EEVblog #1106 - Pace ADS200 Soldering Station Review (JBC Killer?)

[G0MJW]

You know I would really just prefer a number. When a retail price, including tax and shipping isn't readily available, without me having to go and find it, or worse have to email to ask, I am not interested.

So thanks for the prices. There will be VAT to add I assume.

Mike

[giosif]

Wondering if there is any trade-in program at Pace for the ADS200.
Would be tempted to give up my Hakko FX888D, if that would get me a good discount on the price for the ADS200.

Not at this time. We usually work with a local distributor to advance promotions such as these.

Ok. Thanks for the prompt response!

Yes, That is called ebay 

Hehe... That's probably going to be my next step.

[PACE-Worldwide]

You know I would really just prefer a number. When a retail price, including tax and shipping isn't readily available, without me having to go and find it, or worse have to email to ask, I am not interested.

So thanks for the prices. There will be VAT to add I assume.

Mike

The UK office contacted me back and said VAT is +20% ... egads!

Aaron

[PACE-Worldwide]

Yes, There is sometimes solder clogging without the flute, I can not remember if that also was the case before I modded the tips. But before that I had to empty the tube much more often and had to clean or replace the felt-filter in the tube more often, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day while there was not a lot of solder in there. That was sprayed with solder and flux, that was more work as removing the clogged solder. Now I have a Z shaped piece of metal clamped  just before the felt filter. It is bizar how well it still sucks with the tube almost full.

There is a simple solution for the rubber, (I think) If you make the part of the tip that is in the heater a bit longer so the thick part of the tip also presses on the front side of the seal. That way you have an extra and much better sealing. And an even better thermal resistance because of the increased mass.

But I think I desolder a bit more as average because of the sort of repair work I do.

Nice image!
 
We've tested this same type of design previously, and there were 2 big issues: First of all, we try to isolate the heater front the handle as much as possible, because of heat build-up - this type of direct contact causes the front portion of the grip to heat-up considerably. An overly hot handle is something we try to avoid at all costs.

The second issue we ran into was Front Seal failure. The main failure mechanism of the current Front Seal is where the fluted end of the tube goes through the hole in the seal. The heat transferred into the seal hole makes it much more brittle and it starts to widen. Then cracks form around the hole and you lose vacuum. With normal use, the Front Seal may last a year or more, but in heavy use, or when you switch out tips frequently, it may last only 2 months. When we used a direct contact method, the entire middle part of the seal (where it had direct contact with the back end of the tip) became brittle, the hole widened, and the seal against the Solder Collection Chamber was lost. This seal only lasted a couple of weeks.

But I think it's a good idea to re-examine the fluting of the tip's stainless steel interior tube.  Maybe a combination of cutting the tube and higher temp silicone will do the trick.

Aaron

[Cliff Matthews]

Pace wrote:  Also, I would avoid dropping the tip cartridges from the bench and then stepping on them!!

 
 

Now after a year of (ab)use. The SX-100 is still going strong, tips last a very decent time, but who cares, they are dead-cheap, and you can drop them and jump on them if that is your thing... 

Are you admitting you've jumped on Pace cartridges? Maybe they should employ you as a European beta-tester

[Shock]

Are you admitting you've jumped on Pace cartridges? Maybe they should employ you as a European beta-tester

Some of those SX-100 tips are pretty meaty, I wouldn't like to step on this one in bare feet.

[Hydron]

The UK office contacted me back and said VAT is +20% ... egads!

Aaron

~20% is standard in the EU (prices for products not aimed at B2B normally include it by default though). The bigger problem is that normally the EU(/UK) price is the US price changed directly to EUR/GBP without taking into account for the greater per-unit value of the currency. _THEN_ VAT is added. (PACE hasn't quite done this here - pre-VAT UK price is still more expensive than the US price but by more like 20%, not by the normal 30%+).

[bitwelder]

That is what I am aiming for with my two ADS200.  I can just use two irons or swap one to the tweezers when they come out. Based on Paces past systems I expect they will eventually roll Accudrive technology into the larger stations but this could be years away. I've got my eyes on a few other Pace handpieces as well they do a really good desoldering tool the SX-100.

These are my two spanking new ADS200 here.

Do they stack on top of each other, as Dave hypothesized?

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

Do they stack on top of each other, as Dave hypothesized?

Good question.

[Nusa]

Do they stack on top of each other, as Dave hypothesized?

Good question.

There's a picture of them stacked here. Scroll down some.
https://paceworldwide.com/ADS200/

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

There's a picture of them stacked here. Scroll down some.
https://paceworldwide.com/ADS200/

[Shock]

Do they stack on top of each other, as Dave hypothesized?

