Soldering iron recomendations?

[McFLUFFELS]

Hello Guy's,
First a little background on my situation. Christmas is just around the corner and I am looking for a decent soldering solution around the $100 mark.
I am looking to do occasional electronics projects some SMD but mainly though-hole stuff the iron is likely to not see a great deal of use.
I currently own a 50/100W soldering iron that I bought from bunnings it only has a 6mm chisel tip so not ideal for anything really.
So I have narrowed it down to two options;
1: A ebay 2 in 1 soldering station for $105AU. From what I understand ebay soldering stations have gotten quite decent in the last few years (from guys on youtube opening them up and inspecting them) and this one offers a hot air gun with four nozzles, 11 soldering tips, and an assortment of tweezers.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2in1-Soldering-Iron-Solder-Rework-Station-Hot-Air-Gun-Digital-SMD-Desoldering/252948407124?hash=item3ae4e66354:g:4PQAAOSwI4lZzFbm

2: A genuine Goot 85W soldering iron. It has only one tip included. is locked at 320° but thermal recovery is supposed to be very good, and has a silicone lead. I would have to buy a set of tweezers  so the price works to be about the same at $100.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/goot-240v-85w-240v-soldering-iron/p/TS1430


Which would you recommend and why?
Thanks in advance.

[nanofrog]

Neither IMHO. Genuine Goot is good stuff, but I don't care for fixed temp irons.

Get a Hakko FX-888D instead.

Reasoning:

• It's a proper temp controlled station.
• It's well made.
• Excellent selection of tips.
• Tips are of high quality that will last you for years with basic care (just keep it tinned).
• Uses a silicone lead as well.

Yes, it costs a bit more but you won't have to replace it any time soon.

In regard to the combination stations such as that in your first link, I'd avoid these. You don't want to use one tool to fix the other in this case as you don't want the broken tool powered during repair.

[nicalitz]

I've seen mixed opinions on this, but I'd suggest the TS100. Especially if its not going to see a great deal of use. They go for $50 on Banggood. Some people have had problems, but I've generally been quite happy. Very impressive temperature control for the price. Light and easy to work with as well. Tips are around $11 each, so just pick those you want.

[Gyro]

I'm using my TS100 in preference to my Weller TCP most of the time now. The nearly instant heat up is so convenient and I'm finding that even the finest smd tip works surprisingly well through hole. NOTE that you need a DC power supply to go with it - the closer to 24V the better.

P.S. It's best if you source a silicone lead for it rather than the stiff one that comes out of a standard laptop brick too. Use the Ralim firmware too, it makes use of the CPU H/W features to improve thermal response (the original does everything in code).

[KL27x]

I am looking to do occasional electronics projects some SMD but mainly though-hole stuff the iron is likely to not see a great deal of use.

A lot of stations could fit the bill. It depends on how cheap you are and what you are using now. You can upgrade, incrementally, and you will have a few more Xmas's to look forward to. But if you live in the US, the Hakko 888 is too cheap to ignore. Elsewhere, it might cost a little more. But I would probably take it over an Ersa, even in Europe where Ersa Nano/Pico becomes similar in cost, esp if I only soldered occasionally. Search google or eBay for "broken" or "repair" + Hakko 888, and you will come up empty. (Ersa has a proprietary display that can die. Also have seen bad triacs and other issues.) Hakko also has some very great SMD tips that Ersa doesn't make.

The only problem is if you buy an 888, you will need a new Xmas present. You'll be done shopping for soldering irons for the next 30 years. It has the quality where it counts. The transformer, the housing, the handpiece, and the stand. It has a great tip selection with high quality, long service life, and low cost. The electronics are very basic and pretty much bombproof. It will get the job done, and it will do it comfortably and efficiently. The tips you use will still likely be in production/available by the time you're dead, and the tips are easy to source and identify.

TS-100 has good reputation on the forum, but for occasional use, at home, as a primary iron, it is a bit of a stretch. You're relying on a bitty DC jack and an iron tip/heater that connect by spring contacts. For a tool whose sole purpose is to make electrical connections, you are relying on a bunch of electromechanical connections and LCD that can fail for a variety of reasons, let alone the switchmode supply which has caps that will eventually dry out. And the only way you can repair this thing and/or splice a connector on a new psu is with another soldering iron. Not to mention where's the stand?

