what is the practical difference between soldering iron and a soldering station

[JustAnotherGuy999]

I mean what a soldering station can do, and a soldering iron can't

[Robartes_m]

I mean what a soldering station can do, and a soldering iron can't

I don't know the formal definition of either, but the way I see it a soldering station has better temperature control than a soldering iron (assuming the latter even has any). Additionally, a soldering station can be set to various temperatures, whereas a soldering iron is 'one temperature fits all'. That is my, totally uninformed, view of the difference between the two

[skillz21]

the difference is that with a normal soldering iron, you can't change the temperature. A soldering station, on the other hand, has temperature control  and usually has a place where you can store it while you are not soldering, and usually includes a sponge to wipe the solder off. Some people,(like Dave) hate normal soldering irons because you can't change the temperature. I don't really mind. it all depends on how much soldering you planning on doing. I have a soldering iron that costs $13. if you are doing some light soldering, a soldering iron should be fine.

[JustAnotherGuy999]

why would anyone want to change the temperature? as far as it solder things, that's fine. are there any practical uses of being able to change the temperature?

[Brutte]

I'd say that soldering station has the advantage of an isolated low voltage heater element (for safety reasons) but requires a (heavy) transformer or AC/*C that can be stationary.
The soldering iron is the name of the thingy you hold in your hand. It can be low voltage (24V) powered (from soldering station) or 230V powered from mains. The advantage of temperature stability of 24V versus 230V is a myth. It is the feedback loop that does the job, not the voltage. Of course the control loop might be mechanical on/off (like with Curie point of some Wellers), bimatal on/off, electronic with PID or even pure P (with natural convection, aka no control). The set value can be made by Curie point adjustment (swapping the end tips), by turning some PID settings with knob/s or +- keyboard, by isolating the heater, by PWM-ing the heater in open loop, whatever.

Of course you can have a soldering station with mains powered heater element and a brick pretending a transformer. Or you can have a mains powered soldering iron with temperature control.

[tszaboo]

why would anyone want to change the temperature? as far as it solder things, that's fine. are there any practical uses of being able to change the temperature?

You have Lead free solder, there you should use lower DOH! higher temperature. You also have to increase the temperature if you dont have enough power to heat up some big metal objects, or the temperature is not sensed in the tip.
Someone will make a comment about getting a better iron, instead of increasing the temperature, obviously, they are the guys who tell you that you should drive a Ford F450 to work, just in case you need it.

[fantis1337]

I'm guessing the soldering station iron won't blow up in your hand if the heater element shorts and trip a breaker.

[hayatepilot]

Soldering station benefits:
-Heats up very quickly (<20sec for a good one)
-regulated tip temperature and adjustable
-you can solder at lower temperatures because of that regulation
-gentler to components because its not that hot
-solder doesn't oxidize quickly on the tip
-wide variety of tips available
-you only need one station + a couple of tips in comparison to at least 2 conventional irons (1 small one for small components + a bigger one for cables and ground planes...)
-stations usually have a thinner and more flexible cable -> much more pleasurable to work with

[Jeroen3]

The plumber has a soldering iron, the electronics engineer has a soldering station.

[Deus]

why would anyone want to change the temperature? as far as it solder things, that's fine. are there any practical uses of being able to change the temperature?

You have Lead free solder, there you should use lower temperature. You also have to increase the temperature if you dont have enough power to heat up some big metal objects, or the temperature is not sensed in the tip.
Someone will make a comment about getting a better iron, instead of increasing the temperature, obviously, they are the guys who tell you that you should drive a Ford F450 to work, just in case you need it.

For lead free solder you have INCREASE temperature, not lower it. But only till a max of 350-375.
Going higher can result in burning your flux, oxidating the tip resulting in even lesser heat transfer giving even worse result.

That is where a good soldering station with enough power comes in.
Even with lower temps, I rarely go above 325c on lead free 250-275 on lead, you get good solder joints as it, depending brand/type/short tips or cartridges, has much better and faster control giving a more consistent temp.

Of course, there is a differnce when soldering smal diy dual layer pcbs or soldering or reworking multilayer boards.

