Miniware MHP50

[orzel]

We all know about the mhp30 (don't we ?). Miniware has now the MHP50, It seems fairly recent (one month old ?).

What picked up my interest is that, contrary to the mhp30, the mhp50 seems to be able to follow a reflow profile.

I've never been interested in the mhp30 because it's really small and was only "set temperature". I know people use it to solder, desolder, and repair nevertheless. I guess they put/remove the pcb 'wisely' so as to more or less reproduce a typical profile, using their eyes as a feedback mechanism. Or .. ?

Anyway, I think the mhp50 deserves an eevblog topic. It's bigger (50mm versus 30 as the name implies) and more expensive, but not much.

There's not a lot of information on the web currently. Miniware has an official product video about it on youtube. I know miniware has an official eevblog account.

[giovannirat]

contrary to the mhp30, the mhp50 seems to be able to follow a reflow profile.

That's not completely true. With the latest release 2.22 of IronOS (https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS/releases/tag/v2.22) you can define a reflow profile. Unfortunately two drawbacks:
1) The company has changed the HW from STM32 to a GD32 processor, release 2.22 will not work with the GD32
2) Running the profile is limited by the heating power of the MHP30

Today I received my MHP50. Decent quality, nice color display, needs a powerful power supply (100W) ....

[orzel]

That's not completely true. With the latest release 2.22 of IronOS (https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS/releases/tag/v2.22) you can define a reflow profile.

Oh, I didn't know. It's fairly recent though, and not from the official firmware. But good to know ! Though for a new buyer, the 50 seems more interesting.

Today I received my MHP50. Decent quality, nice color display, needs a powerful power supply (100W) ....

Great ! Please share your thoughts after a while. Especially as you previously had a mhp30 to compare with.

[thm_w]

You can post the info:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806110937684.html

ControllerModel  MHP50
Hot Plate Model  AL50 (aluminum) / BS50(brass)
Heating Area 50mm*50mm
Temperature Range 100-350°C
Temperature Stability 3%
Max Power DC 5525 150W / PD 100W
Power Input DC 5525 19-24V / PD20V (Use only one input)
- Size
Controller: 71.5mm*W55.5mm*H22.5mm
Hot plate: L50mm*W50mm*H29mm
- Weight
Controller: 78g
AL50: 60g, BS50: 87g
- Smart Modes
Multi smart modes: preset temperatures, heating curves, overturn protection, brightness adjustment, firmware upgrade

The aluminum and brass tops cost the same from that seller ($93).
Brass takes a bit longer to heat up, but the temperature would be a bit more stable. I don't think it would matter much for real world use.

[SteveyG]

Build quality is excellent, but I need a new power supply capable of running it!

[Svgeesus]

It looks like this can be powered by either USB-C or a DC barrel jack; and it comes with a USB adapter that tops out at 100W while with a 24V DC power supply it will do 150W.

The brass (black) plate is better than the aluminum (silver) one, right?

Thinking of getting one, it is on Amazon de and us now.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mhp50+preheater

[Svgeesus]

I see some photos of the internals:

 https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS/issues/1872

[GnomeZA]

Build quality is excellent, but I need a new power supply capable of running it!

I basically don't buy anything soldering related anymore without you first reviewing it.
So err, would you pretty please review it 

[orzel]

Got mine today and did the first tests. I'm very happy with it, it allowed me to actually solder some smd stuff I couldn't do by hand (or with a very very bad 'yield' and much frustration). So it fulfills its first duty. I used the 'reflow' for this.

First impressions:
* it's very well done, it looks solid, the firmware is easy to get
* out of random, i took the 'brass' version. It's reassuringly heavy and seems very easy to clean, especially as the plate can be removed
* not that i really care, but it looks cute/beautiful, especially with the color screen
* according to the firmware 'info' screen, i have the hardware version "0.70", while the screenshots in the manual display "1.0". I feel bad about this. This corresponds to the pcb photos posted on the minios ticket though, and i have yet to note any kind of problem.
* the 'soldering zone target temperature', which corresponds to the top temperature of the reflow profile, can't be set lower than 230°C. I dislike it, the soldering paste i'm using is marked 183°C, and the components are delicate
* there are other places where the allowed values are weird/unpractical, such as a minimum of 100°C in (constant, no reflow) heat mode
* funny detail, there's a sensor to detect when the plate is not horizontal anymore, and stop heating for safety
* as done with mhp30 and other miniware gears i guess, but new to me, it uses dfu for updates; the config "file" can be seen (and modified) in the 'usb drive' appearing when connected to a computer
* i tested with usb-pd until 12v (i dont have more), but for real testing, i used an old laptop power supply that was largely enough (~80W). My mhp50 was delivered without any power supply.
* you can add (not change) a boot logo, though it's not as easy as I would have loved (I give details here https://freehackers.org/thomas/2024/01/31/custom-logo-on-miniware-mhp50/)
* I still find it too small, and somewhat expensive for what it is

[MiniWare]

It is recommended to prepare a power supply that supports the PD3.1 protocol. In the upcoming MHP50 firmware, we have added PD3.1 protocol support and can work at 140W power.

[Svgeesus]

My MHP50 has arrived. It looks and feels well made. There is a printed multilingual manual in Chinese, English and (I think) Russian. It comes with a silicone USB C-C cable rated 5A.

Trying it with my Dell XPS laptop USB-C power supply (130W) it powered on and I could look through the menu. But it wouldn't heat, giving an error that the voltage was too low. I guess the Dell power supply doesn't go to 20V.

