Atten 938D Soldering Station - Video Review / Teardown

[Madsaaby]

Hey guys and girls !

I just did a review and teardown of the Atten 938D.
And I am not very happy with it at all..
So, if any of you got/ use this unit it would be nice to hear your opinion. Are yours any better  than mine?
I mean it's so bad that I'm starting to think that all units can't be from the same heap of ****

And by the way, if you know how they do the temp measurement in these 2 wire heating elements, that would be interesting to hear about..
I'm sure they just measure the resistance through the element, but is there a way to do that while the AC power is on ?



Hope you like it 

-Mads

[BravoV]

And by the way, if you know how they do the temp measurement in these 2 wire heating elements,

Not an expert, but I doubt tip temperature regulation can be done precisely and fast enough with just 2 wires. 

Hakko element uses 4 wires, 2 for heater and 2 for temperature reading, also it was built with wrapped film filament & sensor instead of using cheap heating wire spun on the rod. Check this thread -> Hakko 936 ceramic heater A1321 vs fake comparison

[Madsaaby]

They do tend to suck I'm afraid. Okay for very occasional use but not for serious work.

Yeah 
Thanks

[Madsaaby]

And by the way, if you know how they do the temp measurement in these 2 wire heating elements,

Not an expert, but I doubt tip temperature regulation can be done precisely and fast enough with just 2 wires. 

Hakko element uses 4 wires, 2 for heater and 2 for temperature reading, also it was built with wrapped film filament & sensor instead of using cheap heating wire spun on the rod. Check this thread -> Hakko 936 ceramic heater A1321 vs fake comparison

Hi, Thanks for the link..
I think you are right!
I did take my hakko iron apart, and it's just waaaaaay better designed. Even though I think Atten tried to directly copy of the Hakko. But at the lowest possible price, without even considering if it can actually be used for the purpose for which it is intended .. Haha..
FAIL @Atten Hehe..

-Mads

[SeanB]

Still, it will come in useful to replace the Hakko elements, bit difficult to resolder them when the element itself is faulty.

[Madsaaby]

Still, it will come in useful to replace the Hakko elements, bit difficult to resolder them when the element itself is faulty.

Hehe, yeah you got a point there

[calmtron]

I have one as my main soldering station and it's exactly as bad as you said it is. Too bad, because the mechanical construction (chassis, stand etc) is pretty decent, it feels solid. I'm looking for something to replace it at the moment.

[Madsaaby]

I have one as my main soldering station and it's exactly as bad as you said it is. Too bad, because the mechanical construction (chassis, stand etc) is pretty decent, it feels solid. I'm looking for something to replace it at the moment.

Yeah, I totally agree.. I think it's a shame, because it would cost $5 (if any?) to make it perfect.. All they needed was a 4 wire heating element, and an encoder.. And then not having the ceramic wrap around the PCB in the iron

I recommend the Hakko ! Not many suppliers here in Scandinavia though

-Mads

[amyk]

Mentioned before, with a hard-to-read schematic, here.

Apparently their Hakko clone 936 has better performance, because it uses the standard 4-wire + analogue controller.

[Davy]

Thanks Mads, I was about to buy one of these now I won't, just how can they get away with it?

I wondered if the unit needs calibrating as some stations can be done via the front buttons or is it that trimpot. If it has any temperature control at all it must be done on-board since the handle has only three wires one being an earth - quite strange this one. Glad I came across the video.

Dare you set a temperature then dip the tip in a pan of water, just wondering why an opto coupler U3 side of the heatsink?

Dave