<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">repost -- my original had an image which made the msg too big for the listserv sw<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>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. <div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>From the OKI catalog:</div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 7px/normal Helvetica; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">SmartHeat®</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">When the temperature of the heater (a copper bar coated with a magnetised iron/nickel alloy)</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">reaches a certain level (its Curie Point), it stops absorbing energy and the temperature becomes</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">constant. Energy from the power supply feeds a steady current to the coil. This creates an electrical</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">field from which the heater absorbs energy, turns it into heat and transfers it to the iron/nickel</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">alloy. When soldering has drawn heat from the heater to the extent that the tip begins to cool, the</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">alloy reacts by taking on more energy in order to reheat the tip. In this way, SmartHeat</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 7px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">®</font></span><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">self-</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">regulates the tip temperature to within ±1.1ºC of a set point regardless of thermal load and</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Times; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">without any need for adjustment.</font><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "> </span></div><div></div><br></div><div><div></div><div><br><div>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.<br><div><br></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><a href="http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/5635-0199/">http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/5635-0199/</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Definitely worth the $30 more than the WESD51</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">features like auto-power off are great for saving tips (leaving the iron on for a long time degrades the tips)</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div>-Wes</div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div>On Jun 18, 2008, at 10:44 AM, <<a href="mailto:alex@alexcphoto.com">alex@alexcphoto.com</a>> <<a href="mailto:alex@alexcphoto.com">alex@alexcphoto.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">Any recommendations on a good soldering station,.. I am thinking variable with digital read out this time,.. <br><br>back story,.. <br><br>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,.. <br><br>At the moment I am considering a drive down to Frys tonight to pick up this bad boy,.. <br><br>Weller WESD51 50W Digital Soldering Station<br><a href="http://shop2.frys.com/product/3598004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG">http://shop2.frys.com/product/3598004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG</a><br><br>like I said I am tiered of the cheep ones that die after a few months. <br><br>But is this over kill?<br><br>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.<br><br>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<br><br>Any recommendations would be appreciated, this inset exactly an item that’s covered by consumer reports =)<br><br>Alex........................................................................<br>.........dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity..........<br>..........................http://dorkbot.org............................<br>........................................................................</blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>