[danny_d]

You could just get one of the many T12 compatible soldering stations.
Such as Bakon BK950D/KSGER T12/DSK T12-D
The T12 stations generally perform very well, and if you want a long, flexible cord for the iron, you could just order this:
https://www.banggood.com/2M-Five-Core-Silicone-Wire-T12-for-HAKKO-936-937-907-Soldering-Station-Handle-Line-p-1122645.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
BG also have T12 tips that are reasonably priced as well.

[KL27x]

I have a 19.5v Bakon and a 24.5V Suhan. The Suhan warms up faster, close to 10 seconds. The Bakon get to 250C in the same time as my 888, in about 17 seconds.

That said, I use the Bakon. because it takes up less room on my bench. Warm up time of even 1 second would mean pretty much nothing to me (unless it could cool down in 1 second, too; now that would be great for a portable iron). I'm not a big fan of T12/15 tip/heater, due to logistics. I don't want to dig around to find the right tip out of a pencil case or cup or a tall silicone holder. I primarily just leave a knife tip in it, and I set it on my bench and plug it in for knife tip stuff, only; or I'll set it up with a different tip where I need to change between two tips, frequently, for a specific repetitive task.

With most of the T12 clone stations, you need to buy a stand, separately. Or make your own.

[nanofrog]

With most of the T12 clone stations, you need to buy a stand, separately. Or make your own.

I'd recommend getting a Hakko 633-01 for those that decide to go this route (comes with a 599B brass wool tip cleaner).

[bobdabiulder]

Honestly, the FX-888d is the best soldering station ever.  I went through five before I got to it.  It’s $100, and if you’re smart, you’ll get a bundle from Amazon which comes with at least a good wire cutter (Bundle Includes Soldering Station and CHP170 cutter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWUFVY8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IX0lAbY2EWNXG).

If you get the TS100, make sure you can power it.  A geniune laptop charger with a barreljack output is ideal.  Make sure it’s about 19v, and preferably OEM.  I’m sure it’s a wonderful iron, but the 888d is so well documented, and the $5-10 tips will last you a while.  I have it, and I use it as much as you say you will.

[tombi]

My useless (Jaycar) Duratech TS-1390 just died. Tiny TO-92 size 78L05 is as hot as the soldering iron tip. Grr

I too am wondering about getting a FX888D - where is a good place to get one in Australia? Element14 want $200 plus GST, Mektronics have it for $160 ex GST, Oritech $165 ex GST.

What I really want is a JBC but that's not going to happen.

Other idea was to get a T245 JBC handpiece and try and build one using this universal controller but I suspect that won't be all that much cheaper.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/UniSolder-5-2-DIY-PCB-Universal-soldering-station-for-Hakko-JBC-Stock-EU-Spain/152822628157?hash=item2394f03f3d:g:umEAAOSwi7RZHfti

Tom

[bobdabiulder]

Tom, Amazon can help.  Or look on Hakko’s distributor list.

[Cliff Matthews]

I am looking to do occasional electronics projects some SMD but mainly though-hole stuff the iron is likely to not see a great deal of use.

TS-100 has good reputation on the forum, but for occasional use, at home, as a primary iron, it is a bit of a stretch. You're relying on a bitty DC jack and an iron tip/heater that connect by spring contacts. For a tool whose sole purpose is to make electrical connections, you are relying on a bunch of electromechanical connections and LCD that can fail for a variety of reasons, let alone the switchmode supply which has caps that will eventually dry out. And the only way you can repair this thing and/or splice a connector on a new psu is with another soldering iron. Not to mention where's the stand?

From what I saw in the Marco Reps presentation, the TS-100 has a high quality barrel jack and has redundant spring contacts (also shown in that video) which are certainly enough for the 3 amps it would take to get the full 65-watts. As far as I can tell, C9 is the only el-cap (22uF/25v) that could dry-out and from what he and others say, everything is cool in the handle. I don't know about any earlier models, but that display seems to be an OLED. Here's a recent video from a quad-copter guy who knows his stuff and seems to do a lot of high-heat soldering:

[Cliff Matthews]

Things for this little OSS beast are moving along.. There's no need for USB connection if you want to change menu setting's:
https://github.com/Ralim/ts100#ts100 (last commit was 8-days ago)

Another older fork discusses control loop here:
https://github.com/mkninc/ts100_ng#ts100_ng (git build currently failing, maybe it's worth a read?)

