Author Topic: Any opinions on the AiXun T3A? (Read 290757 times)

Ungolian · « **Reply #50 on:** August 12, 2021, 01:16:55 am »

Thanks! This all is important to point out. I'm sure someone would look at that thinking "I've never done this before, but that mosfet is right on the edge of the board, I can get to it easy." It really looks like the pads would line up. I wasn't sure if bodging was recommended.

wraper · « **Reply #51 on:** August 12, 2021, 08:53:02 am »

Why would you needlessly swap SO8 for D-PAK?

. First of all there is no need for replacement, it's good enough as it is. Secondly pinout does not match as G and S are on opposite sides. If you are really eager to swap, you can find something beefier in the same package, or in SO-8 FL, DFN8 5x6 which have similar dimensions but there are beefier devices available. Not to say AOD403 is a shitty upgrade to begin with. It has almost the same R_DS(ON) as AO4413, therefore will heat up just as much under the same load. And trace fill area on the PCB which acts as a heatsink is the limiting factor here. FWIW AOD403 and AO4413 are more or less same MOSFET and higher current rating in the datasheet is mostly because D-PAK package can dissipate more heat. But it only matters if there is where to dump that heat, and there is not on this PCB. If you want replacement to provide any noticeable reliability improvement, it needs to have lower R_DS(ON). For example actual upgrade would be ~~Si4497DY~~.
EDIT: As AO4413 has 25V max Gate-Source Voltage, it might be that circuit relies on that and ties the gate to GND through what looks to be a 1k resistor while MOSFET source is powered from 24V. There is 10K between G-S, so these 2 resistors form a voltage divider. But 20V will be exceeded nonetheless, and in that case Si4497DY is not suitable and many other MOSFETs with 20V V_GS.

wraper · « **Reply #52 on:** August 12, 2021, 09:13:08 am »

On further datasheet inspection AOD403 and AO4413 are really the same MOSFET. They have exactly the same Input Capacitance, Output Capacitance, Reverse Transfer Capacitance, Gate resistance and so on. It must be the same silicon die and the only difference is package.

wraper · « **Reply #53 on:** August 12, 2021, 09:22:51 am »

Quote from: DavidAlfa on August 04, 2021, 10:49:46 pm

Not the best mosfet for the job.
They could have put an AOD403 which handles 55A, TO252 package is marginally larger than SOIC8, so no excuses.
Doing so they save some pennies to invest in proper advertising:

It would make no difference whatsoever unless PCB provided a lot more heat sinking. And I doubt there is any significant price difference. Also before saying something sensationalist like this, it would be appropriate to look into other specs first and understand them, not just looking at the current rating.

ttt · « **Reply #54 on:** August 14, 2021, 03:32:31 am »

Got a couple of these with T245 handles to replace my KSGER T12. So far I am impressed with the performance of the hardware itself. I did not realize how much better C245 tips are compared to T12.

The stand it so so. Having two cables running back to the controller is annoying; especially since the feedback cable is like AWG18 so it tangles up easily.

The settings UI is absolutely horrible. The controls are not intuitive at all, I constantly end up doing the wrong thing. I mean, it has a clickable rotary encoder... Why not just use that? Instead the function of the buttons seemingly changes randomly. The 'CH' and 'SET' labels might as well not be there. They need to open source the firmware, this needs a lot of work...

First real bug I noticed is that the language setting does not survive power cycling, it reverts to Chinese every time. My firmware revision is 1.17.

mastershake · « **Reply #55 on:** August 14, 2021, 03:57:36 am »

not sure if it will help but there is a firmware update to 1.18 i think you can download the software once you connect it to the computer it will automatically start the update

ttt · « **Reply #56 on:** August 14, 2021, 04:50:36 am »

Quote from: mastershake on August 14, 2021, 03:57:36 am

not sure if it will help but there is a firmware update to 1.18 i think you can download the software once you connect it to the computer it will automatically start the update

Important! Before you plug in a USB-C cable into the station, unplug it from mains !!!!! My laptop was very unhappy so say the least (it just shut off luckily, nothing blew). I should have known better but to expect proper isolation in that thing.

The firmware update to 1.18 did indeed fix the English setting. The software is Chinese only as far as I can see. The only way to get through it for me was to use a OCR translator on my phone.

