Poor Soldering Performance

[T3sl4co1l]

FYI: my FX-888 (not D!) is rather useless at 300C, and I default to 350-400C for leaded soldering on normal to heavy pads.

The heater geometry is a ceramic hot-end that fits inside the tip. Conduction is through an air gap.  The responsiveness is good, but far from perfect.

Tip wear is low (using brand name tips anyway), and oxidation is modest (okay to leave at this temperature for tens of minutes).  I do try to turn it down when not in active use (okay for hours, days? at 250C).  This is rather awkward to do on the 888D's (or did they add an idle mode, I don't recall?).  For this one reason (control knob), I would recommend WESD-51 over FX-888D, for those of you that happen to be in the market.

A higher end tool, using cartridge type tips with integrated temperature feedback, will be able to run at a lower temperature, because that temperature is more representative of the tip itself.  Higher end Hakko, Weller, most JBC (all?), etc. are this way.  Also Metcal and clones, where the tip is regulated by Curie temperature (in effect: excess RF power is reflected back to the power supply depending on tip temperature).

So keep that in mind; it depends on the tool.

Tim

[cdev]

I can verify that the sme happens to me wih Chip Quik and it is normal behavior. Instead of the Chip Quik sticky flux I usually use my little box of Chinese rosin, trying to gob it on thick.

Chip Quik is te least risky way to desolder some things, IMHO. Despite the mess it leaves. All bismuth containing solders do that. I think.

Bismuth makes amazing psychedelic colored crystals.. in its pure state.. "bismuto"

It’s ChipQuik brand, but it’s not bismuth solder. It’s Sn99 lead free.

I recently got a big chunk of bismuth metal to see what its like for soldering by itself. Strange. It makes a chracteristic sound, which is I think caused by the partial melting. Maybe squeaky?

I prefer the Chip Quik preformed solder shaped solder. I do think its the safest way to desolder.

[cdev]

I have decided that I dislike the 888D user interface.

I think I would prefer an old style 888. With a plain temp dial.. Like my old 939 clone but with the faster 888 response.. and tips..

What do people have their 888 presets set to?

[cdev]

I power my iron via an extension cord box that uses a hot tub timer so that ifdI forget it iit turns itself off after 15 minutes or so.

(typical amount of time my quarter turn of the knob buys me)

FYI: my FX-888 (not D!) is rather useless at 300C, and I default to 350-400C for leaded soldering on normal to heavy pads.

The heater geometry is a ceramic hot-end that fits inside the tip. Conduction is through an air gap.  The responsiveness is good, but far from perfect.

Tip wear is low (using brand name tips anyway), and oxidation is modest (okay to leave at this temperature for tens of minutes).  I do try to turn it down when not in active use (okay for hours, days? at 250C).  This is rather awkward to do on the 888D's (or did they add an idle mode, I don't recall?).  For this one reason (control knob), I would recommend WESD-51 over FX-888D, for those of you that happen to be in the market.

A higher end tool, using cartridge type tips with integrated temperature feedback, will be able to run at a lower temperature, because that temperature is more representative of the tip itself.  Higher end Hakko, Weller, most JBC (all?), etc. are this way.  Also Metcal and clones, where the tip is regulated by Curie temperature (in effect: excess RF power is reflected back to the power supply depending on tip temperature).

So keep that in mind; it depends on the tool.

Tim

[tooki]

The solder datasheet claims its flux core is "No-Clean Water-Washable Synthetic", but then classifies it as 'ROL0' which is Rosin, low activity, halide free.  This is contradictory as synthetic flux resins are usually classified with the prefix RE for 'resin' not 'RO' for rosin (colophony).  I *guess* they've added synthetic saponifiers to the rosin to make it water washable.

FYI, the current version of the datasheet, copyright 2023, classifies it as REL0. So chances are ROL0 was a typo in the 2022 datasheet.