choosing/understanding the right powersuply for the TS100

[Gyro]

So how much does it matter my power brick doesn't have qn earth pin?

It matters a lot for a soldering iron. Power bricks have 'Y rated capacitors' for interference suppression. I bricks with 2 pin mains connectors, leakage currents from these capacitors are returned to the output jack, causing it to float at partial mains voltage (but at very limited current). This is an issue for a soldering iron -these leakage currents will be coupled to the semiconductors you are soldering.

[xavkno]

So how much does it matter my power brick doesn't have qn earth pin?

It matters a lot for a soldering iron. Power bricks have 'Y rated capacitors' for interference suppression. I bricks with 2 pin mains connectors, leakage currents from these capacitors are returned to the output jack, causing it to float at partial mains voltage (but at very limited current). This is an issue for a soldering iron -these leakage currents will be coupled to the semiconductors you are soldering.

Then i will need to search for a better brick ;(

[sixtimesseven]

I use an old 24V 6.5A Laptop charger. Works great.

Cable Wise I would highly recommend this cable type, soft as silk and high temperature resistant (does not melt even with the iron all the way up).

https://www.designacable.com/2-core-high-temperature-silicone-rubber-cable-2x0-25mm-4amp-dc-wiring-black-orange-green.html

[MacMeter]

I bought the Mean Well 24 volt power supply. The TS100 is rated for 24 volts, and I’m not concerned about stressing a relatively inexpensive tool to gets its top rated output of 65 Watts. Works great. Beware, if you buy from Amazon U.S., there is NO power cable included.

[Gyro]

I use an old 24V 6.5A Laptop charger. Works great.

Cable Wise I would highly recommend this cable type, soft as silk and high temperature resistant (does not melt even with the iron all the way up).

https://www.designacable.com/2-core-high-temperature-silicone-rubber-cable-2x0-25mm-4amp-dc-wiring-black-orange-green.html

Note that they also do a 6A 2 x 0.4mm^2 version which is also very flexible and a good diameter match for the high current 5.5x2.5mm jacks. I have 1m lengths of both but prefer the 6A one for the way it flexes more smoothly and balances the iron better (and slightly lower voltage drop). The thinner one is probably better for portable battery use though.

https://www.designacable.com/twin-conductor-silicone-rubber-cable-2x0-4mm-6amp-suitable-for-dc-applications.html

[MacMeter]

almost forgot i just found a store that sells the Mean well for €24.. and they sell lot's of other goodies..
here's the link..
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/gst90a24-p1m/desktop-power-supplies/mean-well/

i was looking at a cheap desoldering solution and was told the aoyue 8800 would not be a good idea because it was hard to get parts for it.
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/sp-1010dr/desoldering-stations/solder-peak/

I bought the Mean Well from Amazon U.S., for about the same price, but it does NOT come with the power cable for some reason, noted in the Amazon customer reviews, but I have those.

[TuxKey]

DC plugs with screw terminals are very handy https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-5-x-2-5mm-Male-DC-Power-Plug-LED-CCTV-Video-Balun-Terminals-Connector-Adapter/290691050016

Also, the new TS-C1 tip is a must for smaller SMD stuff.

What about a USB-C connector on the next revision? 

Thanks for the DC plug with screw in terminals never thought something like that would even exist..
Btw perhaps a good idea to see if   tme.eu sells hardware to help like a spare connector and perhaps a nice silicone wire to mod future power supplies.. The thing is i'm buying my solder and tin from TME.eu because i live in the EU and these guys have good stock and the pricing is even better then amazon or conrad..and shipping is reasonable..

