Soldering Station ?

[Nobby_UK]

I am considering buying a Soldering Station
any recommendations ?

[Zetr0]

I would swear by the KADA 852D+


KADA 852D+ ( £83.00 in Postage - ebay Buy It Now )

I am not affiliated with this sale


I would say have a shop around - you may find it cheaper

[Hewitson]

I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't made by Hakko.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by Hewitson

I wouldn't buy anything that wasn't made by Hakko.

I have used some Hakko stations in the past and I agree - they are really good. Even better than the Weller stations I use at work.

[chaos]

Those Chinese *something* 852D+ are not bad at all, I have one myself. But if you don't need the hot air gun and want a really good soldering iron, in my opinion there is nothing that matches the Ersa I-Con, those things are amazing to work with. A little more expensive, but worth every euro.

[Hewitson]

Originally Posted by demolition

I have used some Hakko stations in the past and I agree - they are really good. Even better than the Weller stations I use at work.

I agree. I have used a few different models of Weller and I've not been impressed by them. Very overrated in my opinion.

[jezry]

I to need a New soldering station my pen broke in 2 pieces last night. Cheap crap. I was thinking of this one
http://m.ebay.com/itm/160808220790?nav=SEARCH anybody tried these?

[Arnie]

Does Sweden use 110v supply?

[ajk]

No-one in Europe does... but there is probably a similar alternative model for 230V.

[jezry]

No not normally but there are 220volt just like thé one i posted😄

[kipper2k]

I have same one as recommended by Zetr0, use it just for when i need hot air, my normal soldering iron for everyday use is

[jezry]

Thanks for the tip Will probably buy one like the one zetro recomended or Hako. And some smaller like this weller. 😄

[kipper2k]

this is also one of my favourite toys, it is a solder paste dispenser, uses 100psi air and syringe to push the solder paste out, customs had this puppy a while before they eventually released it lol. i use it with solder paste for controlling small amount of solder release and also for quick dispensing soldering multi legged components, you need an air compressor with it but it's great.



http://www.ebay.ca/itm/110V-Auto-Sol...item2c8f673bd3

[jezry]

Looks like a Good toy to have😄 Will start by getting the soldering stations and work some on my soldering skills.

[Nobby_UK]

Conical or Chisel Tip ?

[Zetr0]

@Nobby_UK

Tips will depend primarily on the job at hand and to be honest a little bit about your style. There are many times I will use a conical tip for drag soldering on very small components leads - one should use a cambered or "Hove" type tip.

I would suggest you get a pack of assorted tips for use with your equipment and see how you get on. You can find a set of 10 for under £5 on eBay if you are prepared to wait a couple of weeks for shipping.

I would also humbly suggest a ceramic core based soldering iron - these stand up to more thermal shock as well as heats up much quicker than a solid metal core. I would also suggest to get something in the 40-60 watt range.

If you are planning on working on older equipment - lets say with large ground planes, then perhaps something in the 100 watt range. think of this as the amount of energy (heat) it can put in one place before its dissipated.

Obviously you should not be using something that high on small sensitive equipment like SMD IC's.

While I am posting I should mention that I believe you should also consider an ESD safe iron. If end up working on a PCB with a programmable / flash-able firmware or logic then not having an ESD safe iron runs a much higher risk of erasing the data / fuse map of the device.

And my last word (for this post atleast) is FLUX

Ensure you get a no-clean, non-corrosive flux liquid / paste the preference is yours really. Do not rely on the solder providing a good flux for your work, Flux will ensure your work will come out as best as it can, it will make difficult solders much easier and its invaluable when de-soldering or tapping jumper wire!

[Hewitson]

Originally Posted by Nobby_UK

Conical or Chisel Tip ?

I much prefer the conical tip. I find the chisel tip awkward to use at times, but due to it having a larger surface area it does not cool down as quickly as the conical tip. They are very useful for (de)soldering components on large ground planes.

[xArtx]

I have a Goot, but they aren't as good as what we use at work:
http://www.tme.eu/html/gfx/ramka_2729.jpg
These suckers auto suspend to half temp when you put the probe in the stand and auto off after five minutes.

[jbenam]

Originally Posted by jezry

I to need a New soldering station my pen broke in 2 pieces last night. Cheap crap. I was thinking of this one
http://m.ebay.com/itm/160808220790?nav=SEARCH anybody tried these?

I have one at home, but it's branded differently... I'll post the name later. The hot-air is enough to desolder SMD, but you can't really do an accurate job resoldering them back. And the iron is just "meh" but it's enough for most jobs.

Anyway, I've got an Ersa i-CON PICO down at work... And it's nothing short of amazing I've been able to do some absurd repairs with that one, like repairing tracks using a single strand of copper... I love it, too bad it costs too much

EDIT: My home station is branded "Atten 8586".

[ajk]

I recently got an ERSA i-CON NANO and so far can recommend it, lots of power for those pesky ground planes and big connectors.