Ersa Desoldering-Station

[Alfons]

Here is a brief review of the Ersa vacuum station CU 100. Here in connection with a X-Tool desoldering-Iron and a old Ersa I-Con. The special of the old I-Con is, that at this a variety of tools such as soldering irons from the Ersa Digit2000, X-Tool, Chip tool, Tech tool, etc. can be connected. This was then changed with the newer I-Con1. The old I-Con was then replaced by the I-Con2. Otherwise, the old I-Con is no different from the new I-Con1. Since there already enough pictures of the I-Con1 is set and this has been described here in this forum, I shall confine myself to the vacuum station.

At the Vacuum station, the Ersa X-Tool, a desoldering-Iron, can be connected.

The device is somewhat smaller than the soldering stations I-Con1 / 2. In front of the panel is in each case a connection for vacuum and a compressed air and the power switch.
Upon opening the machine, you see little more than a small pump (a high-Quality Part from EBM-Papst) and a small circuit-board which ensures, that the instrument again goes out after a short time of operation (hef4538 NXP Monostabiler Multivibrator). All is “Made in Germany”. On the circuit- board there is a vacuum switch. Pressing the switch on the X-tool-iron, a valve is opened, vacuum falls, the pump starts and the station draws air. If the switch on the X-Tool is closed, a vacuum is created again and the vacuum switch turns off over a the HEF4538 after a fixed time-period the pump. A simple, small circuit. This works well and also quite reliable. Disadvantage: it is important that the whole system is sealed. A small leak somewhere and the pump would run through or start over again. An electrically operated switch would certainly be less prone to error than this solution. Until now, the station still works reliably.

[Alfons]

And more...

[ciccio]

Interesting.
If I understand well the operation  of this device the pump does not start when you press the button on the handpiece, put pre-existing vacuum is present and eventually reformed. This should work better than standard systems, where vacuum is created when pressing the handpiece button and a negative pressure must slowly form in the tubing from pump to handpiece.
This means you do not need a cable from the handpiece to the pump unit.
Very nice.

[wraper]

Yes, it pumps when the pressure rises. I use it with a vacuum pickup tool too although it has nothing to do with ersa.

[August]

Thank you Alfons. I just bought a defective Desoldering station consisting of the Digital 2000A, CU100 vacuum unit and X-tool. The problem is no or not enough vacuum. Will be nice for me when it comes so I can start to troubleshoot.

To be honest, in the pictures of the Ebay sale the vacuum line was connected to the pressure output instead of the vacuum, so it might be just that and no defect
How can somebody with such equipment make this mistake?

[PlainName]

How can somebody with such equipment make this mistake?

Perhaps it was a deliberate 'mistake' to encourage potential punters to think it's an easy fix 

[August]

How can somebody with such equipment make this mistake?

Perhaps it was a deliberate 'mistake' to encourage potential punters to think it's an easy fix 

Might be, I'm not counting on that to be the only problem but we'll have to see once it gets here. I'll be laughing if it turns out to be the problem though. Anyway, the price was not bad, so worth a try, and worth it in parts.

[August]

Got the desoldering station in the mail today. The digital 2000A must have fallen from a bench or something, because the ABS housing had quite a few cracks and torn off pieces inside. I use an old tip at 200-225C to plastic"weld" the ABS and fixed the housing.
Compressor unit seemed to be working fine, so I worked my way to the X-tool. Fortunately there were some spare parts and by fitting and testing I found a working configuration. The unit was password protected so I could not make any adjustments. I found the password after some time by trial and error. Afterwards I read in the manual how to reset to factory settings ahem.

Anyway, got a working assembly that I just tried out on a couple of dozen through-hole parts. Seems I would need different tips for larger or smaller pins. Nice to have a desoldering assembly now next to my JBC soldering station. I'll keep an eye out for more Ersa parts such as different handpieces.

[natman69]

I've bought an used CU100 unit on eBay. 
It works but I haven't understood how to use the pressure connector!!! 

I have noticed on internet several photos where the manometer is connected to the pressure connector.
In my unit air comes out from the pressure connector so the manometer (I've the original Ersa manometer) remain stable on 0 bar because it has a negative scale and it can measure only negative (vacuum) pressure.

If I connect the manometer to the vacuum connector the unit starts for a few seconds and the stops. I can read -0,8 bar on the manometer that is the rated vacuum pressure of the CU100 unit.

So why people connect the manometer to the pressure connector and what the purpose of this connector?
Is it normal that air comes out from the pressure connector?

