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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : I Need New Soldering Iron
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Justplayin Guru  Joined: 31/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 313 |
I spent large part of the weekend trying to assemble two of Grogster's SkinnyMites. Most of the soldering was a breeze, I purchased a hot air solder rework station off of ebay which made soldering most of the components a breeze. The 470 chip was entirely a different matter. I learned two things: First, double check which hex file you are installing. I downloaded a 170 hex file into a 470 by mistake and wasted hours trying to find soldering errors when it was a software issue (pilot error).  Second, I need a new soldering iron if I want to do any SMD soldering. I currently have a cheap Radio Shack 15W iron with a pencil tip, and I can't find any replacement tips for it.
You can't really help me with first item, but maybe you can with the second? Any opinions on a inexpensive soldering iron with a readily available assortment of replacement tips? Thanks, Curtis I am not a Mad Scientist... It makes me happy inventing new ways to take over the world!! |
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kiiid Guru Joined: 11/05/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 671 |
I would strongly recommend ATTEN AT SS-50 http://rittle.org -------------- |
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| viscomjim Guru Joined: 08/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 925 |
THIS is my personal favorite along with the hot air station. |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2794 |
Hi Curtis, I use a standard, low cost, 18W Antex soldering iron for ALL my SMD work. There is no need to splash out on a temperature controlled iron for SMDs; and you certainly don't need the expense of a temperature readout. For SMD work your best friends are 1.5mm solder wick and a refillable flux pen. 
Another thing to make your life easier is to ensure you opt for a 'silicon' mains lead as this keeps you in control of the iron (once you've used an iron with a silicon lead you never go back to a 'cheaper' mains lead). With the Antex irons there is a wide range of tips available. I use a pointed tip (rather than a chisel bit) but this is personal preference. Antex irons are widely available too from all good component suppliers. Hopefully this gives you a sensible choice for what you requested - i.e. an inexpensive iron! WW For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
Phil I need a new iron apart from the one that I use for barbecuing. Can you be more explicit about your one. RS Components AU stock the Antex 18W but they have 4 different ones and they only state that it may be silicone or PVC. Is yours one of these? Bob Antex 18W irons |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9078 |
Yes indeed. Definitely look for one with a silicone lead, as they are very soft and flexible. The irons with PVC leads, the lead itself tends to try to pull the iron out of the back of your hand, and they are difficult to get around corners if you are trying to solder at odd angles to the work-piece. That and with PVC leaded irons, you can never get the bloody kinks out of the cable where it was folded up on itself to squeeze into the packaging.  OK, that last part is more cosmetic then anything, but it still annoys me with just about any PVC cable these days.......Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Justplayin Guru Joined: 31/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 313 |
Will 2mm do? A package of 2mm costs $4.95, but 1.5mm cost $19.95. So I bought the 2mm. Seems to be a ridiculous price difference for half a milometer smaller. As for flux, I bought a bottle of it, the video Grogster sent me says "You can never use enough flux" 
The ATTEN AT SS-50 looks really good, but I can only find one US version of it and that's on eBay from China. The Hakko FX-888D looks nice too, but $110+ seems a little steep for my intermittent soldering needs. At this point, the Antex G 18W looks like a really good candidate at about $32(after shipping). I'll see if anyone else chimes in before I spend any money though. Thanks, Curtis I am not a Mad Scientist... It makes me happy inventing new ways to take over the world!! |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2794 |
Curtis, 2mm is good (although I personally find that any bigger then too much solder can be 'sucked' away when cleaning up). I use a 18W Antex with Silicon lead (manufacturer part No: S4844H8) although anything around/under 25W will be fine. Like Grogster emphasises - go with a Silicon lead - not a PVC one. There are many 'kits' out there too - the only thing you need is a basic stand & sponge - nothing fancy! I looked for the particular iron I use but see that exact one is not available at RS/Element14. There are alternatives - just see what is sensibly priced to 'land' where you are! Worth getting a spare 'tip' if you do lots of soldering work; although that said, my current soldering tip is about to be changed after 11months of regular use. In fact stand and sponge will get swapped too as both need replacing (stand is made of a material that breaks easily if dropped onto a tiled floor). Stand, sponge & tip cost less than £10 to replace. 
