Author Topic: My soldering iron sucks  (Read 27439 times)

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Offline saturation

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #25 on: December 07, 2011, 12:48:03 pm »
If this is your soldering iron:



As BAW says, its rebadged in many forms.  Another common copy is Vellemans:



The only thing good about it is its cheap.  I wouldn't buy any accessories.  A good soldering iron has true temperature controlled feedback, and typically run about $50.  What you have here is a resistance heating rod [ like you have in a stove] with variable heat provided by a light dimmer.

I'd suggest you find a Weller in the EU or UK with the specs of the Hakko FX888 or the Weller WES51; these are the most basic.  Weller because the EU versions are often made in Germany and you'd unlikely be as heavily taxed as a Hakko.  US specific low cost Weller model are commonly made in Mexico.  You can also find the Xytronic equivalent, which is far cheaper but insure you can return it as the quality control can be variable.

« Last Edit: December 07, 2011, 12:50:01 pm by saturation »
Best Wishes,

 Saturation
 

Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #26 on: December 07, 2011, 12:51:46 pm »
saturation, yeah thats my iron. It is CRAP!!

Ive put some links above to some irons i was looking at on ebay if you want to take a look. Budget isnt much of a problem.
 

Offline Chet T16

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #27 on: December 07, 2011, 02:42:26 pm »
Registering my vote for the 938D :D
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Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #28 on: December 07, 2011, 02:47:19 pm »
Chet T16, so not the 980D then?
 

Offline Chet T16

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #29 on: December 07, 2011, 02:56:08 pm »
I haven't needed the extra power but i suppose it would be nice to have
Chet
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Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #30 on: December 07, 2011, 03:00:08 pm »
Chet T16, i am thinking of the 938D
 

Offline Bored@Work

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #31 on: December 07, 2011, 05:39:47 pm »
It sounds to me the author did not tin the new tip?

It does. However, since the author actively ignored that suggestion at least three times I won't bother any more with him. He is wasting his money, not ours.
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Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #32 on: December 07, 2011, 09:00:29 pm »
BoredAtWork, i did reply to the question about tinning the tip. I said i tried and the solder just dropped off. Please read further up. I have bought some tip cleaner and that did the trick.
 

Offline ivan747

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #33 on: December 07, 2011, 09:41:50 pm »
and can melt everything, including the tip itself!

Quite interesting soldering iron  :)

If the iron manages melts itself just a bit, it would turn into a nice piece of modern art.  ::)
 

Offline Mechatrommer

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #34 on: December 07, 2011, 11:24:54 pm »
it would turn into a nice piece of modern art.  ::)
it just did after the glowing experience. the whole shaft and tip side now look like "rainbow in the black" + i now usually clean it with zinc chloride flux, the tip's side looks "ancient rusty type of art". BAW, at least 938 is greater than 852, guess it should be better.
Nature: Evolution and the Illusion of Randomness (Stephen L. Talbott): Its now indisputable that... organisms “expertise” contextualizes its genome, and its nonsense to say that these powers are under the control of the genome being contextualized - Barbara McClintock
 

Offline hacklordsniper

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #35 on: December 08, 2011, 09:12:16 am »
BAW, at least 938 is greater than 852, guess it should be better.

Yes, same as Yamaha R6 is better than R1 because she has 6 of something  :)

To be back on topic i think the author has a defective soldering iron and bad tip. I have a 7 W 12 V in conjuction with 12 V 1.2 Ah pencil for field work on tiny components and i have managed to solder even 1.5 mm2 wires with it
Oh, the joy of sending various electronics to silicon heaven
 

Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #36 on: December 08, 2011, 09:33:11 am »
hacklordsniper , it was the tip yeah. I replaced the tip yesterday, few quid from maplins. Tinned it and alls good. It melts the lead free solder when its turned up just past half way now. Alls good.
 

Offline hacklordsniper

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #37 on: December 08, 2011, 10:14:13 am »
hacklordsniper , it was the tip yeah. I replaced the tip yesterday, few quid from maplins. Tinned it and alls good. It melts the lead free solder when its turned up just past half way now. Alls good.

Great, dont forget to tin any new tip and remove oxide later when you use it
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Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #38 on: December 08, 2011, 10:30:36 am »
yeah i got tip cleaner, great stuff.
 

Offline Zero999

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #39 on: December 08, 2011, 10:43:50 pm »
I have the same iron myself. It's shit. There's no feedback, it's just a phase controller with a few steel weights in the case so it stands up.

That said, it's better than a really cheap soldering iron with no temperature control at all.
 

Offline FreeThinker

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #40 on: December 09, 2011, 08:19:35 am »
I have the same iron myself. It's shit. There's no feedback, it's just a phase controller with a few steel weights in the case so it stands up.

That said, it's better than a really cheap soldering iron with no temperature control at all.
Yes but only just Lol, Tend to use mine on non critical jobs like cables and plugs and use my (slightly ) better iron for more sensitive jobs. Sometime though you need both irons on the go and on those occasions the 'firestick' can be a godsend.
Machines were mice and Men were lions once upon a time, but now that it's the opposite it's twice upon a time.
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Offline stewmathTopic starter

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Re: My soldering iron sucks
« Reply #41 on: December 09, 2011, 09:30:02 am »
Yeah its a reasonable iron but theres not much good about it, ive done better jobs with a £5 non temp controlled 25w iron from ebay before. However i have ordered a much better.
 


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