Soldering ststion selection.

Hands down, Hakko is great stuff. I don't know anyone who has a bad word about them.
 
I've used weller since '75 and been happy with tip availability and life. A few years ago I needed another station and bought another weller. Non digital but with the KNOB. I really don't care what the temp is but I like to set it to 50% for my normal work and hotter or colder on other jobs. There is a magnet pen thing to adjust the KNOB

Steve
 
I have a Hako 936. Works great. Price was around $100 IIRC. If you are shooting for the lower end, you may try to locate a used Weller. Parts are still available, so you can repair as need, and they tend to be pretty common. I don't recommend the low-end red Weller rig. It uses an open loop temperature control, not great if you want any sort of real temp control. My roommate in college had one. If you plan to solder more than once a year, I would go for something with a little better control.
 
You planning on SMD work, or where anti-stat is a concern?
 
I've had a Hakko 936 for about 16 years. It's done everything in electronics that I've needed. I haven't done any SMD with it, but I would prefer a 30 to 100x microscope for that kind of work.
 
I have done smt work with the 936, but it is painfully slow to do by hand. A much faster way is some solder paste, and a cheap electric skillet. Dab paste on your pads, and place your parts. place board in skillet. Heat till solder turns "dull" hold for a full seconds, the heat till it all goes shiny. Remove the board as quickly as possible without jostling the parts. It works great, and you don't have to worry about placement of parts too much because the solder mask and the surface tension of the molten solder help to center the parts on their pads.

Of course, it only works for one side of a board.
 
Has any one used the SMT tweezers, if doing that type of work? I see the tweezer assembly is available seperately and uses the same 5 pin connector. Could become a station upgrade if it has any value beyong it's neat factor. It would be possible to switch back and forth between SMT and conventional through hole. They could even be hybridized onto the same board if neccessary. Can that be done?
Bob
 
Tony Wells said:
Well, the real option is that I seem to have a surplus of them. I primarily use Weller on the bench, but keep an Ungar on standby. Would you be interested in a gift of one of these Ungar units? They're not new, by any means, but everyone I have tried seemed to work well. I have a few new tips also for them. Maybe a heater or two as well. I understand the attraction of new toys, but sometimes a well proven, broken(not broken down) toy is just what the doctor ordered.
Click to expand...

Yup a good high quality well used tool is the best in my opinion too. I'm a funny bird about tools, I am one of those that tends to spend a tad more to get the tool I want over one that will just do. Too many times down the marginal tool blues road for me. If you would like to send one of your units I would love to have it. LMK what the freight is and I can transfer it back to yoou in paypal or a check too. Also if you will let me know the tip style or sizes I will order up a bunch of different tips to find my comfort level with that part of the equation too. My bench stock continues to grow, slowly but surely. I have been concentrating on connectors, cables and various fittings and hardware type of components this month. Next month I want to really start accumulating CMOS, JFET and varios power and switching components. Believe it or not there is a method to the madness of trying to accumulate this virtual unlimited bench stock. I am at my most creative when I am fumbling. I tend to get myself into a corner and have to figure out a way to get myself out and back on track. The next month I want to explore Op-Amps and inverting/non inverting devices and properly amplifyng the signal to a usable and meaning full level. I was explaining to a member on the brew site, that because of my health issues I will probably choose to not drink much if any of the brew and probably end up giving most of it away. Some of them think I am a nut, but the stuff I am currently doing is way way more interesting than boiling and fermenting a bunch of sugar water. Plus it is helping keep me engaged and exercising my head with something that builds knowledge and makes me problem solve and think in a linear fashion. LMK what you need and I will get all the info for shipping and stuff to ya. Thanks a ton Tony, I kind of figured you got what I was up to from the beginning. It's just continuing to grow and blossom a little quicker than I had originally anticipated.
Bobber
 
DMS said:
I have done smt work with the 936, but it is painfully slow to do by hand. A much faster way is some solder paste, and a cheap electric skillet. Dab paste on your pads, and place your parts. place board in skillet. Heat till solder turns "dull" hold for a full seconds, the heat till it all goes shiny. Remove the board as quickly as possible without jostling the parts. It works great, and you don't have to worry about placement of parts too much because the solder mask and the surface tension of the molten solder help to center the parts on their pads.

Of course, it only works for one side of a board.
Click to expand...

Thats a pretty neat approach to doing boards and soldering in the components. I have been studying Prof Axelsons text on creating boards and all of the different ways of doing that. I got that book about a year ago and it it kind of got moved to the side till I started looking into doing this project. I was trying to do as much old school through hole as I could to enhance my understanding and to cement the info into a usable form in my punkin head. Plus I dont see as well as a young man anymore so THC (through hole components) makes it a bit easier to see the component markings for me and my poor eyesight But the skillet method appears to be a neat little trick fer sure. Thanks!!!!
Bob
 
Bob, I'll go into the warehouse and see what I can find for you. I know I'll never use all of them.
 
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