Recommended Tips for Hakko FX-888

[PsychedelicBreakfast]

Hey everyone,

I'm about to receive my Hakko Fx888 soldering iron. Quite excited!

My iron comes with the T18-B tip. However, from what I've gathered, this tip isn't suitable for surface mount work. I'm specifically interested in drag soldering TQFP components - 0.5mm and 0.8mm pitch.

I think the "well-type" tips are not available for the FX888 (please correct me if i'm wrong). But what other tips can I use to drag solder TQFP parts?

[IanB]

Check the Hakko videos for how to use various tips, including the B shape:

http://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selection/type_b.html

In short you can use various tips for various purposes including SMT; it all comes down to technique.

[KJ6EAD]

Hakko T-18 series tips are shown here but not very well described.

http://www.hakkousa.com/products.asp?CID=192%2C341&offset=0

Plato also makes tips for your iron.

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Plato/Soldering_and_Rework%7CReplacement_Tips%5E_Electrodes_and_Cartridges/

[PsychedelicBreakfast]

Plato also makes tips for your iron.

http://www.all-spec.com/products/Plato/Soldering_and_Rework%7CReplacement_Tips%5E_Electrodes_and_Cartridges/

Thanks for the link. I didn't really find any tip that would fit the FX888. It seems that most of the tips there are for other Hakko irons. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong place?

Most of them are like this.

I really wish some 3rd party made a well-type tip for this iron.

[SiBurning]

You typically use a hoof for drag soldering, though some folks prefer something else. They have them for the 951 line. e.g. T15-BC15. The closest thing for the 888 is a bevel such as the T18-C3 or T18-CF3. You probably want a smaller version of one of those if you can't find a third party hoof tip.

To see better, the hakkousa website has actual pictures of the tips, e.g. http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?PID=4260&Page=1 and http://www.hakkousa.com/AHPDirect/images/T15-BC15.jpg

[IanB]

The Hakko site I linked to above has videos showing perfect soldering of various components using a whole variety of tips. In general the outcome depends more on the skill of the user and less on the choice of tip shape.

When I got my FX-888 I picked up a whole variety of tips in different sizes and shapes (they are very inexpensive after all), and I have tried them out to see for myself how they differ and which ones I prefer. I recommend others do the same. Much will come down to personal preference and individual technique.

[SgtRock]

Dear PB:

--My understanding is that some of the 936 tips will work with the 888 wands. I would not buy any just yet, but if a friend has some you might want to see just what would fit. You can download a Catalog Page of tips for the FX-888 at the below site.

http://www.qsource.com/p-7366-hakko-fx-888-tips-accessories-sheet.aspx

--Lady Ada says the 888 is an upgrade of the 936, and that it has slightly more oomph and heats up faster. She is selling them at her site (below) and should have the tips in very soon, as well.

http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2011/02/11/new-product-genuine-hakko-fx-888-936-upgrade-fx-888/

I know you will get years of service from you new Hakko.

Ampère was the Newton of Electricity.

Best Regards

[KJ6EAD]

Thanks for the link. I didn't really find any tip that would fit the FX888. It seems that most of the tips there are for other Hakko irons.

My understanding is that some of the 936 tips will work with the 888 wands.

I believe the Plato tips that are designated for the Hakko 900M are compatible with the FX-888.

I recommend a bent hook or bent conical as the most basic tip for SMD work (chip components) followed by a couple of sizes of bevel or hoof type for gull wing leads and a knife tip for J leads. A narrow chisel tip can also be handy for tacking and general use.

[PsychedelicBreakfast]

Thanks for all the tips (no pun intended!), guys! I went with two types: bevel and chisel.

Particularly:
Hakko T18-C2
Hakko T18-C08
Hakko T18-CF3
Hakko T18-D16
Hakko T18-D24
Hakko T18-D08

Hakko's site recommends both of these types for drag soldering, so I'll hopefully manage to find the best one out of these.

[nzo]

This 888 is beautifully made and great to use. Smt is no problem. The iron heats almost instantly and it's ready to use within a few seconds. Any of the finer angled tips will handle drag-soldering no problem. Just be generous with your flux pen or flux applicator. Surface tension does the rest.

[KJ6EAD]

For very fine pitches you can supplement surface tension with gravity.

http://youtu.be/wQXhny3R7lk

[ivan747]

This 888 is beautifully made and great to use. Smt is no problem. The iron heats almost instantly and it's ready to use within a few seconds. Any of the finer angled tips will handle drag-soldering no problem. Just be generous with your flux pen or flux applicator. Surface tension does the rest.

I swear this is the script for one of their videos or some sort of marketing material they have!

I have the chisel tip and I don't like it for PTH work because I tend to accidentally heat up adjacent pads and fill them with solder. I haven't tried it with SMD yet because, well, I haven't done a good project in a while!

[nzo]

Ivan747 - you swear wrong mate. This is unadulterated original material!

I do write a mean bit of copy which probably comes from my immersion in the torrid forgettable world of advertising in a long, long ago lifetime

Flux is the secret, plus gravity as KJ6EAD eloquently said.

[samgab]

I just received my new FX-888 today... Wow, very impressed. It's been too long since I soldered with a quality station setup, I'd forgotten how much easier it is. It is so quick to get up to heat, and stays there. I also got a D type tip, a 1.6mm chisel tip, I haven't even bothered trying the standard conical tip, I just put the chisel on and I'll use that for the foreseeable future.
I'm making a home Cree LED lighting setup, so lots of soldering to do...

[SgtRock]

Dear Samgab:

--Please report in on your Cree Lighting project as you proceed. There is a lot of interest in this subject, at this time.

"You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1."
Ernest Rutherford 1871 1937

Best Regards
Clear Ether

[samgab]

@Sgtrock. I'm having success with my LED project so far. It's going really well.
I've received some of the parts and have one prototype running using 5 x XM-L emitters running at 1750mA/16V in Series putting out ~3120 lumens with a power consumption of 28 Watts.
It's pretty impressive IMO. About as much light as a pair of 100W incandescent light bulbs, but at a fraction the power consumption.
I've posted running posts and a discussion about it over at cpf.
Link to it here: http://bit.ly/vMSzgw

[sonicj]

interesting project!

i have a Solarforce L2P with XM-L drop-in and im really impressed with that emitter!
-sj