Hot air rework stations?

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Try this one

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

[Sigmoid]

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]

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]

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]

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]

How is the unit from Jaycar?

[RobertHolcombe]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 .

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[nctnico]

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...

This is just an Atten 858D rebadge! 

[bitwelder]

This is just an Atten 858D rebadge! 

The only difference is probably only the 'dark theme' of the front panel 

[wraper]

This is just an Atten 858D rebadge! 

Actually it does not look like just another ATTEN rebadge because PCBs inside are completely different from what I've seen in ATTEN teardown. Nonetheless it does not make it significantly better station in terms of operation.

[nctnico]

This is just an Atten 858D rebadge! 

Actually it does not look like just another ATTEN rebadge because PCBs inside are completely different from what I've seen in ATTEN teardown. Nonetheless it does not make it significantly better station in terms of operation.

It could be Atten uses a different PCB design nowadays 

[wraper]

It could be Atten uses a different PCB design nowadays 

PCB quality looks a bit too good to be from ATTEN.

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

Got my Yihua 858D today, looks like a nice little unit.

Tested the continuity of the live pin from the power plug to the fuse and it beeped, tested earth from the pin to the gun it beeped, tested earth to the gun holder (seeing it screws into the case) and it beeped to. So guessing I got a good unit? also the fuse is a F6AL250V.

I also had a look inside the gun and my fan wasn't burnt up like Dave's Atten one .

Edit, I was surprised it was wired with an Aus plug, half expected it to be US.

[Shock]

Got my Yihua 858D today, looks like a nice little unit.

Here is the video on some of the things you can check out, remember it not just Yihua's there is a lot of obscure brands and nameless 858D's now that could have been thrown together by anyone.

Other than that look at the soldering etc, residue on the pcb, it's up to you and your skill level how far you want to take it. Make sure you give it a decent test.

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

I'll probably look at the PCB for shorts etc before I power it on but really it looks like it's well done, the ground point next the the transformer wont budge neither will the one for the gun and at least it's fused properly.

Gonna test it tomorrow to see how accurate the temp is and probably try it out on an old dead SNES motherboard I've got just to get a feel for it.

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Tested the continuity of the live pin from the power plug to the fuse and it beeped, tested earth from the pin to the gun it beeped, tested earth to the gun holder (seeing it screws into the case) and it beeped to. So guessing I got a good unit?

Mine tested the same when I bought it. Mind you, that still meant the neutral (not active) was switched, there was a butt-joint in the neutral between the mains cable & switch that was only partly insulated (hidden under a overtightened cable tie tying it to the rest of the mains wiring & transformer), the fuseholder was noncompliant (& disintegrated when opened), and the earth from mains plug pin to the handpiece measured 6 ohms through the mains lead -> transformer mounting screw -> the painted base of the case -> front panel mounting screws -> board mounting posts -> handpiece cable -> metal barrel.

Rewired it to switch the active, joined & sleeved the neutral properly, replaced the fuseholder with a safe version, cleaned the paint away from the earth mounting screw & added a star washer & locking nuts as appropriate, and ran a separate earth from that point to the board (resistance from mains plug earth to handpiece barrel is now 0.5 ohms).

It's not perfect, but it's now much safer...

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

Well I checked all my wires today and they seem to be good, also checked the resistance from the earth to the gun to, seemed right.

I did a crappy (very crappy) video https://youtu.be/s1nicfEC3pk of the wires and resistance to.

Edit, got bored and decided to power it on, apart from being about 50° over it seems to run well, fans quiet even maxed out which surprised me. Gonna actually use it in the coming days hopefully (if Auspost doesn't break this tube of solder paste ).

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Well I checked all my wires today and they seem to be good, also checked the resistance from the earth to the gun to, seemed right.

I did a crappy (very crappy) video of the wires and resistance to.

Looks like they fixed most of the issues I found - active is switched, board/handpiece earth wired direct to mains earth, etc. I'd still check earth pin to case.

Fuseholder looks like the original one in mine though. There were 2 problems with it:

• The mains active was wired to the side terminal, which can be touched from outside when the fuseholder is opened so is non standards compliant & potentially dangerous. I would've lived with it and replaced it next time I bought some decent panel-mount fuseholders, except…
• When I opened the fuseholder to buzz out the mains wiring (before I opened the case) that side terminal broke right where it left the body, leaving the active lead floating around in the case with the razor-sharp end of the broken terminal exposed. The cap was a bitch to remove, so I suspect overtightening during assembly had almost sheared the terminal which broke completely when I opened the fuseholder.

