Recommendation for a beginner's soldering jobs

[Schlammkuh]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

What would you recommend? It doesn't need to be professional or too expensive since I'm a hobbyist.
I mean I could just go out and buy any soldering station that I find on Amazon or eBay, but maybe you guys know something about safety concerns I should keep in mind.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?


Thanks in advance,


Sebastian

[themadhippy]

Antex xs25 or cs(18w) would be my recommendation,yea there old skool  but they just keep on going,my CS is getting close to its 50th birthday  and  apart from  bits and 1 element (down to stupidity) its still going strong and is my goto iron,do  make sure you get the silicone flex version

[tooki]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

What would you recommend? It doesn't need to be professional or too expensive since I'm a hobbyist.
I mean I could just go out and buy any soldering station that I find on Amazon or eBay, but maybe you guys know something about safety concerns I should keep in mind.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?

I would suggest doing some forum searches, as the questions about soldering stations and solder have been discussed many, many times. Focus on results in the Beginners forum, since that will likely stay closer to your hobbyist intent.

By “clearing solder joints”, do you mean how to get holes empty after desoldering a part? Or the desoldering itself?

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

Look in "other equipment and products" on this site. There are lots of reviews and opinions. Or choose an inexpensive iron that looks good to you and that you can get easily in your market (e bay etc...) and ask for opinion on the "other equipment and products" ....
Always get one with silicone wires. This is important because some older irons had rubber insulated wires that melted when you touched them accidently with the iron.  Silicone wires are more flexible also.
There are a lot of options out there from the new Induction RF heated instant on irons to the old guard almost indestructable irons from many years ago.  There ae even more opinions.  I use the old stuff but I think the smaller new irons would be what you would want.
Make sure that you can get the tips easily and inexpensively. Some of the new tips ae too expensive.....SO>>>>


1. Inexpensive   


2.  Silicone Wire   


3.  RF (Induction) heated tips (maybe)   that are affordable   


Once you have looked at a few different irons available on e bay etc..then ask for opinions, at this point someone will be able to tell you if the unit you are considering is OK or just crap.... 

[lichurbagan]

And what solder would you recommend?

Sebastian

You can choose Hakko FX-888DX/FX-888D.

[tooki]

And what solder would you recommend?

Sebastian

You can choose Hakko FX-888DX/FX-888D.

Sure, but why would you? It’s an old-fashioned slow-heating station. Not what I’d go with today.

[NE666]

Sure, but why would you? It’s an old-fashioned slow-heating station. Not what I’d go with today.

Because it's relatively inexpensive and will get the job* done?

For completeness, I've not owned a 'modern' high(er)-end station with which to compare it. But I've had a FX-888D for years and it's never failed to accomplish what I need it for. I purchased a KSGER T-12 station a couple of years back chiefly out of interest and by comparison it's rubbish.

And as for 'slow', I guess we all have different expectations. Mine heats to 400c in a few seconds which is 'quick' enough for me, and I've not noticed any lack of heating power for the general work that I do. If I needed to work with huge pours and/massive connectors then perhaps I'd have a different opinion.

Things don't become immediately useless purely because their design is an older one.


* where that job is the kind of general purpose work/re-work that the average hobbyist engages in.

[tooki]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the 888 takes somewhere on the order of 40 seconds to heat up. (Cartridge heater irons take around 5 seconds, and even the Ersa I-Con series of non-cartridge heater irons takes only 10 seconds from cold.)

[NE666]

Not in my experience although I've never actually timed it. If recollection serves me correctly, I'd say at about half that value.

That said, I'm generally using smaller tips (1.2 to 1.6mm chisel or wedges), so lower tip mass might make a difference. And in my typical workflow I've probably turned the iron on before I finalise setup of the workpiece so I'm never waiting on it. It could well be different in production settings or at volume but for my simple hobbyist repair/replace tasks I've never felt it to be an issue.

The KSGER on the other hand, I wouldn't buy another. It doesn't regulate well and struggles to get heat into the work if there's anything other than a small pad and track involved.

[David Hess]

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

I have done a few of those and they are tough.  The motherboard has copper power planes which make it difficult to heat the joint to a high enough temperature to melt the solder, made even more difficult if the solder is higher temperature no-lead solder which started to be used during that time frame.

My old Weller WTCPS temperature controlled soldering station which is 40 to 50 watts was barely good enough, and I was using a short and thick tip for it.  I had to "walk" the capacitors out of the board.

So my suggestion is to use the highest power temperature controlled soldering iron or station that you can find, with the shortest and fattest tip it supports for maximum heat capacity and heat transfer.  In a professional environment the board would be preheated.

