Looking at getting a new soldering station. I have a really old weller one and would like to get something that uses the Hakko tips and also am needing hot air.
I would like to spend right around $100 for both an iron and hot air. I can go more or less, but as a part time hobbyist I dont need the best things on the market.
Requirements in order of importance:
1) Small Size
2) Hakko tip compatability
3) Price around $100
4) Comes with Stand (prefer both sponge and brass scrunchy)
Looking back over this topic thread, I'm not the only one to have ignored the following notice (in red!).
"Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic."
I know that some six months on, this is unlikely to be of use to KC0PPH but I thought it might help others with a similar requirement.
About 8 weeks back I put my very first order into Banggood for a KSGER T12 soldering station with the "cheap and plasticy soldering wand" with a T12-K 'starter tip' for £39.05 (circa 50 dollars?) along with a few other soldering related items which raised the total order value to just north of 76 quid (circa 100 dollars?). The other items being a clone Hakko iron stand, a Daniu wire wool tip cleaner, a pack of ten assorted clone T12 tips and a Daniu FG-100 tip thermometer.
[EDIT] Checking the following links just after I posted this missive, I noticed that the soldering iron holder is sporting a wire clip folly in place of the useful wire clip you can see in the attached pictures of the holder I'd received from Banggood.
Unless your soldering handle actually requires some form of spring clip to retain it in the holder (mine doesn't but the spring clip acts as a useful "Backstop" should the handle become slightly dislodged, hence its continued presence), the simple solution if such isn't actually required, is simply to unclip it and put it to one side.
If you do need such a wire clip and the one supplied is a useless ornament, you may be able to remodel said useless ornament or else get hold of a length of similar gauge spring wire from a real model shop or a shop selling metal in preformed shapes (drawn steel rod and wire) or try your luck at a scrapyard if you can't repurpose a suitable spring from your collection of springs (everyone has a collection of 'useful bits' recovered from broken gadgets that includes an assortment of springs, right? Just me then?
).
https://www.banggood.com/KSGER-V2_1S-T12-Digital-Temperature-Controller-Soldering-Station-Soldering-Iron-Tips-T12-K-p-1338117.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CNhttps://www.banggood.com/Soldering-Iron-Stand-Welding-Holder-for-FX951-T12-Soldering-Station-Handle-p-1156336.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CNhttps://www.banggood.com/DANIU-1-Pcs-Heavy-Duty-Soldering-Solder-Iron-Tip-Cleaner-Steel-Wire-With-Stand-Set-NEW-p-1182609.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CNhttps://www.banggood.com/10pcs-T12-Soldering-Iron-Tips-Set-for-HAKKO-FX951-FX952-p-1191594.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CNhttps://www.banggood.com/DANIU-FG-100-Soldering-Iron-Tip-Thermometer-Temperature-Tester-0-700-p-952899.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN Now this very first Banggood order, rather uncharacteristically I now realise in hindsight, was delivered to my doorstep just eight days after placing the order on the eve of a ten day cruise holiday. Luckily, number one son just happened to have broken up with his live in girlfriend so was "House sitting" whilst we were away and had spotted this banggood "Bag of Goodies" waiting to be taken in (or away by an opportunist thief) on returning home from work.
According to Banggood's recollection of events that 1st order had been delivered on the 20 Aug despite it having been found on our doorstep two days before our return on the 18th which makes their recollection of my second order's delivery date of the 30th somewhat suspect (if in hindsight, more realistic) since, according to Banggood's records, I'd placed that lower value order just seven and a half hours after placing the first one.
If you're wondering why I'm banging on about Banggood (Bad Bang more like!), it's because there's even less to like about their modus operandi than Ebay's MO and the last impression I wish to give is that Banggood are a reasonable alternative to that "Rock and a Hard Place" we call Ebay.
Their only virtue being the availability of some useful electronics related items at very low prices when you're not in any particular hurry (or you're happy to let you descendants handle your Banggood's purchases post mortem). Also, I feel I should point out that you have to be careful when submitting a review so as not to frighten their editors in offering useful advice such as the fact that the KSGER oled T12 soldering station's power supply board needs some remedial work to eliminate the Chinese version of Russian Roulette by electrocution since they seem to be applying a strict policy of censorship in regard of any such honest and helpful reviews.