The plumber has a soldering iron, the electronics engineer has a soldering station.

Totally agree.
If you want to do plumbing, get a solder iron.
Of you want to solder electronics stuff, get a good solder station.

[macboy]

why would anyone want to change the temperature? as far as it solder things, that's fine. are there any practical uses of being able to change the temperature?

You have Lead free solder, there you should use lower temperature. You also have to increase the temperature if you dont have enough power to heat up some big metal objects, or the temperature is not sensed in the tip.
Someone will make a comment about getting a better iron, instead of increasing the temperature, obviously, they are the guys who tell you that you should drive a Ford F450 to work, just in case you need it.

No, having and using a bigger iron when you need it is like renting a F450 when you need to haul a palette of paving stones from the home improvement store to do some landscaping at home. The alternative (cranking temperature of a puny iron) is like filling the trunk of your sedan with paving stones and dragging the bottom over every bump all the drive home... then repeating that 5 times because you could only fit so much in the car. You don't use the big iron for all jobs, just the big ones. The big iron is the wrong tool for small jobs (PCB soldering) just as the F450 is the wrong vehicle to use as a daily driver.

I have a nice SMD soldering station (Weller EC1302b) for fine work, a typical Chinese soldering station for regular work, and a nice big Weller soldering iron with a hefty tip for lots of thermal mass, that can very quickly solder thick wires to big connectors and lugs without resorting to excessive temperature or time. It is nothing fancy, just a really basic iron that is just right for big jobs. There is a huge difference between using that iron and attempting use a little soldering station cranked too high.

[gildasd]

The plumber has a soldering iron, the electronics engineer has a soldering station.

Better set up my electronic's work bench under the kitchen sink then...

[Brutte]

I'm guessing the soldering station iron won't blow up in your hand if the heater element shorts and trip a breaker.

That reminds me of another disadvantage of mains powered ones. These have a 3-strand wire, 0.5mm2 typically (because of some electrical code I guess). So the tip is seriously grounded.

Be careful when you solder a circuit that is grounded in some way. Even when it is not powered. That is because under some circumstances there can be difference in potentials in the grounding wiring in mains, especially in between different sockets. You might not believe what a mess a 1V AC voltage can do on a PCB. If you have to do it because of some reason, make sure no current flows through the tip.

[Nerull]

Most proper solder stations have a grounded tip, to make them ESD safe. Going with one of those over a firestarter iron isn't going to remove ground - its far more likely to add it. Ungrounded irons like to put random voltages at their tips.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The soldering station costs more money

That's about the only difference. You can find some very expensive devices (with all the features) still called soldering irons. You can also find some really cheap devices (with no features other than a fancy stand) called soldering stations.

It's a marketing term with no real technical definition. If an outfit sells both irons and stations, you can be pretty sure that the stations will be the more expensive of the two.

Bob

[tooki]

I mean what a soldering station can do, and a soldering iron can't

A simple soldering iron pumps in a certain amount of heat, no matter what is happening. So when you apply the tip to a joint, the temperature drops — a little bit for a small joint, a lot for a big one. That means you often need the iron to be really hot because its temperature will plummet.

A proper soldering station a) has a temperature sensor right in the tip, so it knows the actual tip temperature, and b) can send more or less power into the heater as needed to maintain the temperature. This means you set the temperature, and the station controls the power to keep the temperature where it needs to be, no matter the size of the joint.

I got my first soldering station a year ago, and it's just amazing how big a difference it is to a simple iron. Soldering is so much easier and more consistent.

[Visher]

Cheap soldering irons goes even up to 500 Celsius degrees, and keep in mind that over 380 Celsius degrees, the iron's tip oxidize process is very fast and you have to keep your tip covered with tin to prevent that. Also, with cheap chinese 230 V soldering iron a friend of mine had a spark accident that broke his module which he was working on..

Last big difference for me is simple soldering like wires, with flux like rosin and no temperature control, when you take out your iron tip out of rosin, it vaporizes instantly and there's nothing left even when you make fast hand movement to solder two stupid wires. Pain in the ass.

