Review: Pro's Kit SS969 hot air station

[Lightages]

Here is another review, a shorter one, of a Pro's Kit SS969 hot air station.

I think it is a pretty good deal.

[somlioy]

Looks like the Atten-858D?

[Fraser]

I have an Atten-858 that does appear to be the same BUT with one important difference....

Early versions of the unit had a hand-piece that plugs into the main unit. The manufacturer changed this to a hard wired hand-piece as the plug and socket design failed safety standards for carrying utility mains voltages. It may have been a different plug and socket design on the ATTEN  but personally I would not use a DIN connector for utility mains.

These units certainly work OK and my only complaint was the poorly formed air intakes on the hand-piece that severely restricted the air flowing through it. I opened up the air intake slots and all was well. You might want to check the air intake slots on your unit. They should be open and not partially obscured by plastic.

[Lightages]

Yes I can see that there is a little bit of flash in the slots. Easy to remove. Thanks for mentioning that. As far as the DIN plug goes I don't think the best solution, but it is not the first time I have seen this style of plug used for something like this.

[ralphrmartin]

What size nozzles does this take? Standard 22mm?

[Lightages]

I would say probably yes. The inside diameter of the nozzles that are supplied are 21.6mm and the outside diameter of the gun is 21.3mm.

[nanofrog]

I would say probably yes. The inside diameter of the nozzles that are supplied are 21.6mm and the outside diameter of the gun is 21.3mm.

Perhaps it's best to also clarify if they're the type with the L shaped notch or screw clamp. 

[Lightages]

They are bayonet or l type notch.

[pickle9000]

Is the back plate grounded?

[Lightages]

I don't know. I will have a look tomorrow and let you know.

[ralphrmartin]

Thanks!

[Lightages]

The back plate is not grounded. If this is a concern it would be easy to add a ground wire.

[pickle9000]

The back plate is not grounded. If this is a concern it would be easy to add a ground wire.

It's funny how stuff like this is common on Chinese gear. It's a feature and can be accomplished for pennies. List it as a feature "grounded chassis" or whatever.

Having said that it is easy to do, I have some Chinese gear and it does work (mostly). I do think it's worth 10 minutes to pop the cover off and do some basic checks and fixes. I also like to take photos of the pcb and wiring (just in case).

I do find this stuff interesting and thanks for the video.



   

[Asim]

I do have the exact one shown the video. Bought it from a local store in Dubai, UAE

[screwbreaker]

Recently I got this unit.

I was looking for a small and compact and, of course, cheap hot air station.
I was really unsure to get this one instead of the other and more cheap 858D on ebay. I was interested on the youyue 858D due the possibility of hacking, the better quality of the board, and the possibility to remove the hand piece.
What I don't like on the youyue is the bad front DIN connector with an exposed pin connected directly to the main plug.
So I decided to get the Pro'sKit instead, it is more expensive but the overall quality looks better and it has no deadly issue ... or so I thought.

This is what I got:


The unit is changed, there are some cosmetic changes, red buttons, a different knob, but most important there is the wrong and dangerous DIN connector like the youyue! 


And yes, like the youyue there is a pin directly connected to the main plug:


Of course in this way you can accidentally get the 220V. Even when the unit is off! 


And this is the inside:






There is no brand on the main board, but it is very similar to the youyue board.
And the main IC is an ATMEGA8 like in the youyue.


This is the inside of the heat gun:



The little board with some awful solders.


This two wire are really close together.


So, this new Pro'sKit SS-969 is just an overpriced youyue. At this point there are no reasons to get this one in place of an "original" youyue or one of the other cheap unit on ebay.

[ercapoccia]

I had the SS-969B, same as the video with black buttons and female connector on the base. I bought it in 2015 from a reputable EU shop but i just recently started using it more often, 1/2 times per week (maybe 50hrs standby in 5 years and less than 1 hour of actual use). It failed badly, when i put back the handle the station stopped the fan but it kept the heater on. It ended with flames and a glowing red handpiece.
I got a 861DW to replace it. I won't even bother trying to fix it. It is a shame because it was not bad.