Steps:

1. Go to https://www.jcprogrammer.com/download-center
2. Download the "AiXun Platform installation package" and install it. (Windows only of course)
3. Open the AIXUN app and click on the last icon with the little rocket.
4. Click on the button right next to the "FT232" icon. That will install a driver. Reboot as requested.
5. Repeat step 3 and connect in the station with a USB-C cable. It should auto update the firmware.

mastershake · « **Reply #57 on:** August 14, 2021, 05:24:39 am »

huh mine did not do that when plugged in. if i had known i would have warned you about that. glad it fixed the issue though.

SteveyG · « **Reply #58 on:** August 14, 2021, 07:25:37 pm »

Quote from: ttt on August 14, 2021, 03:32:31 am

First real bug I noticed is that the language setting does not survive power cycling, it reverts to Chinese every time. My firmware revision is 1.17.

Interesting, they must have broken something in the firmware as I still have version 1.15 and the language remains English, though it was English by default for mine.

mastershake · « **Reply #59 on:** August 14, 2021, 07:36:09 pm »

yes 1.15 worked correctly when i got my first one (i ordered two along with an extra t12 handle for them) i updated it to 1.17 and had the issue then updated to 1.18 and it was normal again i do not know what else was changed though if anything. i have not been able to really test it yet due to docs telling me no soldering till they give me the ok after my eye surgeries. hopefully soon. no smoke in the eye especially soldering / flux smoke.

gaspoweredcat · « **Reply #60 on:** August 15, 2021, 01:33:41 pm »

i have one and its generally good but i do wish theyd release a T210 handle for it, i kind of expected they would as JC normally support their kit fairly well. i recently got an OSS team T210 which was a bargain for the money to begin with but something went wrong and the tip went bright red then it just died, so at the moment im actually wondering if i should just spend the cash and get an actual JBC, as far as im aware you can plug any handle into the real ones

Ungolian · « **Reply #61 on:** August 16, 2021, 01:34:07 am »

The Unisolder will do that, and is considerably cheaper. You can get the assembled PCBs with connectors, then you need a handle, casing for it, and a power transformer.

Also, depending on your needs, this is a decent dual station that runs the 210 and 245 handles. The Xsoldering Pro.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001998945942.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.f3115c16E44HYY&algo_pvid=b163b32d-70ea-4b30-aeed-3d3f5660865a&algo_exp_id=b163b32d-70ea-4b30-aeed-3d3f5660865a-33

There are a couple of youtube reviews of it too.

exe · « **Reply #62 on:** August 16, 2021, 03:14:22 pm »

Quote from: Ungolian on August 16, 2021, 01:34:07 am

The Unisolder will do that, and is considerably cheaper. You can get the assembled PCBs with connectors, then you need a handle, casing for it, and a power transformer.

...And also tips and a stand. I think this will end up more than this station.

wraper · « **Reply #63 on:** August 16, 2021, 03:59:44 pm »

Quote from: Ungolian on August 16, 2021, 01:34:07 am

Also, depending on your needs, this is a decent dual station that runs the 210 and 245 handles. The Xsoldering Pro.

And it's an unsafe trash. They used slots on PCB and then put low voltage electrolytic cap so that it touches high voltage heatsink, all effort wasted

. KSGER has almost the same issue. High voltage heatsink is placed over low voltage trace. And only solder resist protects from electrical connection between them. The question is what's with PSU of AiXun T3A? It was a quite poor teardown video, since it did not show PSU PCB, and thus it's safety is under question.

mastershake · « **Reply #64 on:** August 16, 2021, 05:22:40 pm »

i had the xsoldering pro the psu melted down on it, when that happened the 210 tip went charry red and it literally melted the board to the psu. im not bothering fixing it it sits in the closet. not worth it imo. i sent an email to the company about the t3a from this thread and asked if they can release a 210 handle also then they could update the firmware. the guy who got back to me said he would look into it. this is not the BEST machine either but imo i feel its a better unit then the xsoldering one so far. one of my employees has been using it for the past week daily and he liked it so much he actually ordered 2 of them (so he can use 2 irons at once they are small enough they can easily be stacked and not take up much room) since he keeps his real jbc at home most of the time. he said so far the ones ive been letting him use have not missed a beat at all. how long they will last will need to be seen.

i wish i could do a full teardown but the unit is in use daily right now has been all day for over a week. ill consider it when his come in its a bit tough with my eyesight right now. ill see if he will tear it down for me then.

thm_w · « **Reply #65 on:** August 17, 2021, 11:24:02 pm »

Quote from: exe on August 16, 2021, 03:14:22 pm

Quote from: Ungolian on August 16, 2021, 01:34:07 am
The Unisolder will do that, and is considerably cheaper. You can get the assembled PCBs with connectors, then you need a handle, casing for it, and a power transformer.