*edit: If anyone is burning for fun, the Tetris fork will increase tip temperature 10C each time you loose.. (ouch..!) 
https://hackaday.com/2017/07/07/tetris-on-a-soldering-iron/

[paulca]

Given a 24V supply, what kind of current does the TS100 need?

If it's 85Watt that would suggest a 24V 4A supply.  Does that sound right?

[Cliff Matthews]

I was just going by the 65w Marco Reps claimed. IMHO, I wouldn't run it beyond 22v since C9 is rated at 25v
Too close for comfort and Murphy's law where it'll fail when you need it most..

[Gyro]

In terms of current capacity, then yes, I would trust those contacts at 3A. They are a decent thickness and with good spring pressure. The tip is also held securely in a nice close tolerance metal housing by a grub screw (not visible, the screw shown in the photo is the case lid screw), unlike the push-in T12 type elements. I would say they've got the design about spot-on in this area.

The barrel connector sleeve is very firmly soldered to the PCB, I'd have no concerns about the center pin joint failing. For 3A you want to use it with a split center fork (high current laptop charger type).

With respect to the 25V capacitor, I'm sure you're right that it's rated a bit too close. I run mine at 24V.

[paulca]

So excuse my ignorance, but is this iron current limited?  Should I not be concerned if I plug in a jelly bean 12V 1A wall wart that it pulls more than 1A and overheats the PSU?

I like the look of it and I'm in need of a replacement for my Weller SP 25L as it's not temp controller. 

Just trying to work out a sensible power supply for the TS100 without spending too much.

[Cliff Matthews]

So excuse my ignorance, but is this iron current limited?  Should I not be concerned if I plug in a jelly bean 12V 1A wall wart that it pulls more than 1A and overheats the PSU?

I like the look of it and I'm in need of a replacement for my Weller SP 25L as it's not temp controller. 

Just trying to work out a sensible power supply for the TS100 without spending too much.

No current limiting. *edit Current from barrel connector passes through a dual MosFET directly to the element and the other side is grounded.* It's risky to use your 12v 1a wall wart, since voltage may drop so low that it could cook the MosFET running in the linear region. Your best bet for the money would be an old laptop 19V 3A power adapter (then it's certified  and you don't even have to solder-on a barrel connector).

[Gyro]

So excuse my ignorance, but is this iron current limited?  Should I not be concerned if I plug in a jelly bean 12V 1A wall wart that it pulls more than 1A and overheats the PSU?

I like the look of it and I'm in need of a replacement for my Weller SP 25L as it's not temp controller. 

Just trying to work out a sensible power supply for the TS100 without spending too much.

At 12V it would be pulling around 1.4A and providing only about 17W output, you need to go higher for decent power output.... https://imgmgr.banggood.com/images/upload/2015/11/TS100/TS100%20Soldering%20Iron%20Instruction%20Manual.pdf (see section 3)

 Your cheapest option would be to go for an ebay laptop charger. There are many in the 19-22V range at 3.5-4A available cheaply. Go for a genuine original manufacturer second hand one (eg, Lenovo, Hp, Dell) rather than a new no-name one of unknown quality. Also with a 3-pin mains input connector to ensure that the output barrel is grounded.

[Cliff Matthews]

At 1.4A that 1A your wall-wart may produce well below optimum *Vgs* for the dual MosFET. In this case, if under-voltage makes Rds > 0.5 ohms, then the SOIC-8 package will have to release magic smoke dealing with > 1.5W dissipation (since current must pass through both FET's *at 1 ohm*).

I'm not saying this is certain in your case, but buyers of the TS-100 should be aware there may be a range of voltages one should not use, if they want the TS-100 to "live long and prosper".

[paulca]

Sorted. 
Genuine Toshiba 19V 6.5A laptop brick. 
TS100.
Sealed lidded sponge w/ stand.
Copper 'wool' ball.
Silverline desoldering braid.
Flux Pen.

Should bring my soldering stuff up to scratch.

[stj]

forget the sponge.
nice brick btw, not often you see those types of current anymore - all the ones i'v seen recently are half that!

[paulca]

forget the sponge.
nice brick btw, not often you see those types of current anymore - all the ones i'v seen recently are half that!