It seems I should have been rather more devious in offering my bouquets and brickbats of honest appraisal since none of my reviews have yet appeared in any of the review lists against any of the products I have purchased and reviewed. If you have any similar quality issues (the supplied handles need to be stripped down and rebuilt to overcome the deficiencies of "Finest Chinese Assembly and Quality Control") and safety concerns, it's probably best to simply say how wonderful the item is for the money despite some minor issues mentioned here ("here" being a link to an EEVBlog article or a Youtube review for example) and just leave it at that.
Anyhow, having made my feelings about Banggood's operations clear, I can return to the topic of acquiring a reasonable soldering station setup for 100 dollars or less. You may notice that the price totals on that list of goods now falls a little shy of the £76.74 plus shipping insurance less a discount which dropped the order value to just £76.20 in total. If I'd placed that order at the optimum moment in history, it could have been more like a total cost, shipped, of just 65 quid or so since at one point, a few weeks back now, they'd dropped the price of the soldering station to just below the 30 quid mark for a few days (a week perhaps) before jacking it back up again.
Yet another aspect of Banggood I dislike, "Yoyo pricing" which seems totally unrelated to international currency exchange rates. That and their practice of "Switch and Bait" pricing between the Chinese, US and UK warehouses. Although the Chinese warehouse option is normally the cheapest, this isn't always true as I discovered to my temporary cost when I ordered a Mustool G600 LCD microscope from the Chinese warehouse only to discover quite by chance just a few hours later that I could have not only reduced the shipping time by using the UK option, I'd have saved almost two quid as well.
I tried to persuade them to change my order to the UK option but somehow, in the 4 or 5 hours since placing that order, it had uncharacteristically completed the processing stage and reached the shipping stage thus now requiring me to request a refund upon its eventual arrival and rejection. I decided it was simpler to accept that my complacency had allowed this bait and switch trick to work in the first place and just "Suck it up".
In the end, it was I who had the last laugh since it arrived with a broken screen and I simply requested a full refund of the item price and the 66p shipping insurance which they, to give them some credit, obliged me, including allowing me to dispose of the broken goods as I saw fit. I was able to order a replacement from an Ebay seller shipping from a UK warehouse, now for less than Banggood's original UK price option.
Unfortunately, this too arrived (just one week after being ordered as opposed to the sixteen days it had taken with the Banggood order) with a broken screen, quite obviously due to shipping damage which only became apparent
after undoing the outer layer of packaging. I'm now negotiating a remedy with the seller who offered an automated reply to apologise for being away on a three day (mid week!?) break and a promise to deal with whatever the issue is when he returns on the 4th. I guess most of these ebay sellers are a one man band operation so I can sympathise with his situation (BTDT>BTS).
I guess I'll see a response tomorrow or Saturday, depending on how swamped with customer queries he may be. Right now I'm feeling mildly frustrated rather than outright annoyed. I guess I must be mellowing with age. At worst, I can always get a refund from ebay at the end of the day and tackling a "Holy Grail" like search for a replacement screen for the Banggood unit is now starting to look more attractive. Close examination of photos with a ruler in front of the broken screen, which lights up to reveal the pattern of pixels but no image of any sort, suggests the panel is actually only a 480 by 260 (272) pixels panel. I haven't yet opened it up to look for part numbers but if anyone reading this thread has any suggestions for cheaply sourcing a replacement panel, I'd appreciate the help.
[EDIT] After starting my "Holy Grail" search, I realised I'd miscalculated the vertical resolution of that microscope display module and landed up counting every single pixel in the column next to the ruler in my photograph after calculating a revised estimate of 285 pixels... Twice!
I did end up with a full count of 272, confirming that the candidate display I was about to purchase off ebay would also be a perfect pixel match to the broken unit I'd removed from the Banggood microscope which had revealed a stiff block of sponge rubber which had been stuck to the back of the panel, presumably as some sort of vibration damper since the four retaining screws had held it securely in place without any such additional and stressful support.
This block of rubber is not going to be refitted when I install the replacement panel since its presence had undoubtedly pre-stressed the original panel making it vulnerable to the knocks and bumps it could no longer endure during the shipping process.
