Soldering station, simple and resistant

[thm_w]

Again, if you’re going to dick around with clone tips, then just cancel this entire exercise and buy a Pinecil, TS80, or TS100 and call it a day. The entire reason to use JBC is to use their tips; using clone tips is stupid.

No, you can get clone tips that will give you better performance than a pinecil/ts80/etc. There is a large variety in quality.

[marck120]

Again, if you’re going to dick around with clone tips, then just cancel this entire exercise and buy a Pinecil, TS80, or TS100 and call it a day. The entire reason to use JBC is to use their tips; using clone tips is stupid.

No, you can get clone tips that will give you better performance than a pinecil/ts80/etc. There is a large variety in quality.

Which clone tips do you recommend for the JBC - BT-2BQA ?

Are these compatible ?

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005006080002428.html

A user had a problem with the JBC - BT-2BQA

https://www.reddit.com/r/soldering/comments/1b39fbs/my_brandnew_jbc_soldering_iron_just_got_red_hot/

[tooki]

Again, if you’re going to dick around with clone tips, then just cancel this entire exercise and buy a Pinecil, TS80, or TS100 and call it a day. The entire reason to use JBC is to use their tips; using clone tips is stupid.

No, you can get clone tips that will give you better performance than a pinecil/ts80/etc. There is a large variety in quality.

But since there are no guarantees on quality -- even ordering from a known vendor is no guarantee that you receive the same quality as before -- why bother?

I think chasing after good clone tips is a fool's errand. The reason to use a JBC station, or clone, is to use real JBC tips.

[thm_w]

But since there are no guarantees on quality -- even ordering from a known vendor is no guarantee that you receive the same quality as before -- why bother?

I think chasing after good clone tips is a fool's errand. The reason to use a JBC station, or clone, is to use real JBC tips.

To say buy only JBC tips doesn't really add up with the adequate performance I've personally seen from a random mix of branded clone tips (aixun, geeboon, ksger, aifen). Considering the relative cost and budget we are dealing with here (sub $100 stations). Spending the entire cost of your station on a few genuine JBC tips seems a bit high.
I guarantee the performance of these is better than pinecil: youtu.be/-TosWhPsru4?t=913

If you want to talk higher budget stations, $250+, then yes, I'll agree the cost has come down to the point that it can make sense for only $33 https://www.tequipment.net/JBC/C245908/Tips/.

You can also get a bunch of oddball tips for ~$8 that you might use once or twice where performance isn't critical:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006875569687.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007007333910.html

[marck120]

Hi, I wanted to tell you that this week I will receive the Ersa i-CON NANO MK2 that I ordered, apart from that I am choosing the tin, I can't go over €35, for now 100g are enough for me to start soldering, however I did some research, I identified the main most important brands:

Kester 44 *****
ALPHA METALS *****
Multicore loctite *****
MG Chemicals *****
Chipquik
Felder SN100Ni (Best without lead)
STANNOL
Warton
Cynel
BROQUETAS
MBO
Chemet
Asah
POS
ALFA
ANFEL
KEEP
Duratool
Mechanic (Chinese brand but it should be good)

The first four brands at the top of the list should be the best, however finding tin with lead is a problem, the 60/40 seems more widespread but I see that the 63/37 is the most recommended.

In Europe the shipping costs are quite high, I checked in the various shops, Digikey, Farnell, Mouser, RS Components, Reichelt, Conrad, TME, Amazon and eBay.

With the available budget I found the Chipquik RASW.0314OZ-ND 63/37 and the Felder SN100Ni, which one should I get ?

[thm_w]

I would prefer something no-clean. The Felder SN100Ni is no clean but its lead free.
Maybe SMDSW.031 2OZ or SMDSW.031 4OZ

Or get a few types as samples and try out, if you don't know what you want to use.

Do you know what you are using it for?

[marck120]

I would prefer something no-clean. The Felder SN100Ni is no clean but its lead free.
Maybe SMDSW.031 2OZ or SMDSW.031 4OZ

Or get a few types as samples and try out, if you don't know what you want to use.

Do you know what you are using it for?

Hi, thank you for answering me

To start I have to solder four pins of a SHT45 sensor and two cables of a remote control of a ceiling fan, I'll leave you the photos in the description.

If I take the model that does not have the no-clean wording, what does it mean ? Does it leave flux residue and should I clean it with isopropyl alcohol ?

The problem is that I have €18 of shipping costs, the SMDSW.031 4OZ on digikey costs me €41.32, €15.87 for the SMDSW.031 4OZ and €18 is shipping, to get free shipping I would have to spend €50, in practice it would be convenient since shipping costs more than the soldering wire, but I had no intention of spending €50

By samples you are referring to small quantities of tin from different brands, even in this way I would quickly exceed the budget, the minimum orderable I think is about 18g, on eBay they sell the Kester by the meter but even there there are high shipping costs.

Yes the Felder SN100Ni is lead free but I read on the forum that it still makes excellent soldering, the 100g spool of the Felder SN100Ni on Conrad costs me €25.08

If you find a good quality soldering wire on some Italian shop let me know, on Amazon there are some 60/40 spools but they are anonymous brands.

[tooki]

Hi, I wanted to tell you that this week I will receive the Ersa i-CON NANO MK2 that I ordered…

You’ll be quite happy with that, I think.