[MacMeter]

Some of the TS100 bundled kits come with the short silicone XT60 to 2.5mm cable to run off a battery pack. I bought it separately here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073BJ3W78/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So I tried using that cable above, with the adapter below to connect it to my 24 volt power supply. While the silicone cable above is short, it worked out fine for me.
BTW: be careful with those barrel connectors with the two screw terminals, the wires get bent and forth and in short time fray the cable right off, and if you try and tin the bare cable, it’s worse. We use those connections for use with LED lighting strips and fixtures designed for film and video production, so I use them a lot.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZYVBLN8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[TuxKey]

@Gyro

You mentioned that : In practice, you will probably want to add a short length of burnproof flexible Silicone cord for comfortable handling.


Sounds good where do i get such a cord? and do i replace the main cord that is attached to the powersuply or ad it on top?
btw i found a different store for a second powersuply if the one @mdijkens is providing doesn't work out for sum reason.

https://www.tme.eu/en/katalog/desktop-power-supplies_113629/#id_category=113629&s_field=artykul&s_order=ASC&visible_params=2%2C32%2C36%2C98%2C317%2C364%2C364%2C622%2C637%2C637%2C2503%2C2706&used_params=364%3A29982%3B637%3A2454%3B

i'm going to buy all my soldering supplies from them

[MacMeter]

@Gyro

You mentioned that : In practice, you will probably want to add a short length of burnproof flexible Silicone cord for comfortable handling.


Sounds good where do i get such a cord? and do i replace the main cord that is attached to the powersuply or ad it on top?
btw i found a different store for a second powersuply if the one @mdijkens is providing doesn't work out for sum reason.

https://www.tme.eu/en/katalog/desktop-power-supplies_113629/#id_category=113629&s_field=artykul&s_order=ASC&visible_params=2%2C32%2C36%2C98%2C317%2C364%2C364%2C622%2C637%2C637%2C2503%2C2706&used_params=364%3A29982%3B637%3A2454%3B

i'm going to buy all my soldering supplies from them

If you don’t want to make your own cable, read my post above yours.

[TuxKey]

for me I got this one for my bench supply project:

https://www.banggood.com/4A-To-6A-24V-Switching-Power-Supply-Board-AC-DC-Power-Module-p-969204.html

You can get a simple 3$ enclosure with some wires and you will be ok! it claims 4-6 amps which is significantly better than your needs so it cannot go wrong.

There is also this one:

https://www.banggood.com/AC-110-240V-Input-To-DC-24V-17A-360W-Switching-Power-Supply-Driver-Board-p-1272112.html

but it is 17 amps which is a total overkill.

i was looking at something like this "Switching Power Supply" when "Louis Rossmann" mentioned it in his TS100 review Followup.
https://youtu.be/71R8OksmpWw?t=1m45s

looks good but then i would need to make my own power cables.. what's the benefit of something like that Mean well "Switching Power Supply" as aposed to a brick TME calls "Desktop Power supplies" ??
https://www.tme.eu/en/katalog/desktop-power-supplies_113629/#id_category=113629&s_field=artykul&s_order=ASC&visible_params=2%2C32%2C36%2C98%2C317%2C364%2C364%2C622%2C637%2C637%2C2503%2C2706&used_params=364%3A29982%3B637%3A2454%3B

would really like to understand this

[TuxKey]

Hi guys could you help me understand with this ??
i’m trying to understand how one would choose a correct power supply for this iron..
or any other thing really...

paulca mentioned that his is running his iron on a 19v 6.5A supply. so more amps than stated in the manual is ok..

So i decided to google it first and see if i understand what’s going on??

my google search query; amps vs voltage power supplies

first result: here mentioned that higher Voltage would be bad.
and lower not always good .. i do understand that that’s not the case with the TS100 it can operate using lower current..
It does answer the Current rating or amps (i did see a youtube clip explaining this)
(need to watch more examples hahah)
So more amps is ok the device wil just use what it needs..so far so good i understand the first part

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/34745/choosing-power-supply-how-to-get-the-voltage-and-current-ratings?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google_rich_qa&utm_campaign=google_rich_qa

i must admit that the last part advanced concepts are a bit harder to understand i need to read it a couple of times..

btw Maco Reps mentions something about an “input Voltage pre regulator” RT7272B.  https://youtu.be/HgrB5P-rDLw?t=8m47s
i still don’t know how this fits with what Paulca mentioned:
quote : I was advised that the full 24V might stress the main mosfet too much and to aim for the 19V laptop supply. end quote.


