Pace ADS200 soldering station

[xtech]

Can I use MT-100 MiniTweez with ADS200? This was mentioned in this thread but I've never seen any confirmation on Pace homepage.

Second question: are there any tips included in the 8007-0580?

[PACE-Worldwide]

Can I use MT-100 MiniTweez with ADS200? This was mentioned in this thread but I've never seen any confirmation on Pace homepage.

Unfortunately not. The MT-100 MiniTweez is only compatible with "IntellHeat" powered PACE handpieces, meaning it has a different connector and runs on older PACE stations (ST 30, ST 50, ST 70, ST 100, MBT 301, MBT 350). The ADS200 uses "AccuDrive" temperature control, which uses a different connector. Also, while IntelliHeat powered tip-heater cartridges look almost identical to AccuDrive Tips, they both run on completely different voltages. Thus, if you plug an IntelliHeat Tip Cartridge into an AccuDrive TD-200 Handpiece, the IntelliHeat cartridge will work for a time ... then burn out within hours. We had to completely redesign the internal structure of ADS Tip Cartridges to achieve the higher wattage of AccuDrive Tips (80 versus 120 Watts).

On the positive side, we have a completely redesigned/much improved AccuDrive version of the MT-100 MiniTweez handpiece in development that will be available in late Jan ... Can't give you details yet but the prototype looks awesome! 

Second question: are there any tips included in the 8007-0580?

At the present time, none of our ADS200 configurations come with tips. Since the ADS200 is very price sensitive, we did not want to add an extra $11 (£9/€11) to the list price. In the next few months, we are planning to introduce a version of the ADS200 that comes with 3 tips.

Hope this answers your questions.

Aaron

[Dhekhanur]

I know there is the option to add the self-made ISB later to the stand but is an "upgrade kit" or spare part(s) available to convert a standard stand to an ISB model by pace as a spare stand would be useless for me? Whether due to lack of interest, no demand or something else I seem to be able to get a non-ISB model very quickly but ISB model would have to be ordered from the states (230V).
thanks for your time

[PACE-Worldwide]

I know there is the option to add the self-made ISB later to the stand but is an "upgrade kit" or spare part(s) available to convert a standard stand to an ISB model by pace as a spare stand would be useless for me? Whether due to lack of interest, no demand or something else I seem to be able to get a non-ISB model very quickly but ISB model would have to be ordered from the states (230V).
thanks for your time

Hi Dhekhanur,

While we were late in producing the ISB version of the ADS200, it has been readily available since the end of June. So this is likely a decision made on the part of our authorized distributor in Finland (Prodi Oy, if that is the distributor you are using). They simply stocked up on the non-ISB model rather than buy the ISB version, which seems to be gaining some popularity. I will contact our UK office, to discuss with the European Regional Sales Manager and get back to you.

Aaron

[PACE-Worldwide]

I know there is the option to add the self-made ISB later to the stand but is an "upgrade kit" or spare part(s) available to convert a standard stand to an ISB model by pace as a spare stand would be useless for me? Whether due to lack of interest, no demand or something else I seem to be able to get a non-ISB model very quickly but ISB model would have to be ordered from the states (230V).
thanks for your time

Hi Dhekhanur,

While we were late in producing the ISB version of the ADS200, it has been readily available since the end of June. So this is likely a decision made on the part of our authorized distributor in Finland (Prodi Oy, if that is the distributor you are using). They simply stocked up on the non-ISB model rather than buy the ISB version, which seems to be gaining some popularity. I will contact our UK office, to discuss with the European Regional Sales Manager and get back to you.

Aaron

I contacted the PACE UK Office, and The ADS200 with ISB Tool Stand (230VAC) PN 8007-0581 is available direct from our paceworldwide.com website (definitely in stock) or via Farnell (sales@farnell.co.uk). If you buy direct from PACE, you will have to register by going to any product page and pushing the blue button on the right that says "Login/Register here ...".

If you have any questions please contact the PACE Europe LTD offices at

PACE Europe, LTD
11 Holdom Avenue
Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
MK1 1QU, United Kingdom
+44 1908 277666
dwinship@paceworldwide.com

Hope this helps,

Aaron

[labjr]

Any reason Pace doesn't make the ISB switch/cable assembly available as an upgrade or replacement part?

[PACE-Worldwide]

Any reason Pace doesn't make the ISB switch/cable assembly available as an upgrade or replacement part?

