After months of agonizing over what Iron to buy, I shortlisted these three Irons...
1. Hakko FX-951
2. XYtronic LF-3000
3. JBC CD-1DB
I wanted an iron that came up to speed quickly, maintained it's temperature, had an auto shutoff feature and could handle both point-to-point tube circuit wiring and SMD work. I also wanted an iron that had a good selection of long lasting tips with a quick tip change feature.
The Hakko was the mid priced option coming in at about USD300 (Station plus ceramic tips, taxes etc)
Xytronix was the low price iron @ just under $200
but I finally settled on the JBC which was much more expensive than the other two but came very highly recommended by a number of folks who's opinion I trust.
Can't wait to take delivery...
1. Hakko FX-951
2. XYtronic LF-3000
3. JBC CD-1DB
I wanted an iron that came up to speed quickly, maintained it's temperature, had an auto shutoff feature and could handle both point-to-point tube circuit wiring and SMD work. I also wanted an iron that had a good selection of long lasting tips with a quick tip change feature.
The Hakko was the mid priced option coming in at about USD300 (Station plus ceramic tips, taxes etc)
Xytronix was the low price iron @ just under $200
but I finally settled on the JBC which was much more expensive than the other two but came very highly recommended by a number of folks who's opinion I trust.
Can't wait to take delivery...
I assume that you mean WESD-51.
Firstly, Is the iron completely dead or, are you seeing an error code?
Weller is an okay brand and is worth trying to repair. (I have a 30 year old Weller TCP that refuses to die - although I've seen complaints about the quality of some of their newer products)
If it is indeed a WESD-51, this should be relatively easy to troubleshoot -
Find a service manual online and do a system reset. If you have an error code, this will point you to the issue (OC temp sensor is a common issue). Taking the usual electrical safety precautions, open up the unit and test the fuse with the power off.
Then measure the secondary of the transformer - this is usually around 28V with the iron disconnected. You should also find a 7805 regulator - check your 5V logic supply. Even if you decide to get rid of the Weller, take a few mins to try to repair the unit and donate it to someone instead of sending it to the landfill.
Firstly, Is the iron completely dead or, are you seeing an error code?
Weller is an okay brand and is worth trying to repair. (I have a 30 year old Weller TCP that refuses to die - although I've seen complaints about the quality of some of their newer products)
If it is indeed a WESD-51, this should be relatively easy to troubleshoot -
Find a service manual online and do a system reset. If you have an error code, this will point you to the issue (OC temp sensor is a common issue). Taking the usual electrical safety precautions, open up the unit and test the fuse with the power off.
Then measure the secondary of the transformer - this is usually around 28V with the iron disconnected. You should also find a 7805 regulator - check your 5V logic supply. Even if you decide to get rid of the Weller, take a few mins to try to repair the unit and donate it to someone instead of sending it to the landfill.
For the ones interested in JBC soldering (desoldering) tools, it may be worth to check the following page on the eevblog forum and ask the guy if he has anything available.
I bought a CD-2BC kit with 4xC245 soldering tips a few months ago and it's really an incredible tool. Worth every penny!
FS [UE] : JBC SOLDERING / DESOLDERING KIT - C.UNIT, TOOLS, STANDS AND CARTRIDGES - Page 1
I bought a CD-2BC kit with 4xC245 soldering tips a few months ago and it's really an incredible tool. Worth every penny!
FS [UE] : JBC SOLDERING / DESOLDERING KIT - C.UNIT, TOOLS, STANDS AND CARTRIDGES - Page 1
Hi,
I don't want to attack you Kamis, but I'm pretty sure that you are wrong. JBC has one of the best thermal regulations available with the sensor & heating IN the tip. Where should that overshoot come from? They can't have a that bad regulator electronics. AFAIK they actually have no overshoot at all, but as, most Stations do, an undershoot (which ist just much faster recovered than anybody elses).
Can you point to some evidence?
Edit:
look at the EEV Blog Infos, they claim nearly zero Overshoot. JBCs own Website also has diagrams showing no Overshoot (well, OK, its the Manufacturer, so who knows)...
Mike
I don't want to attack you Kamis, but I'm pretty sure that you are wrong. JBC has one of the best thermal regulations available with the sensor & heating IN the tip. Where should that overshoot come from? They can't have a that bad regulator electronics. AFAIK they actually have no overshoot at all, but as, most Stations do, an undershoot (which ist just much faster recovered than anybody elses).