 

[wraper]

So why people connect the manometer to the pressure connector

Because they are idiots.

[Alfons]

I've bought an used CU100 unit on eBay. 
It works but I haven't understood how to use the pressure connector!!! 

I have noticed on internet several photos where the manometer is connected to the pressure connector.
In my unit air comes out from the pressure connector so the manometer (I've the original Ersa manometer) remain stable on 0 bar because it has a negative scale and it can measure only negative (vacuum) pressure.

If I connect the manometer to the vacuum connector the unit starts for a few seconds and the stops. I can read -0,8 bar on the manometer that is the rated vacuum pressure of the CU100 unit.

So why people connect the manometer to the pressure connector and what the purpose of this connector?
Is it normal that air comes out from the pressure connector?

 

Well, somewhere must indeed the air that is sucked in. Of course it is normal that air comes out. Make you not mad because of the Manometer.
What I suppose: there are two versions of these stations: one is operated with a built-in pump, then a different, which works with an external compressor. For this you need a pressure gauge. For the normal station with built-in pump it is not required a pressure gauge.

[natman69]

@wraper
Thank you for your clear explanation…   

@Alfons
Ersa X-tool is a very good desoldering tool   

[jasom]

Can be used i-Con 1 with x-tool and cu100a? or with chip tool desolder tweezers? Thank You

[tooki]

Can be used i-Con 1 with x-tool and cu100a? or with chip tool desolder tweezers? Thank You

It depends on the exact model of station and handpiece.

The Chip Tool and X-tool exist in two generations, the original and the new “Vario” versions. The Vario versions work only with the stations that have either V or Vario in their name, e.g. i-Con 1V or i-Con Vario 2. The original Chip Tool and X-tool work on all of the stations except the one whose official name is “i-Con 1”.

The original “i-Con” (no number in its name, order number 0IC1000A) from 2007 works with the original X-tool, Chip tool, and various older handpieces (Power Tool, Micro Tool, etc). In 2008, they canceled the “i-Con” and released a new “i-Con 1” (order number 0IC1100A) that only supports the i-Tool soldering iron. Then they released the i-Con 2V (and later the 1V), which support all the old tools, plus added support for the new “Vario” tools.

See this compatibility matrix from the Ersa catalog. I screenshotted a few years of it, as they added and removed both stations and handpieces from the matrix.

As for the vacuum unit: it has no electrical connection to the station, so will work with any of them that supports the X-tool version (original or Vario) you want to use.

[jasom]

By this matrix I have chip tool and x-tool with 100cu from 2012 and i-con1 which is not compatible. :/

[wraper]

By this matrix I have chip tool and x-tool with 100cu from 2012 and i-con1 which is not compatible. :/

I-CON1 only supports i-Tool soldering iron and nothing else. It's basically a downgraded version that replaced older I-CON. Not to be confused as they are not the same at all.

[jasom]

I bought digital 2000A
So I hope it will works good

[Faranight]

Bah, Ersa has recently revised their i-CON product line, and are now shipping the MK2 versions of their products. The Ersa i-CON1 MK2 soldering station comes with a new i-TOOL MK2, which now supports the series 142 soldering tips. Previously, the i-TOOL MK1 supported the series 102 tips, and the two are NOT interchangeable according to a reseller. Dang, I was just looking to upgrade to a multi-tool version, but I don't want to spend $$$ on new iron tips.

https://ts.kurtzersa.com/electronics-production-equipment/soldering-tools-accessories/soldering-desoldering-stations/produkt-details/i-con-1-2.html

[tooki]

The Mk 2 stations are identical to the Mk 1, just with the front panels painted black instead of silver. The difference is entirely in the i-Tool handpiece. The handpieces are 100% compatible between the old and new versions, so if you have a big collection of series 102 tips, then use an original handpiece. Plenty of places have the old handpiece in stock. Actually, plenty of places still have old stock of the old stations, too.

With that said, the series 142 tips are actually cheaper than series 102, both in absolute numbers, but also because 142 doesn’t require you to buy that silly retaining ferrule separately. The 142 tips have a bayonet attachment instead of screw thread, so easier to use.

