Thread: Soldering irons

I bought one of those ... branded different ... from the reccomendation of the HobbyKing website forum .... I bought 2x delivered for around $35AUD !!!

Then bought 2x sets of tips (of all different shapes) ... maybe 10x different types, for $4 per set off Ebay.

The iron works exceptionally well, and so far they've both done a moderate amount of work without any issues ....

... and for the price, how can you go wrong !!

Originally Posted by Fluids

I bought one of those ... branded different ... from the reccomendation of the HobbyKing website forum .... I bought 2x delivered for around $35AUD !!!

Then bought 2x sets of tips (of all different shapes) ... maybe 10x different types, for $4 per set off Ebay.

The iron works exceptionally well, and so far they've both done a moderate amount of work without any issues ....

... and for the price, how can you go wrong !!

That's what I was figuring. for circuit board work, all you need is it to stay at the right temperature... it's the only work I'd use it for.



the scope will do anything bigger where temperature control doesn't matter. These things have seemingly endless grunt. Sadly NOT cheap though

seeya,
Shane L.

Originally Posted by 123rover50

Just for wire work I use a Scope. Works through a transformer and has a sliding switch for near instant heat. Doesnt anyone else use these anymore?

Didiman

I have one, too, but it gets little use. It travels in the Rangie as I have the model with a long lead and alligator clips for direct connection to a 12v battery.



Dad used to use the 3.3volt transformer with his back in the 50-60s.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Perhaps they're the junk ones, about $70-90 I think, but we've had a really bad run from Weller soldering irons. They have not lasted in the slightest, and almost none of them passed the test for electrical tagging.

My main iron that I bought in 1971 is a Weller TCP-1 temperature controlled unit. It cost me $27 back then - about 2 days pay. I'm still using it. I've replaced a lot of tips and a few heating elements over the years.



I have several others - as one does when one is/was an electronics tech. I also have a soldering gun. I used to see the Yanks used them a lot so I bought a Weller unit back in the 70s or 80s. It is pretty useless.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

I found this thread with the google search at the bottom of the forum ... no doubt I'll never find it again given it's hidden in a sub-forum

Moved to Tool Time - a section that didn't exist when the thread was started.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

That's what I was figuring. for circuit board work, all you need is it to stay at the right temperature... it's the only work I'd use it for.



the scope will do anything bigger where temperature control doesn't matter. These things have seemingly endless grunt. Sadly NOT cheap though

seeya,
Shane L.

That ancient scope sure is interesting. I imagine the current scopes are the identical iron with chinese transformers in a shiny plastic case.

Oh be warned, if you buy one of the low voltage superscope irons pictured, the transformer is sold separately. If you buy just the iron, it will certainly stay pristine and un-used looking, and not be very useful to you

I have never had much luck with even the 80watt cheap'ish irons. They just don't get hot enough. If you try to solder wires together with them, the tip looses to much heat... and you end up melting all the insulation and wiring your trying to solder while waiting for the iron to recover enough to melt the solder. With the superscope. You just pour on the juice, and she'll heat pretty much anything you can hold the iron against within a few seconds See why they aren't much good for circuit board work ... you'd disolve the circuit board due to excessive heat/power quicker than you can blink

seeya
Shane L.

Given my field is electrical, I've got more than a few related tools.

The pictures above of the 2 scope irons, Shane's orange superscope one and Ron's transformer / bakelite one - got em both. Can't kill em. every single part is replaceable individually (or as a set). Cheap, reliable, will get the job done.
There is a miniscope version (I have one which is older than I am) with a lever actuation also. It's f-ing awesome.

the older one (ron's exposed transformer type) is by far the most robust when used with the chisel tip. I mean you can solder sheetmetal guttering with it if you need to, (but I prefer to use an LPG iron for that, and yeah, got a few different ones of those too) It is a seriously hardcore iron. You could solder 00 B&S with it if you had to. There is a metal engraving/etching pen also available which is very similar to the bakelite handle iron, and connects to the same transformer.

But when it comes to fine PCB work, the only really useful solution is a rework station. They are expensive, and there are no two ways about it. You need a rework station, because you need to desolder, rework dry joints and solder SMC's properly without excessive heat.