Yes they do. They also have mounting slots on the top and sides so you can attach the stand/cubby or brackets to mount under shelves or desk. You could also bolt them together with a few bucks of hardware either side by side, or onto your desk etc if you wished.

They softened the edges on the metal work, and the case and stand have a good weight to them so they don't move unless you want them to.

[Cliff Matthews]

There's a picture of them stacked here. Scroll down some.
https://paceworldwide.com/ADS200/

It's valid, their host hasn't moved to TLS 1.3 yet, would you mind not being a Royal PITA for just a day?

[Monkeh]

They do the things at their pace.

Get back under your bridge.

[EEVblog]

So Ersa see my video and want to get in on part of the review action and want a comparison with the Pace. They then proceed to dictate terms and conditions of the review 
http://www.eevblog.com/reviews/

[EEVblog]

Yes they do. They also have mounting slots on the top and sides so you can attach the stand/cubby or brackets to mount under shelves or desk.

I like that idea!
They should supply the brackets and instructions for that.

[helius]

The mounting brackets are an optional spare part, 1321-0609-P1. The same part is used for the ST and MBT series stations. The part is around $20.

[tooki]

So Ersa see my video and want to get in on part of the review action and want a comparison with the Pace. They then proceed to dictate terms and conditions of the review 
http://www.eevblog.com/reviews/

That is so shortsighted of them, especially given how well their products perform for a “traditional” separate tip and heater arrangement.

[PA4TIM]

The MBT has slots on the side so You can mount the handpiece stands to the unit. I see the ADS stands have the holes. Does the ADS have side-slots too ?

[PACE-Worldwide]

The MBT has slots on the side so You can mount the handpiece stands to the unit. I see the ADS stands have the holes. Does the ADS have side-slots too ?

You can see the side slots on the image below. The Tool Stand comes with hardware to attach it to either side of the unit, but most people leave it free standing.

[Shock]

Interesting , what motivated you to choose the Pace over say the JBC (if it was on special that is) or a Hakko variant ?.

Sorry I missed this. I wanted to put together a custom built station with a good high performance iron. So I excluded many irons comparing the upkeep cost, quality, look etc. When I saw the Pace ADS200 I really liked the iron and what they had done to improve on their previous model (which was sort of like the Metcal iron I was looking at).

I mainly wanted a station easy to repair if ever, with a low consumable cost (doesn't everyone) and that won't become obsolete quickly. Pace has a super long product and series life cycle so I knew I'd be ok there. It ticked every check box on it's own while other brands didn't.

[G0MJW]

You know I would really just prefer a number. When a retail price, including tax and shipping isn't readily available, without me having to go and find it, or worse have to email to ask, I am not interested.

So thanks for the prices. There will be VAT to add I assume.

Mike

The UK office contacted me back and said VAT is +20% ... egads!

Aaron

Things are often a lot more expensive in the UK and then we have the VAT on top. With the £ worth so little at the moment I think I will wait until next in the US.

[GlowingGhoul]

<rant>
I don't mean to be rude but, US companies shoving "Military" (specs or whatever) here and there, all the time, as marketing buzzwords, you guys have no idea how laughable that sounds outside the US...

Also, It seems to me the "(proudly) Made in the USA" (sometimes next to a tiny USA flag) badge must be something you put mainly to proof to your own US citizens you're not outsourcing/offshoring (chinesium), which may be a good thing but, let me tell you, outside the USA, most people nowadays would rather buy something else made in Japan, Germany, Korea, France, the UK, etc, much sooner than one made in the USA, except for a very, very tiny set of top-notch US brands. Everything else, no way!
</rant>

I'm an American, have travelled extensively, and lived in various countries in Europe and elsewhere. You do not speak for anyone but yourself. No one elected you representative. I've encountered types like you, typically middle aged men. You are bitter, eager to make a petty assault on a nation you clearly have an issue with. Whatever disappointments are gnawing at you, they weren't caused by the U.S.

[tooki]

Yeah, if anything, I'm preeeetty sure Poland (GeorgeOfTheJungle's country according to his forum profile) got a little help from USA a while back, which could be why Poland is the most pro-USA country in Europe by far.

Source

[aromring]

An electrolytic capacitor placed very close, no actually _touching_, the most significant heat sources? It will dry out in a relatively short time and then bye, bye soldering station! Unless the owner knows how to replace capacitors (which should be the case). If it were a mass market product then I would say this must be a clear case of planned obsolescence, like the one I've discovered in one Philips DVD player (see https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/10-days-of-anguish-the-story-of-my-first-major-not-so-trivial-repair-of-consumer-electronics.127336/ for details). But in this case I'd say it must be the effect of piss-poor board design. If I bought this station the first thing I'd do would be unsoldering and moving the capacitor to another location.