Author Topic: Hot air rework stations? (Read 26457 times)

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **on:** July 28, 2016, 06:19:33 am »

Looking at maybe getting one of the rework stations but I wanted to know if there's anything other than the 885D that's more reliable / safer around the $200 AUD mark?

If not, is it very hard to make the 858D safer? I don't really messing with thing's connected directly to the mains.

Thanks.

SteveyG · « **Reply #1 on:** July 28, 2016, 01:30:29 pm »

Quote from: tittyballz on July 28, 2016, 06:19:33 am

Looking at maybe getting one of the rework stations but I wanted to know if there's anything other than the 885D that's more reliable / safer around the $200 AUD mark?

If not, is it very hard to make the 858D safer? I don't really messing with thing's connected directly to the mains.

Thanks.

What have you found unsafe about the 858D?

tatus1969 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 28, 2016, 02:42:28 pm »

just had my Aoyue 998 opened for repair, didn't leave a good impression to me.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/aoye-998-dangerous-product/msg992137/#msg992137

Cerebus · « **Reply #3 on:** July 28, 2016, 03:18:31 pm »

Quote from: SteveyG on July 28, 2016, 01:30:29 pm

What have you found unsafe about the 858D?

Just search this forum. Horror stories aplenty, commonest being putting the fuse in the Neutral and lousy/non-existent earth bonding of the metalwork. It's a problem because there are a lot of clones, unbranded or sold under brand names that give you no guarantee that it's made by the manufacturer whose name is on the front.

For instance, genuine WEP brand ones are well made, have decent quality parts and have no issues at all - I know because I have one. Yet I've seen photos of WEP branded 858D's that are potentially lethal and have a construction quality that suggests that they will last a few hours of use and no more. I highly doubt that those were actually made by WEP.

ebclr · « **Reply #4 on:** July 28, 2016, 03:25:21 pm »

Try this one

http://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_fr810b.html

Sigmoid · « **Reply #5 on:** July 28, 2016, 08:40:30 pm »

Well I guess for $1000 one could expect it to be better, lol!

Honestly I don't like the way the 858Ds look, not just because of the mains to ground "bug" that was widely documented (as it's a quick fix and can be checked for before plugging it in), but because if I'll have the blower in the handle, I might as well get one of those pistol shaped monsters that construction workers use.

I'm currently eyeing the Quick 957DW, which is only slightly more expensive than the more pricey 858Ds, and at the same time has the blower in the station, and got reasonably good reviews.

aandrew · « **Reply #6 on:** July 28, 2016, 09:18:36 pm »

I have an 858D+ that I bought off Aliexpress at the start of the year.

Naturally the first thing I did was take it apart. Mine was actually very well built. I saw none of the horrorshow manufacture examples shown elsewhere. Clearly YMMV since these things are cloned six ways from Sunday.

The only thing I really do want to do is change out the micro and address some of the deficiencies to make it more useful. Safety or manufacture quality are certainly not among those on my particular unit.

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **Reply #7 on:** July 28, 2016, 11:20:08 pm »

The Hakko's an option but I didn't want to be spending $820 on something I'll rarely use, as for the Quick & WEP, I haven't been able to find them in Aus anywhere and I'm cautious when buying from Banggood / Aliexpress etc plus most seem to be 110v not 220v / 240v. I was looking at the Metcal HCT-900, no clue how good it is though.

If you guys have links to reliable sellers with decent 858D or other unit that have 220v and wont cost an arm and a leg for shipping I'll have a look

.

PA4TIM · « **Reply #8 on:** July 28, 2016, 11:36:10 pm »

I have the Metcal now for 3 or 4 years. It works very well. Is very fast hot, almost immediately and I can remove a 16 pin smd IC in 30 seconds or so.

NW27 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 29, 2016, 12:46:44 am »

How is the unit from Jaycar?

RobertHolcombe · « **Reply #10 on:** July 29, 2016, 01:06:45 am »

Quote from: aandrew on July 28, 2016, 09:18:36 pm

I have an 858D+ that I bought off Aliexpress at the start of the year.

