Recommended soldering iron

[abaxas]

Hi all,

My trusty 20w iron from the 80's simply doesn't cut it for pinball work. So time for an upgrade?

40w or 50w? Any recommendations?

 

[RudeDogg1]

Get a variable digital temp one I got mine from cpc farnel for about £30 I think

 

[Calimori]

I second the variable and just make sure you can change the tip which you usually can. Variable helps you set a temp that you know the tip is at.

 

[Mfresh]

I bought this and it has been perfect for board work and more coarse wires onto tabs stuff:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/60w-professional-lcd-solder-station-with-esd-protection-511927

 

[RudeDogg1]

Think that's the same as mine

 

[Paul]

And mine....

 

[Calimori]

Me too, under a different name though. Mine is called CSI-station 3DLF from Circuit Specialists, INC
So with four votes, get yourself one of those.

 

[abaxas]

With 4 votes, the CSI looks like the one!

 

[RudeDogg1]

Yeah mines a dif name to

 

[mission65]

me too now

 

[RGV]

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but as a newbie to this 'apply-hot-iron-to-soft-metal' lark I was wondering if there's a preferred method of removing the old solder from the board/ component before re-attaching an errant wire/ chip with some fresh?

There appears to be a couple of methods in favour -

Some sort of suction device that sucks the molten solder into a resevoir (e.g. http://www.maplin.co.uk/de-solder-pump-97040)

or alternately, what looks like a copper candle wick, but works with solder instead of wax... (http://www.maplin.co.uk/de-soldering-braid-222591).

Is any of these a way better/ easier method for the soldering novice or are they as good as each other?

Rog

 

[Carl Spiby]

Whatever you prefer, braid imo is better for desoldering smaller stuff.

 

[Calimori]

And I have always used a sucker, it was the way I was misguided as a youth.
However, I will try some of the braid as it might be the best thing since sliced, toasted and buttered bread.

 

[abaxas]

I prefer mix of both.

Check out ebay... should get a reasonable sucker for a couple of quid and the same for some braid.

 

[RudeDogg1]

I use my trusty desoldering station

 

[Lippy427]

I used braid for quite a while and whilst it did work, it was always a faff, so a little while ago a upgraded to one of these

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=SD01384

so much easier, quicker and cleaner.

Cheers
Geoff

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

I always point out this vid when people have soldering questions

 

[Wiredworm]

That desoldering station looks to be great value for money. Tempted to have one of those.

I've always just used a solder sucker which is fine for small solder work. Can't say I fancy the idea of desoldering SM chips using it though.

 

[Calimori]

Hum, a video of similar desoldering station highlights how useful they are.

 

[RudeDogg1]

That's the one I have

 

[RGV]

Thanks for all the speedy replies guys - Think I'll stick to the braid (and maybe a sucker) for the mo as the small amount of soldering I'm hoping to have to do on my machines doesn't quite justify spending twice as much on Geoff's desolder station as I spent on the solder station.

This may change if I get the courage up (and the space) for a project pin in the future of course

Cheers,

Rog

 

[mark9]

I'm also thinking about upgrading to a "proper" solder station. I've always used a cheapo non-variable iron, but I want to improve my board repairing skills.

Has anyone used a 2 in 1 rework soldering/desoldering station? There's a few on ebay for around £70 - £100.

 

[Poibug]

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but as a newbie to this 'apply-hot-iron-to-soft-metal' lark I was wondering if there's a preferred method of removing the old solder from the board/ component before re-attaching an errant wire/ chip with some fresh?

There appears to be a couple of methods in favour -

Some sort of suction device that sucks the molten solder into a resevoir (e.g. De-Solder Pump : De-soldering Tools : Maplin Electronics)

or alternately, what looks like a copper candle wick, but works with solder instead of wax... (De-soldering Braid : De-soldering Tools : Maplin Electronics).

Is any of these a way better/ easier method for the soldering novice or are they as good as each other?

Rog

Use both,like the wick(a good make)for final clean up of a hole

 

[Poibug]

Hum, a video of similar desoldering station highlights how useful they are.

Got one of them,know about 4 or so pinheads with one too

Tho re soldering iron I have a base station old weller iron - prob from 80's.Was given it a few years ago - it was unused and is awesome.****ed all over the controlled vari temp iron I had.Plus this weller has a nice long lead from the base station-a must for any pin job!!!Lead is about 8ft long from base station
similar to this station Weller PU-2D Soldering Station. | eBay

 

[ronsplooter]

The Maplins iron mentioned earlier in this thread is on sale at the moment (down to £40) so I picked one up last week. Obviously not in the same league as some of the stuff mentioned above (like the Weller irons) but a great iron for the price:

60W Professional LCD Solder Station with ESD Protection : Temperature Controlled Irons & Solder Stations : Maplin Electronics

 

[Carl Spiby]

What's ESD protection?

 

[ronsplooter]

What's ESD protection?

Electrostatic Discharge protection, basically protects components that are susceptible to static shock damage (like IC's). No idea how it does it though

 

[Monkeyboypaul]

My soldering iron has been showing it's crappiness of late...

i could get this one for about £55:

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1707821.pdf

What do you reckon; vs. the Maplin's @ £40?

The alternative tips are under £2 each, so i was thinking a precision and chisel tip.

 

[mark9]

I'm on the verge of buying the Maplin iron too, seems popular on here. Going to hold off on the desoldering station for now, will try using braid along with the hand pump I ususally use.