If I did it again without buying anything, I would try my Weller W100PG temperature controlled iron which is 100 watts.  I know it looks ridiculously large, but it really would not be overkill for this application.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?

I was not able to clear the solder from the holes using heat and solder wick because I could not apply enough heat.  My vacuum powered solder sucker could not clear the holes either for the same reason.  So I used a small number drill in a pin vice to clear the solder from the holes.

[Wallace Gasiewicz]

If you canno clear solder from a hole, I melt the solder and poke a dental pick through the hole.

[bdunham7]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the 888 takes somewhere on the order of 40 seconds to heat up.

You're correct, it takes a minute.  But a lot of people don't find that bothersome.  The advantage of the FX888 series is the availability of a wide variety of very-low-cost high-quality tips.  So you can have the unit plus 8-10 useful tips for under $200.  Also the stations are well built and durable.  I still have mine, I modified it to be isolated-tip for certain special jobs.  If I had to go back to using it that wouldn't ruin my day.

Additionally, the current F888DX version has more power and thus the option of adding a larger soldering iron, tweezers (apparently not great ones) and more.

[David Hess]

If you canno clear solder from a hole, I melt the solder and poke a dental pick through the hole.

I tried that with both a toothpick and a stainless needle but the clearance was so tight with the capacitor leads that I had to use a drill to remove the rest of the solder anyway.

[David Hess]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the 888 takes somewhere on the order of 40 seconds to heat up.

You're correct, it takes a minute.  But a lot of people don't find that bothersome.  The advantage of the FX888 series is the availability of a wide variety of very-low-cost high-quality tips.  So you can have the unit plus 8-10 useful tips for under $200. ...

I do not know why people care about the warm up time unless they are relying on the iron sleeping between jobs.  When I did production work long ago with a Weller Magnastat, the iron was on 8 hours a day and it still took years to wear out a tip.  I have changed more Magnastat thermostats than tips.

10 tips for less than $200 does not seem cheap.  I checked the price, but I guess that is Hakko.  Weller tips, at least for Magnastat and ET irons, are about 1/4 that.  The price of tips is probably irrelevant though considering how long tips last.

I like the idea of the Hakko 95 watt FX-8806 iron, although it costs almost as much as the station.

I see Chinese higher power soldering stations on Amazon, but I would not trust them.

AI recommended the 120 watt Pace ADS200 for about $300, plus one of the thick tips for $30, but a directly heated Metcal can be had at that price.  I assume the directly heated tip on a Metcal makes up for lower power compared to a higher power indirectly heated tip, but someone else can comment on this.

[bdunham7]

10 tips for less than $200 does not seem cheap. 

Not just 10 tips! I meant the entire station, iron and 10 tips.

[mariush]

Farnell still sells some rebranded Atten soldering stations ... lots of tips of various sizes available and 50w-65w is enough even for motherboards.

example

40 eur plus shipping for a rebranded atten at-969  : https://de.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp740999-eu/l-tstation-60w-480-c-eu/dp/4204643

TME.eu sells the Atten AT-969 at 35 eur + vat + shipping : https://www.tme.eu/de/en/details/at-969/soldering-stations/atten/

The "digital" version (lcd display and buttons and temperature presets) Atten AT-989D is 61 EUR at TME : https://www.tme.eu/de/en/details/at-989d/soldering-stations/atten/


Farnell has a rebranded Atten AT-938D sold as Tenma 21-10115 for 64 eur : https://uk.farnell.com/tenma/21-10115-uk/soldering-station-60w-220v-uk/dp/2064549
Note this is the version with UK plug, you'd need to change plug or use a UK to EU adapter). You'd be better off getting the Atten AT-989D above.

All these use the classic T900 tips, which are super cheap, at distributors like Farnell or TME  and on ebay you can even buy packs of 10 tips for 9$ or something like that.

There's also newer designs like Pinecil and the irons that use T100 tips ... those will require a decent usb type-c charger to power them so that can cost extra money and tips are also more expensive, usually around 8-12$ a piece, because the heating element is sealed inside the tips.

 

[Schlammkuh]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

What would you recommend? It doesn't need to be professional or too expensive since I'm a hobbyist.
I mean I could just go out and buy any soldering station that I find on Amazon or eBay, but maybe you guys know something about safety concerns I should keep in mind.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?

I would suggest doing some forum searches, as the questions about soldering stations and solder have been discussed many, many times. Focus on results in the Beginners forum, since that will likely stay closer to your hobbyist intent.

By “clearing solder joints”, do you mean how to get holes empty after desoldering a part? Or the desoldering itself?

I mean how to get the holes empty after desoldering.

I think I can go for solder wick & a manual desoldering pump as a start.

