My soldering iron died today...

[devinplombier]

Out of respect for OP’s dearly departed soldering iron, I propose a moment of silence -may its heating element rest in peace.

Actually, being of a curious nature I performed an autopsy which was rather gruesome

 

[Doodski]

I have a propane torch I use to sweat copper. I think it would work just fine on larger gauge cables and connectors, though I haven't done it yet

Yes, I have used a propane torch for heavy gauge connectors and thick thick copper cables. The copper cable sometimes simply sucks up all the thermal energy and propane is the way to go but it sometimes burns the insulation and causes a messy job and for such stuff like critical duty instrumentation panels that is a no no.

 

[EJ3]

That's because you are hardercore...LoL.
Professionally I used these for stuff where I had no access to main power to run a soldering iron which was often. The butane presented issues due to cold temps sometimes where I was working.

Bernzomatic Utility Torch Kit with 14.1 oz. Propane Gas Cylinder and Adjustable Flame WK2301 - The Home Depot

Visit The Home Depot to buy WK2301 Propane Korch Kit 310769

www.homedepot.com

Bernzomatic 0.17 oz. Self-Lighting Butane Firestarter Mini Torch with High Intense Wind Resistant Flame LTR16 - The Home Depot

The Bernzomatic Firestarter Mini Torch is a versatile and compact tool designed for convenience and reliability. Featuring a high-intensity, wind-resistant flame, this torch is perfect for lighting grills,

www.homedepot.com

Bernzomatic Detail Butane Pen Torch with Soldering Tip ST500 - The Home Depot

The Bernzomatic Detail Pen Torch offers quick and hassle-free ignition at the push of a button to auto-ignite. The adjustable flame control allows for customization of heat output, ensuring precise results

www.homedepot.com

Bernzomatic Butane Detail Torch with Soldering Tip, Trigger Ignition and Flame Lock ST2200T - The Home Depot

BernzOmatic Butane Micro Torch is intended for precision light soldering, poly foam cutting, craft projects, electronic and small household repairs.

www.homedepot.com

I have a propane torch I use to sweat copper. I think it would work just fine on larger gauge cables and connectors, though I haven't done it yet

It does. I used one on ships to do 48 volt battery cables that were on vehicles that were on board the ships.
And the soft rolls of copper are great for fabricating terminals from.

 

[devinplombier]

Apparently there's not much love out there for the Hakko FX951 clones so I'm crossing that off my list. Besides, the real thing can be had for $200 although for that price you don't even get a single tip which is pretty unbelievable

 

[Doodski]

Apparently there's not much love out there for the Hakko FX951 clones so I'm crossing that off my list. Besides, the real thing can be had for $200 although for that price you don't even get a single tip which is pretty unbelievable

I've seen original Hakko tip sets of about 6 tips for $30. Very reasonable.

 

[MCH]

My iron started to make noises after 6 years of DIY use without any prior issue. Yesterday I order an identical one for 4.92 euros from AliExpress. Perfectly fit for purpose. My use case is not yours though.

 

[EJ3]

I've seen original Hakko tip sets of about 6 tips for $30. Very reasonable.

The unit is a bit on the high side but the tips are at a good price & together, they are of better quality than many, is the words that I hear about them (I don't know for sure, as I don't own any, but from what I hear, I should own some).

 

[Doodski]

The unit is a bit on the high side but the tips are at a good price & together, they are of better quality than many, is the words that I hear about them (I don't know for sure, as I don't own any, but from what I hear, I should own some).

I used a Ungar iron for several years it cost me ~$400 Canadian dollars but it had the dual iron wands and thermal control was exceptional and very fast. It was also a isolated iron.

 

[devinplombier]

Looks like the Hakko brand T15 tips the FX951 uses are $17 a piece.

That makes sense since they're active tips with onboard heat element and sensor.

 

[Newman]

My old iron (a generic 60W from Amazon) did fine

Poor little guy probably died of exhaustion!

