I succumbed and purchased a new Hakko 951, the old Hakko works fine but I need two soldering stations, one workshop in OH the other NJ.
A bit disappointed upon first setting up so as a repeated error message S-E appeared and the iron wouldn't heat. A quick call to Hakko and their tech support provided the info.
Turns out that the new tips take a while to seat themselves properly. You have to insert and remove the tip a few times and the error is resolved. The tips themselves have protective sleeves so you don't burn your fingers. On the first occasion the tech suggested removing the protective sleeve.
Hakko provides a heat-protective mat for you to twiddle with the tips and get them seated properly. See picture.
None of this is in the instructions which come with the station. I suppose that there are some product liability issues with 750F tips that they don't want to open up.
The soldering station works great! It has a sleep function which saves some watts. The tip gets to temperature in just a few seconds when removed from the holder.
A bit disappointed upon first setting up so as a repeated error message S-E appeared and the iron wouldn't heat. A quick call to Hakko and their tech support provided the info.
Turns out that the new tips take a while to seat themselves properly. You have to insert and remove the tip a few times and the error is resolved. The tips themselves have protective sleeves so you don't burn your fingers. On the first occasion the tech suggested removing the protective sleeve.
Hakko provides a heat-protective mat for you to twiddle with the tips and get them seated properly. See picture.
None of this is in the instructions which come with the station. I suppose that there are some product liability issues with 750F tips that they don't want to open up.
The soldering station works great! It has a sleep function which saves some watts. The tip gets to temperature in just a few seconds when removed from the holder.
Attachments
Hi Jack
So this is an inductive iron but not Curie point controlled like the Metcal?
Did you know any comparable other irons?
I think there's a similar "Quick" brand iron that may even take the same tips, 200 series IIRC.
What does the S-E error mean?
I can't visualise this, where does it sit that still lets you solder?
Best wishes (and no New Jersey joke this time!)
David
Also at least one Hakko, or so it seems...HAKKO | Soldering iron | HAKKO FX-100
The Metcal patent has expired whereas Hakko has a non-curie point patent still in force.
I suspect this explains the disappearance of similar irons from the market, like the Xytronics LF3000, the Quick 20x and an Atten model.
Best wishes
David
Nice. I was thinking about the FX-951 but couldn't drop that much on an iron so I got one of these instead. It's excellent and you can use Hakko tips 
Soldering Iron station Kit,Digital portable Soldering Iron station Temperature Controller 72W With T12 Handle and T12 Tip: Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement
Soldering Iron station Kit,Digital portable Soldering Iron station Temperature Controller 72W With T12 Handle and T12 Tip: Amazon.ca: Tools & Home Improvement
Yep,I really like the Hakko gear myself. I wanted a replacement for my ancient Weller WTCPT,and decided to try the Hakko FX-888D,which was on sale for small money through a large local supplier.For their entry-level model, wow,very impressed! Few years passed now,daily (often for long hours) usage,still using the original tips purchased with the unit too.Shoulda bought one long ago....
The biggest problem with Hakko products are the fakes.And boy,are they ever hard to catch.Of all of the counterfeit items on the market,who would think that the products from one soldering products manufacturer would be so widespread?
The only way to ensure receiving a GENUINE Hakko product is to only buy from an authorized Hakko dealer. You can find these listed on the Hakko website.
The biggest problem with Hakko products are the fakes.And boy,are they ever hard to catch.Of all of the counterfeit items on the market,who would think that the products from one soldering products manufacturer would be so widespread?
The only way to ensure receiving a GENUINE Hakko product is to only buy from an authorized Hakko dealer. You can find these listed on the Hakko website.
Yes, I purchase through an authorized dealer -- there are a lot of rumblings about fakes.
To answer my own question for the record, (and in case I ever need to remind myself).
The Hakko 951 is not an eddy current iron but copies the idea of the JBC.
It has a resistance heater in the tip and uses that resistance wire as part of a thermocouple to measure the temperature.
Quite clever - very closely coupled so minimal delay and excellent control, the JBC irons are well respected for this.
The controller is not inherently expensive to make, so it looks like JBC performance is now possible at clone prices.
David
As far as I know JBC was the first company to embed the heater coil in the tip itself next to a thermosensor, and has used the idea for years.
So I wrote what I did because it seems Hakko uses the same idea but came later.
There was no moral implication whether Hakko were "copycats", if that was the concern of your question.
It's a fine idea, now commonly used even by cheap clones.
I am not sure if a patent has expired or if it's just that people tend to copy each other.
Best wishes
David
"A" JBC patent (may not be "the" patent), showing sensor up inside tip:
EP1086772A2 - Electric soldering iron - Google Patents
A Hakko patent for a "tongs" which also has a sensor in tip:
US6972396B2 - Electric part heating device and electric part handling device - Google Patents
Of course the *Patent* is the "Claims" at the end. Which need interpretation in light of prior art and citations. FWIW, this JBC patent is "elderly", and may have expired *today*??