...And also tips and a stand. I think this will end up more than this station.

Yeah the unisolder boards are $100. Then add iron, tips, stand, connectors, case, transformer, shipping, etc.
Clearly its a lot higher cost, with some more flexibility.

mastershake · « **Reply #66 on:** August 18, 2021, 04:58:08 am »

so far the biggest annoyance for me with these is how the temp responds when the dial it turned it takes way to many turns to really go much higher or lower. i hope maybe they will fix that with a firmware upgrade to allow faster temp changes. otherwise my employee has used it for over a week daily and he says its as good as his jbc (with real tips) and has not had any issues at all with it. he does a lot of soldering every day this was the only one he has used in that time.

ttt · « **Reply #67 on:** August 18, 2021, 04:59:09 am »

Here are a couple of PCB pictures of the power supply and parts numbers.

SFF2004: http://www.asemi.com.cn/product/SFF2004-MHCHXM-chanpin.html

TSF10N65M: https://datasheet.lcsc.com/lcsc/1912111437_Truesemi-TSF10N65M_C382379.pdf

CR6842S: http://www.agspecinfo.com/pdfs/C/CR6842T.PDF

SteveyG · « **Reply #68 on:** August 18, 2021, 12:43:59 pm »

Thanks for those pictures. I ran out of time for the video, though I did test it at 5 kV input to output with no issues.

It doesn't look too bad, the separation is fine, just the incoming AC connections look a bit dry onto the PCB.

Acecool · « **Reply #69 on:** August 18, 2021, 06:27:36 pm »

I'm actually thinking of buying one, but I have so many T12 tips that I bought from Hakko ( clearance section has a ton of really good ones for around $4 ) but I have been wanting to try the JBC because it has higher power...

One thing I wish they would've done is use the JBC connector, then either make an adapter for KSGER T12 handle or something...

Also, On one video they said you could use the JBC handle which came with this with a KSGER unit; is this accurate? Because in another, or in this thread a KSGER T12 handle in this detects the handle, but doesn't output temp... so the wiring is probably different....

AlexRus77 · « **Reply #70 on:** August 19, 2021, 08:28:01 am »

I think for T12 handle detection it must have some resistance inside. Like on other univerasal stations...

I have a question about power supply. Could you check, what label it has. Because in feedback on Ali I see a photo with 120W label (and a size of power supply looks like 4-5A power supplies). I think the 8A can overload it or makes very high noise on output.

PS: the seller has confirmed that internal power supply is 120W.

mastershake · « **Reply #71 on:** August 19, 2021, 04:00:41 pm »

interesting. the company in an email said to me they were 200w for sure so they dont know what they are if this is true.

AlexRus77 · « **Reply #72 on:** August 20, 2021, 07:28:50 am »

The 120W is not a big issue, because C245 tips are about 130W power. But in cold state they can make bigger load.
I found this photo in feedback. The label on PSU is clean and 120W. And PSU looks like 24V 4A-5A with a little bigger transformer. But only one Schottky diode. Perhaps 8A is a peak current.
When I try to compare photos with other PSU on Aliexpress, the PSU 24V 6A (9A peak) is most similar. But it uses two Schottky diodes.

mastershake · « **Reply #73 on:** August 20, 2021, 10:51:03 am »

another test on youtube:

DavidAlfa · « **Reply #74 on:** August 20, 2021, 01:28:13 pm »

Quote from: AlexRus77 on August 20, 2021, 07:28:50 am

The 120W is not a big issue, because C245 tips are about 130W power. But in cold state they can make bigger load.
I found this photo in feedback. The label on PSU is clean and 120W. And PSU looks like 24V 4A-5A with a little bigger transformer. But only one Schottky diode. Perhaps 8A is a peak current.
When I try to compare photos with other PSU on Aliexpress, the PSU 24V 6A (9A peak) is most similar. But it uses two Schottky diodes.

Actually it's dual diode in TO220 package, so it'll probably be fine.


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Author Topic: Any opinions on the AiXun T3A? (Read 290757 times)

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