP80 & WMP respectively). Both get used, but the general purpose gets used a LOT more than the micro iron. Like the JBC T245, there are tips suitable for SMD work (rather nice when you encounter heavy ground planes and such IME).

Any suggestions on desoldering tips?

Venkat

[nanofrog]

Any suggestions on desoldering tips?

Venkat

Just like soldering tips, you size them to the hole/pad as closely as possible.

Beyond that, specifics will be necessary (looking at data sheets, misc. spare PCB's, even component footprints for stuff you'll be removing can help).

BTW, Eagle has a free package for non-commercial use, called the Express edition. The Educational edition is free as well, but that one has to be requested (likely looking for some form of verification, such as a university email account). There are also some low cost versions that allow for more signal layers and larger routing areas. At least you can try it out before buying a more featured version should you decide you like it. 

Here's some links that might be of use.

• Eagle
• PCB Footprints
• luciani.org
• PCB footprint references
• PCB Library Editor (it's documentation from Altium Designer, but it may still be useful to you)

[kaevee]

Here's some links that might be of use.

• Eagle
• PCB Footprints
• luciani.org
• PCB footprint references
• PCB Library Editor (it's documentation from Altium Designer, but it may still be useful to you)

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I did learn a lot from above links.

Thanks again,

Venkat