After reading the Advanced Concepts from the link mentioned earlier i think i’m starting to understand what Marco Reps mentions
about the RT7272B being able to handel an input range between 4.5v to 36v.. that could be for safety and the Ripple mentioned on EESE site??


i have to admit i’m not completely there yet..my current instinct would be to say don’t go over the 24v limit and more watt is ok more amp is ok.. but stay at least above 65w

[TuxKey]

on the TME site the Mean well Enclosed-lrs switching power supplies
are filtered under “built in power supplies..

https://www.tme.eu/en/katalog/built-in-power-supplies_113656/

Have no clue how to filter this all..on Output Voltage 24v DC ?
Gives me 194 options ahaha...

[MacMeter]

Hi guys could you help me understand with this ??
i’m trying to understand how one would choose a correct power supply for this iron..
or any other thing really...

paulca mentioned that his is running his iron on a 19v 6.5A supply. so more amps than stated in the manual is ok..

So i decided to google it first and see if i understand what’s going on??

my google search query; amps vs voltage power supplies

first result: here mentioned that higher Voltage would be bad.
and lower not always good .. i do understand that that’s not the case with the TS100 it can operate using lower current..
It does answer the Current rating or amps (i did see a youtube clip explaining this)
(need to watch more examples hahah)
So more amps is ok the device wil just use what it needs..so far so good i understand the first part

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/34745/choosing-power-supply-how-to-get-the-voltage-and-current-ratings?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=google_rich_qa&utm_campaign=google_rich_qa

i must admit that the last part advanced concepts are a bit harder to understand i need to read it a couple of times..

btw Maco Reps mentions something about an “input Voltage pre regulator” RT7272B.  https://youtu.be/HgrB5P-rDLw?t=8m47s
i still don’t know how this fits with what Paulca mentioned:
quote : I was advised that the full 24V might stress the main mosfet too much and to aim for the 19V laptop supply. end quote.


After reading the Advanced Concepts from the link mentioned earlier i think i’m starting to understand what Marco Reps mentions
about the RT7272B being able to handel an input range between 4.5v to 36v.. that could be for safety and the Ripple mentioned on EESE site??


i have to admit i’m not completely there yet..my current instinct would be to say don’t go over the 24v limit and more watt is ok more amp is ok.. but stay at least above 65w

Have you read this entire thread, only 2 pages? Reason I ask, is most of you new questions have been answered.

This power supply is all you need:

https://www.tme.eu/en/details/gst90a24-p1m/desktop-power-supplies/mean-well/

[TuxKey]

I just found the power supply Louis Rossmann mentions in his review followup..
From the seller i'm going to buy my solder supplies from..

And it's €12 sounds like a bargain..
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/lrs-100-24/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

plus it says mounting "for building in" does that mean i need a case of sum sort ??
And don't leave it on my desk?? i thought that would aid in the cooling

Only question is why did Louis go for an LRS type. it does seem like the type that fits this iron the best..
don't really know that the difference with this model.. besides that the Power is overkill ...154.2W
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/ads-15524/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

[MacMeter]

I’m OUT, I tried. Good luck. 

[paulca]

It's fairly simple.  Buy a 19V laptop supply.  The higher the amp rating the better.  It will work better than any iron you have used before.

[TheAmmoniacal]

I just found the power supply Louis Rossmann mentions in his review followup..
From the seller i'm going to buy my solder supplies from..

