Pace ADS200 soldering station

[Cliff Matthews]

...I was just searching around the web to see if there was a firmware change-log and to see if they had a new firmware revision.  There has been no issues that I have seen so far with the 1.3 I installed in that video, but I was curious what changes if any they made between that and the 1.4 firmware.  I guess I will just need to contact pace again to get the info.

That's rare.. not many have 1-3!! There seems to be all the final refinements working in 1-4 (you will like it especially if you have the ISB stand, because when the display says OFF, a removal turns the iron on but the display continues saying OFF..).
 
The 1-4 announcement was October 1st: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/newest-pace-ads200-production-station-(a-jbc-killer-at-$239)/msg1863201/#msg1863201
1-3 to 1-4 change log was Oct 11th: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/newest-pace-ads200-production-station-(a-jbc-killer-at-$239)/msg1886375/#msg1886375

[ThunderSqueak]

That's rare.. not many have 1-3!! There seems to be all the final refinements working in 1-4 (you will like it especially if you have the ISB stand, because when the display says OFF, a removal turns the iron on but the display continues saying OFF..).
 
The 1-4 announcement was October 1st: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/newest-pace-ads200-production-station-(a-jbc-killer-at-$239)/msg1863201/#msg1863201
1-3 to 1-4 change log was Oct 11th: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/newest-pace-ads200-production-station-(a-jbc-killer-at-$239)/msg1886375/#msg1886375

Yeah, they sent me 1.3 shortly after I did my unboxing/quick first impression video in response to the display bouncing comments.   I wanted to use the iron for a while before I did a full proper review of it rather than rushing something out, sort of a "I have used this as my only iron  for 6 months, here is the verdict".  The video that I quoted was when I installed the 1.3   It did fix things over the 1.2. 

Really rare you say? XD  *looks around to see if there is a rare pace collectors market* jk :>  I buy tools to be used.

[joeqsmith]

Hi EEVbloggers!

This is Aaron from PACE Worldwide, here to answer your questions about the new ADS200 AccuDrive Soldering Station (finally)! Sorry it’s taken this long, but I don’t get online as much as I should. I’ll try to answer some of the questions I’ve seen in this thread. Please feel free to comment.

...
Mini-Tweezers: I showed one of the prototypes to ransonjd (EEVblog member who mentioned that he soldered the pennies together at the APEX Show), and this handpiece will become available in mid-Summer. It will be compatible with the ADS200 only, not previous PACE soldering stations (ST 50, WJS 100, etc). We have a ton of tooling on this handpiece, and some of the longer lead-time items will take up to 3 months to receive after final design.

...

I’d be glad to answer any other questions you have. Please feel free to comment below!

Best,

Aaron from PACE

I looks like they are still not available.  Any update? 

[labjr]

I looks like they are still not available.  Any update?

You having memory issues?

How are the tweezers coming along?   The blue rubber on the ones I use are now shot.  The rubber has started to fall apart and it's very sticky.   I looked on PACE's site along with Jensen Tools to get a new set and it seems that no parts are available for the tweezers beyond the tips.  At $200, I would expect to be able to maintain them.   Hope when/if you produce tweezers for the new station, you keep that same size and feel plus offer replacement parts.

You're right about the lack of replacement parts for the MT-100. But we do have replacement grips for your handpiece. It's called the MT-100 Lead-Free Soft Grips PN 1119-0177-P2 ($41.47 pair) and they only come in "lead-free green" color as we can no supply the original blue colored grip.

We are still working on an ADS200-compatible thermal tweezer that will be introduced at late January's IPC Apex Show in San Diego.

I'll pass your comments on to the PACE team.

Thanks,

Aaron

[labjr]

Is it me or does this forum and specifically this topic generate bad/broken HTML code for URLs? The URL always seems broken when I receive an email with a reply. I'm thinking special characters are messing up the HTML code?

[Cliff Matthews]

I think you can go back and edit the URL right? BTW, here's one hi-rez pic that shows the big-tip catch issue.

[joeqsmith]

I looks like they are still not available.  Any update?

You having memory issues?