FWIW, most if not all of the panel mount fuseholders sold by Jaycar, Altronics, etc. are similarly non-compliant & potentially dangerous, as are the majority found in cheap imported crap (why bother selling/using approved parts if nobody's enforcing the safety standards?). I replaced it with a Shurter 3101.0025 which cost ~$3 from E14, vs ~$2 for the Jaycar/Altronics crap.

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

Yeah I noticed the fuse holder is a little crappy, might do an E14 order eventually for the holder, at the moment I'm just happy it didn't go .

I'll probably give it a test tomorrow on this broken SNES motherboard.

[raptor1956]

I received my 858D clone today and this one is a Kohree W.E.P. 858D. Opened it up and all looks fine and tested operation and it appears to be working as it should.  I've not tried any soldering yet nor heat shrinking but so long as the heater and fan is adjustable and there are no quality issues it should do the job like any other of the kind.

I plan on using it as a glue gun as well and am looking into the 3M glue sticks -- not sure if there's more than one kind of 3M glue stick and if so which ones are best with a hot air gun.

Kohree 110V LED Digital 858D SMD Hot Air Rework Station Solder Blower Heat Gun

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ITMPQS2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Brian

[Shock]

How are you going to use it as a glue gun? Aren't cheap glue guns $10 or so?

[raptor1956]

How are you going to use it as a glue gun? Aren't cheap glue guns $10 or so?

I presume your referring to my post and if so then I plan to use my hot air gun to melt bits of glue stick to locate parts as you would do with a glue gun only I won't be using a glue gun.  A hot air gun will provide the heat needed to melt the glue without a drippy glue gun and I already have a hot air gun.

Lots of post here about wonky glue guns the leak/drip or fail so I'll bypass that problem by not getting one.


Brian

[I wanted a rude username but failed]

Finally got to play around with the rework station today, goes pretty good may have to find some more SMD stuff to do so I don't waste all the solder paste.

[AccountRemovedPerUsersRequest]

I am borrowing this thread since I have exactly the same question and arguments. So I have been using 858d clone for years but now it is time to upgrade something more reliable. Even when I have made the unit safer it is still having issues. The main reason I disconnect the 858d today was insulation between shelf and heating unit.

Price point is somewhere around $200 and that is too little for a "known brand" unit. So I am asking what kind of units others have bought since I think I share the budget level and requirements with many others.
Sparkfun 303D could be an option but I haven't found europen model.

br,

A

[AccountRemovedPerUsersRequest]

What is (real) Atten's quality?
https://eleshop.eu/atten-st-8800d-hot-air-soldering-station.html

I like the structure and especially the size.

br,

A

[Electro Fan]

For occasional use this has been good so far:
https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/957DW+/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/?v=0
You can add some bent nozzles from Amazon for not much if you prefer those.

[AccountRemovedPerUsersRequest]

This is indeed an option. Thicker cable with air tube makes me wonder tho. The size and performance is just what I need.

A

[Electro Fan]

What is the concern about the thickness of the air tube cable?

[AccountRemovedPerUsersRequest]

Well, the main concern is the build quality. Both Atten and Quick could be options. What comes to Quick specifically, low quality air tube can be stiff.

A

[Fraser]

I recently purchased an ‘as new’ JBC 6040 hot air station but if I had not found that at an affordable price I would have bought the Quick 861DW hot air station. That Quick unit is a bit more than your budget but I believe it will give you excellent performance and a decent operational life. If you spend less, expect to get less. The Quick 861DW appears to be the ‘sweet spot’ for price Vs quality and performance. Do not buy a Quick 861DW clone though ! They can be very different quality. The clues are the lack of “QUICK” branding or incorrect positioning of the branding on the front panel. If you see a Quick 861DW that is new and significantly cheaper than the dealers prices, it is likely a clone and to be avoided.

I purchased a mix of professional and hobby hot air stations and can confidently say that the professional hot air stations are well built but are overpriced both to buy and for spare parts. My PACE hot air stations have a heater module that costs £600  Crazy pricing. The JBC 6040 provides excellent performance but was also a very expensive unit originally and its heater module costs around £250 ! The Quick 861DW heater module is around £50.

On the hobby front, I tried the W.E.P , HACKKO clones and ATTEN hot air stations. The W.E.P. 852D+ has served me well and is a pump based unit with an air hose. The ATTEN 858D unit is the ‘fan in the handle’ model and I decided it was more useful as a heat shrink gun. The ‘fan in the handle’ stations are a little lacking in performance in my experience. There is a reason why professional hot air stations use a hose and air source located in the base unit. I have not personally had any issues with the flexibility of the air hoses. This is not a micro soldering iron after all !