And it's €12 sounds like a bargain..
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/lrs-100-24/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

plus it says mounting "for building in" does that mean i need a case of sum sort ??
And don't leave it on my desk?? i thought that would aid in the cooling

Only question is why did Louis go for an LRS type. it does seem like the type that fits this iron the best..
don't really know that the difference with this model.. besides that the Power is overkill ...154.2W
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/ads-15524/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

You seem rater confused.. The TS100 soldering iron takes 12-24V, the input voltage will correspond to the output power you can achieve with the iron. To get the full 65W you need 24V DC. It does not matter where those come from. Typical laptop chargers are 19V and ~2.1 A or above, giving ~40W of power on the iron, more than sufficient for most stuff.

The Mean Well PSU you link has screw terminals for AC mains in and for the 24V DC out (Adjustable from about 21.6 to 26.4V), it's meant to be installed in a cabinet of some sort. But you can just have it on your desk, it's fine. This means you need to make the cable yourself and ideally solder on spade connectors.

Another option is to just get a compatible laptop charger from TME that is compatible https://www.tme.eu/en/details/zsidt24_3.75a-2555/desktop-power-supplies/espe/

[Eka]

Sounds good where do i get such a cord? and do i replace the main cord that is attached to the power supply or ad it on top?

You can do whatever you want. It's your soldering iron and workbench/place, not ours. 

I made an extension cable which I plug a 24VDC brick power supply's plug into. There is also a power switch, and ground lead to plug into my bench's common ground point so I can ground the TS100's tip and turn power off to it. I detailed what I did in my previous post in this thread. My three wire home twisted cable works nicely, but no where near as good as the very thin cable my old Weller IsoTip soldering station had. I also miss the 10.6g pencil thin soldering wand it had. The tip unit for a TS100 weighs 10.1g.

In the future I plan on making 24 VDC and 48 VDC fixed voltage bench power supplies for testing my light sculpture artwork. I plan on adding a couple switched jacks specifically for powering a couple TS100s from the 24VDC one. I'll likely use standard off the shelf 3x5 inch format, medical grade, long life capacitor using, SMPS power supplies bought from a reputable wholesaler like Mouser or DigiKey. I've been burned by to many poorly performing power supplies from low cost suppliers.

[Gyro]

@Gyro

You mentioned that : In practice, you will probably want to add a short length of burnproof flexible Silicone cord for comfortable handling.


Sounds good where do i get such a cord? and do i replace the main cord that is attached to the powersuply or ad it on top?
btw i found a different store for a second powersuply if the one @mdijkens is providing doesn't work out for sum reason.

https://www.tme.eu/en/katalog/desktop-power-supplies_113629/#id_category=113629&s_field=artykul&s_order=ASC&visible_params=2%2C32%2C36%2C98%2C317%2C364%2C364%2C622%2C637%2C637%2C2503%2C2706&used_params=364%3A29982%3B637%3A2454%3B

i'm going to buy all my soldering supplies from them

I bought my cable from this UK listing... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Twin-Core-Silicone-Rubber-Cable-2x0-4mm-Conductors-6amp-DC-Wiring-Cord/152000411964?hash=item2363ee393c:g:eBcAAOSwll1W1cRU

... and plug from here (5.5mm x 2.5mm Fork) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-Power-Plug-Socket-Male-Female-Barrel-Connector-Multiple-Sizes-Available/292033926253?hash=item43fe94146d:m:mUesRQQNWhwM4BtX-0CbALg

[paulca]

I got the same cable.

I cut the laptop supply cable at about 1m and twisted, then soldered the two wires together, heat shrinked each individually, then heat shrinked over the join.

In review of this approach however, the outer heatshrink has pulled back a bit, exposing the inner insulated flexes, which might mean the twisted, then soldered inner conductors have stretched.  So I will need to dissemble the join and inspect/redo.

When I do this, if I take the same approach I would make the join longer, so more inner heat shrink length and much more outer heatshrink length to provide support and protection.

Until I can be bothered, though I think the join is still safe, I'm hoping the laptop supply has output short circuit protection!