Naturally the first thing I did was take it apart. Mine was actually very well built. I saw none of the horrorshow manufacture examples shown elsewhere. Clearly YMMV since these things are cloned six ways from Sunday.

The only thing I really do want to do is change out the micro and address some of the deficiencies to make it more useful. Safety or manufacture quality are certainly not among those on my particular unit.

I have the same experience, mine is Atten branded and is over 4 years old, gets daily use at work. I also opened mine before first use and found no issues.

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **Reply #11 on:** July 29, 2016, 01:58:09 am »

Been thinking for the last couple of hours and I might take a chance on one of these 858D's

. Now the question, where to buy one that will hopefully have little to no issues, or is it just a crapshoot and what you get is what you get?

RobertHolcombe · « **Reply #12 on:** July 29, 2016, 02:07:38 am »

I bought mine from http://stores.ebay.com.au/coolcarspareparts/

They have a different brand but similar price I paid from memory

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HOT-AIR-GUN-Desoldering-Soldering-REWORK-SMD-STATION-3-Nozzles-RHOS-Yihua-858D-/261803709239?hash=item3cf4b79337

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **Reply #13 on:** July 29, 2016, 09:29:10 am »

Thank's I'll have a look.

What are the main problems to look out for with these things and how to fix them?

Shock · « **Reply #14 on:** July 29, 2016, 06:37:48 pm »

Quote from: SteveyG on July 28, 2016, 01:30:29 pm

What have you found unsafe about the 858D?

I recall reading there was also a problem with some units left unattended or caught melting down. Since the auto off feature can fail (or come back on, whatever the case maybe) there is a possibility for the design to be unsafe if left unattended while switched on.

Shock · « **Reply #15 on:** July 29, 2016, 06:57:37 pm »

Quote from: tittyballz on July 29, 2016, 09:29:10 am

Thank's I'll have a look.
What are the main problems to look out for with these things and how to fix them?

As mentioned above, there is a thread on it somewhere.
The wiring/switch/fuse problem is because the Chinese have confusion and a quality control issue over supplying different geographic regions.

The US and Australian outlets have the Live and Neutral reversed. This could mean depending on who wired it they could have made a mistake or not known better and supplied it as fused and switched neutral instead of Live.

The earth wires to the metal chassis have been found not up to standard, some make poor contact, so this requires inspection and testing. Might need a new lug, might need a new bolt/nuts/washers, might need sanding some paint to make good contact, that kind of thing.

Most people would be oblivious to this but those who know better check.

Ice-Tea · « **Reply #16 on:** July 29, 2016, 07:50:50 pm »

I have a ATTEN 8502D from Batronix. Actually, did a quick review here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/quick'n-dirty-review-atten-8502d/msg916779/#msg916779

To be honnest, the stiffness from the lead is starting to annoy me, other than that I'm happy with it.

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **Reply #17 on:** July 30, 2016, 02:02:50 am »

Quote from: Shock on July 29, 2016, 06:37:48 pm

I recall reading there was also a problem with some units left unattended or caught melting down. Since the auto off feature can fail (or come back on, whatever the case maybe) there is a possibility for the design to be unsafe if left unattended while switched on.

That's slightly scary

.

Quote from: Shock on July 29, 2016, 06:57:37 pm

As mentioned above, there is a thread on it somewhere.
The wiring/switch/fuse problem is because the Chinese have confusion and a quality control issue over supplying different geographic regions.

The US and Australian outlets have the Live and Neutral reversed. This could mean depending on who wired it they could have made a mistake or not known better and supplied it as fused and switched neutral instead of Live.

The earth wires to the metal chassis have been found not up to standard, some make poor contact, so this requires inspection and testing. Might need a new lug, might need a new bolt/nuts/washers, might need sanding some paint to make good contact, that kind of thing.

Most people would be oblivious to this but those who know better check.

Ah ok so its not to hard to fix the problems than. Suppose I'll take a chance and buy one next week, got a couple of cheapo kits coming from China that have SMD components so should be interesting to see how well these things work.

