Pace Ultra Series soldering iron tips for ADS200

[smbaker]

I have a Pace ADS200 soldering iron that I really like. When it came time to upgrade, I decided to switch from the "standard" tips to the "ultra" tips. My understanding that the ultras have greater thermal mass and might react a little better when you have to hit a ground pin that sinks more heat to the ground plane than your usual signal pads. However, as soon as I started using this tip, it didn't feel right. The solder didn't flow, didn't melt like it should.

Checking using my budget knock-off soldering iron tip tester, I found that at a setting of 370C, my standard tip measured out at 350C, whereas the ultra tip measured out at 330C. Now, I don't trust the absolute accuracy of the knock-off tip tester any more than I can throw it, but I do trust the relative difference in the readings. I repeated it multiple times to make sure it wasn't biased by me applying the tip to the tester incorrectly, and the results were repeatable. The ultra tip runs ~ 20C cooler.

Is this a known issue? I can just make a note of having to set the temperature 20C higher when I use the ultra tips.

[audiotubes]

Did you ask Pace?

[thm_w]

You can read the details in the existing thread: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/newest-pace-ads200-production-station-(a-jbc-killer-at-$239)/?action=printpage
If it really is out by 40C I would say it is defective and should be replaced.

But its already odd that your standard tip is measuring 20C low, sure its a cheap tester, but they are usually not that bad.
Try to follow the procedure shown here: youtu.be/TGaTJmuy21U?t=949

The thermocouple will likely need to be replaced after ~10-20 measurements.

I'm not a huge fan of just throwing thermal mass on a tip and hoping it will perform better, it may in some cases or may not in others. Though there are other changes that just that, eg the tip should last longer, and the shape should be optimized.

[smbaker]

Thanks thm_w. I played with the tip tester again, but I still had a lot of trouble getting consistent readings. Regardless, the cluster of readings on the ultra tip were distinctly lower than the cluster of readings on the standard tip.

I'm tempted to buy some actual hakko thermocouples and see if they perform any better than the knock-offs. They are much more expensive though ($20-$25 for a pack of hakkos versus $5-$7 for a pack of no-names). I'd like to say a thermocouple is a thermocouple and it wouldn't matter, but every other no-name electronics I buy turns out to be inferior, so why not thermocouples too.

The ADS-200 manual pays a lot of attention to thermal compensation, including many different modes for resetting it (including resetting it when you unplug the iron, when you remove the tip, etc). I'm assuming the variation between tips is just how it is. I'll just turn up the temperature 10-20 degrees. Anecdotally I'm not sure I feel like the ultra has any better performance than the standard, and it might even have less performance. It feels like it recovers less quickly, which would make sense given the increased thermal mass.

[Shock]

Ensure the cartridges contacts are clean and you're inserting it fully.

A lot of that I think is legacy, still giving you the ability to adjust the tip temp cal if needed. Still you can use the led chart in the manual to see if you have a temp offset active.

Hard to be confidant in your tip thermometer as 20+20C could be 5+5C for all we know. You have to have a very clean thermocouple and a little fresh solder applied to a freshly cleaned tip to get an ok reading (at least in my experience).

Regarding the ultra, the tips maximum capable throughput shouldn't change but tips average throughput (especially going between multiple joints in quick succession) should be better. But in usage where it's a challenging joint (e.g. the pad/joint is significantly larger than the tip contact area or dense pcb or component layout), it makes more sense using a larger tip geometry (size) in addition to the ultra, as it will increase both.

In that second scenario (where the target is a challenge) you can either increase the temp (within sensible limits) or use external preheating. The indicator is when it takes an extended amount of time to get melt (or a joint adequately heated) for good flow. If you are re-flowing joints, consider other factors like oxidization and the previously used alloy.

A good test is to try smaller joints and see if it's any easier, you can also touch the tip briefly on supplied tip sponge (slightly moist) and see if it's recovering quickly. The LED on the station will indicate heating. You could also measure the resistance of the heater when the tip is cool/removed with a multimeter. Just don't mess up the plating, probe it close to the plastic.

Anyway hope that gives you some ideas, contact Pace if you have concerns.