EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Other Equipment & Products => Topic started by: robert574 on January 03, 2025, 05:48:10 pm
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I just bought a Quicko T12-952 station (I really like it) and I'm working on a stand. I have the 3/4" (19mm) OD aluminum handle and it drops right through all of my collection of holders. I'm sure most have the same thing.
Here's my idea. On the holder / stand, put a thick (2-3mm dia) stainless wire just at the back of the opening for the iron (crossways), bend it and fasten it to the side of holder. (Floobydust showed one using a flat piece of aluminum that would work, but it needs to be just behind the back of the opening to block the iron handle from falling through.) When you put the iron in, the handle stops when it contacts the wire and then the top of the tip rests against it holding the handle straight. The tip, where it comes out of the handle, is in contact with the wire (grounding it).
Next, internally in the station, add a small 7-12VDC power supply and a small cycle timer (w/mechanical relay) board (I just ordered both for $4 dollars on Aliexpress). Connect it so it comes on with the main power switch and immediately starts a repeating cycle, a few seconds on and a few seconds off. Then set the station sleep timer out a few seconds beyond that. Connect the NO relay contacts across the two wires (inside the station) that go to the handle mercury sleep switch (one side of that is ground). Turn the power on, it starts cycling and now the station will never go to sleep. (Normally, the handle sleep switch simply grounds the sleep wire when you shake it, each time re-starting the sleep cycle timer).
Next, make a short jumper cable with same screw ends as the iron (male and female) to go between the iron and the station. Connect all the wires the same through to the iron except break the wire to the handle switch and bring that wire out as a lead maybe 50cm or so. (only in the jumper, do not modify the iron)
Now, back to the holder, insulate the stainless rod in the stand and connect the lead to it (could put in a plug of some sort). Any time the iron is back in the holder, the side of the tip will ground the wire (same as the mercury sw does), closing the sleep connection and simply shorting the relay contacts. Then the tip will stay on until it reaches the stored sleep setting (maybe 5-6 sec) and go to sleep (the relay will keep cycling as long as the station is on).
Now the holder works and the sleep cycle works quickly in a few seconds. If you add a toggle switch to turn off the cycle timer supply then remove the external jumper and mount the iron back to the station it will work as it did before. (You do need to use the NO contacts in the relay.)
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806851561218.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.24.33b71802npDLSl&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806851561218.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.24.33b71802npDLSl&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa)
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806135342395.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.15.33b71802MVUnrS&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806135342395.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.15.33b71802MVUnrS&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa)
Any thoughts? (or too simple)