WW EDIT: I buy my solder wick on eBay from a UK supplier that brings it in from China. I pay 95p per 1.5m (1.5mm wide) reel. Buy in batches of at least 10 and keeps me going for months. For everything Micromite visit micromite.org Direct Email: whitewizzard@micromite.o |
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| cosmic frog Senior Member  Joined: 09/02/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 278 |
I've got a posh temp controlled one with digital display and a little Antex CS18 with pointy tip and to be honest the Antex gets more use than the expensive one! Dave. |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2294 |
i'm a great fan of the Weller WTCP irons. they are temperature controlled by a magnetic sensor at the back of the bit - Weller call it "magnastat". so there are no controls beyond the power switch on the base unit, and every bit had stamped on the back a "6", "7", or "8" to correspond to 600, 700, or 800 degrees Fahrenheit. you use the "7" series for leaded solder, and "8" for lead-free. the "6" bits are of little use. you can likely pick one up second hand, and the bits last quite well and used to be not too expensive. when doing SMD at work, i used to use two of these irons at once for lifting off components. hint: the base unit is just a 24v transformer, nothing more. so if you see a handle on its own going cheap, grab it. as others have said, flux is the key to success. i use a rosin paste flux from Kester called SP-44. i'm not too sure if it is still in production or not. and a small pot of tip cleaner is also invaluable. cheers, rob :-) |
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| twofingers Guru Joined: 02/06/2014 Location: GermanyPosts: 1139 |
I'm too! 
This is a picture of my nearly 40 years (!) old Weller iron. I'm happy with it and I never had to replace anything. 
BTW why use so many people a flux PEN? I use a small paintbrush and homemade flux (rosin in isopropanol). Michael |
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| Justplayin Guru Joined: 31/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 313 |
Thanks for all the advise. WhiteWizard's advise matched up with what I wanted, inexpensive and a assortment of tips. I ordered a Antex 18W G and a couple of different tips. Hopefully I will received it in a couple of days and test it out by assembling a couple more SkinnyMites.
--Curtis I am not a Mad Scientist... It makes me happy inventing new ways to take over the world!! |
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redrok Senior Member Joined: 15/09/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 209 |
Hi Robert; I too use the Weller WTCP irons. Got 5 of them second hand. I use a high activity liquid flux I use for dip soldering. For normal soldering i use this same flux in a small glass baby food jar. I use a wooden tooth pick, the fancy round type, and dip it in the flux to transfer a drop to the work area. Use 92% isopropal alcohol for thinning when it dries out. BTW, I love the 600F tips, especially with the liquid flux. I have another WTCP iron without a transformer. I put a cigarette plug on it for use in the car. Yes, the iron is only about 10W on 12VDC but it works very well and still limits the temperature. OK, the contacts probably don't like the DC but I have used if once in a while for over 20 years. redrok |
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| yobortsa Newbie  Joined: 12/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 37 |
These soldering stations are fantastic. I've got one I've been using for about four years and a second spare one in a box for when it dies. $AU23.58!  |
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| Justplayin Guru Joined: 31/01/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 313 |
@ yobortsa - Looks good too, but HobbyKing doesn't sell a "Americanized" version. I did however find it listed by a couple of other manufacturer names. I'll keep it in mind in case I want to upgrade in the future. --Curtis I am not a Mad Scientist... It makes me happy inventing new ways to take over the world!! |
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| akashh Senior Member Joined: 19/01/2014 Location: IndiaPosts: 115 |
How do you guys keep your tips clean? I have a fake German soldering iron (bought in sim lim Singapore) which is fully temperature controlled. I bought original pointed tips from Germany and everything works great. However, I need to run it at 400 degrees c because I am using lead free solder and it does not melt easily below that. My tip quickly gets black and I have stopped wiping it on a wet sponge, that seems to make it worse. I leave it tinned and wipe it on a dry sponge when I need it, and of course turn the temp down when I am not actively using it. But I have a small part of one side of the by that is usable, the rest seems to have a corrosion on it that doesn't let the heat transfer and the solder stick. |
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| jimbotron Regular Member  Joined: 27/11/2013 Location: AustraliaPosts: 46 |
I find that the brass wool type of soldering iron tip cleaner is much better than using a wet sponge. It does not suddenly cool the tip and seems to be much better at removing flux residues and sl*g. It also never dries out. |
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| twofingers Guru Joined: 02/06/2014 Location: GermanyPosts: 1139 |
I use a (dry) paper handkerchief for that. Michael |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2870 |
Hi Yobortsa, All, I have two of those units and love them... They work quite well IMHO.. I didnt post about it here, as last time I did that I got `shot down in flames'.. I use it all the time but the pointy tip has been changed for a 1mm chisel tip (available on eBay for a few for a dollar).. As to cleaning I use a damp (not WET) sponge and a clean wad of cleaning tissue.. I need to get one of those gold `steel wool' cleaners but I havent yet used one of those. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2870 |
Hi Justplayin, Yes they do sell an `Americanised' version Solder Station Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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