Hi all,
I’m after soldering station recommendations for component level repair.
I want to learn & do repairs on electronics, like swapping out resistors, microchips on boards etc (like Louis rossman’s videos).
Also for the occasional appliance or accessory, as well as DIY things.
I don’t have a huge budget since I’m a beginner so don’t wanna sink cash in case things don’t work out.
I’m open to all suggestions, comments an input!
Open to buying second hand too :)
Cheers!
I was tossing up one of them but I ended up getting the Pinecil instead. Time will tell how it goes.
They probably both come out of the same factory.
Haha, probably. I just want one for work, and very occassional use. I had the dremel gas one but I find it annoying to remember to fill it and it doesn't last long on the internal supply, and I don't want to be carrying a tank of it around in the tray of the work ute. But I do carry a large power bank for a portable screen.
What's the advantage / disadvantage of those cordless soldering iron? Daughter happened to ask for one for her uni subject next term, and the only soldering iron I've got at home is a dodgy one I bought for uni almost 30 years ago…
Advantage is the freedom to work anywhere without a powerpoint in sight (provided you use a compatible powerbank).
Do note that a Powerbank with a USB-C, PD Fast Charge port is required. For reference, I use a Pinecil and this Kogan powerbank.
Disadvantage is the ease of dropping/ flinging the pencil-sized iron, since many mains-powered irons have a built-in base to hold it while hot and these do not.
I've been using my Pinecil V1 with the Xiaomi ZMI QB823.
You can purchase/make a stand for the Pinecil. Personally I purchased this stand when I ordered my Pinecil.
Everything (minus the power-bank) fits into this case I got from AliExpress
I use mine with an adapter on a 4ah ozito pxc battery so extremely portable for working on cars etc.
They are very light and nimble to handle. Probably not desirable for bigger soldering jobs as they're not exactly ergonomic.
Tips are extremely easy to swap. Temperature control is awesome. Heat up time is almost instant with the right power supply.
There are firmware hacks on some if that's your thing but I haven't tried any.
A jcd 750 from AliExpress works fine. I wrote a better comment but ozbargain deleted it due to having a link and I couldn't be bothered writing it again.
If it ain’t hakko I dnt wanna know about it
But you won't be like Louis Rossman if you are not using exactly what he is, so just buy from his affiliate links :P
Bought a Handskit 9305D end of 2021 for around $190. Tried to repair a faulty LAN on a router with the heat gun, not sure what I was doing wrong different from the YouTube videos I was watching, but it ended up in the bin 15 minutes later. The 8 LAN points wouldn't melt but you could bend the board it was that hot.
I've read reviews/complaints from beginners about this a lot, so there must be a bit of an art to it.
Go down to the tip and practice in old broken TV's and computer boards before you start would be good advice.
Probably should have used braid and the iron. Some of that factory lead free solder has extremely high melting point.
Tried to repair a faulty LAN on a router with the heat gun, not sure what I was doing wrong different from the YouTube videos I was watching, but it ended up in the bin 15 minutes later
Probably shouldn't place your trust in Youtube and a lot of tutorials. First time I've heard of anyone trying to fix a router with a heat gun- I've got a Hakko iron and a heat gun, and only one of those tools is ever going near consumer electronics. The other one is for… stripping paint.
You need flux on the joint or if your solder is rosin core (solder plus flux) add more solder to the joint, then try lifting the joint apart. If that's not the issue the traces might have been big and thick and sucked up all the heat from the joint so the board will be hot but the joint will be cold. Try and use a bigger tip that might help.
Weller soldering station.
I'd just get a pinecil for soldering work. You can use any usb-c laptop charger to power it.
These little portable units will cause you more pain than their worth. The key to soldering is temperature control and thermal condutivity.
The little portable things are too chunky to solder with and don't have the power to keep the tip hot.
I can't link them, but go on aliexpress or ebay and you'll find 1000 black boxes with a soldering iron and maybe a hot air gun for ~$70. They're all basically the same and clones of an old Hakko design that is dead simple and very reliable. The hot air gun is a bit ordinary, but add flux and the iron should get you any passive off.
Otherwise checkout eevblog, either the forum or his videos for suggestions on particular models. Word of warning, don't think what Louis Rossman does is easy, if you're trying to replace a BGA part, you're not going to have a fun time. Start small with capacitor or two and get a feel for it. I recommend getting some boards and parts to practice taking on/off. Also don't forget to get some small handtools (tweezers are mandatory, flush cutters are also a good idea) and consumbles like flux and solder wick to help you.
So stick with my vintage Dick Smith T-2200 solder station?
Nothing wrong with it as long as you can get the right tips
Not only can I find the right size, but they are advertised for that model! Must have been popular.
1980s Analog tech, made in Taiwan. (I think the T2000 was '80s? This version came out in y2k)
All these posts have been really helpful, as I has the same original question to OP. Now that TS101 is supported by IronOS, and with the 17% off on EbayPlus I thought it's a good time to purchase. Thanks everyone.
Aim for $75-80 for the TS101 on eBay. Add a few to your watchlist and soon enough one of the sellers will send an offer. Just checked - I paid $75.19 with a coupon.
Thank you
t12 station from aliexpress such as quecoo t12-955 or ksger v2.1
Personally I've been using the Pinecil Soldering Iron, (v1 which is discontinued now) as it's convenient and powers through a Power Bank.
Everything (minus the power-bank) fits into this case I got from AliExpress
Thank you everyone for this wealth of information! I’ll take my time distilling all these recommendations and seeing what ends up working best for my needs.
Really appreciate all your suggestions!
Google TS101. Thank me later.