Yes, we do. The Instant SetBack (ISB) Tip & Tool Stand for TD-200 (and TD-100A) PN 6019-0089-P1 is compatible with any PACE station that has an ISB connector on the back panel of the power supply (ST 30, ST50, ST 70, ST 100, MBT 301, MBT 350 and ADS200):

www.paceworldwide.com/products/accessories/instant-setback-tip-and-tool-stand-for-td200-and-TD100A

Aaron

[labjr]

Yes, we do. The Instant SetBack (ISB) Tip & Tool Stand for TD-200 (and TD-100A) PN 6019-0089-P1 is compatible with any PACE station that has an ISB connector on the back panel of the power supply (ST 30, ST50, ST 70, ST 100, MBT 301, MBT 350 and ADS200):

www.paceworldwide.com/products/accessories/instant-setback-tip-and-tool-stand-for-td200-and-TD100A

Aaron

I meant just the switch and cable assembly.

[PACE-Worldwide]

Yes, we do. The Instant SetBack (ISB) Tip & Tool Stand for TD-200 (and TD-100A) PN 6019-0089-P1 is compatible with any PACE station that has an ISB connector on the back panel of the power supply (ST 30, ST50, ST 70, ST 100, MBT 301, MBT 350 and ADS200):

www.paceworldwide.com/products/accessories/instant-setback-tip-and-tool-stand-for-td200-and-TD100A

Aaron

I meant just the switch and cable assembly.

Oh sorry. No, we don't make that available although there were some discussions of making one available.

Aaron

[dkggpeters]

On the positive side, we have a completely redesigned/much improved AccuDrive version of the MT-100 MiniTweez handpiece in development that will be available in late Jan ... Can't give you details yet but the prototype looks awesome! 

Hopefully this does not continue getting pushed out.  Was hoping for Oct/Nov, but Jan will do.

What is the current firmware version?  And is a new one going to be issued soon?  I just received a unit and waiting to see if I should request new firmware now or just wait a bit.

[PACE-Worldwide]

On the positive side, we have a completely redesigned/much improved AccuDrive version of the MT-100 MiniTweez handpiece in development that will be available in late Jan ... Can't give you details yet but the prototype looks awesome! 

What is the current firmware version?  And is a new one going to be issued soon?  I just received a unit and waiting to see if I should request new firmware now or just wait a bit.

We are about to announce a Firmware Rev "1-4" later on in the week. At that time, I will give instructions as to how any PACE customers on EEVBlog with Rev 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 can obtain a free upgrade.

Aaron

[Dhekhanur]

Hi Aaron,
Thanks for the quick reply. I am sorry to hear that there is no official way to convert a standard TD-100A/TD-200 stand to an ISB model (I do not count purchasing the isb stand a conversion as what i meant was indeed cable and pcb/switch only). I expected this to be the case but nevertheless it never hurts to ask.

At the time I checked the ISB version of the ADS200 was not stocked by Farnell however it seems it now is so thanks for that.

Lastly is there a sheet or list of all consumeables compiled for the ADS200 specifically even if the customer may not treat it as such. The O-rings come to mind. In this case. (in contrast to the obvious sponge and brass wool.

Added later: While you may or may not be able to confirm this is a SX-100 analogue planned for the accudrive equivalent of the st-115 or st-75 or whatever

[PACE-Worldwide]

Lastly is there a sheet or list of all consumeables compiled for the ADS200 specifically even if the customer may not treat it as such. The O-rings come to mind. In this case. (in contrast to the obvious sponge and brass wool.

Added later: While you may or may not be able to confirm this is a SX-100 analogue planned for the accudrive equivalent of the st-115 or st-75 or whatever

Please see the attached ADS200 Price Lists (see below) including current list pricing for all 4 currencies we sell into including US$, £, € and what we call "Export" pricing which is US$ pricing in Asia (this includes Australia & New Zealand). The TD-200 O-Ring PN 1213-0090-P5 (pkg of 5 each) is not on any of the lists but has list pricing of US$3.57/£2.84/€3.50 and "Export" pricing of US$3.80 per pack of 5:

www.paceworldwide.com/products/spare-parts/td200-td100a-and-td100-replacement-o-rings

Concerning the SX-100, there will likely be an analog created for our upcoming new rework station that will replace the MBT 350, but this is "on the drawing board" and whether an AccuDrive version is designed will not be decided upon until 2nd quarter, next year.

Aaron

[Dhekhanur]

Thank you for the quick reply. It is exciting to hear you guys working on a successor to the MBT-350 even if I myself as a hobbyist will never have a use case for it.

First of all please give yourself a pat on the back as your contributions in this thread in particular has conviced me that when I need a soldering station the Pace ADS200 will be the leading candidate in my mind.

Secondly thanks for reposting the price sheets of tips and stations but maybe I confused spare parts with consumables as those are what I was expecting. Maybe it might be worth it to make a list or speadsheet or whatever to list all currently compatible spare parts for the ads200 not neccessarily with prices just the title and product number would help a lot as the spare parts section of the website well let's say it could be improved upon

[PACE-Worldwide]

Thank you for the quick reply. It is exciting to hear you guys working on a successor to the MBT-350 even if I myself as a hobbyist will never have a use case for it.