Shock · « **Reply #18 on:** July 30, 2016, 11:34:38 am »

Quote from: tittyballz on July 30, 2016, 02:02:50 am

Ah ok so its not to hard to fix the problems than. Suppose I'll take a chance and buy one next week, got a couple of cheapo kits coming from China that have SMD components so should be interesting to see how well these things work.

The wiring related issues should be fairly straight forward, you can always take some photos and ask for advice if you have concerns. Assuming you have some spare but decently made IEC C13 cables (the commonly used cable for PC power supplies) you can just cut off the end and save yourself the cost of a plug. As far as I'm aware the hot air stations don't have heat resistant power cables but you might want to check that as well.

I ended up paying around $45 dollars for a Yihua 858D. There is a thread here that discusses replacing the micros on some models for an Atmel with custom firmware.

Sigmoid · « **Reply #19 on:** July 30, 2016, 09:46:12 pm »

Quote from: Shock on July 29, 2016, 06:57:37 pm

The wiring/switch/fuse problem is because the Chinese have confusion and a quality control issue over supplying different geographic regions.

The US and Australian outlets have the Live and Neutral reversed. This could mean depending on who wired it they could have made a mistake or not known better and supplied it as fused and switched neutral instead of Live.

Well, Schuko doesn't even have dedicated live and neutral terminals, heck it's even reversible. So I guess if you expect live and neutral to be specifically where you expect it, and you supply an international market, you're fucked no matter which way you expect them.

Shock · « **Reply #20 on:** July 31, 2016, 01:42:35 pm »

Quote from: Sigmoid on July 30, 2016, 09:46:12 pm

Well, Schuko doesn't even have dedicated live and neutral terminals, heck it's even reversible. So I guess if you expect live and neutral to be specifically where you expect it, and you supply an international market, you're fucked no matter which way you expect them.

Ours in Australia are dedicated and you cannot physically reverse the plug, if the plug is incorrectly wired it's not up to code. But China manages to mess up automated production runs on Australian power cables with our color code, so yeah there is the expectation for it to be correct.

Having dealt with US and Chinese gear in the past makes me check everything and change it over so no problem for me.

I wanted a rude username but failed · « **Reply #21 on:** August 03, 2016, 05:41:02 am »

Quote from: Shock on July 30, 2016, 11:34:38 am

The wiring related issues should be fairly straight forward, you can always take some photos and ask for advice if you have concerns. Assuming you have some spare but decently made IEC C13 cables (the commonly used cable for PC power supplies) you can just cut off the end and save yourself the cost of a plug. As far as I'm aware the hot air stations don't have heat resistant power cables but you might want to check that as well.

I ended up paying around $45 dollars for a Yihua 858D. There is a thread here that discusses replacing the micros on some models for an Atmel with custom firmware.

Cool well I just ordered it, hopefully should have it by next week. I don't think I'll be doing custom firmware etc, as long as it's within 5 - 10° and doesn't blow up in my face I'll be happy.

Really want to play with this thing now because I got one of the Chinese kits that is mostly SMD stuff on Monday.

SteveyG · « **Reply #22 on:** August 04, 2016, 09:59:30 am »

Quote from: Shock on July 29, 2016, 06:57:37 pm

The US and Australian outlets have the Live and Neutral reversed. This could mean depending on who wired it they could have made a mistake or not known better and supplied it as fused and switched neutral instead of Live.

There is no issue if the fuse or switch are on the phase or neutral conductor. The fuse is there to protect from overload and the switch is merely to turn on and off, both of which functions will operate correctly no matter which way round they are connected. The important point is that the device is correctly earthed if it is indeed a Class I product.

R005T3r · « **Reply #23 on:** August 04, 2016, 10:31:46 am »

If you are interested to upgrade your hot air gun, why not consider the Pro's kit SS969. Here's a review:

It seems ok to me, or at least still better than the atten one...

wraper · « **Reply #24 on:** August 04, 2016, 10:41:36 am »

Quote from: R005T3r on August 04, 2016, 10:31:46 am

If you are interested to upgrade your hot air gun, why not consider the Pro's kit SS969. Here's a review:

Hardly an upgrade. Build quality is much better but is exactly the same shit in operation.


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Author Topic: Hot air rework stations? (Read 26457 times)

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