… apart from that I am choosing the tin, I can't go over €35, for now 100g are enough for me to start soldering, however I did some research, I identified the main most important brands:

Kester 44 *****
ALPHA METALS *****
Multicore loctite *****
MG Chemicals *****
Chipquik
Felder SN100Ni (Best without lead)
STANNOL
Warton
Cynel
BROQUETAS
MBO
Chemet
Asah
POS
ALFA
ANFEL
KEEP
Duratool
Mechanic (Chinese brand but it should be good)

You missed a few premium-quality brands:
Tamura-Elsold
AIM
Almit
Indium

All of those brands are rarely found at consumer-friendly distributors unfortunately.

SRA is another brand you missed. I’ve had no trouble with their products.

And I would remove Duratool from the list (that is a meaningless brand used by several unrelated companies worldwide for generic crap). I would avoid Mechanic because the chances of it being fake are too high.

Though they’re very popular, I am not as big a fan of Multicore/Loctite/Henkel and Stannol. (Stannol belonged to Multicore for a few years, years ago, so even though they’re separate now, to this day their product lines retain some similarities.) Anyway, I don’t think their fluxes are as good as others. Not as effective, and they “spit” more (that’s when flux drops spray out of the solder when heated, getting flux onto clean parts of the board).

The first four brands at the top of the list should be the best, however finding tin with lead is a problem, the 60/40 seems more widespread but I see that the 63/37 is the most recommended.

In Europe the shipping costs are quite high, I checked in the various shops, Digikey, Farnell, Mouser, RS Components, Reichelt, Conrad, TME, Amazon and eBay.

With the available budget I found the Chipquik RASW.0314OZ-ND 63/37 and the Felder SN100Ni, which one should I get ?

The Chipquik should be fine, though it is 2.2% flux core — I prefer 3.3%, like Kester 44 with flux size 66.

It is illegal for EU-based vendors to sell leaded solder to consumers (REACH). If you want it, you’ll need to order from outside EU. Digikey and Mouser both offer free, fast shipping on orders above €50, so just order solder together with some flux and components and you’ll pay no shipping. Remember that the point of soldering is to join your components, so you will need to order components anyway.

Reichelt and Conrad are probably the cheapest way to get Felder if you decide to go lead-free.

[tooki]

If I take the model that does not have the no-clean wording, what does it mean ? Does it leave flux residue and should I clean it with isopropyl alcohol ?

”No-clean” is one of the more unfortunate naming choices in soldering, because all it means is “for most purposes the residues are harmless, and have been designed to be visually appealing”. Most rosin fluxes are equally safe to leave on for most purposes, they’re just a bit more visible.

In critical applications, both rosin and no-clean flux residues must be removed. However, no-clean residues tend to be much harder to remove.

Countless people will say “clean with IPA”, but this is not recommended by most solder manufacturers, not even for ordinary rosin flux. And for modern no-clean, IPA frequently just doesn’t work properly. Whether visible or not, IPA alone often leaves behind ionic contaminants. I HIGHLY recommend using a commercial flux remover like Electrolube LFFR.

[marck120]

@Tooki

Hi, thank you for the very detailed explanations

Let's hope so, this is my first soldering station.

You've already explained everything to me, there's not much to add, yes exactly on Digikey and Mouser the most convenient choice is to make an order over €50, unfortunately my budget doesn't allow it, otherwise with a 250 gr spool I would have easily arrived at €50 instead of spending €18 on shipping.

Taking into account the budget, the choices I have available are these:

Acquista Felder ISO-Core "Clear" Sn100Ni+ Stagno per saldatura Bobina Sn99,25Cu0,7Ni0,05 0.100 kg 0.5 mm da Conrad
https://www.conrad.it/it/p/felder-iso-core-clear-sn100ni-stagno-per-saldatura-bobina-sn99-25cu0-7ni0-05-0-100-kg-0-5-mm-2226477.html

WBWS633731-4OZ SRA Soldering Products | Prodotti di saldatura, dissaldatura e rilavorazione | DigiKey
https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/sra-soldering-products/WBWS633731-4OZ/15816081

RASW.031 4OZ Chip Quik Inc. | Prodotti di saldatura, dissaldatura e rilavorazione | DigiKey
https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/chip-quik-inc/RASW-031-4OZ/9681988

LZ F4 BF 0,75250: Stagno da saldatura senza piombo con contenuto di rame, diametro comprare da reichelt
https://www.reichelt.com/it/it/shop/prodotto/stagno_da_saldatura_senza_piombo_con_contenuto_di_rame_diametro-258991#closemodal

MG Chemicals 4900-112G MG Chemicals sold by SWATEE ELECTRONICS : Amazon.it: Fai da te
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B008OA7SYE

For me the choice of a leaded or lead-free soldering wire is indifferent, I saw that you've already tested the Felder SN100Ni, you explained that it gives excellent results so for me it's more than fine.

Yes, apart from the SRA solder that I did not include in the list, I did not know the other brands, since the choice of a "No-clean" soldering wire is irrelevant if I may say so, I do not have the problem, even if as you explained to me in some situations it becomes more difficult to remove the residues, yes I should get the cleaning product that you recommended, I did not know this type of product.

I was a little undecided about the thickness of the wire but 0.8 mm should be fine for most jobs.

[tooki]

@Tooki

Hi, thank you for the very detailed explanations

Let's hope so, this is my first soldering station.

The i-Con nano Mk1 was my first soldering station (and still the only one I have at home, if we don't include the Pace desoldering station I bought later). I think you'll be happy with it -- just use the right tip for the job (something which is true for any soldering iron!) and you'll be golden.