I haven't opened the ebay purchased unit to check since I might have to exchange it for a couriered replacement so I don't want to be accused of 'tampering with the goods' but I'm betting this second unit has succumbed for exactly the same reason as the first. In any case, now that there's a very good chance of my repairing the original Banggood unit, I'd rather request a refund than a replacement - I only need one working unit.
So unless I'm very much mistaken, it looks like I'll finally land up with a working Mustool G600 LCD microscope for just the cost of a replacement TFT panel for a mere £11.09 which I'd bought from here if anyone else has one of these microscopes in need of a replacement screen:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-3-4-3-inch-480x272-TFT-LCD-Display-w-Optional-Touch-Screen-Panel-for-MP4-Car/291812799328?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Hopefully, the bunch of smd components shown in the pictures of the replacement's flexi pcb aren't going to be an issue (the original lacks any such adornment).
Sorry for that diversion and a return to the question of whether that list of kit meets the requirements specified by KC0PPH. The KSGER station is compact enough and certainly fulfills the Hakko T12/T15 compatibility requirement so you're not stuck with using the massively cheap Hakko T12 clones and fakes with their signature trademark of NTS (New Tip Syndrome) which the Hakko originals are apparently free of. The NTS effect simply obliges you to temperature cycle the brand new unused tips to eliminate their confusing effect on the KSGER's PID control algorithm. If you're running them at a modest 300 deg C, this process seems to take only 5 minutes or so. Casual use over the next few days, maybe just an hour or so's worth in total, seems to stabilise them at the full (nobody in their right mind would use) 480 deg setting.
I have yet to put my soldering station to full and productive use thanks to those damaged Mustool G600 microscopes (I'd like to see what I'm doing without having to don 3.5 dioptre reading glasses and pushing my nose against the PCB I'm working on) but from what pitifully limited usage (mostly testing) that I've put it to (after applying all the required remedial work to its smpsu board and the soldering handle's wiring), it does seem to be a worthwhile upgrade over a traditional plug into the wall mains powered soldering iron such as the 25W Antex iron.
Even if it offered no more soldering power than a 25W Antex, it would still be a vast improvement simply from its combination of fast warm up to 330 or 350 deg from a 150 deg setback temperature after timing out to the idle state (a bit longer if it has timed out to a sleep state when the power is cut off completely, allowing the iron to go cold).
The timeout periods are user programmable and you can program the startup state to running at the set temperature, running at the setback temperature or even just cold standby which is handy for those of a nervous disposition with unreliable mains power that may cause it to go from cold standby into a set temperature or setback temperature mode after a brief interruption of supply. There are more user settable options which I won't bore you with here, you can type "KSGER T12" into Youtube's search text box easily enough to satisfy any such prurient interest I may have aroused.
The soldering handle holder seems to have drawn plenty of, imo, unwarranted criticism but afaiac, mine is a perfect fit for my 'cheap plasticy' T12-9501 soldering handle with its charms of light weight, quick tip change (sans the ridiculous bulk of an unnecessary tip retaining collet) and short tip to grip distance. Although no one seems to sell this soldering handle as a ready to plug in replacement (unless you count the overpriced Hakko-centric offerings with their 4 core silicone cable and cheap 'n' nasty 8 pole din plug which you'd need to replace with a 5 core cable and a GX12-5M plug at additional cost).
Perhaps I was just lucky in getting a Hakko clone soldering iron stand that had a useful version of the spring wire clip over the top of the horseshoe shaped rest rather than the fanciful follies that typically got in the way of its intended function where the obvious solution is simply to unclip it and put it to one side (just in case there
is a handle in existence where this
might provide some benefit). In a couple of these youtube reviews where the reviewers complained bitterly about the design of these Hakko clone soldering iron stands, it was very obvious indeed that their shape had been the result of the shipping department staff's attempts at compacting them with a size 13 hobnail boot to make fit into the box.