How are the tweezers coming along?   The blue rubber on the ones I use are now shot.  The rubber has started to fall apart and it's very sticky.   I looked on PACE's site along with Jensen Tools to get a new set and it seems that no parts are available for the tweezers beyond the tips.  At $200, I would expect to be able to maintain them.   Hope when/if you produce tweezers for the new station, you keep that same size and feel plus offer replacement parts.

You're right about the lack of replacement parts for the MT-100. But we do have replacement grips for your handpiece. It's called the MT-100 Lead-Free Soft Grips PN 1119-0177-P2 ($41.47 pair) and they only come in "lead-free green" color as we can no supply the original blue colored grip.

We are still working on an ADS200-compatible thermal tweezer that will be introduced at late January's IPC Apex Show in San Diego.

I'll pass your comments on to the PACE team.

Thanks,

Aaron

I was just looking for a date when I could actually buy them.

[labjr]

I think you can go back and edit the URL right?

Every time I receive an email notification about this thread, it's a bad link. I have to cut and paste the link. It's rather difficult to do with a phone. I think the forum software is generating bad HTML code.

[Shock]

I was just looking for a date when I could actually buy them.

IPC Apex is at the end of January so will probably be announced then.

[Cliff Matthews]

I was just looking for a date when I could actually buy them.

IPC Apex is at the end of January so will probably be announced then.

I would be in absolute paradise.. anyone wanna buy me a ticket from Toronto to San Diego? 
http://www.ipcapexexpo.org/files/IPC-APEX-EXPO-2019-Conference-Brochure.pdf

[nimish]

Yes,yes, please go ahead and do it and share with us how it goes, and do not forget about plating the tips your fun project will be worthless without.

  

Man you need to be less of a dick. In fact, Unisolder shows that it can be done by hobbyists.

Leverage the difficult-for-hobbyists hardware (tip fabrication, hand piece) part built by others, and exploit cheap manufacturing of PCBs + shift burden to software which is quick to iterate.

There's a reason most American manufacturers died off, they couldn't decouple their slow-moving processes from processes that needed to move faster. I hope Pace can keep up and isn't kept alive by "buy American" diehards like me.

Sorry to disappoint you but , from engineering standpoint, Unisolder is horrible engineering. It is horribly overspecified on BOM, left in beta stage of development, and is exactly what you call it: something being done by hobbyist, who will do it for fun doing it, and not because it will provide excellent service and be economical. And you can tweak it and experiment with it and have fun.

There is nothing wrong with that, don't get me wrong, but if you buy soldering station as a tool, ADS200 is highly professional tool for a fantastic price.

I solder for 40 years, and I can tell you that I never said " oh my, I wouldn't care if my soldering iron  has enough power to melt this connector, if only I had wanky 8" touch screen that will show animations and fancy graphs..." I couldn't care less. If soldering iron had good regulation, had good tips and had enough power for the job, you would pretty much never look at the screen.
Frankly, to me it is refreshing that Pace keeps making top quality "old school" equipment, instead of new trend that behaves like pro tools should be like digital toys for gaming... More design that substance..

I'm waiting for a new thermal tweezers for ADS200 to be released, and will then buy ADS200 + tweezers. I think nothing else on market has so good price/performance.

  Maybe in those 40 years of soldering you shoulda learned not to put words in people's mouths

Nobody's asking for a 8" ipad screen, but what I want is something that can even compete with a Weller's $99 1010na's cheap LCD screen. Or ideally something like Metcal's CV500's cheap 2.8" screen.

Because, unlike what you've learned, there's a wealth of information and features that help reproducible, reliable soldering: production lockout, preset temp/heat combos, sequenced temp changes, real-time graphs of temp/heat...and metcal can even diagnose solder connection quality. Pro's solder smarter.

Of course, this wouldn't be eevblog if some grognard didn't bitch about having to do things uphill both ways in the snow and liking it

Also waiting on the tweezers, and maybe a new Sodr-Xtractor/hot air pencil.

[2N3055]

First, all the best in a New Year..

Not putting words in your mouth, wasn't my intention, just illustrating the point...

LOL grognard... haven't heard that one in years...

You cannot be farther from truth... I embrace smarter and better without hint of luddism...
It's just that lately lots of new stuff is not better, just more technicolor...

Soldering iron can have advanced soldering profile without touch screen.
Soldering profiles are exactly something i would pay to get, because it is important sometimes. Some of the soldering stations with very low thermal mass are actually heating some components too fast.

