Hi,
As my almost ten year old Velleman digital solder station died on me yesterday, I ordered a new one.
This is the one I had but mine was bought from a Swedish webshop
http://prubuy.hk/velleman-vtssc40nu-48w/sku/SEM34jtsqKdwSe6OMUiSem6e0s/
The tips for it was cheap, very cheap..but very poor quality no matter how careful you are with them.
This time I thought I'd go for a bit higher quality(without completely emptying the wallet), I landed on the Weller WHS40D as that is the only brand I know of amongst the ones I found and also the only one in that pricerange/quality that I could get delivered next week.
Now, I've noticed that there are limited options when it comes to tips for the solder iron.
I did order a 0.4mm longlife tip with the solderstation as the site I got it from didn't say what comes with the solder station.
My question(s):
Does any other tips fit, and work well with this solder station?
Does other solder irons(pens) work with the station?
I mainly solder on perf board or PCB's using either solderpaste (sn45pb35bi20) or (Sn63 Pb37) or regular solder (Sn 60% Pb 38% Cu 2%).
I know the WHS40D is 40W compared to the Vellemans 48W, but figured that as in audio equipment, there's "watts" then there's watts.
Any of you guys that have experience with the Weller WHS40D that would like to share your thoughts on it, that would be grately appreciated
As my almost ten year old Velleman digital solder station died on me yesterday, I ordered a new one.
This is the one I had but mine was bought from a Swedish webshop
http://prubuy.hk/velleman-vtssc40nu-48w/sku/SEM34jtsqKdwSe6OMUiSem6e0s/
The tips for it was cheap, very cheap..but very poor quality no matter how careful you are with them.
This time I thought I'd go for a bit higher quality(without completely emptying the wallet), I landed on the Weller WHS40D as that is the only brand I know of amongst the ones I found and also the only one in that pricerange/quality that I could get delivered next week.
Now, I've noticed that there are limited options when it comes to tips for the solder iron.
I did order a 0.4mm longlife tip with the solderstation as the site I got it from didn't say what comes with the solder station.
My question(s):
Does any other tips fit, and work well with this solder station?
Does other solder irons(pens) work with the station?
I mainly solder on perf board or PCB's using either solderpaste (sn45pb35bi20) or (Sn63 Pb37) or regular solder (Sn 60% Pb 38% Cu 2%).
I know the WHS40D is 40W compared to the Vellemans 48W, but figured that as in audio equipment, there's "watts" then there's watts.
Any of you guys that have experience with the Weller WHS40D that would like to share your thoughts on it, that would be grately appreciated
Hi,
Any of you guys that have experience with the Weller WHS40D that would like to share your thoughts on it, that would be greatly appreciated
Cut to the chase - look for Hakko and Hakko compatible soldering irons.
I bought a very cheap digital readout temp controlled soldering iron.
All three temperature sensors broke down after a fairly short life. One tip wore through it's iron coating. The replacement sensor (I bought 4) is still working well after about a year. They are all very different and not interchangable. I was lucky to find a sensor that was interchanable. The tips are also different, I now have about a dozen.
I have never used a Bi solder, no comment. The Eutectic 63/37 should be good for most jobs.
I don't recognise the 60/38/2 solder. I don't think it is Eutectic, it's not on my list.
Better to find a triple Eutectic 62/37/1 silver, or 62/36/2 copper
I only know of one quad Eutectic containing both silver and copper and it's expensive. Those that use it always say it's good, until very recently when the chemistry was changed, unknown to the exclusive retailer!!!! Cardas quality control seems not to exist !!!!
Probably not, but the Hakko tips are about as close to a universal standard as you'll find.
In many people's opinion, Weller has been eclipsed by Hakko.
Ok, I'll look at those tips.
I've ordered the Weller station, and that was as high in price as I could go, about 90-100USD I guess it would be.
The Bi solder is less "thick" I can use finer tips on the syringe I use to apply it.
The other solder paste flows a bit faster it feels like.
The 2% Cu solder I use is made by Fixpoint and is the best (affordable) solder I've used so får.