Can you point to some evidence?
Edit:
look at the EEV Blog Infos, they claim nearly zero Overshoot. JBCs own Website also has diagrams showing no Overshoot (well, OK, its the Manufacturer, so who knows)...
Mike
Last edited:
Metcal also had a video of overshoot comparison.PPT – Innovation at the Core of our existence PowerPoint presentation | free to download
Hmm,
Juts took my CD2BB and a tin can and the obviously non.professional Tip-Meter from ELV and tried the test Ersa suggested. I set the JBC to 350C and mesured with a Tin Ball. The ELV Meter gave me 353C. Then I put the Iron in the Tin Can with water and waited for 10 sec. Then I immediatley measured again on the ELV Meter. It showed an overshoot of 382C for ca. 2 seconds (after ca. 2 seconds after getting it out of the can) then it went down slowly to 350C.
BTW: The Readout of the Tip Temperature on the Station was always in Sync with the ELV Meter.
So I could not replicate the Situation and also it is a quite unrealistic. I mean: Who solders very large "heatsinks" and SMDs within 3 Seconds and with the same tip.
Well, probably Ersa has better measuring tools but imho they probably tried very hard to get that result. (And a few other claims with respect to JBC are also only marketing tricks imho). BTW: That does not mean I consider the Ersa pico as not good.
Mike
Mike
Juts took my CD2BB and a tin can and the obviously non.professional Tip-Meter from ELV and tried the test Ersa suggested. I set the JBC to 350C and mesured with a Tin Ball. The ELV Meter gave me 353C. Then I put the Iron in the Tin Can with water and waited for 10 sec. Then I immediatley measured again on the ELV Meter. It showed an overshoot of 382C for ca. 2 seconds (after ca. 2 seconds after getting it out of the can) then it went down slowly to 350C.
BTW: The Readout of the Tip Temperature on the Station was always in Sync with the ELV Meter.
So I could not replicate the Situation and also it is a quite unrealistic. I mean: Who solders very large "heatsinks" and SMDs within 3 Seconds and with the same tip.
Well, probably Ersa has better measuring tools but imho they probably tried very hard to get that result. (And a few other claims with respect to JBC are also only marketing tricks imho). BTW: That does not mean I consider the Ersa pico as not good.
Mike
Mike
I CAN claim to be a professional, having worked in a calibration lab for a number of years and doing thousands of hours of assembly, rework and repair.
I took delivery of my JBC CD-1D a week ago and used the station to assemble 4 Neurochrome Universal Regulator boards (SMD) and did a significant amount of point to point work on my Push Pull KT88 amplifier, soldering up to 16 gauge wire. I can tell you that this is a fantastic tool. Here's why...
1. Heat up time - the iron is ready to use within seconds of powering on. This works for me as I often mutli-task and will make a few connections between doing other things like waiting for a document to download or, for my computer to re-boot. This feature gives you the advantage of not having to worry about the tip temperature - you simply remove the iron from the dock, clean the tip and you are ready to go - every time...
2. Programmable hibernate mode. I have my iron set to hibernate after 15 minutes of no use. I will change this to 10 minutes in future. This feature extends tip life and, is a great safety feature if you should forget to turn off the iron.
3. Now, this one is not as easy to assess without actually using the iron... The ergonomics are not great but still okay. I am left handed and it doesn't matter where the station is positioned, the pencil can be easily accessed and returned to the dock. It is however awkward to reach the brass wool cleaner from some positions.
4. The tip (cartridge) changes are a breeze. It literally takes seconds to change from one tip to another. The station detects that you are doing a tip change, shuts down the power while this is happening and powers up once the new tip is in place.The iron is immediately ready to use. This makes for improved soldering quality as one is more likely to use the appropriate tip for a given connection.
5. Finally, the greatest feature of all, the iron has an amazing ability to get heat to a join. I made several heavy duty connections to heat sucking speaker terminals and was able to remove a TO263 regulator with great ease. Also, it was amazingly easy to "float" TO263 regulators into place by heating the pcb underside and transferring the heat to the regulator through the solder vias.
I do have one complaint though - I don't like the quality of the sleeving on the pencil cable. I've seen better in older Wellers etc where the cable was shrouded by a high grade silicone sleeve and did not have an memory and was truly kinkless.