I couldn't believe the total lack of imagination in working out the obvious remedy to such packing related vandalism by the use of a bench vice and a dose of opposing vandalistic force to restore them to a semblance of the shape that Ghod had intended them to be. When you watch any review videos, trust your own instincts and draw your own conclusions rather than take what the reviewer is saying as 'gospel'. With review videos, you do at least have this option of drawing your own conclusions from the video evidence which simply isn't available in a written review so they're not all bad even where the reviewer seemingly fails to spot the bleedin' obvious for the lack of 'polishing up time'.
The Daniu wire wool tip cleaner fits nicely into the damp sponge holder using a small rubber band around its base to make it a snug fit. Originally, I'd simply relied on the fact that the main spring support happened to push against the backside of the tip cleaner, neatly holding it in place. It was only weeks later that I decided to try the rubber band trick to completely eliminate the small amount of wobble this setup gives rise to. Having proved its effectiveness, I simply reset the spring to eliminate contact between it and the back of the tip cleaner. I've got a couple of photos showing my soldering iron stand setup which I'll attach to this post.
I did eventually manage to discover where Banggood had been hiding the DIY form of this elusive T12-9501 handle for a mere £6.71 (but you need to purchase a length of 5 core silicone cable separately). I prefer the DIY option since it saves the hassle of dismantling a poorly assembled handle and plug before you can even start the process of rebuilding it to your own much higher standard of assembly (with an option to customise the cable length thrown in for just a little additional cost to boot!).
I ordered the handle kit and a 3 metre length of cable last week so I can split the cable between the new and existing handles by way of an upgrade on the one metre cable fitted to the original handle. Cable length options were in one metre increments from one to five metres and the three metre option was only slightly more expensive than the two metre option which was a little on the long side for just one handle when 1500mm would hit the sweet spot and I'd otherwise have to waste a 500mm surplus. Incidentally, that handle kit comes supplied with both the GX12-5 male plug and female panel socket which could come in handy should I decide to build myself a spare soldering station from scratch.
The selection pack of ten clone T12 tips whilst offering a far from optimum choice, does at least give me a selection to try out at less than a tenth of the price of the original Hakko tips. It was a quick 'n' dirty way to amass a small collection of tips and remove utter reliance on the one and only K tip that had been provided with the soldering station. As it turned out, that original tip seems to have developed a fault. The K tip in that pack of ten seems to be ok for the time being but I'm currently using the BC3 tip which has survived the NTS phase of its life cycle. Hopefully, it will survive considerably longer than the supplied K tip did.
It's worth the modest investment in a pack of clone tips before considering the purchase of a small choice selection of genuine Hakko T12 or T15 tips. For starters you get to work with a sample of, in this case, ten rather than a sample of one when building up a statistical analysis of the reliability of the cheap clone alternatives and you get the 'security in numbers' effect allowing you to make use of the remaining tips, even if it does involve their abuse in using them in ways they've not been optimised for.
So far, I've only 'burnt in' 3 of those tips and I'm leaving the remaining 7 unused until I can test with a 12vac transformer conditioning supply to precondition them so as to eliminate this NTS when first presented to the KSGER soldering station and its 24vdc heater current. I have a concern that this NTS phenomena may be galvanic interference from electrolysis products generated by residual moisture and the presence of a DC voltage during this initial drying out phase and I'd rather use an ac voltage to minimise any such potential electrolytic corrosion during this initial conditioning phase.
It may not make much, if any, difference to the life of these cartridge tips but the use of a 12v mains transformer is as good a way to precondition them without tying up the soldering station with such a menial task. Obviously, if you decide never to use clone tips and stick with Hakko tips, such a transformer would be a wasted investment if you had to go out and make a special purchase. However, I suspect most of us here will already have a suitable transformer to hand in their box of salvage to try this out before coming to any conclusion about clones versus originals. I'm planning on testing this by wiring a set of three tips in series across the 36vac output of one of the ten or fifteen such 400VA transformers I've got stored in my basement (of which two, if I'm not mistaken, are currently residing alongside my office desk in the spare bedroom I'm now currently using as my electronics workshop).
Anyway, I think that's everything (and then some!) covered in regard to KC0PPH's query (excluding, naturally, the question of a hot air station or gun which on its own would break his hundred dollar price limit). I've limited my response to the more realistic aspect of his query as well as my experience (I've never owned or used a hot air soldering station or gun).
JBG
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