Author Topic: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility  (Read 2148 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline RG450Topic starter

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 3
  • Country: no
Hi, my first post here - I registered on this forum hoping that some of you have experience with weller soldering Irons.

I recently bought a Weller WMD-3 soldering station. It came with the following tools:
WT-50 tweezers. Works with the same tips as the more recent WTA-50.
HAP1 100W hot air soldering iron (I've barely tried it - seems to work ok)
I bought a WSP80 off aliexpress - to my surprise it looks like a genuine product, and it works fine. 80W general purpose soldering iron.

The station also came with these that are giving me issues:
mlr21 - 25watt soldering iron. Tips are NLA but it seems pretty close to Hakko 900M-series tips - I think they can be easily modified to work by simply drilling them out to a slightly larger internal diameter. There is also a tip adapter still available, but I'd think a tip adapter would introduce lag. So what's the actual benefit of a 25W over an 80w handle? As both have the same temperature control - is the smaller iron somehow better for smd work??

DS21 50W solder sucker. This thing is falling apart - it has cracked in the junction holding the heating element and I can see the heating element glowing red in there. The entire desoldering head was available as a replacement but seems to be NLA. However there is a are two 80W versions DS80 and DSX80 - are these compatible with the WMD-3? Is the 80W desoldering head from either of them compatible with the DS21 handle?
 

Online tooki

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 12584
  • Country: ch
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2024, 05:43:02 pm »
I'm pretty sure the DS21 handle is much older than the WMD-3 station itself. The DS80 and DSX80 are two of many handpieces expressly stated to go with the WMD-3: https://www.farnell.com/datasheets/79447.pdf

I would not, however, attempt to frankenstein a DS80 heater onto a DS21 handle.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2024, 05:44:33 pm by tooki »
 

Offline RG450Topic starter

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 3
  • Country: no
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2024, 06:39:36 pm »
Thanks for replying, tooki - yes I agree, the DS21 must be older. I was sure I'd seen the DS22 (which is pretty much the same) on a compatibility chart for the WMD-3, but now I can't seem to that either. And you're right - both the DS80 and the DSX80 are compatible, I'll save that file for future reference - thanks!

I won't try to Frankenstein a DS80 heater into the DS21 handle unless I find evidence that they're compatible.
 

Offline RG450Topic starter

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 3
  • Country: no
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2024, 07:01:34 pm »
how about my other question - is there any point to the 25W iron when I have a 80W iron of similar physical size?

In what situation will the lower wattage actually be a benefit? There are fine tips available for the WSP-80 as well - so what's the point? Less temperature overshoot maybe?
 

Online tooki

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 12584
  • Country: ch
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2024, 07:56:38 pm »
I can’t imagine there’s any advantage. Does anyone even still make 25W handpieces for temperature-controlled stations anymore?
 

Online mahi

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: 00
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2024, 10:55:27 am »
I agree with tooki: Forget about the MLR 21.

The WSP 80 is one of the best general purpose soldering irons by Weller and has a much broader selection of tips than the MLR 21. It's an excellent soldering iron for any job from minuscule SMD to old school through-hole, just as long as there are no massive ground planes or beefy connectors.

No, it will not give you the performance of modern cartridge-based soldering irons, but you already have the soldering station and iron, and LT series tips for the WSP 80 are really cheap.

Offline EternalEngine

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 1
  • Country: am
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2024, 09:53:54 pm »
Hi guys!

Can you tell me, has anyone tried to use WELLER WMRT (T0051317399N) with WMD-3 station? Are they compatible?
 

Online mahi

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: 00
Re: Weller WMD-3 soldering station. Questions around tools and compatibility
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2024, 02:11:19 pm »
EternalEngine: No, the Weller WMD 3 supports only 24 V tools up to 150 W. The WMRT (and WMRP) are 12 V tools and work only on select stations. Your WMD 3 is way too old for 12 V support. But even with more recent stations Weller made a mess of which station is compatible with what iron. Stations with 12 V support usually have a model name ending with M (for example WD1M, WR 3M,...), but I'm sure there are exceptions. It's best to always consult a compatibility matrix before ordering.

If you want desoldering tweezers for the WMD 3, your only option is the WTA 50.


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf