[dorkbotsea-blabber] Soldering station

Wed Jun 18 18:33:21 EDT 2008

I did exactly what you did in a moment of frustration. Fry's at that.
I can't believe I denied myself that pleasure since the 4th grade (when I
started soldering some 26 years ago).

Any Weller they sell there will make you a happy man.

--c

On Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 2:24 PM, <alex at alexcphoto.com> wrote:

> hmm,... that one looks very, very tempting,.. but I am kind of in the "go
> get it tonight, have the tips available locally" mind set,.. if I did more
> SMT id probably re consider,.. but so far iv been able to avoid SMT for the
> most part,.. still finding most everything available in TH,.. I am sure that
> will change over time,.. but probably not the next 5 years,.. I think the
> temp control on the Weller will be good enough for me,.. and what I was
> really looking for was a station that would hold up to heavy use and last a
> few years,.. And I think the Weller will do that, and then some. its a bit
> more than I wanted to spend,.. but I think I do enough soldering to warrant
> it,.. but not much more.
>
>
>
> Regardless its going to be a substantial upgrade to what I have been using
> successfully (other than life span).
>
> Thanks all,.. =)
>
> Alex
>
> --- wesc at technosis.com wrote:
>
> From: Wes Cherry <wesc at technosis.com>
> To: A discussion list for dorkbot-sea <dorkbotsea-blabber at dorkbot.org>
> Subject: Re: [dorkbotsea-blabber] Soldering station
> Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:09:11 -0700
>
>
> 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(R)
> 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(R)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............................
> ........................................................................
>
> ........................................................................
> .........dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity..........
> ..........................http://dorkbot.org............................
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