Yea, it's S/H.  Computer power requirements changed quite a lot a number of years back.  I had to get a 650W power supply for my PC.  I then upgraded it to nearly quadruple the spec about 2 years ago and was surprised to find I didn't need to uprate the power supply.  It's all the energy efficiency stuff.

[Gyro]

Good choice.

Sorted. 
...
Should bring my soldering stuff up to scratch.

Almost... Unless you want the luxury option. I used these:

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-Power-Plug-Socket-Male-Female-Barrel-Connector-Multiple-Sizes-Available/292033926253?hash=item43fe94146d:m:mUesRQQNWhwM4BtX-0CbALg  (5.5mmx2.5mm Plug - Fork)

and:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Twin-Core-Silicone-Rubber-Cable-2x0-4mm-Conductors-6amp-DC-Wiring-Cord/152000411964?hash=item2363ee393c:g:eBcAAOSwll1W1cRU (1m is fine)

(no affiliations) to make a nice flexible burn-proof cord, it makes a massive difference to handling. Cut the existing brick output lead shorter and solder/heatshrink on, use a compatible socket, your choice. Make sure you keep the polarity correct (center +ve).


P.S. I second Cliff Matthews suggestion about the Ralim firmware, much better than stock (it makes use of processor on-chip hardware features in the temperature control loop rather than just software).

[paulca]

Good catch.  Thanks.  I have loads of 2.1mm jacks, I have no 2.5s.  I got the silicone cord too.  I've been putting up with a clunky inflexible one fitted to the Weller that still holds it's packing folds 8 years later, time for a flexible one.

[Cliff Matthews]

FWIW, Ralim firmware (Ben Brown) replied to me this morning regarding critical current through the MosFET:

Ben Brown
Hi, Lower voltages do not cause any issues with the MOSFETs as far as I have tested down to 8V (note firmware cuts out at 10V). I have run an iron off 8V for an hour when testing this for safety without any noticeable increase in temperature on the MOSFETs. Remember the tip has a resistance in the range of 9-10 ohms, so at 10V it can draw a max of 1A (but practically it draws less). The gate on the FET's is driven with the incoming dc voltage (so for my tests it was still sitting at around -6-7V at the gate) which resulted in no more heat generation than when running on the full 24V power supply. 3S is actually a usable option for small joints or in a pinch. Quite a few users use the iron at 3S cells when in the field when running it quickly off a small pack to fix a small wire that came loose. The heat-up time is still bearable for one joint on 3S. As of my current testing, I have not found any warning necessary when running the unit with the current cutoff of 10V. This will be lowered to 3V/cell in future which is why I undertook the test on two of my units before I was willing to consider the lower input cutoff. Naturally my 2 units could be lucky, but also knowing that there is a large user base using 3S without issue I doubt the majority of units differ from mine.

With an element resistance of 9 ohms, this puts to rest any doubts about over stressing the MosFET, but is a higher voltage MLCC (>25v) even available to squeeze into that tight space on the PCB?
*edit: sorry, forget about C9 @25v... I didn't see D3 was a zener at first glance (I draw the tips on the line with squared ends..)   

[jeffsf]

I'm not sure why, with a Hakko FX-888 available for under $100, people are messing around with the TS100 and a power brick for nearly as much money. Buy the Hakko and you'll be done with it for years. Yes, I upgraded my c. 1990 Weller ESD station to a Hakko, but it was in from an era when a DIP package on was about the finest work one needed to do. Over 25 years on that investment! I still use it with some of my pre-PCB gear, especially with tube sockets and terminal strips, but a Hakko is a joy to work with. Light, well balanced, wide variety of tips available

[Cliff Matthews]

TS-100 is half the cost, heats up in seconds, and who can't rig-up any one of many power sources? Not saying there's no place for the 888, but for some nubes, $50 beans can buy lots of other stuff. Now if $239 MSRP sounds good for a 120w of pure Pace workmanship, just wait for about 8 weeks.

[stj]

more importantly, the TS100 and any other iron with combined tip/sensor/heater for that matter are far superior to an 888 which is just an updated 936 anyway!!!

[paulca]

So my TS100 arrived.

Tip: Read the instructions there is a hint about the tip set screw.  I had mine taken apart wondering why the tip would not insert!  Doh!  All working now.

I love the speed it heats up with.  Love the fact it will display it temp as it cools down.  Haven't played with many of the settings except the temp so far.