You can take a look at my soldering station project which total cost of ~150 PLN (35 EUR, 38 USD): https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/my-diy-soldering-station/

[amyk]

A soldering station consists of a soldering iron and a... base station.

[uncle_bob]

A soldering station consists of a soldering iron and a... base station.

Hi

Unless it's made by somebody like Metcal. Then it's a "soldering system".....

Bob

[vk6zgo]

Hi

The soldering station costs more money

That's about the only difference. You can find some very expensive devices (with all the features) still called soldering irons. You can also find some really cheap devices (with no features other than a fancy stand) called soldering stations.

It's a marketing term with no real technical definition. If an outfit sells both irons and stations, you can be pretty sure that the stations will be the more expensive of the two.

Bob

Exactly,Bob----I'd back my Weller WTCP against many so-called "Soldering Stations",any day of the week.

My old WTCP died,& I bought an "El Cheapo" iron which had "Soldering Station" marked on the carton,just to use until I fixed the Weller.

The stand felt like it had a transformer,but the "variable temp" knob had no calibration.
I "tore it down"---it had a weight on the bottom of the stand,& a "light dimmer" straight off the Mains.
In operation,it just barely worked!

I was lucky enough to pick up another WTCP at a garage sale,so the "pretend iron" went in the cupboard,to hopefully never be used again!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The soldering station costs more money

That's about the only difference. You can find some very expensive devices (with all the features) still called soldering irons. You can also find some really cheap devices (with no features other than a fancy stand) called soldering stations.

It's a marketing term with no real technical definition. If an outfit sells both irons and stations, you can be pretty sure that the stations will be the more expensive of the two.

Bob

Exactly,Bob----I'd back my Weller WTCP against many so-called "Soldering Stations",any day of the week.

My old WTCP died,& I bought an "El Cheapo" iron which had "Soldering Station" marked on the carton,just to use until I fixed the Weller.

The stand felt like it had a transformer,but the "variable temp" knob had no calibration.
I "tore it down"---it had a weight on the bottom of the stand,& a "light dimmer" straight off the Mains.
In operation,it just barely worked!

I was lucky enough to pick up another WTCP at a garage sale,so the "pretend iron" went in the cupboard,to hopefully never be used again!

Hi

Even the stuff that *does* have calibrated dials ... check that calibration out carefully. Sometimes it's accurate, more often it's only a guess that applies to one specific tip.

The WTCP / Metcal approach of "change to a calibrated tip at the right temperature" seems to be a better solution overall. I have one set for Lead and another set for "no Lead". I've never found a need for anything past that.

Bob

[Nerull]

Hi

The soldering station costs more money

That's about the only difference. You can find some very expensive devices (with all the features) still called soldering irons. You can also find some really cheap devices (with no features other than a fancy stand) called soldering stations.

It's a marketing term with no real technical definition. If an outfit sells both irons and stations, you can be pretty sure that the stations will be the more expensive of the two.

Bob

Exactly,Bob----I'd back my Weller WTCP against many so-called "Soldering Stations",any day of the week.

My old WTCP died,& I bought an "El Cheapo" iron which had "Soldering Station" marked on the carton,just to use until I fixed the Weller.

The stand felt like it had a transformer,but the "variable temp" knob had no calibration.
I "tore it down"---it had a weight on the bottom of the stand,& a "light dimmer" straight off the Mains.
In operation,it just barely worked!

I was lucky enough to pick up another WTCP at a garage sale,so the "pretend iron" went in the cupboard,to hopefully never be used again!

I'm curious under what strange definition a Weller WTCP would not be considered a soldering station. "My soldering station works as well as a soldering station" well, I hope so.

[Dave]

One major advantage of a good soldering station is that it has a nice, thin, pliable cable that doesn't tug on your iron as you are moving it around. Soldering fine pitch components can be a nightmare if you have to fight the iron while doing it.

[amyk]

For those saying the difference is a soldering station has temperature control, would you consider something like a Hakko FX-601, which has temperature control but no additional unit, a soldering station? Hakko doesn't think so. That's why I think the answer is simple: soldering station = additional unit a soldering iron attaches to.

