Xytronic LF-8800 Soldering & Desoldering station teardown.

[Fraser]

I bought a couple of Xytronic units a while back. They are both customer returns and likely have TRIAC failures. They were very inexpensive so were worth the risk 

This thread is a teardown of the Xytronic LF-8800 soldering & desoldering station.

As I dismantled it I was impressed with the build quality. Sure it is not Weller, JBC or PACE, but it is decent and uses plenty of quality connectors, making disassembly easy. I was also pleased to see that the earth continuity to the front and rear panels had been considered and paint removed from mating surfaces. Hard wire connections are better but at least they tried 

The components used in the unit look decent as well.

The desoldering pump is a very nice quality piston type with its own TRIAC control PCB. the front panel and its associated PCB's come away from the chassis and the connectors all remain on the base plate. Good mechanical design making disassembly easier. When removing the top cover I was pleased to see two large transformers in the unit. Good to see 

The station fails to heat the desoldering tool so I will be focusing on the TRIAC and its control line.

I have a complete spare desoldering tool and heater but the original is intact.

Fraser

[Fraser]

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[Fraser]

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[Fraser]

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[Fraser]

Nicely labelled PCB's 

[Fraser]

My teardown of the other unit, an LF-852D Hot air station may be found here:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/xytronic-lf852d-hot-air-station-tearadown/

Fraser

[rrinker]

 Nice. I've had a basic Xytronic soldering station for some 8-9 years now and it's been solid and reliable. I was considering getting the LF-8800 (which is what you have there I think, not an LF-6800) so have a real desoldering tool. There is a US distributer that I bought mine from, they also sell on ebay (I bought a Xytronic benchtop fume extractor from them as well) that always has decent prices, and I've always thought it was a pretty decent quality tool, especially as my station was under $50USD. The only Weller's I see at that price are ones that have variable output but are not true temperature controlled. I have a love/hate relationship with Weller, ever since they sold out to Cooper Electric. I grew up where Carl Weller invented the soldering gun and the last plant prior to Cooper was right down the street from my house. I still have a 50's Weller soldering gun that, despite cracks in the bakelite housing, still works a treat. I also have a Weller branded gun I bought about 6 years ago. It works, I can say that much. It's cheap and flimsy though. Yet you can buy high end commercial production soldering stations with the Weller name as well. Used to be, if it was a Weller, it was a top quality tool,. Now Weller can be anything from cheap crap to proper heavy duty tools.

 So I've been quite happen with my Xytronic, just haven't bothered to tear it apart. The LF-8800 looks pretty decently constructed, so remains on my list of future purchases.
 

[Fraser]

Ooos, you are right, it is the LF-8800. I typed from memory... Never a good idea when dealing with model numbers.

I have corrected the title and post. Thank you

The Xytronic units certainly appear well made.

Fraser

[rrinker]

 That's OK, I skipped the first pic showing the front of the unit and was trying to remember if this was the one I had been looking at, or if they had a new model I needed to check out. Checked the distributor but found no mention of an LF-6800, came back and looked at the first pic - doh! Even better, a peek inside the very model I was interested in buying, so it all works out in the end.

[TD]

I know this is an old thread, I did not want to start a new one for just an inquiry.
I have done some digging and can't seem to find any real reviews on the desoldering performance of the LF-8800. I found a couple Open box units at a good price.

I have a Metcal MX-5051 for component installation. therefor, I would only be using the Desoldering side of the LF-8800 and using the solder side for backup if needed.
I like the build and part quality of the LF-8800. However, that does not tell me how good the performance. I really want to make sure the desoldering performance pump Power is great and not just adequate or okay.

Ps. Yes I know I can get the handpiece, tips, hoses & compressor to desolder with my MX-5051. However, the initial cost and more portably the wearable replacement parts cost is very hight with Metcal. plus I would rather not have to use a compressor if possible. I would have to go with an Oil-less silent compressor because that is just who I am 

[slavoy]

It's a pity that Xytronic doesn't offer a desoldering station only.
The 100W desoldering piece looks decent and should provide good heat transfer. A friend of mine who services old amplifiers has been using it for many years. I'm wondering if I should buy the handle itself and make a controller with a pump for it.
Cheap ($100-200) desoldering stations are of poor quality, require frequent cleaning, do not transfer heat well to the desoldered element, and cool down quickly.