Suitable soldering iron for crossover work?

[CliffR52]

Hi Members.

Hoping to get advice regarding suitable Soldering Irons for Loudspeaker crossover builds
I suspect I'm using unsuitable tools.

Currently I have 2 Scope 25 watt MH25 Soldering Irons.
Are these suitable?

If not which models/specifications should I be looking for?
As a non professional I'd be looking for something not only suitable but also affordable.

Thanks.

Cliff

 

[Netlist]

If you only plan to use that iron for one pair of crossovers the MH25 should do the job.
Try it and if it doesn't seem to work you can always buy a better one.

Going full DIY on many projects would require something better.
There are quite some threads around that cover the subject.
Here's one example:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/soldering-iron-advice.392121/

Hugo

 

[mickeymoose]

Assuming you work with passive crossovers a 25W could be wanting at times. 60 to 100W, temperature controlled, should be OK. Never use a solder-gun! E

 

[audio king]

25W is awfully light for heavier terminals and wire leads. Also, you really need a tip with the proper size and a fair amount of mass for heavier work.
The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time "hovering" on a connection while the iron struggles to get it to soldering temperature. You'll end up overheating and damaging your capacitors and melting the insulation on your wires. Not a plan..

Much will depend on which manner of construction you plan to use; PCB, terminal strips, eyelets & fiberglass board etc.
While similar, they each have their own thermal demands. If you add in heavy-gauge enamelled wire for the chokes, the demand goes up.

Don't get fixated on temperature control, this isn't NASA, and an unneeded expense for this type of work. Simple, cheap and reliable is what you need.

Honestly, a standard stick iron in the 60 Watt range with a 1/8" to 3/16'' tip should be perfectly adequate. For many decades we used Hexacon Super S irons for this type of assembly work at the shop, and they were perfectly adequate

Interweb pic;

 

[Mark Tillotson]

This isn't the dark ages either, get temperature controlled iron for certain, anything else is madness.

 

[Guerilla]

Assuming you work with passive crossovers a 25W could be wanting at times. 60 to 100W, temperature controlled, should be OK. Never use a solder-gun! E

What is a solder gun good for in electronics? Im asking because i somehow got one and it must be good for something. -In some instances on elektronics as well. I have used mine succesfully for electronics until i got a professional one. I will soon use it again for fixing a cracked fender on my moms car and a frost-cracked rainwater-barrel using these:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EvR6gSp
I just have to take of the tip and the staples will fit right in instead.
Cheers!

 

[CliffR52]

Thanks everyone.
I'll leverage off your recommendations and will eventually upgrade.
The current iron was often not hot enough and caused me to keep the tip on the work for far too long.
And I'm mindful of not damaging sensitive crossover parts.

 

[motosapien]

You could probably do it with a bic lighter or a kitchen match.

 

[danny_66]

AiXun T3A temperature controlled soldering station
I'm using this one, recommended!
The 200W makes it easy to solder large copper parts or ground planes