First of all please give yourself a pat on the back as your contributions in this thread in particular has conviced me that when I need a soldering station the Pace ADS200 will be the leading candidate in my mind.

Secondly thanks for reposting the price sheets of tips and stations but maybe I confused spare parts with consumables as those are what I was expecting. Maybe it might be worth it to make a list or speadsheet or whatever to list all currently compatible spare parts for the ads200 not neccessarily with prices just the title and product number would help a lot as the spare parts section of the website well let's say it could be improved upon

We're working on a brand spanking new website that is due to be launched in January to improve upon the rather inadequate spare parts situation on our site. Right now our website is built on a very old platform called Drupal, which is extremely outdated and the site is extremely difficult to modify. But we hear you and will strive to make it better ... Thanks for the comments!

Aaron

[Dhekhanur]

Thanks, that's the best news ever.

If you are taking requests for the new site here I have a suggestion for you to think about: While I'm not your target demographic as a hobbyist please consider contrasting the different handpieces on the new site as currently I have no idea what they excel at, are merely good at and for which you should consider this other handpiece. The different tweezers and hot air pencils spring to mind.

[dkggpeters]

We are about to announce a Firmware Rev "1-4" later on in the week. At that time, I will give instructions as to how any PACE customers on EEVBlog with Rev 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 can obtain a free upgrade.

Aaron

Any status on the update?

[PACE-Worldwide]

We are about to announce a Firmware Rev "1-4" later on in the week. At that time, I will give instructions as to how any PACE customers on EEVBlog with Rev 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3 can obtain a free upgrade.

Aaron

Any status on the update?

I'll have something for you later on today.

Aaron

[PACE-Worldwide]

ADS200 Firmware Update Rev 1-4 now available

Finally, I’m getting ready to send out a new “1-4” ADS200 firmware PLCC-44 chip. If you would like to try it out, free of charge, please send me a message with a good shipping address and email. Also mention if you need a Chip Puller to remove the PLCC, as I will provide that too. See the attached ADS200-chip-change.pdf file I have attached below for installation instructions. It's pretty straight forward.

The differences between Rev 1-3 (only sent to a few beta testers) and Rev 1-4 are minimal but the differences between Rev 1-1 or 1-2 are significant. The new firmware takes care of several nagging issues reported in EEVBlog:

• The wacky display screen antics during initial heat-up: by changing some timing code, we were able to curtail the random screen updates that were occurring when you first turn the unit on. Apparently, the unit reacts better if it is not running 100% of wattage when it first turns on. Our engineer also claims the tips heat up faster, although I could not notice any discernible difference myself.
• 5° Display Resolution is now 1°: The display will register in 1° increments rather than 5° increments now. When you set or view temperature, it will actually show the correct temperature e.g. 352°C or 353°C instead of 350 or 355°C. As a result, the display is much more reactive, meaning if you stick it on the sponge, it will drop a few degrees after 1 or 2 seconds. Before the display would just sit there, even though it was accurately reading the proper internal temperature.
• ISB Instant Setback Tool Stand: The ISB can now be programmed to be truly “instant.” While the ADS200 has a default setting of 30 seconds before Setback starts, it can now be set in 1-second increments from “0” (instantly goes into Setback as soon as you place it in the stand) to 240 seconds. Before the minimum setting was 15 seconds.

Shipping to US customers is a breeze, but outside of the US may take more time as we have to gather customs paperwork, etc.

I think you'll like the changes in the ADS200, so message me if you want the new chip sent!

Best,

Aaron

[hrbngr]

Aaron,

thanks for the update on the firmware. In your opinion, what would be a good time frame to wait for TEquipment or similar sites to be shipping ADS200 units with Rev 1-4 firmware already installed?

I have personally been waiting for TEquipment to get a few more tips in stock before placing my order, so I don't mind waiting a bit longer before my purchase.

[Moises]

Msg sent Aaron

[dkggpeters]

Aaron,

Thank you very much for sending the firmware update and goodies.   Much appreciated.  Everything works perfectly.

Dave

[asmi]

Sent PM too. I hope it's not too late

[PACE-Worldwide]

Sent PM too. I hope it's not too late

It's never too late!

Aaron

[PixieWrestler]

I’ve been looking for a good station for a new robotics program.  Since these will be used by numerous kids who are new to soldering, they have to be reliable and easy to use. I don’t mind paying for quality, but, since we need multiple stations, the tips need to be be durable and reasonably priced. It came down to the Hakko fx888d or Pace ads200.

I bought an ADS200, it appeared to be overshooting the temp, but then I saw Dave’s video. Hopefully the new firmware will address this.

Now I just need to get some different tips, I have a lot of projects stacked up to solder and test.

Thanks for the excellent forum, it is invaluable. I finally created an account so I can hopefully give something back!