Taking into account the budget, the choices I have available are these:

Acquista Felder ISO-Core "Clear" Sn100Ni+ Stagno per saldatura Bobina Sn99,25Cu0,7Ni0,05 0.100 kg 0.5 mm da Conrad
https://www.conrad.it/it/p/felder-iso-core-clear-sn100ni-stagno-per-saldatura-bobina-sn99-25cu0-7ni0-05-0-100-kg-0-5-mm-2226477.html

WBWS633731-4OZ SRA Soldering Products | Prodotti di saldatura, dissaldatura e rilavorazione | DigiKey
https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/sra-soldering-products/WBWS633731-4OZ/15816081

RASW.031 4OZ Chip Quik Inc. | Prodotti di saldatura, dissaldatura e rilavorazione | DigiKey
https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/chip-quik-inc/RASW-031-4OZ/9681988

LZ F4 BF 0,75250: Stagno da saldatura senza piombo con contenuto di rame, diametro comprare da reichelt
https://www.reichelt.com/it/it/shop/prodotto/stagno_da_saldatura_senza_piombo_con_contenuto_di_rame_diametro-258991#closemodal

MG Chemicals 4900-112G MG Chemicals sold by SWATEE ELECTRONICS : Amazon.it: Fai da te
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B008OA7SYE

For me the choice of a leaded or lead-free soldering wire is indifferent, I saw that you've already tested the Felder SN100Ni, you explained that it gives excellent results so for me it's more than fine.

Any of those is fine. The MG you link is a SAC305 (alloy), which contains a lot of silver, which reduces the melting point a bit, but makes it a lot more expensive, and that alloy does not produce super-shiny joints (which is fine, just don't expect them to be mirror shiny like lead solder, or even the Sn100Ni+).

I was a little undecided about the thickness of the wire but 0.8 mm should be fine for most jobs.

0.6-0.8mm is my favorite size range for most things. I have everything from 0.25mm to 2mm, but 0.6-0.8mm is the only one that lives on my bench at all times, the other sizes are in the drawer and only pulled out as needed.

At home, my main roll of solder is Kester 44 3.3%, 63/37 in 0.8mm, at work I bought the same thing but in 0.6mm and I think I prefer that a little bit. (At work, I bought the Felder SN100Ni+ in 0.75mm.)

As a beginner, this size range is perfect so that you can easily control the amount of solder you put on a joint; with solder that's thick, it can be really hard to not add too much.

Pro tip: for the times you need thicker solder than you have at hand (i.e. for very large joints that you need to be able to feed in lots of solder without taking too long, or for "rinsing" your soldering tip quickly), just take 2 or more strands of the solder you have, and twist them together.


Also, I don't remember if I shared this with you already, but as a beginner, watch this video series (it's under an hour for the whole thing). It's old, but absolutely the best soldering tutorial I have ever found. Follow it and you WILL solder better!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837

[marck120]

@Tooki

Thank you for the very kind advice.

I just hope that the i-Con nano Mk2 has the same quality as the i-Con nano Mk1, these upgrades sometimes do not turn out to be real improvements, for example I noticed that the bayonet heating element of the Mk2 is made of plastic, the screw one of the Mk1 is all metal, from what I understand the heating elements and the handpieces between MK1 and MK2 should be compatible with each other.

So I immediately discarded the MG Chemicals 4900, since the Sn100Ni+ has the exact same quality as the WBWS633731-4OZ SRA,  Chip Quik RASW.031 4OZ I will take the cheaper one, between the two as you explained to me there should be no difference.

Well then the size of the 0.8 mm soldering wire will be fine.

I had found the tutorial playlist reading a discussion on the forum but I have not had the chance to watch them, thanks for posting it, now I watch the videos calmly.

Heating elements 010102J vs 016100J :

[marck120]

Personal Notes Soldering Stations

1 option

T12 Stations

The tips are very cheap, it is very advantageous for a hobbyist with a limited budget.

I spend 50 -80 euros for a T12 station like a KSGER/Quicko STM32, AIFEN A8, YIHUA 948DB +-II (replacement handpiece for YIHUA 948DB +-II is the YIHUA 506A not easy to find)

Considering that some of these stations have the grounding problem on the case and on the tip, a cable is enough to fix them but a second soldering iron is needed.

STM32 versions like QUICKO 958 and KSGER v3 are compatible with DavidAlfa firmware, custom firmware offers many advantages, I think the most up to date stations regarding hardware and software are QUICKO 959 and KSGER v3, some versions have the case with the ground but not the tip, it is an unknown to know how they arrive exactly.

Mini KSGER and Quicko variant with separate power supply, here there is the advantage of being able to choose a quality separate power supply.

Since I need two soldering irons to fix the grounding problem I could get a QUICKO 958 T12 and a KSGER C245 C210, with just over €100 I could have two T12 and C245 stations, or two T12 systems, a standard QUICKO 958 with integrated power supply and a QUICKO mini OLED or LED, or a KSGER v3 and a QUICKO 958.

2 option

JBC C210/C245 clone station with switching power supply

I choose a C245/C245 station with switching power supply starting from 50 -80 euros for the cheapest KSGER C245 C210 (KSGER C210 C245 handpiece €17), Silverflo 982-I (Silverflo 706A/606A handpiece €18), Yihua 982-I (handpiece 210-I 716A,245-2.5K 616A 27€), and following with 120-150 euros there is the AIFEN A9 Plus, Aixun T320, Aixun T3A, YIHUA 982 black version, FNIRSI DWS-200, GEEBOON TC20A/TC22,

Even in these stations there is the problem of grounding and tensions on the tip.

AIFEN A9 Plus and Aixun T320 are compatible with the original JBC handles.

