iFixit cordless soldering station?

[kayasaman]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a portable temperature controlled soldering station and was wondering if anyone had used or got information on the iFixit one?

https://www.ifixit.com/products/fixhub-soldering-toolkit

I'm planning to pair that with the "Business Repair" toolkit too:

https://www.ifixit.com/products/repair-business-toolkit

my main reason is that I have started getting into FPV drones and need something to build and repair them.

Currently I have a very difficult situation of micro soldering where I need to desolder some motor wires and then install a new motor. What makes it so hard is that the joints are tiny so I will probably need either a magnifying glass with led or microscope/camera to assist with it

I was even suggested to use 0.5 or 0.6mm solder as these joints are that small.... 

I have added an image for reference:

Can anyone suggest if the iFixit stuff is of good quality or are there better manufacturers out there, and additionally something to help me with magnifying as I really don't know what's better as in magnifying glass or microscope/screen type (are they called digital microscopes?)

Many thanks

[kayasaman]

Hmm... just found this review but still wondering if it will suite my needs??

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1646-ifixit-fixhub-portable-usb-soldering-station-review/

[kayasaman]

Hmm.... watching through video 2 posting in the comments by Dave.

I think definitely for most of the smaller joints the iFixit will be fantastic. Something that is apparently though and Dave actually mentioned it, is using high capacity larger tips for power leads etc....

On that the iFixit doesn't deliver sadly so the question then becomes what is similar that will? if anything. It's not the end of the world as I could always use my bench iron but it's upstairs and I'm lazy 

Hmm....

[kayasaman]

Now I'm probably just clutching at stray chickens but so far I got recommended the T80 and T80P soldering irons from alientek. Checked Dave's review out already and yeah well it's good? I prefer the ergonomics of the iFixit but maybe this is the way to go to just have a usable tool?
Fast Charge usb power bank problem though as you'd need to buy that separately.

I've also been looking at the JBC B.Iron's. They look good but high price and no kit so it has me scratching my head if I really want to spend $100 per tip? Also there's the delio of having to connect via bluetooth to set temperature etc... I just don't know??

Tricky situation! 

[abeyer]

I've also been looking at the JBC B.Iron's. They look good but high price and no kit so it has me scratching my head if I really want to spend $100 per tip? Also there's the delio of having to connect via bluetooth to set temperature etc... I just don't know??

The B.Iron looks to me like a cordless bench station more than an actual portable solution... yeah, you can get some use away from the base, or lug it around, but doesn't feel like they really targeted primarily portable use. Guess it depends on what you need, but wouldn't be my choice for a toolbox or similar.

[kayasaman]

I've also been looking at the JBC B.Iron's. They look good but high price and no kit so it has me scratching my head if I really want to spend $100 per tip? Also there's the delio of having to connect via bluetooth to set temperature etc... I just don't know??

The B.Iron looks to me like a cordless bench station more than an actual portable solution... yeah, you can get some use away from the base, or lug it around, but doesn't feel like they really targeted primarily portable use. Guess it depends on what you need, but wouldn't be my choice for a toolbox or similar.

After thinking about it and watching a review (video on Youtube) I agree with you. It's not really what I'm looking for as those batteries don't last long so for the price you only get a few minutes of usage then need to recharge which kind of defeats the purpose.

Found this video:



so now for me it's going to be a toss up between:

* FNIRSI HS-02A - this comes as a kit and can take JBC tips so perhaps the most interesting option for me despite Dave finding the tips move in and out in his own video
* Miniware TS101 and TS21 - I haven't seen much on these outside of the above video so gona check it out
* Alientek T80 and T80P - someone highly respected in the RC drone industry suggested this to me as their choice so not gona rule it out plus Dave has a great video of it though preferred the HS-02A?

What is apparent with all of them is that they don't come with high enough capacity cables and unlike the iFixit no power bank or "kit tools" like cutters, 3rd hand etc....

