Teardown of Sealody 980E (rebrand of Bakon BK950)

[Gregg]

I purchased two of these Sealody 980E (rebrand of Bakon BK950) with T12 tips on Amazon during a couple of lightning deals for $28 each. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZCTM3CV I sent one to my brother that I believe is newer than the one pictured and I believe it had Bakon 950D silkscreened on the back of the circuit board whereas this one is missing the D for whatever that may mean.  There are no traces under the heatsinks like the KSGER and there appears to be good mains separation.  The T12 tip is very well attached to the mains ground pin. 
The brown spots on the circuit board appear to be flux residue that I didn’t notice but it cleans up with IPA.  Dave’s mantra of “don’t turn it on, take it apart” certainly applies here. I hope it isn’t one of the caps leaking, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.   
It came with one T12 tip, no choice; but at least it didn’t have a Hakko logo on the package like so many fakes.  The tip does protrude farther from the handle than I would like, maybe I’ll try to find the better handle for it.
After I clean the board and reassemble, I'll try to see how many watts it really uses. 

[Shock]

Another Chinese clone trying to enter the guinness book of records for the longest tip.

Did you check if they wired live and neutral the correct way around? It's a common mistake they seem to make.

[bobcat2000]

Wow!  Thanks!

Look like it is the same power supply with the same components as the Ksger but rearranged to cramp into a tight space.

There are only 3 wires hooked into the handle.  Does this mean it does not have a shake sensor or a temperature sensor inside?

Thanks again for the pictures!

[wraper]

Wow!  Thanks!

Look like it is the same power supply with the same components as the Ksger but rearranged to cramp into a tight space.

There are only 3 wires hooked into the handle.  Does this mean it does not have a shake sensor or a temperature sensor inside?

Thanks again for the pictures!

The only things they have in common is that they use SMPS and T12 cartridges.

temperature sensor inside?

Temperature sensor is within cartridge.

[BobRyan]

Wow!  Thanks!

Look like it is the same power supply with the same components as the Ksger but rearranged to cramp into a tight space.

There are only 3 wires hooked into the handle.  Does this mean it does not have a shake sensor or a temperature sensor inside?

Thanks again for the pictures!

The only things they have in common is that they use SMPS and T12 cartridges.

temperature sensor inside?

Temperature sensor is within cartridge.

Yes, there is a thermocouple in the tip but this unit doesn't appear to make use of it.

[wraper]

Yes, there is a thermocouple in the tip but this unit doesn't appear to make use of it.

Nope it does use it. It's simply impossible to get it working somewhat reasonable without using it. You simply don't know how such cartridges are built or how these stations operate. JBC is the same.

[Shock]

Wiring the thermocouple in series means only two wires have to be used, the measurement is taken between heating cycles.

[Gregg]

Back again after taking the Sealody apart again. The little rocker switch near the mains input does indeed switch the line with the standard US 3 prong plug. 
However with it plugged into the Hopi meter (as shown on Big Clive) the maximum mains wattage is 50 watts from a cold start with a power factor of about 0.65.    Both the watts and power factor fall quickly as the tip heats and when up to temperature it shows about 8 watts with a power factor of 0.3.  Average watts when heating looks like 45 watts at the mains input.
I haven’t checked the amperage and voltage going to the tip.  I suppose somebody would like this information.

[Shock]

I don't think many people are going to be too interested tbh as it's in that clone of a clone category, but it might pull a little more power on a larger tip so you could always try that.

Another test would be on a small tip (let us know what type) and see how long it takes to heat from room temp to 350C, a rough comparison can be done between clones that way. But even then it can be skewed with variance in clone tips.