However I think I need a tip with more mass to it.  The pointy tip is a bit tricky to get heat into things fast with.  I gather the tips aren't cheap.  I'm debating a rounded point conical or a wedge/chisel tip.

[Cliff Matthews]

So my TS100 arrived.

Tip: Read the instructions there is a hint about the tip set screw.  I had mine taken apart wondering why the tip would not insert!  Doh!  All working now.

I love the speed it heats up with.  Love the fact it will display it temp as it cools down.  Haven't played with many of the settings except the temp so far.

However I think I need a tip with more mass to it.  The pointy tip is a bit tricky to get heat into things fast with.  I gather the tips aren't cheap.  I'm debating a rounded point conical or a wedge/chisel tip.

2 Questions: I've haven't bought one yet (since I'm tossed between this and waiting 3 months for solid reviews on the new Pace ADS200)

1) Does the TS-100 seller state a firmware upgrade voids the warranty? (eg: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100#ts100 )

2) If you upgrade.. Will you be posting any improvements and irritation it makes?

[soubitos]

So my TS100 arrived.

Tip: Read the instructions there is a hint about the tip set screw.  I had mine taken apart wondering why the tip would not insert!  Doh!  All working now.

I love the speed it heats up with.  Love the fact it will display it temp as it cools down.  Haven't played with many of the settings except the temp so far.

However I think I need a tip with more mass to it.  The pointy tip is a bit tricky to get heat into things fast with.  I gather the tips aren't cheap.  I'm debating a rounded point conical or a wedge/chisel tip.

I got mine a few months ago... I now keep my ERSA Multitip in its box... got a 3S lithium pack for work outside and a TS-BC2 tip which is the best for what i need it for...

I also got a 858D hot air station which also works fine and does the job ... i got them both for perhaps under 90$ total incl TS-BC2

Forgot to mention, i use it in-house with a SONY laptop "brick" 19.5V/3.3A.... i also use it with a TOSHIBA 15V/3A brick sometimes, if i need the SONY to power up other stuff for example... no problems!
I dont see the need to look for any higher voltage power source for my needs plus, the bricks i have came for free!

[paulca]

1) Does the TS-100 seller state a firmware upgrade voids the warranty? (eg: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100#ts100 )

It has a warranty?

[Cliff Matthews]

1) Does the TS-100 seller state a firmware upgrade voids the warranty? (eg: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100#ts100 )

It has a warranty?

If you bought it on Banggood..
I see the forum's loaded with people buying stuff, then posting complaints and getting replies from "customer service"
I would hope it's not all words.. 

[paulca]

If it's from China the warranty is not worth the email it's typed into.

I expect none.  If it turns out it breaks in the first few weeks/months I'll try emailing the seller, but I wouldn't necessarily expect a replacement, especially as return postage to China aint going to be that cheap!  Probably easier to negotiate a deal on a second purchase.

[Gyro]

So my TS100 arrived.

Tip: Read the instructions there is a hint about the tip set screw.  I had mine taken apart wondering why the tip would not insert!  Doh!  All working now.

I love the speed it heats up with.  Love the fact it will display it temp as it cools down.  Haven't played with many of the settings except the temp so far.

However I think I need a tip with more mass to it.  The pointy tip is a bit tricky to get heat into things fast with.  I gather the tips aren't cheap.  I'm debating a rounded point conical or a wedge/chisel tip.

Haha, that is the downside of a firmly clamped tip, you do have to remember the clamping screw (don't loose the spare ones in the box)!

Tip prices aren't actually that bad, they're in the £8-9 range from ebay uk stock sellers, ok not as cheap as the 'buy a handful' fake T12 ones but at least you know what you're getting, I don't think anyone clones them. I'm not sure which tip yours came with but the TS-BC2 is a good general purpose chisel tip. That and the little pointed TS-I are all I've needed. I've wondered about one of the knife tips but I'm not sure whether they're tinned or just for plastic cutting.

With regard to firmware, MiniDSO provide firmware update downloads , so if you have a real warranty issue you can always put an original back on. I don't know if you've got one of the original (grey/black) TS100s or one of the newer brightly colored ones. The hardware in the newer on was thought to be identical but I've seen one report of there being a difference causing an issue with the Ralim firmware. I know that Ben is looking into it. It's the only report I've seen so far but worth keeping an eye on the issues list on github.