3 option

JBC clone stations with linear transformer and compatible with the original JBC handles

Or I take a JBC C210/C245 clone (with linear transformer and compatible with the original JBC handles) for about 220 euros, Jabe UD-1200 (Jabe UD-1200 only works with T245 handles), GVM H3, WEMON T31, Toor T12-X 150w, Toor T12-11 75w, Aixun T420 (toroidal transformer), I2C PDK1200 (toroidal transformer), Geeboon TA305, (toroidal transformer)

4 option

Original stations: JBC JBC BT-2BWA, Ersa or PACE 8007-0580, Metcal PS-900, Thermaltronics TMT-2000

I get to spend 300 euros and get an original JBC station like the JBC BT-2BWA 140w, a Metcal PS-900 60w, Thermaltronics TMT-2000 50W or a Pace ADS200 120w (PACE 8007-0580) or an I-CON NANO MK2 80w (I-CON NANO does not use cartridge tips) considering that it is less powerful but the tips are cheaper around 15-20 euros, an original JBC tip costs around 33 euros but can last even several years, some use good clone tips but they never have the quality of the JBC and have a shorter life, even the Pace ADS200 is sometimes supplied without a tip so to the cost of the station you have to add around 19 euros for the tip.
The I-CON NANO MK2 uses Ersa 0142 series tips, the old I-CON NANO MK1 uses Ersa 102 series tips, the handpieces are also different, the I-CON NANO MK2 handpiece is compatible with the I-CON NANO MK1
From what I understand, to calibrate the temperature on the JBC BT-2BWA without display, you need the JBC AC2600 (AC-A) which costs €270
Instead, on the Metcal PS-900 the temperature is self-adjusting. Handpiece: Metcal PS-H3 and PS-900-PC9
The PS-H3 handpiece is designed to be able to use two different coils, which allow it to accommodate different types of tips depending on the coil inserted:
PS-CA1 coil: Compatible only with PHT tips.
PS-CA3 coil: Compatible with SxV and CxV tips.
Each tip has different temperatures:
F = FR4/Fiberglass, for most standard applications T = Temperature Sensitive C = Ceramic for high thermal demand applications
Example: SFV-CN05, STV-CN05, SCV-CN05
Thermaltronics TMT-2000S station also has self-adjusting temperature.
The Thermaltronics TMT-2000S soldering station is compatible with different handpieces, each designed to support specific tip series. The TMT-2200S-2KM, TMT-2200S-2PM and TMT-2000S-2SM variants
Each tip has different temperatures:
xx = 60 (60 Series 325°C - 358°C)xx = 75 (70 Series 350°C - 398°C)xx = 80 (80 Series 420°C - 475°C)

Ersa I-CON NANO MK2 handpiece ERSA 0125CDK, EAN/GTIN 4003008153590 166€

5 option

Cartridge soldering stations with linear transformer and proprietary handpieces and tips less common compared to T12 and C245

ATETOOL AE970D, Atten ST-909 / MULTICOMP PRO MP741034, Quick TS11, QUICK TS1200A, AiXun T413 (not compatible with original JBC handles) The AiXun T413 should only be compatible with original JBC tips not with JBC handles

6 option

Kit T12, JBC C245

In this case I always need two soldering irons, a working soldering iron to solder the various components of the kit, with the kit I should buy the controller and the handpiece to assemble and a power supply.
I don't know how convenient this solution is, in the end a KSGER or Quicko station costs a little more than the kit, with the kit I can combine a quality power supply I could very well take a Quicko or a KSGER already assembled, open it and replace the standard power supply with a quality one, or a Quicko mini that only has the controller and combine a certified power supply of my choice, such as the Meanwell RPS-120-24. It has double insulation.
However, soldering stations that use external power supplies are connected with a two-pole power cable (i.e. without grounding) with the Meanwell RPS-120-24 which has double insulation, it is not necessary to bring a ground wire to the case for electrical safety, but an ESD protection is necessary to add a ground wire between the tip of the soldering iron and the power supply, the cable must be connected to the PE of the power supply with a 1 MΩ series resistance
There are more expensive kits such as AxxSolder 3 and Unisolder 5.2+, the AxxSolder 3 controller costs €132 + €15 shipping, the Meanwell LRS-150-24 power supply costs €20, original JBC handpiece €80 but I think a €20 clone is also fine, original JBC support €175, universal JBC support €20, finally you need to print the case for the controller and install the firmware I think.

7 option

Second hand station like Metcal MX 500 one of the best stations on the market.

8 option

Soldering stations with separate heating element and linear transformer

YIHUA 939D+ III EVO 110W, YIHUA K917C - Handpiece, The tips are not standard but of the 902 type, Yihua 939D+ 70w these tips are used by YIHUA 926LED-IV EVO 948D-III 938BD-I EVO 995D+EVO 939D+III EVO 853AAA-I 948DQ-III

HAKKO FX-888D 75w T18 tips, HAKKO FX888DX-31BY 100w T18 tips stylus 95W (optional), WELLER WE 1010 70w proprietary Weller ET tips

Stations compatible with standard 900M tips Hakko clones 936/937, Atten AT938D 60w, YiHUA 936A 60w, Atten AT980D 80w handpiece Atten 907, Atten AT-989D 65w, TENMA 21-21310 80w, AT937 50w, Atten AT-969 60w, YiHua 937D 40w handpiece YIHUA 907A (very poor internal quality), Aoyue 9378 60w, AOYUE 937+ 50w, Quick 936/A 60w, Bakon BK969S 60w, Atten ST-80 80W T900 tips, ATTEN ST-100 100w T800 tips

Quick TS1100 Quick 960 tips, QUICK 3202 90w, QUICK 3205 150w, QUICK TS2300

XYTronic LF-3200 120w apart from its tips are also compatible with Atten 315 and Quick 200 tips, Xytronic HF90120ESD handpiece, KOLBEN HF 90120