I have ordered a 24V 8A power supply with 5.5 x 2.5 connector which will arrive in the next day or two. 8A because the power supply is recommended to run at no more than 80% of rated capacity so that covers 150W (24V 6.25A)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B17Z1V6B

I would feel happier if the manual explicitly stated center-positive or center-negative for the DC barrel connector.

[Svgeesus]

* according to the firmware 'info' screen, i have the hardware version "0.70", while the screenshots in the manual display "1.0".

Same on mine.

SV: 1.00
HV: 0.70

The info screen also reports 20V from the Dell PSU.

[orzel]

Same on mine.

Maybe we are "too early" adopters 

[Svgeesus]

Tried again with the Dell PSU and it worked. Didn't produce any smell or smoke (the manual warns there might be a little).

Seeing the size, so glad I didn't get the MHP30 

[GnomeZA]

Got mine today and did the first tests. I'm very happy with it, it allowed me to actually solder some smd stuff I couldn't do by hand (or with a very very bad 'yield' and much frustration). So it fulfills its first duty. I used the 'reflow' for this.

First impressions:
* it's very well done, it looks solid, the firmware is easy to get
* out of random, i took the 'brass' version. It's reassuringly heavy and seems very easy to clean, especially as the plate can be removed
* not that i really care, but it looks cute/beautiful, especially with the color screen
* according to the firmware 'info' screen, i have the hardware version "0.70", while the screenshots in the manual display "1.0". I feel bad about this. This corresponds to the pcb photos posted on the minios ticket though, and i have yet to note any kind of problem.
* the 'soldering zone target temperature', which corresponds to the top temperature of the reflow profile, can't be set lower than 230°C. I dislike it, the soldering paste i'm using is marked 183°C, and the components are delicate
* there are other places where the allowed values are weird/unpractical, such as a minimum of 100°C in (constant, no reflow) heat mode
* funny detail, there's a sensor to detect when the plate is not horizontal anymore, and stop heating for safety
* as done with mhp30 and other miniware gears i guess, but new to me, it uses dfu for updates; the config "file" can be seen (and modified) in the 'usb drive' appearing when connected to a computer
* i tested with usb-pd until 12v (i dont have more), but for real testing, i used an old laptop power supply that was largely enough (~80W). My mhp50 was delivered without any power supply.
* you can add (not change) a boot logo, though it's not as easy as I would have loved (I give details here https://freehackers.org/thomas/2024/01/31/custom-logo-on-miniware-mhp50/)
* I still find it too small, and somewhat expensive for what it is

Thanks for this!

I ended up ordering one before I see this.
Before I did order it, I already felt the same as you about this:

* I still find it too small, and somewhat expensive for what it is

It is a bit overpriced.  But the segment is underrepresented.  And Miniware are riding on their name a bit.  I bought the TS100 when it first came out and to this day it still works.  So at least I have some faith in the quality of their products.

[orzel]

It is a bit overpriced.  But the segment is underrepresented.  And Miniware are riding on their name a bit.  I bought the TS100 when it first came out and to this day it still works.  So at least I have some faith in the quality of their products.

Yeps !

They seem to update their firmware... and it's somewhat hackable too. There are some very good points overall.

[orzel]

It is recommended to prepare a power supply that supports the PD3.1 protocol. In the upcoming MHP50 firmware, we have added PD3.1 protocol support and can work at 140W power.

Please, could you comment on the difference between hardware 0.70 (that most of us get) and the hardware 1.0 ?? Does it ever exist ? No flame intended, just information.

[_Harry_]

@orzel
Where did you order your MHP50?
AliExpress / amazon.de / amazon.fr / ... ?

[orzel]

Where did you order your MHP50?

I got it from ali.
It was shipped from Europe (czech republic). The shipping was fast, but i had no/false tracking. When I received it, it was still marked "about to leave the czech warehouse".

[_Harry_]

I got one from amazon, will check it out next days.
In case of HW Rev. 0.7, I'll thinking about retourning it.
"0-series" always looks to me more being kind of a pre-series release than a latest (stable) release (had some bad experiences in my job)
Bought it for 149 €; that's not cheap - don't to forget, there isn't a power supply included anymore, compared with the MHP30.

 

[_Harry_]

Please, could you comment on the difference between hardware 0.70 (that most of us get) and the hardware 1.0 ?? Does it ever exist ? No flame intended, just information.

I don't think that we get a reply.
Manufacturers don't like such questions, because it could reveal a product weakness, which would lead to sales problems.
Especially in that case - as I told, it looks kinda pre-series PCB version / see photo evidence in the user manual ("H_Ver: 1.0")

[roy_eedreku]

In case of HW Rev. 0.7, I'll thinking about retourning it.

Is there a HW Rev. 1.0 that exists? The V1.0 in the manual may just be a graphic.

[orzel]

I don't think that we get a reply.

I was not holding my breath.. This 'official' login of their barely replies to anything anyway :-(

Is there a HW Rev. 1.0 that exists? The V1.0 in the manual may just be a graphic.

Good question. Has anyone ever noticed something else than rev "0.7" ? On the pcb or in the software reporting screen.

[lololo]

I also wonder if there is a HW 1.0 version?
I'm thinking about giving in; it's priced at $88 here :
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005006297252436.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2fra

[_Harry_]

probably not.
My one was HW v0.7 too.
Perhaps next production batches are 1.x  ... who knows.