[dorkbotsea-blabber] Soldering station

[Wes Cherry]

Another advantage of the OKI irons is you don't have to set the  
temperature higher than necessary to get reserve thermal capacity --  
the temp is set by curie point of the tip (550, 600, 650, 700  
IIRC).    This means that less flux gets burnt off and you get a  
better joint.

-W
On Jun 18, 2008, at 12:09 PM, Wes Cherry wrote:

> 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............................
>> ........................................................................
>
> ........................................................................
> .........dorkbot: people doing strange things with  
> electricity..........
> ..........................http:// 
> dorkbot.org............................
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