All in all and without having had the opportunity of comparing against similarly positioned stations, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and can recommend to those looking for an iron that the JBC be placed on their shortlist.
I would also urge those shopping around to ignore the "mines is bigger than yours" brigade and in particular, the "mine is cheaper than yours fanboy" and draw up your own set of requirements before laying out your hard earned cash on the station of your choice.
What really matters is your project successes.
Happy d-i-y-ing!
I took delivery of my JBC CD-1D a week ago and used the station to assemble 4 Neurochrome Universal Regulator boards (SMD) and did a significant amount of point to point work on my Push Pull KT88 amplifier, soldering up to 16 gauge wire. I can tell you that this is a fantastic tool. Here's why...
1. Heat up time - the iron is ready to use within seconds of powering on. This works for me as I often mutli-task and will make a few connections between doing other things like waiting for a document to download or, for my computer to re-boot. This feature gives you the advantage of not having to worry about the tip temperature - you simply remove the iron from the dock, clean the tip and you are ready to go - every time...
2. Programmable hibernate mode. I have my iron set to hibernate after 15 minutes of no use. I will change this to 10 minutes in future. This feature extends tip life and, is a great safety feature if you should forget to turn off the iron.
3. Now, this one is not as easy to assess without actually using the iron... The ergonomics are not great but still okay. I am left handed and it doesn't matter where the station is positioned, the pencil can be easily accessed and returned to the dock. It is however awkward to reach the brass wool cleaner from some positions.
4. The tip (cartridge) changes are a breeze. It literally takes seconds to change from one tip to another. The station detects that you are doing a tip change, shuts down the power while this is happening and powers up once the new tip is in place.The iron is immediately ready to use. This makes for improved soldering quality as one is more likely to use the appropriate tip for a given connection.
5. Finally, the greatest feature of all, the iron has an amazing ability to get heat to a join. I made several heavy duty connections to heat sucking speaker terminals and was able to remove a TO263 regulator with great ease. Also, it was amazingly easy to "float" TO263 regulators into place by heating the pcb underside and transferring the heat to the regulator through the solder vias.
I do have one complaint though - I don't like the quality of the sleeving on the pencil cable. I've seen better in older Wellers etc where the cable was shrouded by a high grade silicone sleeve and did not have an memory and was truly kinkless.
All in all and without having had the opportunity of comparing against similarly positioned stations, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and can recommend to those looking for an iron that the JBC be placed on their shortlist.
I would also urge those shopping around to ignore the "mines is bigger than yours" brigade and in particular, the "mine is cheaper than yours fanboy" and draw up your own set of requirements before laying out your hard earned cash on the station of your choice.
What really matters is your project successes.
Happy d-i-y-ing!
Keep the discussion technical and stay away from personal remarks. failure to do so will likely earn points or bin time.
After getting home and reviewing the thread It has been cleaned up and some points WILL be issued.
Thanks for the intervention Wintermute...
The thread is now very cordial and constructive.
JBC kit is excellent. I have had my DIT station with T245 hand-piece for a few years now and it has been nothing but a pleasure to use. Tip changes are completely painless. I can solder SMD parts and then M6 bolts within seconds of each other. The hand-piece is very light and comfortable to use. I like the way that your hand is closer to the work than with other irons. I guess this can be done because the heater is right down at the tip.
It is an expensive tool, but well worth every penny.
I'd highly recommend anyone to keep an eye out for bargains. My second JBC station is an AD2700 which I found on eBay for £25 including a T245 hand-piece. The AD2xxx series is still very good and performs just as well as my DIT station. I'd even say that the AD2xxx stations are easier to use because the temperature adjustment is made with a great big knob on the top of it (not that the temperature needs to be adjusted very often). The tips can also be found for sensible money quite a lot of the time. Again, I found six used tips for £7 and they all work!
It is an expensive tool, but well worth every penny.
I'd highly recommend anyone to keep an eye out for bargains. My second JBC station is an AD2700 which I found on eBay for £25 including a T245 hand-piece. The AD2xxx series is still very good and performs just as well as my DIT station. I'd even say that the AD2xxx stations are easier to use because the temperature adjustment is made with a great big knob on the top of it (not that the temperature needs to be adjusted very often). The tips can also be found for sensible money quite a lot of the time. Again, I found six used tips for £7 and they all work!
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