XYTronic LF-3300 180w, Xytronic LHF150 handpiece

Lafayette sdd-9, ZD series tips

9 option

High Frequency Soldering Station

Quick 202D 90w €258 shipping included tme.eu/it
Quick 303D 120w €255 Aliexpress
Quick 203G 150w €324 eleshop.eu (slow heating)
Quick TS2200 90w €224 Amazon €288 tme.eu/it €240 ebay
Quick TS2200D 90w €264 quick-global.eu €224 amazon.it
Quick TS2300C 150w €329 Aliexpress
Quick TS2300D 150w €361 tme.eu/it €349 quick-global.eu €273 Aliexpress
QUICK 3202 90w (noisy fan, heating slow) €152 amazon.it €238 quick-global.eu €212 Aliexpress
QUICK 3205 150w (loud fan, slow heating) €205 amazon.it €210 Aliexpress

Bakon BK2000s 120w €102 Aliexpress
Bakon BK3300s 200w has a fan €124 Aliexpress ATTEN ST-9003D 90w €199 tme.eu/it
ATTEN ST-1203D 120w hard to find
ATTEN S ST-1503D 150w €358 Aliexpress
ATTEN ST-1503 €236 Aliexpress
ATTEN ST-3003D 300w is not for sale, (it has the fan)

XYtronic LF-3000 90W made in taiwan not find on sale
XYTronic LF-3200 120w made in taiwan 130€ reichelt.com KOLBEN HF 90120 handpiece
XYtronic LF-3500 150W made in taiwan compatible with few tips
XYtronic LF-3300 180w made in taiwan 181€ reichelt.com KOLBEN LHF 150 handpiece

Yihua 950 150w noisy fan, slow heating €248 ebay.it RADIOMAG, €265 amazon.de RADIOMAG

TOOLCRAFT ST-100 HF 100w €174 amazon.it, €182 conrad ebay.it, €214 conrad.it
TOOLCRAFT ST-150 HF 150w 275€ amazon.it, 279€ conrad.com, 283€ conrad .ebay.it, TOOLCRAFT TO-4986105 handpiece

Thermaltronics TMT-2000 50W but powerful, expensive tips hard to find 195€ weidinger.eu TMT-2000S-PM 261€ weidinger.eu ,TMT-2000S -PM 272€ excl.equipment, PS-CA3 coil, handpieces: Thermaltronics SHP-SM, SHP-SM 1(S series),Thermaltronics SHP-PM, SHP-PM RMP-1 (P series) Thermaltronics SHP-K, SHP -K 1 (k series)
Metcal PS-900 60w but powerful, expensive tips hard to find (some units died suddenly) €307 it.farnell.com, €320 mouser.it, €346 it.rs-online, Metcal PS-H3, PS-HC3 handpiece

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final choice summary

- Xytronic lf 3200 €129.96 (incl. XY HF 1.6 mm tip 44-413069)
- HAKKO FX-888DX €165.31 (incl. tip T18-B Shape-B)
- ERSA i-CON Nano MK2 €274.22 (incl. 1.6 mm tip, 0142CDLF16)
- JBC BT-2BQA €298.90 (with C245-160E tip €29.89) (discount coupon -€25) Total €310.37
- Thermaltronics TMT-2000S- -K (UPG) €249.06 ( K75CH016 €13.54) Total €262.60
- METCAL PS-900 €307.44 (incl. SFV-CH15A tip)

- Out of budget:

Pace ADS200 €355.75 (1130-0019-P1 €19.31) Total €379.31

The JBC BT-2BQA does not provide tips so you have to add €29.89, even on the Thermaltronics TMT-2000S -K there are no tips provided.

[marck120]

Hello, yesterday I received the ersa icon nano mk2 soldering station, for now I took it out of the box and did the first start-up, I'm waiting for the solder I ordered to do the first tests, as soon as I opened the box I immediately noticed a small defect on the display, it seems like there is a kind of thread, in reality the display I don't think is threaded, by passing your finger you can't feel any edge, inside it seems like there is a peeling film or something like that, more than anything it is an annoying aesthetic defect, it doesn't affect the functioning of the station in the slightest.

The station is really small, but it was not a surprise because I knew the dimensions, the construction quality does not seem exceptional to me, especially the buttons to adjust the temperature are very delicate, they do not give any sense of solidity, they are quite wobbly, I hope they last over time, once the temperature is set there is no need to change it often I think, however in case of problems I have until January 31st to return it, these were just my first impressions, as I said I am waiting for the tin to arrive to carry out the soldering and see how it behaves.

I leave you some photos, sorry for the quality, in one of the photos I marked the defect in the display that I was telling you about.

[mariush]

Hi, I wanted to tell you that this week I will receive the Ersa i-CON NANO MK2 that I ordered, apart from that I am choosing the tin, I can't go over €35, for now 100g are enough for me to start soldering, however I did some research, I identified the main most important brands:

Kester 44 *****
ALPHA METALS *****
Multicore loctite *****
MG Chemicals *****
Chipquik
Felder SN100Ni (Best without lead)
STANNOL
Warton
Cynel
BROQUETAS
MBO
Chemet
Asah
POS
ALFA
ANFEL
KEEP
Duratool
Mechanic (Chinese brand but it should be good)

The first four brands at the top of the list should be the best, however finding tin with lead is a problem, the 60/40 seems more widespread but I see that the 63/37 is the most recommended.

In Europe the shipping costs are quite high, I checked in the various shops, Digikey, Farnell, Mouser, RS Components, Reichelt, Conrad, TME, Amazon and eBay.

