Hi And thanks for reading.
I am forever having to buy new soldering irons. The ones i buy last about 2-3 months then breakdown.
I use a soldering iron for about 2 hours a day everyday, they can't seem to handle the workload. Everyone else i know has irons that have lasted for many years.
My latest is a weller 40 watt which cost me 60 quid and lasted 2 months.
What can i do, which soldering iron can i buy that can handle the work load.
Thanks
I am forever having to buy new soldering irons. The ones i buy last about 2-3 months then breakdown.
I use a soldering iron for about 2 hours a day everyday, they can't seem to handle the workload. Everyone else i know has irons that have lasted for many years.
My latest is a weller 40 watt which cost me 60 quid and lasted 2 months.
What can i do, which soldering iron can i buy that can handle the work load.
Thanks
What exactly is breaking with them?
It is not normal for an iron to last 2-3 months... even cheap irons should last much longer.
Are you looking after the tip and keeping it tinned and clean?
It is not normal for an iron to last 2-3 months... even cheap irons should last much longer.
Are you looking after the tip and keeping it tinned and clean?
Yes, all of that. unfortuantly i don't know the exact problem, they just keep biting the dust. Maybe they don't like being used for 2 hours a day.
I'm looking at the industrial ones on cpc, which cost over 100 quid, thought i would ask here first as i'm obviously doing something wrong.
Thanks
I'm looking at the industrial ones on cpc, which cost over 100 quid, thought i would ask here first as i'm obviously doing something wrong.
Thanks
My main iron is a Miniware TS100. I use it with my bench power supply, and it has been rock solid since I got it over 2 years ago.
I am not using it for 2 hours every day, but it definitely gets a good amount of use - at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Are you saying yours just stop working altogether? You either have rotten luck, or you are doing something very wrong... which is hard to believe for someone who uses an iron for 2 hours a day every day. Just get a nice Hakko if you're using your iron so often.
I am not using it for 2 hours every day, but it definitely gets a good amount of use - at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Are you saying yours just stop working altogether? You either have rotten luck, or you are doing something very wrong... which is hard to believe for someone who uses an iron for 2 hours a day every day. Just get a nice Hakko if you're using your iron so often.
Thanks! You think that a soldering station is more " robust " than a industrial type soldering iron.
Do you think buying a 100 watt soldering iron, then using it at 40 watts or so, would help with longevity
Do you think buying a 100 watt soldering iron, then using it at 40 watts or so, would help with longevity
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Well I wouldn't say more robust necessarily. Can you link an example of an "industrial type" soldering iron?
What kind of projects are you working on day-to-day that requires a soldering iron for 2 hours?
What kind of projects are you working on day-to-day that requires a soldering iron for 2 hours?
My latest project was building my own amplifier, i also do repairs, mod equipment. Last week I actually forgot i had the iron plugged in and left it running all night.
The industrial soldering iron i am looking at says in the description " Designed to meet the demands of continuous production use "
https://cpc.farnell.com/weller/w201/soldering-iron-200w-240v-uk/dp/SD02246
Unfortuantly it has a chisel tip, i need a finer tip.
The industrial soldering iron i am looking at says in the description " Designed to meet the demands of continuous production use "
https://cpc.farnell.com/weller/w201/soldering-iron-200w-240v-uk/dp/SD02246
Unfortuantly it has a chisel tip, i need a finer tip.
OK yeah, I feel that you should invest in a station based on what you do. I don't even know what the main use case is for those type of irons that plug directly into the mains, but I can tell you now that what you're doing calls for a good soldering station. I reckon you could get a good condition Hakko FX-888D station for around 100 GBP if you're willing to buy used or wait for a bargain.
Hi, I have several Weller soldering stations with temperature control which worked for years witout any defect. Of course these were expensive and I bought second hand. When starting at my workbench I turn it on and leave it until finished work. Due to the temp control no overheating happens and there is enough power fo even copper plates. When dealing with pc boards having fine copper traces a less powered iron with a fine tip station is recommended. On my station I can use different irons with my Weller WSD 161. Also the Weller EC2002 with less power is very good for me. There are other good brands available nowadays.
look at https://www.youtube.com/c/Sdgelectronics he has lots of videos on various soldering stations.
Get one of the JBC clones with direct heating elements cartridges.
Hakko FX-888D is old technology. Good but there are much better irons these days. I have a Weller with the same old technology, that's why I upgraded.
Hakko Soldering Station, FX951-66 and buy some heating cartridges is much better than FX-888D but twice the price, worth it IMO.
Guys like Louis Rossmann who works fixing Apple motherboards on YouTube use the Hakko FX951-66 daily with excellent durability and results.
Regards
Get one of the JBC clones with direct heating elements cartridges.
Hakko FX-888D is old technology. Good but there are much better irons these days. I have a Weller with the same old technology, that's why I upgraded.
Hakko Soldering Station, FX951-66 and buy some heating cartridges is much better than FX-888D but twice the price, worth it IMO.
Guys like Louis Rossmann who works fixing Apple motherboards on YouTube use the Hakko FX951-66 daily with excellent durability and results.
Regards
It all depends on what soldering is done. SMD, desoldering, flexcircuit, ultrafine trays, etc.
Myself I work mainly on vintage gear where size is not a big criteria. Therefore I use the Weller standard solder stations.
Myself I work mainly on vintage gear where size is not a big criteria. Therefore I use the Weller standard solder stations.
And you do not need a 200W iron for electronics soldering. Try somthing about 40W.
Any merit in buying a big 200 watt iron, and then turning the tempertaure down to approximatly 40 watts, perhaps the 200 watt irons are manufactured to be more robust to handle the higher wattage, so running it at a cool 40 watts may help to extend the life expectancy. Or is this all wrong.
My main iron is a Weller WTCP that was made in the early 80’s. Works great, completely bulletproof. Bummer to hear the newer ones are not the same quality.
My Ungars from the 1960s and 1970s don't quit. (The older one was cork-wrap and I had to re-glue that around 1999.)
You are not being clear "breakdown... biting the dust." Do parts get loose? Or fall out? Tip erosion down to the bone? Runaway temperature? Are you storing them with the pool supplies?
And Weller must have several "40W". What is the actual model? Is it maybe overprice junk? (Yes, Weller sells junk, if that's what the market wants.)
You are not being clear "breakdown... biting the dust." Do parts get loose? Or fall out? Tip erosion down to the bone? Runaway temperature? Are you storing them with the pool supplies?
And Weller must have several "40W". What is the actual model? Is it maybe overprice junk? (Yes, Weller sells junk, if that's what the market wants.)
I guess if seriusly thinking about some inverison ur workload justifies, i would get to something that can get some smd-smt job done.
I never used any soldering iron that much, nor i know of any, do you know whats happening to your sodlering irons?
I never used any soldering iron that much, nor i know of any, do you know whats happening to your sodlering irons?
PACE ADS200 ? Marco Reps seems to think it's pretty decent. Interchangeable tips for different work, no overshoot on temps etc. I had a look GBP400 so not sure what that is in local currency for you but it's pretty expensive but there's over engineered simple electronics, a full metal case (noise) and a full metal iron stand (doesn't fall over easily). Only down side is the ~GBP13-20 per tip as it has the sensing and I think heating in the tip - instant change though as you can simply twist and pull, push and twist with the new one to change the tip. Heating in the tip seemed pretty efficient too.