[Shadetreeprops]

I would have replyed to this, but i have seen you post some very techincal questions. That are beyond my understanding so far. So i would think that this post would be basic understanding for anyone with such advanced questions that you pose.

but simply put, soldering iron, is what someone like me gets, and uses, becasue it works for many diffrent things not just electronics, but i run risks of burning up components that are heat sensitive becasue i do not have temp control.

Solder stations, control temp, for diffrent components, and solder types..something i learned about my first months of self teaching. something i will also invest in the more i advance myself. but for right now i just have to take extra care not to damage what i am working with.

so that should fully answer the question, for someone with more advanced knowlege than myself. nothing you could not have gotten from a fast read though of a wiki. and less than two paragraphs..


 

[vk6zgo]

Hi

The soldering station costs more money

That's about the only difference. You can find some very expensive devices (with all the features) still called soldering irons. You can also find some really cheap devices (with no features other than a fancy stand) called soldering stations.

It's a marketing term with no real technical definition. If an outfit sells both irons and stations, you can be pretty sure that the stations will be the more expensive of the two.

Bob

Exactly,Bob----I'd back my Weller WTCP against many so-called "Soldering Stations",any day of the week.

My old WTCP died,& I bought an "El Cheapo" iron which had "Soldering Station" marked on the carton,just to use until I fixed the Weller.

The stand felt like it had a transformer,but the "variable temp" knob had no calibration.
I "tore it down"---it had a weight on the bottom of the stand,& a "light dimmer" straight off the Mains.
In operation,it just barely worked!

I was lucky enough to pick up another WTCP at a garage sale,so the "pretend iron" went in the cupboard,to hopefully never be used again!

I'm curious under what strange definition a Weller WTCP would not be considered a soldering station. "My soldering station works as well as a soldering station" well, I hope so.

The WTCP,in various forms has been around since the late 1960s.
Over most of the years since then,it was regarded as,& described as,a"soldering iron".
The holder,the box containing the transformer,& the tray containing a wet sponge are really all parts of one device.

The term "station" was normally reserved for a "Rework Station",which would usually include a soldering iron,a desolder tool,which often,(but not always) included the ability to reverse the airflow  through the desolder tool,proving a hot air facility.

By necessity,these were somewhat larger than a WTCP or similar,as they needed to contain the airpump,plus holders for both tools.

I would normally expect something like the "Rework Stations" I referred to earlier,but the name seems to be attached to quite ordinary soldering irons,hence my reference to "so-called" "solder Stations".

The grouping of "soldering irons" as ones which operate directly from the Mains,without any form of temperature control is quite false---some Weller Mains irons do incorporate Magnastat control.

The term "solder station" is,as Uncle Bob states,"a marketing term with no real technical definition."

[AntonSwe]

One major advantage of a good soldering station is that it has a nice, thin, pliable cable that doesn't tug on your iron as you are moving it around. Soldering fine pitch components can be a nightmare if you have to fight the iron while doing it.

I really have to agree with you on this. Besides from the more consistent soldering, the really big difference was in the cable. Not only is the cable thinner and more flexible, but you also have the cable coming from the station itself (Which often has some weight to it) which stands steadily on the workbench instead of coming from the outlet. In my case the outlet is located under he table which made it really awkward soldering small and delicate component.

[LordHexahedron]

well, as have been mentioned - temperature control, allows you to raise it to more effectively solder with lead free solder on chunkier components, and it allows you to lower it for more sensitive components.

However, far more important: ESD protection. I wouldn't want to stick a normal soldering iron around half the things I solder!

Oh yeah, and as someone else mentioned: they heat up fast. Really fast.

I have a cheap SBK939D+, heats up (to 350 degrees - not sure if C or F, didn't read that part of the manual so I don't know what the default is (probably F), it supports both) in 25 seconds flat (to whatever precision my timer goes)

it's currently $65 Canadian (that's $48.82 USD for those wondering), Marvelous iron - comes with six tips and a heating element.

[tooki]

However, far more important: ESD protection. I wouldn't want to stick a normal soldering iron around half the things I solder!