With the available budget I found the Chipquik RASW.0314OZ-ND 63/37 and the Felder SN100Ni, which one should I get ?

Multicore is now sold as Harimatec , after the Japanese company that bought them.

You're missing Edsyn, which is also decent (available at Farnell)

Duratool is mostly rebranding stuff...asian brands.

Multicomp is Farnell's brand, they're rebranding as well, some of their solders are Henkel, Stannol , some were Multicore (based on packaging and flux names in datasheets)

From EU stores you'll have a hard time getting solder with lead if you're a private person (not buying as a company) due to EU regulations.

63/37 is better than 60/40 because it's euctetic, it "snaps" between liquid and cold at very narrow temp range (183c) compared to 60/40 that has a transition range around 180c ...  but if you have a hard time finding 63/37 you can start with 60/40

I'd say more important would be to get a nice thickness and flux amount and flux type.... go for no-clean, or rosin, rma (rosin mildy activated). With some RA solders, you'll have to check datasheet to see if they say cleaning with isopropyl alcohol or flux cleaners is recommended - if they do say that, i'd avoid that solder for now, stay with less active no-clean or rma solder wires.  Avoid water based or organic fluxes, they're harder to clean.
 
My solder wire is 0.56mm multicore, no-clean 2.2% flux ... I'd suggest maybe getting 30-50g of something very thin like 0.38mm , 100g of 0.45-0.56mm and maybe 100g of 0.8mm or bigger (but you can usually bend a cut of 0.5mm in half to get more thickness)

If you can order from TME, also order some liquid flux. It depends on what country you pick (i think it can only be shipped by train/land), but you can get AG Thermopasty liquid flux in 100ml or bigger bottles for a few euro.

ex 500ml bottle for 15 eur : https://www.tme.eu/ro/en/details/flux-tk_500/fluxes/ag-termopasty/art-agt-075/

Or you could make your own flux by crushing 20-30% by weight of this into isopropyl alcohol and let it dissolve until it becomes flux  : https://www.tme.eu/ro/en/details/kalafonia-500/fluxes/ag-termopasty/art-agt-094/

Optionally add maybe a teaspoon of adipic acid and benzoic acid for every 100-200 ml and you get the composition of the TK83 flux above ( 20-25% rosin, <80% isopropyl alcohol, <3% adipic acid, <5% benzoic acid ) but the acids are optional, just makes the flux a bit more active.


with TME I noticed some solder wires are also hidden depending on what country you choose.  For Romania, they only offer Broquetas and Cynel as lead based solders... not a fan of either. on lead free there's also Stannol and Alpha.

Id rather get new old stock from eBay if my current solder is gone.

[marck120]

@mariush

Hi, thanks for the advice.

I already ordered the solder wire on Thursday, I bought this one:

https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/chip-quik-inc/RASW-031-4OZ/9681988

It's not No-Clean but I think it's fine anyway.

Otherwise I had this option but I have already purchased the RASW.031 4OZ:

https://www.digikey.it/it/products/detail/sra-soldering-products/WBWS633731-4OZ/15816081

On farnell I checked the brand you recommended unfortunately it exceeded my budget:

https://it.farnell.com/c/attrezzi-e-forniture-di-produzione/stazioni-di-saldatura-e-accessori/fili-di-saldatura?sort=P_PRICE&brand=edsyn

On farnell I had much higher shipping costs :

https://it.farnell.com/c/tools-and-production-supplies/station-of-welding-and-accessories/wires-of-welding?sort=P_PRICE&lega-saldante=63-37-sn-pb

Example :

Cart subtotal
€8.07
Delivery
€0.00
Direct shipping charge
€18.00
Shipping costs
€14.99
VAT
€9.03
Total
€50.09



Regarding the product "Ex Bottle of 500 ml" on TME it is also blocked in my country, instead the isopropyl alcohol to dissolve in water that you indicated is available in my country.





All the tin with lead on TME is not possible to buy in my country, as I said the only shops where I found lead with tin are digikey.it and mouser.it, all the other products such as flux, I have a somewhat limited budget the flux and products such as isopropyl alcohol and detergents I will buy later.

I hope it is not a big problem, at least the isopropyl alcohol should be purchased immediately to start soldering, the RASW.031 4OZ that I purchased is 0.79mm, it should still be fine for what I have to do, however I also check on eBay if I find the isopropyl alcohol for cleaning, the shipping costs are too high in general, on digikey and mouser they are free but you have to spend € 50

I found this on eBay I don't know if it can be good:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/252013915536

https://www.ebay.it/itm/324132203779

https://www.amazon.it/liquido-saldatura-Reflow-Rework-Reball/dp/B07B511DDL

https://www.informaticait.it/elettronica/laboratorio-e-saldatura/flussanti/Flussante-liquido-no-clean-Topnik-TK-83-100-ml-per-bga-saldature-a-stagno-smd.html

[tooki]

@Tooki

Thank you for the very kind advice.

I just hope that the i-Con nano Mk2 has the same quality as the i-Con nano Mk1, these upgrades sometimes do not turn out to be real improvements, for example I noticed that the bayonet heating element of the Mk2 is made of plastic, the screw one of the Mk1 is all metal, from what I understand the heating elements and the handpieces between MK1 and MK2 should be compatible with each other.

It is unknown whether the nano Mk1 and Mk2 handpieces are compatible. My guess is that they probably are, but Ersa doesn’t say.

On the “big” I-Con stations (everything except nano and pico), Ersa expressly says that the handpieces are compatible.

I don’t know where you got the idea that the heating elements are compatible. They definitely are not.