Weller is changing lately, and I'm not really liking the changes. I use a WES50 and a WES51 at my bench. The WES51 station is now produced by the APEX tool group instead of Weller. I'm not sure if this was a company name change or sale, but my old tips used to last for years. Now I've had a couple die in a week.
paste?
sounds to me you need a hot air re-work soldering tool.
investigate 2in1 SMD Rework Soldering Station 852D+.
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It is on my future wish list.
But for now I manage atleast TSSOP28 with a fine tip.
Solder paste really is like my "third" arm, I can get the solder there while holding the iron in one hand and the part with ESD safe tweezers in the other hand.
Thank you
I don't know what comes with the solder station so I ordered a long life 0.4mm tip as well, and 250grams of Fixpoint solder with 2% Cu
Agreed. I bought a 852D+ clone soldering station and a complete set of tips for both air and contact soldering and it was almost like learning to solder again.
So much so that I also purchased a SMD practice kit, and used it.
Other helpful tools include:
(1) Tweezers - stainless steel that solderering heat doesn' melt and solder doesn't stick to.
(2) Magnifying eyeglasses - at least 5x
(3) Vacuum powered part manipulator
I do have a bunch of ESD safe metal tweezers, Magnifying glasses(like a "cut off welding mask") with two settings, the highest requiring me to be a 2-3inches away to get focus ie overkill.
Also have a manual vacum smd picker/holder.
Now for another question.
I mainly use a "copper wadd/ball" to clean the tip of my iron.
However I found that on the finest tip for the "cheapo" Velleman that tended to wreck it rather soon. Is this just due to the poor quality of those tips or should I use wet sponge for the Weller 0.4mm conical tip when I get the solder station on tuesday or wednesday(I HOPE)?
Another question about the copper wadd thingy.
Any way to clean those? I tend to clean and re-tin my tips after just about every solder joint so they get "full" kind of fast.
Also have a manual vacum smd picker/holder.
Now for another question.
I mainly use a "copper wadd/ball" to clean the tip of my iron.
However I found that on the finest tip for the "cheapo" Velleman that tended to wreck it rather soon. Is this just due to the poor quality of those tips or should I use wet sponge for the Weller 0.4mm conical tip when I get the solder station on tuesday or wednesday(I HOPE)?
Another question about the copper wadd thingy.
Any way to clean those? I tend to clean and re-tin my tips after just about every solder joint so they get "full" kind of fast.
I have used that exclusively until I read that they can cause micro fractures due to the rapid cooling of the tip.
How true that is, I don't know.
I have ordered some "good", read more expensive sponges as well as more of the Cu wadd's.
I haven't tried the steel wadds or any other material apart from Cu as I figured those would be the most soft and thus do less potential damage to tips.
I can't say for sure, but I think if the tip can't withstand rapid cooling, it likely isn't worth using.
My Weller stations came with sponges in the iron stands. Up until my latest "Apex Tool Group" replacement tips, I could keep running them until they finally couldn't be cleaned any more or I dropped the iron and damaged the tip.
My Weller stations came with sponges in the iron stands. Up until my latest "Apex Tool Group" replacement tips, I could keep running them until they finally couldn't be cleaned any more or I dropped the iron and damaged the tip.
As I said, the Velleman tips were very cheap, but that showed in the quality as well.
The ordered Weller solder station comes with a sponge from what I've seen in pics.
Very little information on what's in the box is available on the site I ordered it from.
A good site otherwise, I've ordered parts etc from them many times.
The ordered Weller solder station comes with a sponge from what I've seen in pics.
Very little information on what's in the box is available on the site I ordered it from.
A good site otherwise, I've ordered parts etc from them many times.
Hi,
Personally I have one of this from over 10 years and is working great.
The main advantages is that accept the tips from Weller but reverse is not possible because the Weller tips have a hole for temperature sensor and the Pensol tips do not have.
Curiously is that I like more the original tips (are more cheap too) comparing with the Weller tips (the tips that are compatible) because the tin covers better the tip ad the tip does not oxidize.
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