That is not in and of itself a characteristic of soldering stations. There are soldering stations that are not ESD-safe (like the Ersa i-Con Pico), and there are many "fire stick" soldering irons that are ESD-safe. My second soldering iron was a Radio Shack 15W with a grounded tip.

[LordHexahedron]

yes of course, but it's more common in soldering stations [in my experience]

but really, the temperature control alone should be enough of a reason (and sleep mode, and fusing - "fire stick" irons don't tend to be fused in my experience)

even my "good" weller 336b (well, actually SP40L but 336b is what it says on the handle side with the specs so that's what I call it) "fire stick" isn't any good compared to my SBK 939D+, heats too slowly, isn't grounded, and is only 40W (compared to heats in 25s, is grounded, 60W)

Then we have my cheap $1 "fire stick" iron from ebay, it heats about the same rate as the weller one and can only barely melt lead solder, it cannot melt lead-free solder. But that's fine, it's a deathtrap anyway and I only use it to melt plastic (because that's about all it's good for, I bought it as a case-study and logically opened it first, good thing at that. It would've caught fire or given me a 110V kiss of death if I hadn't, after fixing the wiring I could test the thing).

I've yet to see a "fire stick" that can compete with even a cheapish soldering station (such as my 939D+, cheap hakko clone but works remarkably well)

EDIT: Admittedly I haven't used that many "fire stick" type irons, I've used a couple cheapish wellers, a handful of el cheapo ebay ones, and some other ones that weren't mine, some were ok - others (especially the el cheapos) were right garbage.

[GreyWoolfe]

I have had  firesticks in the past.  We were given 1 in our supplies tool kit at ITT Technical Institute.  I used it for some years.  I graduated to a Hakko 936 for a work project.  That was an adjustable soldering iron.  Now I have a Hakko FX-951.  This is a soldering station.  Better regulation.  Faster warm up time.  Adjustable sleep mode for longer tip life.  Heating element in tip-more consistent temperatures and faster thermal recovery.  More comfortable handle/wand with shorter tip to grip distance and very flexible cable. I also scored a Metcal MX-500 soldering 'system' for cheap.  I have the RM-3E wand and the Talon tweezers with appropriate stands.  Definitely a multi functional tool or 'system' if you prefer.

Take note, these are my opinions and may or may not reflect real life.

[uncle_bob]

However, far more important: ESD protection. I wouldn't want to stick a normal soldering iron around half the things I solder!

That is not in and of itself a characteristic of soldering stations. There are soldering stations that are not ESD-safe (like the Ersa i-Con Pico), and there are many "fire stick" soldering irons that are ESD-safe. My second soldering iron was a Radio Shack 15W with a grounded tip.

Hi

Even back before the WTCP came out, grounded / ESD safe irons were pretty common. The WTCP is a good example of a device that is not normally called a station that meets ESD as well as anything else does. The Metcal "soldering systems" certainly are as good at ESD despite being called something other than a "station".

Bob

[KL27x]

ESD protection on a soldering iron can be annoying. The tip is insulated from the beating element in most designs. I have never had issue with a nong rounded tip anyway. If the tip had relatively high impedance path to vround, I would prefer that.

Perhaps it wouldnt be quite as shock safe that way.

In general I get the same emotional response to "ESR safe" as I get to "100% organic."

[uncle_bob]

ESD protection on a soldering iron can be annoying. The tip is insulated from the beating element in most designs. I have never had issue with a nong rounded tip anyway. If the tip had relatively high impedance path to vround, I would prefer that.

Perhaps it wouldnt be quite as shock safe that way.

In general I get the same emotional response to "ESR safe" as I get to "100% organic."

Hi

I think the last "soldering iron" that I bought without a grounded tip was in ... errr ... 1968. There have been *lots* of designs since then with grounded tips.

Bob

[KL27x]

I think I typed that last post on my phone, or something. lol.

I have removed the ground connection on my 24V output stations before, and never had an issue. For some reason, none of my FETS blew up. And my LEDs didn't glow when I soldered them. And I didn't get electrocuted. I also eat non-organic food without getting deathly ill. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

I haven't done that on my Hakkos, yet. I suppose it really isn't that often I solder on something that is live AND earthed. Seems the usual suspects are something plugged into a USB port or maybe a battery or isolated bench PSU-powered circuit that is grounded thru a scope probe. 