Plastic isn’t necessarily a bad thing. High-quality plastics perform very well, and we have no reason to think Ersa is being cheap. That bayonet would be much more difficult to make of metal, I imagine.

[tooki]

Hello, yesterday I received the ersa icon nano mk2 soldering station, for now I took it out of the box and did the first start-up, I'm waiting for the solder I ordered to do the first tests, as soon as I opened the box I immediately noticed a small defect on the display, it seems like there is a kind of thread, in reality the display I don't think is threaded, by passing your finger you can't feel any edge, inside it seems like there is a peeling film or something like that, more than anything it is an annoying aesthetic defect, it doesn't affect the functioning of the station in the slightest.

The station is really small, but it was not a surprise because I knew the dimensions, the construction quality does not seem exceptional to me, especially the buttons to adjust the temperature are very delicate, they do not give any sense of solidity, they are quite wobbly, I hope they last over time, once the temperature is set there is no need to change it often I think, however in case of problems I have until January 31st to return it, these were just my first impressions, as I said I am waiting for the tin to arrive to carry out the soldering and see how it behaves.

The thing on the display is probably just a little bit of cardboard from the box which got inside through the vents on the top. You should be able to vacuum it out or blow it out with compressed air.

The buttons are standard tactile switches. Again, this is a product from a quality manufacturer, so we can expect they chose good quality switches.

[mariush]

The first link to some 1 liter isopropyl solution is no good, description says 3-10% isopropyl alcohol and rest water , no good.

The weller lw25 is rosin free flux, but looking at msds it has ammonium chloride (<5%) and zinc chloride (<10%) ... These aren't great for electronics and definitely not good for your lungs when they're burned, it's much worse than rosin fluxes... so I'd avoid it.

third link  (RF800) is fine. also reasonable price.



Yeah the solder wire you got is fine, just a bit on the thicker side.

It's harder to solder surface mount components like 0805 resistors with wire so thick but otherwise it's fine.

Isopropyl alcohol (or Isopropanol / Izopropanol) should be available locally at reasonable prices.

For use in flux, you should get at least 95% pure, you won't get 100% pure because it absorbs humidity from the air and even through plastic bottles over time, so it can't stay 100% pure. Electronics grade is usually >= 99.5% but I've also seen 97% pure sold as electronics grade.

A lot of isopropyl alcohol was used during covid as hand sanitizer, at 70% purity (with near 30% water and some perfumes and preservatives) it works best at that concentration to enter cells and kill germs, at higher purity it's less effective.

You also be able to find isopropyl alcohol at veterinarians or pharmacies that also sell animal meds, but the purity may be 90% or less. It's used in some treatments for animals (horses, cows  antiseptic for sheeps, goats etc etc)

It's basically considered like gasoline, flammable, it's a solvent that can burn, and that's why it can't be shipped by air and some companies may refuse to ship it by land (mainly because they don't want to do custom labels and separate shippings)

IF you want to make your own flux, as I said, you just have to crush those rosin granules in a fine powder and mix 20-30% by weight with isopropyl alcohol. The other two acids I mentioned are optional, if you can't get them easily you can use instead glycerin, around 2-3% of contents will be fine.. for example : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nature-Spell-Vegetable-Derived-Glycerine/dp/B092WG72KR/

Benzoic acid is also used in the bottle as preservative (prevents mold and bacteria from growing in the bottle) but if you make small 50-100ml batches it won't be needed.


ps. looked at the picture with the display ... are you sure that's not just a crease in some protective foil put over the plastic of the display?   Maybe see if it's some foil that can be peeled off ?  (though don't be aggressive with it)

[tooki]

The first link to some 1 liter isopropyl solution is no good, description says 3-10% isopropyl alcohol and rest water , no good.

No, it does not say that. It says it is 99.9% concentration. What you read farther down is the instructions saying you can dilute it to 3-10% concentration (“1 cap to a liter of water”) to use as a detergent in an ultrasonic cleaner.

So it’s fine as IPA, but as I told OP, IPA is not the ideal cleaner for flux. Commercial flux removers are much better, and while they cost twice as much, you need far less of it to achieve a good result.

The weller lw25 is rosin free flux, but looking at msds it has ammonium chloride (<5%) and zinc chloride (<10%) ... These aren't great for electronics and definitely not good for your lungs when they're burned, it's much worse than rosin fluxes... so I'd avoid it.

Absolutely! That’s an acid flux intended for work on things like sheet metal. It’s not suitable for any kind of electrical or electronics work.

IF you want to make your own flux, as I said, you just have to crush those rosin granules in a fine powder and mix 20-30% by weight with isopropyl alcohol.

I mean… yeah, you can, it’s just not very good flux.

[marck120]

@Tooki

Thanks a lot for the advice and explanations

Yes I had read a post of yours where you hypothesized that the nano Mk1 and Mk2 handpieces were perhaps compatible with each other, so I thought that the heating elements were also compatible, but comparing the photos they seem physically different, even if the external shell of the handpieces is the same this does not mean anything.

Regarding the display I will try to blow it with compressed air in some way, I would have preferred to have the buttons closed or not so protruding, like those of the Hakko FX888D, these are also more prone to breakage in the event of impacts.

@mariush

Thanks a lot for indicating the right products to me, I am quite ignorant on the subject, even if I go to read the composition of the products it is useless, then I do not know which elements are more suitable for the electronic parts.