[wraper]

Bah, Ersa has recently revised their i-CON product line, and are now shipping the MK2 versions of their products. The Ersa i-CON1 MK2 soldering station comes with a new i-TOOL MK2, which now supports the series 142 soldering tips. Previously, the i-TOOL MK1 supported the series 102 tips, and the two are NOT interchangeable according to a reseller. Dang, I was just looking to upgrade to a multi-tool version, but I don't want to spend $$$ on new iron tips.

https://ts.kurtzersa.com/electronics-production-equipment/soldering-tools-accessories/soldering-desoldering-stations/produkt-details/i-con-1-2.html

ERSA says that i-tool MK2 is backwards compatible to old stations. It looks you could even put MK2 heater into old i-tool if you cut off 4 plastic protrusions, thus making it compatible with 142 tips, old i-tool heater apparently should fit MK2 handle right away.

[Faranight]

Hmm, I was told the tips are not interchangeable between the i-Tools. I have a collection of series 102 tips for i-Tool MK1 that I kind of don't want to replace.
You're saying that i-TOOL MK1 can be used on a MK2 station? Interesting, that may not be that big of a deal then, I was under impression that they were not.

[tooki]

Hmm, I was told the tips are not interchangeable between the i-Tools.

That is correct: i-TOOL MK1 uses series 102 tips, i-TOOL MK2 uses series 142 tips, they mount very differently.

I have a collection of series 102 tips for i-Tool MK1 that I kind of don't want to replace.
You're saying that i-TOOL MK1 can be used on a MK2 station? Interesting, that may not be that big of a deal then, I was under impression that they were not.

I am 99.999% sure that a Mk2 station can use a Mk1 handpiece. If you really want to be sure, ask Ersa itself or one of the major distributors (like Bräunlich), or I can ask the other electronics lab at work if I can borrow one of their Mk1 handpieces to test on my Mk2 station. (On the other hand, Ersa has stated unequivocally that Mk2 handpieces work on Mk1 stations.)

But given that the i-CON 2V station still works with tools older than the original i-TOOL (such as the old Chip Tool tweezers, Micro tool iron, etc), I’d be extremely surprised if it didn’t work with the original i-TOOL.

[tooki]

Bah, Ersa has recently revised their i-CON product line, and are now shipping the MK2 versions of their products. The Ersa i-CON1 MK2 soldering station comes with a new i-TOOL MK2, which now supports the series 142 soldering tips. Previously, the i-TOOL MK1 supported the series 102 tips, and the two are NOT interchangeable according to a reseller. Dang, I was just looking to upgrade to a multi-tool version, but I don't want to spend $$$ on new iron tips.

https://ts.kurtzersa.com/electronics-production-equipment/soldering-tools-accessories/soldering-desoldering-stations/produkt-details/i-con-1-2.html

ERSA says that i-tool MK2 is backwards compatible to old stations. It looks you could even put MK2 heater into old i-tool if you cut off 4 plastic protrusions, thus making it compatible with 142 tips, old i-tool heater apparently should fit MK2 handle right away.

Out of curiosity, where did you find that info?

[wraper]

Bah, Ersa has recently revised their i-CON product line, and are now shipping the MK2 versions of their products. The Ersa i-CON1 MK2 soldering station comes with a new i-TOOL MK2, which now supports the series 142 soldering tips. Previously, the i-TOOL MK1 supported the series 102 tips, and the two are NOT interchangeable according to a reseller. Dang, I was just looking to upgrade to a multi-tool version, but I don't want to spend $$$ on new iron tips.

https://ts.kurtzersa.com/electronics-production-equipment/soldering-tools-accessories/soldering-desoldering-stations/produkt-details/i-con-1-2.html

ERSA says that i-tool MK2 is backwards compatible to old stations. It looks you could even put MK2 heater into old i-tool if you cut off 4 plastic protrusions, thus making it compatible with 142 tips, old i-tool heater apparently should fit MK2 handle right away.

Out of curiosity, where did you find that info?

just a visual observation as connectors look identical. However I looked again and likely you cannot do it as plastic part looks to be of a bit larger diameter, although old heater would probably fit into MK2, albeit loose. However I think you could do the trick with old i-tool pico or old pico heater inserted into MK2.

[tooki]

Hmm, I was told the tips are not interchangeable between the i-Tools. I have a collection of series 102 tips for i-Tool MK1 that I kind of don't want to replace.
You're saying that i-TOOL MK1 can be used on a MK2 station? Interesting, that may not be that big of a deal then, I was under impression that they were not.

I just tested a Mk1 iron on a Mk2 station, and as expected it works perfectly. I don’t even think the station can tell apart the Mk1 and Mk2 irons: both are shown as “i-Tool” on the screen. I don’t think the station itself says Mk2 anywhere in its software.