Need new soldering equipment what do you use?

[andre104623]

I'm in the market for a new soldering station something reasonable and not outlandish. Mega has a very nice hakko soldering station but that brand is out of my price range so I been looking at xtronic does anyone here ever use or own this brand. I have decided that I won't solder a single wire till I get a new work station because what I have now is ridiculous and astonishing what I have created with it but its time to move on up to a professional setup.

Edit: I just checked out Hakko site and there soldering stations are nice but pricey. I saw a basic setup for $80 but it doesn't come with anything just one tip. I was looking at this kit http://www.xtronicusa.com/home/#!/X-TRO ... /p/9898192 has a lot of tips that come with it which I really like but how is the build quality? It's USA made so that means one of two things 1. Its really good or 2. It sucks ass. Not everything made here is good

[meneerbeer]

I have been using an Aoyue 936 for quite some time now. I have done a lot of TQFP 0.5 mm spacing with it. Goes fine, especially with flux.

Imo, you do not need all those tips. I have been using the standard tip that came with my 936 for basically everything.

[andre104623]

I have been using an Aoyue 936 for quite some time now. I have done a lot of TQFP 0.5 mm spacing with it. Goes fine, especially with flux.

Imo, you do not need all those tips. I have been using the standard tip that came with my 936 for basically everything.

Really what tip do you use I always used pointed tips. All other tips are unknown to me

That's a nice station basic and very cheap. Everything I have built/made that needs to be soldered I have used a 15watt radio shack cheap-o soldering iron. That means my IDE-EXI, GCvideo-DVI, MiniGC and a shit ton of modchips all done with a 5 dollar soldering iron except I have used that really expensive solder paste with a heat gun

Edit: after watching a lot of YouTube videos I think I might go with the x-tronic since it was the highest rated soldering station of 2014. But I will sleep on it and tomorrow will make my final decision. I took a pic of my fisher price soldering iron before it gets a proper burial it given me 5 years of mind ripping service and its time to go oh and about 30 soldering tips since there shit.

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[megalomaniac]

the Aoyue 936 and all other X936 models are based off the Hakko 936.
while most of these clones are much better than the lightning rod iron you currently own, they will only be a partial upgrade to what you are currently using...
your current iron is 15w...
the aoyue 936 is 35w...

also to note since the aoyue is only 35w you can deduce a few things...
it will not perform like a 60w hakko936...it will not have the same thermal recovery...it will not have the same build quality either...
for the price of the aoyue clone i would advise you look for a used hakko at almost the same price.





xtronic would be more appropriate to hold the title of hakko 936 clone
both are 60w w/24v
both have same temp range...
hell look at the specs: http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?CID=&PID=1251&Page=2
its all the same....


so you are essentially buying a "new hakko 936" that happens to be a clone.
what i dont like is all the fluff they include...why?
is build quality a lot lower than the hakko? or is it just cheaper to build now?
one thing is for sure, you do not include fluff unless you need to make something look more appealing...
you do not need all those tips...2 at the most...i only use 2 tips 99.9% of the time and specialized tips for the 0.1% (which is rare)
i cannot understand why an extra heating element was included...is this an indication of something? sure it adds value by including it but might it also have an issue to burn up heating elements?
lighted magnifying glass: nothing bad to say about this, its nice to have
those shit quality tweezers are laughable...i tried some like those and felt sick to my stomach with how bad they suck.
take a look at the pic i posted on twitter if you want some real tweezers...


so after you eliminate all this fluffy eye candy and look at the iron what do you have left?
you are paying almost 2x the amount for a "NIB Clone" of the hakko 936 which is usually about 40$ used on ebay...
considering this i would still advise buying a used hakko 936...



but in case you would rather buy something new / unused then take a look at the FX-888D
its a 70w iron and only 5w less than my FX-951so performance "should" be about the same as what i have...
i would have bought one already since im in need of a second station now but tips are not interchangeable between the two...
so i will have to pass on the 888D only for that reason.
but i have considered buying the 888D for one specfic purpose, it has a hot tweezer attachment which in not available for my 951.
those hot tweezers can really come in handy in certain situations and just to have that option available to you will be worth buying one once you refine your skills more and ready to step up.
as for the 888D only being 70w, it will be able to do everything you need.
i have yet to outgrow my 75w 951...im sure the 888D will be the same for you

but its time to move on up to a professional setup.