Sure, you can buy a Jaycar type (I did some years back due to a problem with getting parts for another expensive brand *cough hakko*), but all the reflow side is, is a cheap aquarium pump and a ****weak rheostat element, or rather, old jug element shoved into an abs plastic handle... which won't last with regular use.

So all I want to add to the discussion is simply this:

If you want your tools to last, easily replaceable and not other-worldly cost, then you could do a lot worse for auto electrical work, than a Scope. Temp control is crude, but user controlled in the handle. This makes it exceptional for quick work.

If you need to do detailed reworking of PCB's and SMC's then you will need a much bigger budget for something that will go the distance (i.e. last).

Stuff like Hakko & Goot are not cheap. But they are pretty much the 'cream' of the affordable stuff. Above that, and you're looking at reflow stations made by the industrials like Juki, and I'd argue that purchasing a new Range Rover would be a wiser investment (yes, you heard me) if you're not running 10K boards a week through it.

For auto work, the Orange Superscope with a choice of chisel or pin tips are pretty hard to beat. I have a few irons hooked up to a single transformer, one with a chisel, one with a conical pin and another miniscope with the pin tip filed flat on one side, so it has a flat, which can be used for smaller crimp connectors without having to resort to getting out one of the other irons from the benchtop.

I've spent thousands of dollars on work-related tools, and yet for auto work, the newer orange transformer scope is probably what gets used the most. I do not know why, it's probably mostly because it is fast to heat up, can do a big or small soldering job very quickly, and isn't cumbersome to lug around a vehicle when you need to move it.

For the 0,00 & 000 B&S cable, I actually use a cast iron pot, with 70/30 sticks in it, heated with a blowtorch. use an acid flux, then crimp & dip, cool and heatshrink over the fitting.

Without being brand biased, the older weller stuff I found to be OK, but the temperature control was not very stable (or effective) and the low rating of many of their irons meant extended heat application to areas which is not ideal.

The scope irons with the carbon tip conductor work much better and heat faster (and have about 10x the power) so are ideal for 'quickies'. I wouldn't touch a new weller iron, they are not what they used to be as a brand. even their little portable butane irons are not as good as they were 10 years ago. I'm lucky if one will last me 12 months now. They are expensive junk. sometimes necessary, but expensive junk nonetheless.

For lighter duty work, when you can get the stuff away from a vehicle - i.e. harnesses & doing connectors, soldering crimped fittings like spade connectors etc, then I'd go for a good brand workbench type temperature controlled (digital) iron like a goot or hakko. I'd go for a jaycar one if the budget didn't extend and I really needed one for the job, or did not care about it lasting more than about 12 months.

Unfortunately, I have a tool-purchasing mantra that stems from upbringing, only buy the best if you want it to last, and if you cannot afford it, save. It has been a problem for me, because I have ended up with a 'snobs toolbox' but I've not been let down by any of it, and I have been quite frugal with those purchases. Every single tool has lasted well past the purchase 'value' or any perceived 'premium' that people somehow place on these things.

Conversely, I learned that buying cheap and expecting it to last was a lesson in waste, but buying cheap and only expecting it to last for a single use, and it lasting well beyond that, was a blessing.

With soldering work, it kind of is a tool where to be totally honest, 'you get what you pay for' and while I have plenty of electronic tools that are far more expensive or valuable than the scope (soldering iron, not the oscilloscope), I actually think they are quite literally the cream of the crop when it comes to something that is well made, robust and not expensive for what it actually is, considering how long it will last (yes, it will probably outlast you if it's looked after) and the fact that every single piece can be replaced without huge cost.

I have this unit which i have been using for about 3 years for repairing /modding game consoles.

If you're specifically doing auto electric work on wiring exposed in the engine bay, for example, don't solder. Use crimps. Solder is the worst thing in these environments.


You might think crimps are used in automotive connections due to easy of use. That's not the reason. They are highly stable termination mechanisms. Solder will deteriorate over time and the joint will become unusable. More so with highly aggressive atmospheres.
For electronics, Hakko and Metcal are very good. There is another American brand in the same price range but we use the two mentioned above, and have been for years.
Yes I know, plumbers solder copper pipes. I'm talking stranded wire and much less copper, heat used, etc.