[Atom]

SO there it is my onest opinion.... i've never tried high end soldering iron so...yeah ..but the one that plugs into the mains that our school has ..they suck,that's all, they cant compensate for the temperature drop when you're soldering so the tip is goning to get cold(BTW they are Weller soldering iron)

I started with a luckey 936 paid 40 euros on amazon ; a ripoff since they are the same soldering station they only put their name on there...it was kind of good, but when it died i decided to buy directly from china  so i went with a STM32 Oled based soldering station and i have to say that i love it

1 it's cheap (paid mine 32 euros on discount)
2 the oled hasviewing angles
3 the tips are T12 tips they have a lot of thermal mass (you can solder everything with it)
4 the tips are chap 3 dollars each
5 it can compensate for drops in temps
6 the starting up and the heating is really fast 5sec maybe
7 it has sleep ,standby mode (mercury switch inside the handle)

google it around it's everywere

[Blake]

I did similar to Atom above and bought a DIY T12 Oled kit for $20 on Aliexpress, which is currently in the mail.  From various posts on this forum, it seemed like a good choice.  I got one of the Quicko kits which does not have as many features as the STM32 ones but is cheaper.

[paulca]

I think the warranty talk scudded me.

Power it up tonight to build a kit and I got noise on the screen.  Powered it, depowered it, etc. etc.  No joy.  It sort of came on at one point I tried to solder anyway, but it powered off again.

I bought it from an Irish seller, so it can go back.

Oddly though, 10 minutes later I powered it on and it worked fine for the next hour while I put my kit together.  Depowered it, let it cool and noise on the screen again.

Something is up.

I really like it though.  I was soldering some pots onto the kit (cheap 1Mhz waveform generator kit) that had HUGE solder pads and fixing legs.  Spun it up to 400*C and it had no trouble at all.

[Gyro]

That's pretty unlucky! Just a thought, check that the mains adapter output isn't 'browning out' under cold start conditions. I know you bought a good one but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

The only other one I can think of from when you opened it up. The micro is on a socketed daughterboard. It's held in place by a rubber pad, but it's just possible that you might have dislodged it.

Oh, one more - power it up via the micro-usb connector from a PC - obviously it won't be capable of heating but if you still get noise on the display, it narrows it down to a CPU related issue.

Good to hear that you got to experience its heating performance anyway.

[stj]

why would you go upto 400' and shorten the life of the tip?
you only need to reach the liquid-point of the solder.
330-350 for lead-free.

[Monkeh]

why would you go upto 300' and shorten the life of the tip?
you only need to reach the liquid-point of the solder.
330-350 for lead-free.

No, you need the joint to exceed the melting point. And you need it to do so quickly. This requires a far higher tip temperature than the melting point.

[soubitos]

why would you go upto 300' and shorten the life of the tip?
you only need to reach the liquid-point of the solder.
330-350 for lead-free.

I use it at 280 for small smd or solder paste... 360 for 60/40 solder wire on TH parts.. i need to take it to 380-390 to solder on grounded pins or terminal pins etc.... then i might want to solder directly on a battery, 450 and it simply does the job in a second... i tested it on batteries though with solder paste instead of solder wire and i am not going back.. lower temp (400-420max) and much faster soldering

[helius]

Soldering effectiveness is a combination of tip temperature, thermal mass, recovery time, and proper contact. Just cranking up the temperature is one way of melting larger joints but not a very good one; better to use a higher thermal mass tip or a unit with faster recovery.

[paulca]

why would you go upto 400' and shorten the life of the tip?
you only need to reach the liquid-point of the solder.
330-350 for lead-free.

Because the large metal mass of the potentiometer sucks the heat out of the tip rapidly and at 300C where I had it set for most of the rest of the components the tip got stuck on the solder just after it started melting.

These were large locating tabs that hold the pots in place and so I wanted a good solid joint as the pots will no doubt suffer the odd knock and tug.

I bent the tabs down onto one side of the 6mm pad holes in the ground plane they came through.  With the iron on 400 I was able to flow a good lot of solder around, over and under the tab in about 5 seconds.  Job done.  Lowered the temp back down to 300.

[paulca]

That's pretty unlucky! Just a thought, check that the mains adapter output isn't 'browning out' under cold start conditions. I know you bought a good one but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

The only other one I can think of from when you opened it up. The micro is on a socketed daughterboard. It's held in place by a rubber pad, but it's just possible that you might have dislodged it.