professional irons are unpractical for most of us...the key is to use something with more power offered in those ratshack lightning rods...
and i do not consider 35w clones to be much of an improvement...
weller has some irons with no specs....WTF??
cant remember the model but its the red iron stations...look up the PDF...
you will not find any useful specs on temp control adjustments...
i would have expected more from weller....

so even going by brand name is useless in this quest to find an iron...
my suggestion is to buy something based on specs, and based on replacement part costs


good luck in your purchase....almost anything will be better than the lightening rod but will you gain a true upgrade in performance?

tip recommendations: 1mm bevel, 4mm chisel
that should be all you will ever need to use...
temp recommendations: 840*F for mostly everything...you will get the hang on it in time...
sometimes you might need 460* or 520* but depends on tip...you will learn this eventually

[andre104623]

Thank you for the insight. This is going to make my decision hard the thing I really liked about the x-tronic that it can use hakko soldering tips which from what I have been reading are the best. It wasn't the flashy stuff they put next to it that drove me to really thinking of buying the x-tronic it was the features and overall cost don't forget about warranty also.

I guess what it come down to for me at least is how easy is it to get replacement parts/tips for whichever soldering station I go with. There is no way in hell I'm buying a China made soldering station from eBay no matter how cheap they are because I want one that will last me years. So I saw a hakko for 80 brand new basic but do you think that's the better option?

Edit: sorry the hakko is 93 dollars here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY ... B00ANZRT4M

[megalomaniac]

its hard to tell which 888D are clones or real..
if you buy from hakkousa.com, then you will know you are getting something real...

as for the xtronics using the same tips as hakko....
that goes to show how much xtronics irons are nothing more than a hakko 936 clone...but are they of the same quality?

your best purchase will be a used hakko 936 for about 40$ to 50$
or setup to to an 888D for 110$


or buy that xtronics (936 clone) and pay more than its worth...

[andre104623]

its hard to tell which 888D are clones or real..
if you buy from hakkousa.com, then you will know you are getting something real...

as for the xtronics using the same tips as hakko....
that goes to show how much xtronics irons are nothing more than a hakko 936 clone...but are they of the same quality?

your best purchase will be a used hakko 936 for about 40$ to 50$
or setup to to an 888D for 110$


or buy that xtronics (936 clone) and pay more than its worth...

Yeah I don't want a clone. I thought the x-tronic was a USA brand name because I have no idea which is good and which is bad. I'm ordering a FX888D tomorrow from a trusted reseller just because its a better deal but I will order some tips from hakkousa. It looks like the 888d comes with a chisel tip so I will order a pointed tip looks like the smallest is 0.2 mm so I'll start with that and see how everything goes.

[meneerbeer]

Ah, I did not know the Aoyue 936 was a clone of the hakko 936. And apparently there are even clones made to look exactly like the hakko 936? I suppose this one is fake?

I use a chisel tip with my Aoyue. Works great for drag soldering for me, although I think bevel would be a bit better for that.

[andre104623]

Hakko FX-888D ordered hopefully it was a good investment. I will hold off on ordered some tips till I get the hakko and have a go with it. I'm completely new to temp control this will be a learning experience. Need some broken PCBs to test with oh and those hot tweezers next month I'm ordering them that is exactly what I need to desolder it's awesome

@mega 850°f! Jesus I don't want to vaporize traces. I'll start at 600 and go from there. What's up with the 951 flux and do you use leaded or unleaded solder. I use 60/40 lead free but I'm thinking of switching to leaded. FYI home depot has the hakko fx888d as well

[megalomaniac]

i think you need to play with lead and lead-free to understand the different melting points and how each type flows onto a component or pad..
the size of the pad also makes a difference and its connectivity....for example any GND pin on the GC DVD port can be a pain...
tip type also plays a factor...1mm tip cannot transfer as much heat as a 4mm tip when both set to the same temp.
a lot of this you will have to learn thru usage...


for what its worth, your quality of soldering displayed on the ide-exi you sent me looks just as bad as my soldering use to look many many years ago....
it will take time to refine your soldering skills but at least having good equipment will set you in the right direction towards improvement...