Perhaps next time I would add a 250K resistor instead of just removing the connection, completely.

"I don't always solder on a live circuit. But when I do, I prefer a non ESD-safe iron."
                                                 - the least interesting EE in the world.

[nour]

I have been using 40W soldering iron for years and didn't have huge issues with them(except that heater element burn so quickly )
but recently I bought weller station because I wanted to be able to changes tips to some specific shapes that usually is not available in a soldering iron

also because I wanted to be able to change temperature from normal usage to high range quickly to be able to solder wires and other big metal parts that require me before to change the iron to higher power to be able to melt the solder

[CatalinaWOW]

I have several soldering irons.  They are a large chunk of copper on an iron rod with a wooden handle.  I also have the gasoline torch to heat them.  Not much use for modern electronics, but could be used with care on tube era point to point wiring.  I have modernized versions of the same which are mains powered.

A soldering station to me is a combination of a small electrically powered soldering iron, and a stand to put it on.  The nice ones have power control, or even better, temperature control.  The size and power of that iron has dropped over time, matching the drop in component size.  This has resulted in the need for some accommodation (different tips or whole different irons) for switches, mains wires and other components which haven't shrunk along with the signal handling parts of circuitry.  There are a lot of other bells and whistles that can be added.  Tip cleaner.  Hot air capability.  Digital temperature readouts.  And more.

[vk6zgo]

I have several soldering irons.  They are a large chunk of copper on an iron rod with a wooden handle.  I also have the gasoline torch to heat them.  Not much use for modern electronics, but could be used with care on tube era point to point wiring.  I have modernized versions of the same which are mains powered.

A soldering station to me is a combination of a small electrically powered soldering iron, and a stand to put it on.  The nice ones have power control, or even better, temperature control.  The size and power of that iron has dropped over time, matching the drop in component size.  This has resulted in the need for some accommodation (different tips or whole different irons) for switches, mains wires and other components which haven't shrunk along with the signal handling parts of circuitry.  There are a lot of other bells and whistles that can be added.  Tip cleaner.  Hot air capability.  Digital temperature readouts.  And more.

I guess this would be a soldering station,then!

http://www.austradesecure.com/radschool/Vol27/images/scope%20iron.jpg

That was the "mini" version!
 

[CatalinaWOW]

I have several soldering irons.  They are a large chunk of copper on an iron rod with a wooden handle.  I also have the gasoline torch to heat them.  Not much use for modern electronics, but could be used with care on tube era point to point wiring.  I have modernized versions of the same which are mains powered.

A soldering station to me is a combination of a small electrically powered soldering iron, and a stand to put it on.  The nice ones have power control, or even better, temperature control.  The size and power of that iron has dropped over time, matching the drop in component size.  This has resulted in the need for some accommodation (different tips or whole different irons) for switches, mains wires and other components which haven't shrunk along with the signal handling parts of circuitry.  There are a lot of other bells and whistles that can be added.  Tip cleaner.  Hot air capability.  Digital temperature readouts.  And more.

I guess this would be a soldering station,then!

http://www.austradesecure.com/radschool/Vol27/images/scope%20iron.jpg

That was the "mini" version!

Sure.  The low end, "Yugo" version.  Which once upon a time was something I yearned for because it was a step up from what I was using.  Today I am using a much newer station with many of the bells and whistles, and am lusting after better.

[Langdon]

I have a Hakko FX-600 iron and A Hakko FX-888D station.
They both have temperture control, but the FX-888D is like4 times better in EVERY way(except portability obviously).

I don't know why, but it is.

[Jwillis]

Practical differences between a soldering station and soldering iron. A soldering station will be on the workbench and the soldering iron will be in the waste basket.
But seriously a station will have better temperature regulation, have higher power ratings without the bulk in your hand, more variety of tips for changing tasks, better serviceability. better ESD protection and longer work life. But this is all relative because you get what you pay for.