Recommended tips for new JBC solder station

[motocoder]

I just received my JBC CD-1BD soldering station today. I'm moving to this and retiring my 30 year old Hakko unit.

It came with two tips: C245903 and C245741. The C245903 is a smaller conical tip that is useful for some things, but the C245741 is a 2.2mm chisel tip that is too large for most things.  I am used to a chisel tip that is smaller than this, I think on my Hakko it is 1.6mm.

Anyway, I started browsing the JBC C245 line of tips and quickly got overwhelmed.

Can someone recommend a few tips that are the most generally useful? I do mostly through-hole stuff today, but am about to venture into the world of SMD for the first time (for non-work projects anyway). I don't have a reflow oven at the moment, so for SMD would probably be doing drag soldering. For through-hole it will be mostly be the usual 0.1 inch pitch stuff.

Thanks

[VK5RC]

I have one as well and I like it!
I use
C245-903 for general soldering
C245-742 for 'heavy' ground plane stuff
c245-126 for poking into small corners, small smd , down into connectors etc
but you never can have too many, it took me a while to try hot swapping but it works well.
The thermal transfer rate is fantastic.
Enjoy, Robert

[flolic]

This is what I use:
C245-034 for almost everything from SMD to TTH boards (my favorite tip  )
C245-903 for general soldering, wires, connectors, etc.
C245-759 for ground planes, heavy wires etc.
C245-913 for BGA rework and quick desoldering of DIL packages, connectors etc.

I also have T210-A handle with C210-009 tip. That is used exclusively for under microscope repairs of broken flat flex cables, small SMD connectors and other delicate repairs on digital cameras.

[nanofrog]

Hakko has a resource page on Tip Shape Selection that might be useful.

There's a lot of crossover with what tasks different tips can be used for, so just a few tips can do quite a bit. Worth taking the time to check it out.

Hope this helps. :}

[robrenz]

My most used is the C245-963. Once you get used to all the ways it can contact things It is indispensable. Especially good for soldering heavy solder cup connectors. The large angled flat can get huge contact area to really get some heat flow into the parts.

[motocoder]

Thanks, everyone. The Hakko page on tip selection looks useful. I think I will spend some time going through the links there before ordering anything.

[devnull]

Hello all,

I know it's been a while since the original post, but I'd like to get a bit more info:

Dave wrote:

You don't need many. Two sizes of basic chisel tips (small and wide) will do most jobs.
A very fine conical for needle point hack work can also be handy.

Does anyone know which tips are the "Two sizes of basic chisel tips (small and wide) will do most jobs " ?
Can these be "the ones" :
small ? C245906 Cartridge Chisel 1,2x0,7 ?
wide ? C245907 Cartridge Chisel 2,2x1 ?
wide ? C245741 Cartridge Chisel 2,4x0.6 ?

Is the C245741 too big for ocasional work ? Would the C245907 be more versatile ?
(ocasional work = soldering cables, through hole components/connectors, a few smd's and eventually scavenge parts from old boards)

thanks

[AndyC_772]

C245-774 rarely leaves my iron; it's good for anything from an 0603 to through-hole prototyping with stripboard, including drag soldering 0.5mm pitch. Something smaller might be nice for 0402, though.

For bigger stuff (eg. automotive wiring) I have a C245-907, and for really big stuff (eg. soldering D2PAK to a solid plane), I have a C245-966.

[devnull]

C245-774 rarely leaves my iron; it's good for anything from an 0603 to through-hole prototyping with stripboard, including drag soldering 0.5mm pitch. Something smaller might be nice for 0402, though.

For bigger stuff (eg. automotive wiring) I have a C245-907, and for really big stuff (eg. soldering D2PAK to a solid plane), I have a C245-966.

Thank you AndyC_772.

Just for reference:
C245774 is a Cartridge Chisel 1,2x0,3 mm , which is the slender model of the C245906 cartridge.