[andre104623]

i think you need to play with lead and lead-free to understand the different melting points and how each type flows onto a component or pad..
the size of the pad also makes a difference and its connectivity....for example any GND pin on the GC DVD port can be a pain...
tip type also plays a factor...1mm tip cannot transfer as much heat as a 4mm tip when both set to the same temp.
a lot of this you will have to learn thru usage...


for what its worth, your quality of soldering displayed on the ide-exi you sent me looks just as bad as my soldering use to look many many years ago....
it will take time to refine your soldering skills but at least having good equipment will set you in the right direction towards improvement...

I knew the soldering on the ide-exi wasn't up to par but considering the soldering iron I was using I don't think it was that bad. At least I will have a proper setup by next week. So what do you use leaded or unleaded I understand the different melting points but also doesn't lead solder make your tips last longer because of lower tin

[megalomaniac]

I use 60/40 lead free

are you sure about that type you use being lead free??


i mostly use either 62/36/2 or 60/40
i like the first type the best but either work well...

lead-free requires higher powered soldering irons to get to a good melting point.
There is no set temperature because it all depends on the tip size and the heatsinking of the pad / component.
soldering to a GND pad will usually heatsink so a higher temp will be required compared to soldering on non-GND locations...
and one temp with one tip might not work with a different tip at the same temp..
these are all the little things you will have to learn...


dont change up anything you are currently using...
just solder with what you currently have so you have a proper basis of comparison..
then after time make some small changes like type of solder or tip..


i dont want you to get your hopes up with the new iron...
your technique will not instantly improve just because you have a new iron...
this more powerful iron will only allow you to melt solder a lot better...
only time and practice will improve your technique

[andre104623]

I use 60/40 lead free

are you sure about that type you use being lead free??


i mostly use either 62/36/2 or 60/40
i like the first type the best but either work well...

lead-free requires higher powered soldering irons to get to a good melting point.
There is no set temperature because it all depends on the tip size and the heatsinking of the pad / component.
soldering to a GND pad will usually heatsink so a higher temp will be required compared to soldering on non-GND locations...
and one temp with one tip might not work with a different tip at the same temp..
these are all the little things you will have to learn...


dont change up anything you are currently using...
just solder with what you currently have so you have a proper basis of comparison..
then after time make some small changes like type of solder or tip..


i dont want you to get your hopes up with the new iron...
your technique will not instantly improve just because you have a new iron...
this more powerful iron will only allow you to melt solder a lot better...
only time and practice will improve your technique

I know just because of a new iron I'm not going to become a professional. Soldering is a art that took me years to learn and I still need to learn more. I don't know what you do full time but in the line of work I'm in having the right tool for the job is the most important thing. I seen many techs come and go all have those ASE certified certificates they don't mean shit. If anything those certificates means your book smart which in the real work place isn't going to help you at all. I can fix anything that has to do with cars, trucks, even 18 wheelers why because I went to school? Fuck no I just have 11 years experience in the field.

Trial and error is the way I learn and with the new iron I'm going to have to learn how to do everything again with new techniques and temp control. Which is why I stopped over at rat-shack today and bought some breakout boards and a general purpose PCB so I can practice. Also as a bonus I found circular breakouts perfect for making my controls for the portable I'm making and some tact switchs. Which I wanted to ask they had duel tact switchs so they click down twice can I make the slide R/L Digital so I can combine the slides with L/R buttons into just two switch's. That would save some space thanks for any info

I just checked its lead-free 60/40 from rat-shack come to think of it RadioShack doesn't sell leaded solder or at least I never seen it there

[andre104623]

My Hakko FX-888D came in the mail today. Looks very nice blue/yellow isn't my color of choice but it's fine when I get my work area cleaned up I will take a picture. Did some simple soldering just to get a feel with the new iron and wow so nice heats up fast as shit. I'm still waiting for 2 more parts for the shuriken video so finally can do some testing since the user won't sell me one no worries I will just build one myself then make a video. So I will have all 3 cloned component devices tested last on the list is GCvideo-lite 0.9 which I know I'm going to like the most. That project will take me a little long to make because I want that internally installed no more crazy wires jetting out the back of my cube.

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