 

[markstein]

Ersa I-Con

 

[devinplombier]

@markstein why do you recommend the Ersa i-Con?

 

[markstein]

Hi, this is the only one I know Used it in a previous job to hand solder SMD PCBs, and this equipment always worked well and was very reliable. There are lots of accessoires (tips) for any kind of solder job.
At home I am still using an Ersa Analog 60 for soldering my cables.

 

[devinplombier]

All right folks, I ordered a station that wasn't even on my list - a Aixun T3A from Aliexpress, for the princely sum of $102.94 including a T245 handle, 3 tips, and shipping.

I hesitated between it and the less expensive KSGER T12 ($40.97 with 2 tips), but then I found this advice from the manufacturer buried at the bottom of the T12 ad's fine print section:

If you are very strict with temperature, please do not buy this soldering station.

Okay, point taken I guess.

So, all in all, the 200W Aixun T3A seemed an upgrade over the T12 in every possible way. The T3A has also been discussed and dissected ad nauseam in forums like eevblog, and found satisfactory for the most part. The biggest issue is that it is liable to occasionally inject a small voltage when working on grounded PCBs, but I figure I never work on grounded PCBs and that would only be an issue with logic circuits anyway, so I'll keep that in mind and everything should be all right.

It is said to arrive in 2 weeks or so. I look forward to it!

 

[RandomEar]

Just for reference: The issue with the Aixun seems to be that there can be single digit watts of power flowing from the tip at roughly 1-2 V. In addition, if this happens the temperature control of the iron will fail and it can heat in an uncontrolled manner until the tip glows. See this thread on badcaps for details or you can watch this video which discusses the issues.

 

[Sokel]

Just for reference: The issue with the Aixun seems to be that there can be single digit watts of power flowing from the tip at roughly 1-2 V. In addition, if this happens the temperature control of the iron will fail and it can heat in an uncontrolled manner until the tip glows. See this thread on badcaps for details or you can watch this video which discusses the issues.

I guess the promotion picture is a hint

 

[Sokel]

Seriously now,the nicest cheap ones I ever had (single irons,not stations) were all Antex .
A small 30W one (with some generous flux) was enough to even solder 4mm wires to large amp's binding posts in seconds.

 

[devinplombier]

See this thread on badcaps for details or you can watch this video which discusses the issues.

Thanks for the links!

I read the badcaps thread and it covers the same ground as the ones I read yesterday on eevblog. Interestingly, both are driven almost singlehandedly by the same tony359 guy.

I don't doubt tony359 is experiencing the issues he describes at length. Due to the lack of corroboration from the community, however (and the T3A is apparently a very popular unit, so logic dictates that many users would be complaining about the same issues), Occam's razor says tony359 is the unlucky recipient of either a defective unit or a defective handle.

In that case, why can't a guy like him who runs a YouTube repair channel just take the thing apart and diagnose it instead of bitching about it on forums? It's not like a soldering station is a bafflingly advanced device, and besides it would make for a good video.

Maybe he should send it to Mend It Mark to get an expert opinion

 

[Petrushka]

Thanks for the links!

I read the badcaps thread and it covers the same ground as the ones I read yesterday on eevblog. Interestingly, both are driven almost singlehandedly by the same tony359 guy.

I don't doubt tony359 is experiencing the issues he describes at length. Due to the lack of corroboration from the community, however (and the T3A is apparently a very popular unit, so logic dictates that many users would be complaining about the same issues), Occam's razor says tony359 is the unlucky recipient of either a defective unit or a defective handle.

In that case, why can't a guy like him who runs a YouTube repair channel just take the thing apart and diagnose it instead of bitching about it on forums? It's not like a soldering station is a bafflingly advanced device, and besides it would make for a good video.

Maybe he should send it to Mend It Mark to get an expert opinion

I have a low end generic station that I love, but the blower for the heat gun died, so now I have a bulky, but very nice soldering iron.

 

[bachatero]

Why make it so complicated? Just get a Pinecil for cheap and use any USB-C PD power supply and customize it to be exactly how you want.