EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: kasumyku on April 10, 2013, 02:08:25 am
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I thought replacing my $35 Mastercraft Soldering station (which worked fine for the past 2 years) and investing in a better soldering iron like FX-888,but I used it only max 10 times and it stopped working.
Only when I turn it off the led blinks for a fraction of a sec and thats about it from my FX-888, it wont heat up or do anything else. I opened it to look for cold joints and fuse,which looks fine,also other stuff like tightening the tip, but everything looks fine.
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!!!(still a newbie in electronics so don't know what else to look for to try fixing it)
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Have you considered doing a warranty claim? I won't mess with new stuff unless I already void the warranty. And since there is no warranty seal, as long as you don't mess with the insides, they won't care.
It could be the the cable is broken or you haven't plugged it in properly.
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I would check the fuse. To state the obvious
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Look at the maintenance section of the manual. It describes how to check the resistances of the heater element and temp sensor - a failing element is the most likely reason for a soldering iron to stop working.
You will probably want some spare elements and tips anyway. If the element has gone, tell the supplier and they may agree to send a replacement. It is much cheaper for them then sending out a replacement soldering iron. You probably want to get some spares anyway.
http://www.cypax.dk/pdf/FX-888%20manual.pdf (http://www.cypax.dk/pdf/FX-888%20manual.pdf)
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Some elements can be damaged (cracked -> open circuit) if the iron suffers a sharp blow such as falling onto a hard surface.
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I thought replacing my $35 Mastercraft Soldering station (which worked fine for the past 2 years) and investing in a better soldering iron like FX-888,but I used it only max 10 times and it stopped working.
There are several rumours/reports of fake FX-888s on ebay. Did you buy yours from a reputable and authorized dealer?
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Thank you everyone for your replies!
Found the problem: tested all wires for continuity and found one of the sensor wires broke from the plug preventing the unit to turn on. My Hakko is back in business :phew:
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A broken wire after 10 minutes of use sounds very odd for a genuine Hakko product. Not impossible of course, but could indicate a fake.