[Schlammkuh]

Thank you guys for all that valuable input, I really appreciate it. Will take a closer look at the Hakko FX-888DX.

Buying also a preheater & an automatic desoldering pump might be overkill to start with.

[tooki]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

What would you recommend? It doesn't need to be professional or too expensive since I'm a hobbyist.
I mean I could just go out and buy any soldering station that I find on Amazon or eBay, but maybe you guys know something about safety concerns I should keep in mind.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?

I would suggest doing some forum searches, as the questions about soldering stations and solder have been discussed many, many times. Focus on results in the Beginners forum, since that will likely stay closer to your hobbyist intent.

By “clearing solder joints”, do you mean how to get holes empty after desoldering a part? Or the desoldering itself?

I mean how to get the holes empty after desoldering.

I think I can go for solder wick & a manual desoldering pump as a start.

Absolutely. Just buy good quality.

IMHO the best wick is MG Chemicals (it has much finer braiding than many, but also isn’t too expensive), and the best desoldering pumps are Edsyn Soldapullt (they are big, which gives them lots of suction).

[tszaboo]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and would like to repair some vintage PCs that I have. They're either from the 2000-2007 era and plagued by leaking capacitors, or from the late 80s and have bad tantalum capacitors that short out and tend to explode when powered. So I would need a soldering tip that's not too big I guess.

What would you recommend? It doesn't need to be professional or too expensive since I'm a hobbyist.
I mean I could just go out and buy any soldering station that I find on Amazon or eBay, but maybe you guys know something about safety concerns I should keep in mind.

And which method is best to clear solder joints? And what solder would you recommend?

I would suggest doing some forum searches, as the questions about soldering stations and solder have been discussed many, many times. Focus on results in the Beginners forum, since that will likely stay closer to your hobbyist intent.

By “clearing solder joints”, do you mean how to get holes empty after desoldering a part? Or the desoldering itself?

I mean how to get the holes empty after desoldering.

I think I can go for solder wick & a manual desoldering pump as a start.

Wick IMHO is not well suited well to clear through holes. Not effectively anyway. If you cannot clear it properly on first try, you have to go back and add solder, it all gets messy. ENGINEER SS-03 is a good desoldering pump. The cheap ones are very bad at this task, if you learn to use this correctly, and clean it often, it will be a lot more effective. But honestly it's also a lot less effective than a desoldering station with pump and a set of tips for different hole sizes.
Also, sometimes the best desoldering helping tool is a wire cutter right through the component.

[NE666]

an automatic desoldering pump might be overkill to start with.

You wouldn't regret it. Good quality solder wick still has its place but even with a 'cheap' electronic desoldering station e.g. Duratool, the time saving and general ease of removing a number of old caps or DIP ICs makes it worth it. IMHO.

The cheap one's certainly aren't perfect, and you'll need to clean them out regularly, but they are effective and once you've used one you wouldn't go back to a manual pump or doing it all with wick.

[David Hess]

an automatic desoldering pump might be overkill to start with.

You wouldn't regret it. Good quality solder wick still has its place but even with a 'cheap' electronic desoldering station e.g. Duratool, the time saving and general ease of removing a number of old caps or DIP ICs makes it worth it. IMHO.

The cheap one's certainly aren't perfect, and you'll need to clean them out regularly, but they are effective and once you've used one you wouldn't go back to a manual pump or doing it all with wick.

A powered vacuum desoldering tool is incredible for through hole parts.  At least with my home made one, DIPs usually fall off of the board.  Not only is it much faster, but it is less likely to damage the board.  But the heat demands of a PC motherboard are so great that I do not know that a powered vacuum desoldering tool would work; maybe with a normal iron on the other side of the hole to add more heat?

[NE666]

But the heat demands of a PC motherboard are so great that I do not know that a powered vacuum desoldering tool would work;

It's not something I've tried myself but, especially for larger through-hole ICs that are being removed because they have value rather than have failed, I've seen YT videos of people using a larger iron to flow a low melting point solder alloy e.g. Chip Quik into the pins, before using the desoldering vacuum. Specifically to reduce the overall amount of heat being pumped in.

[David Hess]

It's not something I've tried myself but, especially for larger through-hole ICs that are being removed because they have value rather than have failed, I've seen YT videos of people using a larger iron to flow a low melting point solder alloy e.g. Chip Quik into the pins, before using the desoldering vacuum. Specifically to reduce the overall amount of heat being pumped in.

For boards which have no value, I have just used a propane torch to remove valuable parts in bulk.

[armandine2]

..I have had success with narrow wick on stubborn ground plane through holes with a Hakko desoldering gun (heat source) and plenty of flux - when the usual heat/suction technique was ineffective.