I also need to try to find some kind of magnifier too, either digital or glass based and no idea where to start on that? What's a good price, what's a good brand what do I look for? Uh :-(

[Emo]

Hi,

Have a look at pine pencil in combination with an USB-C power bank.
https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

[kayasaman]

Hi,

Have a look at pine pencil in combination with an USB-C power bank.
https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

That's interesting you say this because I have 2x Pine64-LTS SBC's :-)

Ok sure I did the soldering using my simple bench iron


... Interesting!! You get tip sets:

https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

but they are extra which is not a problem. If I bought a different iron and a few JBC tips I think the tips are more expensive then most irons

[thm_w]

Pinecil is ok but not great, tip is super long, I'd just go with something T210 based to start off, with a good ergonomic grip.

https://www.youtube.com/@sdgelectronics/videos

youtube.com/watch?v=-TosWhPsru4

[kayasaman]

Pinecil is ok but not great, tip is super long, I'd just go with something T210 based to start off, with a good ergonomic grip.

https://www.youtube.com/@sdgelectronics/videos

youtube.com/watch?v=-TosWhPsru4

To be honest I'm leaning more towards the fnrisi.....

I can buy the case without the tips and just grab the JBC tips:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/fnirsi-hs-02/

video also from SDG in there!

Not sure actually which JBC tips it is compatible with as I can't find any data though I'm sure it was said in Dave's review. Need to go back and check though that was the HS-01 and not the HS-02a

Scratching my head a bit.


As for asking about tools around soldering like tweezers , magnifiers and wire cutters etc... is it better to create a new post and where is the best place to do so in the forum?

I need to build myself up a whole system from scratch it seems though I do have a pair of Greenlee wire strippers that do all kinds of gauge wire from ultra small to around 4mm^2.

I did find the Wiha set that lots of people claim are better then the iFixit kits I was looking at:

https://wiha.com/gb/en/tools/highlights/all-top-sellers/esd-micro-bit-set/39971



Sorry jumping around like typical ADHD here 


Just Google;d for T210 usb iron and didn't really find anything?

This is what I have upstairs right now:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tPI-wjzfIfV6E4hoJLYKKHtuRx5d82nd/view?usp=drive_link

which I've been using for stuff like this so far:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XN0u_fJg9bu_01-B3Lq9xNUaGOKzPxZc/view?usp=drive_link

   

[thm_w]

I'm not a fnirsi fan the ergonomics of it do not look good, but its up to you, should be decent.

Fnirsi HS-02B uses a T210 tip
HS-02A use a T245 tip

You can see a size comparison here:
youtube.com/watch?v=fitI1I75zDE

There is basically no reason to get a lower end iron without this style of tip. Its superior to all the other cheap stuff.

[kayasaman]

I'm not a fnirsi fan the ergonomics of it do not look good, but its up to you, should be decent.

Fnirsi HS-02B uses a T210 tip
HS-02A use a T245 tip

You can see a size comparison here:
youtube.com/watch?v=fitI1I75zDE

There is basically no reason to get a lower end iron without this style of tip. Its superior to all the other cheap stuff.

Hmm... what are your thoughts about the Alientek T80 and T80P or the Miniware TS101 and TS21??

[kayasaman]

Here's another video and looks like there are some new models as well as power up to 140W

- just going through it now

[kayasaman]

I think based off of everything I am going to go with the Alientek T90A and B versions

https://en.alientek.com/Product_Details/68.html

They also suggest the uGreen 140W power bank in the video too. I think that makes sense and I know uGreen. I think Antek might be another brand to consider but both are quite good quality, I actually have some uGreen stuff so that's fine


Yeah I guess maybe that's sorted now :-)


Something strange though is that the say T210 and T245 tips but checking things out I am seeing C210 and C245 tips?

for example:

https://kaisertech.co.uk/products/soldering/jbc-replacement-tips/jbc-c210-cartridges

https://kaisertech.co.uk/products/soldering/jbc-replacement-tips/jbc-c245-cartridges

If that's correct then no problems I guess....