Oh, one more - power it up via the micro-usb connector from a PC - obviously it won't be capable of heating but if you still get noise on the display, it narrows it down to a CPU related issue.

Good to hear that you got to experience its heating performance anyway.

I have repeated the noise on the screen a few times, I have also repeated getting it to power on a few times.

It's been a while though since it had done the noise thing.  I think the solution might have been a short sharp knock on it's rear end!  LOL.

I am also testing it with the bench supply set to 19V with a 4A limit.  It only draws about 2.8A max.  This would rules out the laptop brick.

When it first did it, I had plugged the DC jack in and then powered the laptop brick.  I thought the brick might have spiked it. Then when it recovered I wondered if the soldering iron had put the brick into protect.

Well, I have 30 days to return it as it was sold with a 30 day distance selling returns policy.  I'll see how it continues to work.

A loose MCU daughter board is one option I can investigate.

Worst case, even if the seller says I broke it and refuses a return, it's £35.  I've pissed more down the toilet of the pub in one evening!

[Gyro]

That sounds like a reasonable approach (and philosophy), keep an eye on the dates though.

Regarding the big joint temperature, I understand that you are still using the little pointed tip TS-I? which probably isn't ideal. The Ralim firmware has a useful feature where you can boost temperature to a second preset higher temperature just for as long as you hold the front button down, so you can do it for just a few seconds. Normally thermal recovery does the job but there's definitely something to be said for a quick temperature boost to make a big joint more quickly. I have mine set at 320'C and 380'C respectively.

[BBBbbb]

... it's £35.  I've pissed more down the toilet of the pub in one evening!

My reasoning when deciding whether I should buy some electronics stuff or would I be throwing away my money.

[paulca]

... it's £35.  I've pissed more down the toilet of the pub in one evening!

My reasoning when deciding whether I should buy some electronics stuff or would I be throwing away my money.

Exactly!  I spend £1.75 on an ADC breakout board from China.  I spent a whole evening and the whole next Saturday morning playing with it.  It was great fun.  The chances are highly likely it will now sit in a component box and never see the light of day again!

Did I waste £1.75?  Hell no.  It gave me about 10 hours of entertainment figuring the little bugger out and getting it working.  Taught me a lot of stuff.

£1.75 would have bought me 1 tin of beer or about 1/6th of a cinema ticket, 1/4th a movie rental or a bus fare into town.

Well worth it.

[paulca]

TS-I?

It's a something-something-2 but it does not look like a TS-BC2  I ordered one of those last night.

[Gyro]

So my TS100 arrived.

Tip: Read the instructions there is a hint about the tip set screw.  I had mine taken apart wondering why the tip would not insert!  Doh!  All working now.

I love the speed it heats up with.  Love the fact it will display it temp as it cools down.  Haven't played with many of the settings except the temp so far.

However I think I need a tip with more mass to it.  The pointy tip is a bit tricky to get heat into things fast with.  I gather the tips aren't cheap.  I'm debating a rounded point conical or a wedge/chisel tip.

Haha, that is the downside of a firmly clamped tip, you do have to remember the clamping screw (don't loose the spare ones in the box)!

Tip prices aren't actually that bad, they're in the £8-9 range from ebay uk stock sellers, ok not as cheap as the 'buy a handful' fake T12 ones but at least you know what you're getting, I don't think anyone clones them. I'm not sure which tip yours came with but the TS-BC2 is a good general purpose chisel tip. That and the little pointed TS-I are all I've needed. I've wondered about one of the knife tips but I'm not sure whether they're tinned or just for plastic cutting.

With regard to firmware, MiniDSO provide firmware update downloads , so if you have a real warranty issue you can always put an original back on. I don't know if you've got one of the original (grey/black) TS100s or one of the newer brightly colored ones. The hardware in the newer on was thought to be identical but I've seen one report of there being a difference causing an issue with the Ralim firmware. I know that Ben is looking into it. It's the only report I've seen so far but worth keeping an eye on the issues list on github.

I've just noticed that there is a new V2.03-alpha release of the Ralim TS100 firmware. As hinted at above, there was an issue with the newer hardware - apparently they changed the accelerometer chip. The new release handles both versions. I've tried it on my older-hardware TS100 and it seems to work fine.

https://github.com/Ralim/ts100/releases