An alternative approach would be to use actual connectors, even 2.5mm barrel male/female or XT60s.  The XT60 approach would then allow the silicon cable to be used with a LiPo.  Note the battery has the female (male plug, female conductors).  This means the power supplying end has no exposed pins within the outer shroud.

When I powered mine up from a decent 12.6V high power LiPo it took nearly twice as long to heat up, this would be the effect of the voltage as the LiPo would be more than capable of 100A.

[VEGETA]

Is this iron really worth all that money? for 50$ you could get a nice station. I got Yihua 908D for just 18$ on offer, now it is 25$. Get another tips for 2$ and that would be it.

[BBBbbb]

Is this iron really worth all that money? for 50$ you could get a nice station. I got Yihua 908D for just 18$ on offer, now it is 25$. Get another tips for 2$ and that would be it.

For some strange reason the TS100 is a really fun toy to play with. I like it a lot...
And it seems better than the wast majority of portable ones on offer.

This lengthy thread maybe makes it look like the PSU is an issue, but just use a grounded PS from a laptop. Many of us have some spare ones laying around.

[TuxKey]

I just found the power supply Louis Rossmann mentions in his review followup..
From the seller i'm going to buy my solder supplies from..

And it's €12 sounds like a bargain..
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/lrs-100-24/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

plus it says mounting "for building in" does that mean i need a case of sum sort ??
And don't leave it on my desk?? i thought that would aid in the cooling

Only question is why did Louis go for an LRS type. it does seem like the type that fits this iron the best..
don't really know that the difference with this model.. besides that the Power is overkill ...154.2W
https://www.tme.eu/en/details/ads-15524/built-in-power-supplies/mean-well/

You seem rater confused.. The TS100 soldering iron takes 12-24V, the input voltage will correspond to the output power you can achieve with the iron. To get the full 65W you need 24V DC. It does not matter where those come from. Typical laptop chargers are 19V and ~2.1 A or above, giving ~40W of power on the iron, more than sufficient for most stuff.

The Mean Well PSU you link has screw terminals for AC mains in and for the 24V DC out (Adjustable from about 21.6 to 26.4V), it's meant to be installed in a cabinet of some sort. But you can just have it on your desk, it's fine. This means you need to make the cable yourself and ideally solder on spade connectors.

Another option is to just get a compatible laptop charger from TME that is compatible https://www.tme.eu/en/details/zsidt24_3.75a-2555/desktop-power-supplies/espe/

thanks @TheAmmoniacal i do seem to be lost in the woods on this one. i have downloaded the TS100 manual and read the part you mentioned on page 5 section 3 "Power Adaptor Selection". i guess in my journey to try to understand more i got a bit lost..
The power supply you linked seems to be a good one.. It seems all desktop power supplies have this ferrite core around 7 to 10 cm from the plug..someone did mention i should ideally connect an short flexible cable to my iron something heat resistant..
that would kind of defeat the purpose of buying a power supply with a correct plug..perhaps my first project would be to learn how to mod power cables.. but i feel i need to do much more studying multi meter current and much more..there i go again in to the woods..   

[paulca]

KISS.  Keep it simple stupid.

Buy a grounded (3 pin) laptop supply.  Standard 19V one.  The higher the current the better.  Too much isn't going to hurt anything.  4A-6A is great.

When it arrives and your TS100 arrives, there is a chance it will just plug in and work.  Iteration 1, you have a working soldering iron.  There is a remote chance the laptop supply has a DC connector that won't fit.  So just buy another one and retro fit it.  It's just two wires.  It's not hard, just buy one of those ones with screw terminals if you don't want to splice/solder it.

Then you can refine things with the silicon flexible burn proof lead at your leisure.

Note, the ferrite ring is only to help combat the switch more power supply noise from upsetting the laptop, particularly the audio, which frankly the TS100 will not give a damn about.