[dorkbotsea-blabber] Soldering station

[Wes Cherry]

repost -- my original had an image which made the msg too big for the  
listserv sw

I love my Oki SP-800.    It uses a material at the tip that changes  
it's magnetic permeability at it's curie point.   This means that you  
get super quick and accurate temperature regulation, like +- 1 deg  
C.   Much better than any sort of temperature feedback mechanism as  
used in other soldering irons.    So when soldering a bigger part  
you'll still keep the temperature within a narrow window with solder  
flowing.

 From the OKI catalog:
SmartHeat®
When the temperature of the heater (a copper bar coated with a  
magnetised iron/nickel alloy)
reaches a certain level (its Curie Point), it stops absorbing energy  
and the temperature becomes
constant. Energy from the power supply feeds a steady current to the  
coil. This creates an electrical
field from which the heater absorbs energy, turns it into heat and  
transfers it to the iron/nickel
alloy. When soldering has drawn heat from the heater to the extent  
that the tip begins to cool, the
alloy reacts by taking on more energy in order to reheat the tip. In  
this way, SmartHeat®self-
regulates the tip temperature to within ±1.1ºC of a set point  
regardless of thermal load and
without any need for adjustment.


You can buy different tips with different geometries and curie points  
for different soldering scenarios.   The hoof tips are excellent for  
soldering SMT parts.  A simple drag across the pins solders one side  
of a multipin SMT device.   Tip changes take seconds.

http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/5635-0199/

Definitely worth the $30 more than the WESD51

features like auto-power off are great for saving tips (leaving the  
iron on for a long time degrades the tips)


-Wes

On Jun 18, 2008, at 10:44 AM, <alex at alexcphoto.com>  
<alex at alexcphoto.com> wrote:

> Any recommendations on a good soldering station,.. I am thinking  
> variable with digital read out this time,..
>
> back story,..
>
> Iv gone through 4 soldering irons in the last 6 months,.. (I solder  
> allot) I am tiered of cheep ones that die quickly, or have  
> replacement tips/parts that are hard to find,..
>
> At the moment I am considering a drive down to Frys tonight to pick  
> up this bad boy,..
>
> Weller WESD51 50W Digital Soldering Station
> http://shop2.frys.com/product/3598004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
>
> like I said I am tiered of the cheep ones that die after a few months.
>
> But is this over kill?
>
> What about "Aoyue" iv never heard of them and I am worried ill not  
> find the tips locally,.. but this one looks interesting on a price  
> point side.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1213555205&sr=8-2
>
> Any recommendations would be appreciated, this inset exactly an item  
> that’s covered by consumer reports =)
>
> Alex 
> ........................................................................
> .........dorkbot: people doing strange things with  
> electricity..........
> ..........................http:// 
> dorkbot.org............................
> ........................................................................

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