Electronics > Repair
Metcal stss-002 / RFG-30 soldering station repair
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kirill_maker:
Hi! I got myself an alien-tech soldering station based on RF heating (approx. 13.5 MHz) by Metcal (type STSS-002 / model RFG-30) with a bunch of tips (23 in total).

The problem is that it stays red without heating, which isn’t normal.

Here’s what I’ve checked so far:

Bad tip: Tested all the tips, but nothing changed.
Bad coax cable: Checked continuity, and it seems fine.
Power supply issues: Possibly, but nothing obvious.
According to the manual, a red light means it’s in protection mode. I couldn’t find any visible issues, and even the capacitors have good ESR. Should I consider checking the RF signal next?

I’ve attached some photos of the internals—maybe someone with RF expertise can help me figure it out (main source seems to be classic 74hc04 + crystal based oscillator). And IRF130 as well - Haven't checked it yet... I’m not very experienced with RF circuits. 😅
For context, I have a signal generator and an oscilloscope available.
kirill_maker:
And more photos due to max 8MB restriction
quadtech:
From whatever I have read about this model, it is similar to the MX500, but lacks the
sleep timer function (and probably the tip sense circuitry), so you should be able to use the MX500 schematic.
This one uses L4960 (40V max) vs the LM2576 in the MX500.
Apparently , Q1, Q2, Q4, C3 and C6, R2, R8, R9, R10 are possible failure points.
kirill_maker:
Ack, thanks! Will check
FIXITNOW2003:
some info here may help
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/metcal-stss-001-rfg-30-disassembly-and-measurements/msg5578273/#msg5578273
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