You could do a lot worse than one of the Quick hot air stations that people on this forum have commented on.

[Electro Fan]

Well, the main concern is the build quality. Both Atten and Quick could be options. What comes to Quick specifically, low quality air tube can be stiff.

A

On the Quick 967DW+ the blower is in the chassis and the tube is about 17mm in diameter.  I have the nozzle end of the tube stored on the holder that it slips onto on the chassis.  This requires the tube to bend back on itself roughly 180 degrees with a little less than a 20cm arc.  It doesn't kink but on the 180 bend there is a bit of dimple in the tube but nothing concerning.  I've only had it a couple months or so but the hose feels supple and pliant.  It hasn't in any way inhibited the ability to use the hot air attachments as I move the hose between the chassis and PCB boards.  Overall I'd say the hose feels reasonably flexible.  For $95 it's a pretty good piece of equipment with decent quality that is compact and it seems to perform the expected hot air functions well.

[HobGoblyn]

Do not buy a Quick 861DW clone though ! They can be very different quality. The clues are the lack of “QUICK” branding or incorrect positioning of the branding on the front panel. If you see a Quick 861DW that is new and significantly cheaper than the dealers prices, it is likely a clone and to be avoided.



You could do a lot worse than one of the Quick hot air stations that people on this forum have commented on.

I bought an 861DW clone a couple of years ago. Only used it about 10 times over the two years and it worked very well. Until the heater element failed a couple of weeks ago, finding a replacement that fits has been a nightmare, I’m about to give up and buy a different  air station (funds currently won’t let me buy genuine Quick)

[HobGoblyn]

Do not buy a Quick 861DW clone though ! They can be very different quality. The clues are the lack of “QUICK” branding or incorrect positioning of the branding on the front panel. If you see a Quick 861DW that is new and significantly cheaper than the dealers prices, it is likely a clone and to be avoided.



You could do a lot worse than one of the Quick hot air stations that people on this forum have commented on.

Someone else commented on YouTube that they couldn’t find a replacement element for the clone and have since chucked it and bought an actual Quick

I bought an 861DW clone a couple of years ago. Only used it about 10 times over the two years and it worked very well. Until the heater element failed a couple of weeks ago, finding a replacement that fits has been a nightmare, I’m about to give up and buy a different  air station (funds currently won’t let me buy genuine Quick)

[DavidAlfa]

It's funny how so many people go crazy about the neutral/live wires, while most plugs in European countries have no polarity... and 240 VAC! (That's 342V peak )
If something happens with the live, that's why the Earth leakage circuit breakers are for, even the neutral will trigger it, having only 5-6 volts difference to earth.

I have a 858D myself, I'm happy with it.
The only safety issue I found was the earth wire not making contact with the housing due the paint. Scratched it, done.
Everything else is properly wired and earthed.

[ygi]

I bought an 861DW clone a couple of years ago. Only used it about 10 times over the two years and it worked very well. Until the heater element failed a couple of weeks ago, finding a replacement that fits has been a nightmare, I’m about to give up and buy a different  air station (funds currently won’t let me buy genuine Quick)

I own one of these clones and also had a hard time finding spare heaters. I finally did though and bought a few spares which are "genuine original". The shop still has them for ~15euro if your station uses those 1000W 240V heaters (they measure 39 Ohm):


The ripoff "HYAKKO" brand in the top left corner is the same as that of my station.
I'll give you the link if that's what you're looking for.

[HobGoblyn]

I bought an 861DW clone a couple of years ago. Only used it about 10 times over the two years and it worked very well. Until the heater element failed a couple of weeks ago, finding a replacement that fits has been a nightmare, I’m about to give up and buy a different  air station (funds currently won’t let me buy genuine Quick)

I own one of these clones and also had a hard time finding spare heaters. I finally did though and bought a few spares which are "genuine original". The shop still has them for ~15euro if your station uses those 1000W 240V heaters (they measure 39 Ohm):


The ripoff "HYAKKO" brand in the top left corner is the same as that of my station.
I'll give you the link if that's what you're looking for.

Yes please, thanks

[ygi]

@HobGoblyn: check your PMs.

[KG7AMV]

Look at the Atten ST-862D i would not go with anything lower in quality.

Video of the Atten ST-862D and Quick TR1300A Side By Side.
https://youtu.be/3GdcYVumcF8

The ST-862D is best bang for the sub $200 USD Shipped In the USA range.