Electronics > Beginners
Soldering iron that won't melt?
Jwillis:
--- Quote from: ArthurDent on September 02, 2019, 12:18:32 am ---
--- Quote from: Jwillis on September 01, 2019, 10:45:47 pm ---Did you check the thermistor in the handle.
--- End quote ---
There is no thermistor in this iron. It is just a 'dimmer' circuit and there is no feedback to regulate temperature.
--- End quote ---
Oh Ok thanks ArthurDent.So that black blob is just more melted plastic.
Jookia:
I've been researching irons and it looks like I'm either going with a Hakko FX-888D or a generic 937D from eBay.
What are the biggest differences between a generic soldering station like that and a genuine Hakko station?
I'm still learning soldering, would I even notice the differences at this stage?
Also yes, melted plastic.
Rerouter:
Both will get you far, the 888's parts will last a fair bit longer in general, however my reference point is 20-100 connections soldered a day,
For reference the 888 is still in pristine state after 3 years with this kind of workload, the clone needed a new tip every 4 or so months, and a new heater about once every year.
KL27x:
Jookia: ^+1 to that. I'll add some points from my own experience.
Real 888 has a true 26VAC transformer, no sag at all under load, no matter the duty cycle, 24/7. This was a bump from 24VAC of the 936. Many of the clones might even be a bit less than 24VAC under load once the transformer heats up.
Plastics are also not the same. China can clone the electronics very easily. If they want to make a handpiece that is as good as a Hakko, they have to buy the materials from Japan. They don't do that.
Heater is another point. The generic clone heaters are not made the same way. The genuine Hakko uses a foil heater. The clones are wound wire under the ceramic shell. The genuine Hakko heater is made to tighter tolerance for a better fit and is made to last a lifetime, designed to remain completely sealed from outside atmosphere, indefintely.
The genuine Hakko will probably last a lifetime with zero maintenance. The generic clones, you can expect 2-4 years of hard use before parts start failing. Heater will go. The entire handpiece can eventually just snap in half from heat cycling of the plastic. You can also expect the handpiece of most clones to become significantly hotter than the genuine during use.
There are high quality chinese stations that are hakko compatible. Xytronics comes to mind.
I have 3 888's and have been using them since 2008 or 9? I have had 1 X-tronics clone (not even close to the same as Xytronics!!), one eBay generic 936 clone, and a couple T12 clones. The genuine 888 outperforms them all. Even with just limited use, the X-tronics handpiece broke in half. The generic handpiece got really hot during use and I only used it once or twice before giving it away. The T12 clones are not half bad, but the 888 outperforms them in most ways in actual use, and in just everything except warm up speed from cold and maybe speed/ease of hotswapping tips. There is one main advantage of the cartridge tips, though. When doing a lot of high thermal joints in succession, the T12 cartridge clones can truck along without the handle warming up in the least.
The cheapo clones serve a purpose. They are way better than an unregulated mains stick. You get a huge variety of useful tip shapes, either cheap clone or genuine Hakko T18/900M. And for a hobbyist, they can last longer than one's duration of interest, anyway. If the price is right and you don't solder a lot, then you can sacrifice some performance and comfort. But if you live in the USA, the genuine Hakko 888 is dirty cheap and is a really good deal, IMO. Having used cheap irons for many many years, one of the first things I used to look at when buying a station is the cost of replacement parts. Hakko replacement parts are expensive as hell, which was a bit of a pill to swallow. But under normal use, you will probably never have to buy a replacement part! The relatively inexpensive upfront cost (to US consumers, anyhow) is not an "inkjet printer marketing scheme" to get you to buy expensive parts. The 888 is actually built to last a lifetime.
vk6zgo:
--- Quote from: vk6zgo on September 01, 2019, 10:31:01 am ---I turns out to have the same internal "guts" as the one I bought from Jaycar some years back to use while I was fixing my Weller WTCP.
That one had a base a bit like the older Wellers.
--- End quote ---
I lied!------I found the thing "tucked away" yesteday, & it is exactly like the OP's one!
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