EP1086772A2 - Electric soldering iron - Google Patents
A Hakko patent for a "tongs" which also has a sensor in tip:
US6972396B2 - Electric part heating device and electric part handling device - Google Patents
Of course the *Patent* is the "Claims" at the end. Which need interpretation in light of prior art and citations. FWIW, this JBC patent is "elderly", and may have expired *today*??
Thanks for that, does seem to be "the" patent for JBC.
I now see what the difference is between the Hakko and the JBC - as mentioned in articles on DIY JBC or Hakko controllers.
This confused me at first too, all the other dates are when a status transition occurred but then the app puts in today's date to tell you what the status is as of now.
Best wishes
David
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Very recently I bought a Hakko clone of a T-12 type iron. Its a KSGER with the best controller board and the "Micro" handle. I love that handle! It's pretty cool because it remembers the calibration constants for all the tip types, but you have to do the temperature correction which is then remembered. Only the tips I have show in the selection list, making it fairly painless to change tips. The only thing I don't have is an iron holder.
I'm super glad to have this station now. I was even able to get it with a 1.5 meter cord. That's perfect for bench use. A 1.25 meter might suit some folks better.
Curie point temperature regulation is what all those Weller stations used to regulate temperature. Those switches were the least reliable design and the #1 reason I dropped Weller from my shop bench gear. The cheaper "Solomon" stations are far more reliable and better performing than the Weller stuff.
So yes, a T-12 type soldering station is a real pleasure to use.
-Chris
I'm super glad to have this station now. I was even able to get it with a 1.5 meter cord. That's perfect for bench use. A 1.25 meter might suit some folks better.
Curie point temperature regulation is what all those Weller stations used to regulate temperature. Those switches were the least reliable design and the #1 reason I dropped Weller from my shop bench gear. The cheaper "Solomon" stations are far more reliable and better performing than the Weller stuff.
So yes, a T-12 type soldering station is a real pleasure to use.
-Chris
The weller irons use a mechanical switch which disconnects the power when the tip hits the magnet’s curie point. The Metcal irons also use curie point, but instead have an inductor made with wire coiled around a magnet. when the magnet hits its curie point the impedance changes and the power dissipation drops.
Advantage of the weller setup is you just put power in at 50Hz or even DC. The base station is just a transformer, so it’s cheap. Alas there’s hysteresis in the setup so the temperature of the tip varies wildly, and then when it oxidises a little bit and sticks on, well then it just burns out.
The Metcal approach needs a HF source to keep the coil small and thus the tips compact, so the base station is a great big 13.5MHz power amp. That’s expensive. The advantage though is that the temperature regulation at the tip is really, really good. Plus the tips are tiny. Because the regulation is good, tips don’t overheat and oxidise, so it’s just way better.
There are cheaper Metcal/Oki irons that run at 430 odd KHz, but their tips are huge in comparison to the 13.5vMHz ones.
Advantage of the weller setup is you just put power in at 50Hz or even DC. The base station is just a transformer, so it’s cheap. Alas there’s hysteresis in the setup so the temperature of the tip varies wildly, and then when it oxidises a little bit and sticks on, well then it just burns out.
The Metcal approach needs a HF source to keep the coil small and thus the tips compact, so the base station is a great big 13.5MHz power amp. That’s expensive. The advantage though is that the temperature regulation at the tip is really, really good. Plus the tips are tiny. Because the regulation is good, tips don’t overheat and oxidise, so it’s just way better.
There are cheaper Metcal/Oki irons that run at 430 odd KHz, but their tips are huge in comparison to the 13.5vMHz ones.
Hi Suzy,
Agreed, but the Metcal tips still have a relatively short lifetime compared to my other irons. I tend to run on the cool side, 300°C or just above for most of my work. I bring out "big ugly" when there are more substantial joints to work on. "Big ugly" is my Solomon soldering station. It's well over twenty years old now. It normally has a big screwdriver tip on it.
-Chris
Agreed, but the Metcal tips still have a relatively short lifetime compared to my other irons. I tend to run on the cool side, 300°C or just above for most of my work. I bring out "big ugly" when there are more substantial joints to work on. "Big ugly" is my Solomon soldering station. It's well over twenty years old now. It normally has a big screwdriver tip on it.
-Chris
Has anyone used both the FX-951 and the Weller WSP80 / WDS81? We have a couple of WSD81 in the workshop, as well as Hakko 936s. The time's come to get another WSD81, but to be honest, I'm not convinced the Wellers are as attractive as they once were (customer support is literally non-existent in the UK, although spares in 24 hours from Farnell is a plus point). The FX-951 could be just the ticket. Have always found Dancap (UK Hakko distro) to be great; they've been taken over by a new firm, whose support we've yet to experience...
If we spent a lot more, the Metcal CV-5210 could be an option. Is the 'connection verification' function really that useful? Is it worth twice the price of the FX-951?
TIA
NB - new iron will have to contend with 2oz copper ground planes. This is an area where the 936 falls down and the WSD81 only just scrapes through...
If we spent a lot more, the Metcal CV-5210 could be an option. Is the 'connection verification' function really that useful? Is it worth twice the price of the FX-951?
TIA
NB - new iron will have to contend with 2oz copper ground planes. This is an area where the 936 falls down and the WSD81 only just scrapes through...
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