The RF800 that I indicated I have now seen that it cannot be shipped to my address, I found some alternative products:

https://www.electronicmegastore.net/it/home/saldatura-e-dissaldatura/flussante/liquido-flussante-rf-800-no-clean-per-smd-rigenera-saldature-100-ml-saldatura-100ml.1.1.255.gp.16351.uw

https://www.ebay.it/itm/275045894224

https://www.italtronik.it/flux-topnik-rf800-100ml-flussante-professionale-no-clean-base-alcool-originale-p-1430.html?language=it

Regarding the soldering wire as usual I was undecided until the last moment between 0.8 mm and 0.5 mm, now I have this.

Yes regarding the isopropyl alcohol I'll see if I can find it locally in some pharmacy, regarding the 100 gr tin I don't know on average how long it can last, but given the shipping costs it is better to buy at least 250 gr in order to exceed € 50 and get free shipping.

The "ART.AGT-094AG TERMOPASTY" kefalonia granules that you indicated to me must therefore be crushed mixed with the isopropyl alcohol, from what I understand the glycerin that you indicated in the link must also be mixed at 2-3% with the isopropyl alcohol to obtain the flux.

No regarding the display unfortunately there was no film externally, it is just something that is inside, perhaps it is a foreign body or something detached.

@Tooki, @mariush

But is it true that "NO-CLEAN" soldering alloys ruin the tips of the soldering iron?



https://youtu.be/bGw4YCoaZxI?t=1334

[thm_w]

Dewetting just means solder doesn't stick to the tip, I've never had that issue with the no-clean solders I use.
Use brass wool to keep the tip clean, re-tin, reasonable temperature, and the tip will last long.

https://www.metcal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Metcal-Soldering-Tips-Care-Guide.pdf

[marck120]

Dewetting just means solder doesn't stick to the tip, I've never had that issue with the no-clean solders I use.
Use brass wool to keep the tip clean, re-tin, reasonable temperature, and the tip will last long.

https://www.metcal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Metcal-Soldering-Tips-Care-Guide.pdf

Hi, thanks, I'll start by saying that the soldering wire I ordered is still on its way.

Today I did some tests with some old tin I had at home, I set the temperature to 350 degrees, I tried to solder two wires but the test failed, the tin melted when in contact with the tip but it didn't stick to the copper wires, it was just a test to test the station, the soldering wire used is a real piece of junk.



Do you think I'll need flux with the new soldering wire I ordered ? If so, is this flux valid ?

https://www.amazon.it/InfoCoste-Pasta-per-saldatura/dp/B00FA40RHM

https://www.amazon.it/Kemper-B090PASNE1-Pasta-Salda-Blister/dp/B00H42KPZ2

https://www.ebay.it/itm/275045894224

https://www.electronicmegastore.net/it/home/saldatura-e-dissaldatura/flussante/liquido-flussante-rf-800-no-clean-per-smd-rigenera-saldature-100-ml-saldatura-100ml.1.1.255.gp.16351.uw

Or the 500 g bags of pre-activated rosin with 2.5% adipic acid that @mariush recommended to me, to be mixed with isopropyl alcohol

https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/kalafonia-500/fluxes/ag-termopasty/art-agt-094/

I know that this flux is good but I want to buy it on amazon.it or Italian shops to avoid too high shipping costs:

https://www.digikey.co.uk/en/products/detail/chip-quik-inc/SMD291NL-10M/14636550

https://www.mouser.it/ProductDetail/Chip-Quik/SMD291?qs=8BX3xQzFIvmwkympZqnNNA%3D%3D

I understand that these questions have been asked many times:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/best-solder-flux/

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/flux-recommendation/msg2687040/#msg2687040

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/please-recommend-an-alternative-flux-and-solder/

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/good-soldering-flux/

Yes, to clean the tip I'm using the steel wool supplied with the soldering station, if the tip is very oxidized I've seen that some use a special paste or flux to clean the tip:

https://youtu.be/Pj9knMqgO0Q

https://youtu.be/DoPelhcEjtM

https://youtu.be/-NVn7IwOuyY

To preserve the tip after soldering they recommend turning off the soldering iron and applying a drop of tin on the tip while it is still hot:

"wipe gently on brass wool, so any contaminants are removed. ...
turn off iron.
touch a small bit of solder (of the normal wire you would use) to the tip to cover it well whilst iron still hot enough to do so. ...
hold iron downward or in holder until this thin blob hardens on the tip."


"After soldering, apply some solder to the tip to cover the pre-tinned area and place the iron in the holder.
Soldering tips oxidize as exposed to the air.
Make sure to leave some solder on the tip to cover the pre-tinned area when placing the iron in the holder."

https://www.hakko.com/english/support/maintenance/detail.php?seq=183

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/storing-that-damn-soldering-iron/

https://youtu.be/HfULlQUWWPg

[shabaz]

Hi,

It's not worth dirtying the soldering tip unnecessarily. That solder could contain corrosive flux not intended for electronics. It might make no difference for a brief test (I'm no chemist, I don't know), but since you're unlikely to want to replace that tip anytime soon, maybe better to err on the safe side, since there's zero point that you'll ever use that awful solder for a real soldering job; it should be binned, and there's no practical value to this experiment with your soldering tip).

[marck120]

Hi,

It's not worth dirtying the soldering tip unnecessarily. That solder could contain corrosive flux not intended for electronics. It might make no difference for a brief test (I'm no chemist, I don't know), but since you're unlikely to want to replace that tip anytime soon, maybe better to err on the safe side, since there's zero point that you'll ever use that awful solder for a real soldering job; it should be binned, and there's no practical value to this experiment with your soldering tip).

Hi, it's just a little test I did to try out the station, I agree with you, the solder I used should be thrown in the garbage, I'm waiting for the soldering wire I ordered to arrive, with what the tips cost I want it to last as long as possible, I hope I haven't corroded the tip for this short test.