Presets are great if you mix soldering targets and technologies. Lockout is also great but is used exactly where you don't want grunts changing parameters when you turn your back.

Real time graphs look cool but not really necessary, i can see how solder melts... Metcal solder quality diagnosys is a non-feature.. It's a timer...

I just want soldering iron to work well. If you are busy doing your work, you don't look at soldering iron's screen... You look at the stuff you are working on..
I agree that they could have put more of screen, but in the end not a problem.
I don't mind graphic screen if that's not only feature... I don't want style over substance.. And not prepared to pay more for colour screen on equally performing soldering station.

Cheers,

Sinisa

[edvb]

I am pulling the trigger on a ADS200 with Instant SetBack and wondered if anyone can help me on this.

I plan to get 5-6 tips and wondered if anyone having one for a while can help with the selection of tips to buy.

I was a tech for 30 years but now will be using this as a hobbyist. We just had the Weller WES51 that I used.

Most of the time I will be building kits with thru hole but will also do some that also have SMD LED RGB chips and other SMD IC components.
It will be used for soldering and also desoldering with solder wick.

One of the tips would be a 1/4 or 5/16 chisel but just do not know what the other 4-5 tips should be to cover 95% of the solder jobs I might get into.

Any help on size, type and standard or ultra performance for each of the 5-6 tips would be greatly appreciated.

[helius]

Use a bent conical for SMD LEDs (1131-0003), and get a hoof/MiniWave tip (1131-0032), and a knife tip (1131-0037) for other SMD tasks.
For thru-hole, chisel tips work best. I see there is a 30° angled chisel tip (1131-0051) which looks better ergonomically.

The ultra-performance tips have a larger thermal reservoir, so they will take a bit longer to heat up. If you don't like waiting, the standard series tips would be faster in sporadic use. They are also more slender which is a factor in reworking heavily built-up PCBAs.

[edvb]

Use a bent conical for SMD LEDs (1131-0003), and get a hoof/MiniWave tip (1131-0032), and a knife tip (1131-0037) for other SMD tasks.
For thru-hole, chisel tips work best. I see there is a 30° angled chisel tip (1131-0051) which looks better ergonomically.

The ultra-performance tips have a larger thermal reservoir, so they will take a bit longer to heat up. If you don't like waiting, the standard series tips would be faster in sporadic use. They are also more slender which is a factor in reworking heavily built-up PCBAs.

Thanks  helius

What other chisel tip  1/16" ,3/32' ect. would you recommend for the 6th tip? Any other changes for the list below? I just wanted a well rounded set to start with that have worked well with members that have used the ADS200. I plan to order on Monday so all the help is greatly appreciated.

1131-0003 1/64" bent conical

1131-0032 3mm hoof/MiniWave

1131-0037 1/4" knife

1131-0051 1/8" 30° angled chisel
 
1131-0057 5/16" chisel or 1131-0055 1/4" ?

[labjr]

I wonder how long before Chinese clones of tips and parts for the ADS200 start appearing on Banggood?

[edvb]

Here is my station and list of tips before ordering tomorrow. Does anyone see any tips that should be changed to a different type or deleted before ordering?

8007-0579        ADS200 with Instant Setback Tool Stand

1131-0003-P1   1/64" bent conical

1131-0032-P1   3mm hoof/MiniWave

1131-0019-P1   1/16" 30° angled chisel

1131-0051-P1   1/8" 30° angled chisel

1131-0037-P1   1/4" knife
 
1131-0055 -P1  1/4" chisel

[darik]

Here is my station and list of tips before ordering tomorrow. Does anyone see any tips that should be changed to a different type or deleted before ordering?

8007-0579        ADS200 with Instant Setback Tool Stand

1131-0003-P1   1/64" bent conical

1131-0032-P1   3mm hoof/MiniWave

1131-0019-P1   1/16" 30° angled chisel

1131-0051-P1   1/8" 30° angled chisel

1131-0037-P1   1/4" knife
 
1131-0055 -P1  1/4" chisel

I use a 3/32" chisel a lot for through hole. I also often wish I had a 3/64" chisel tip but I have a Weller and they don't make one.

[edvb]

Thanks darik

I appreciate your help.

For budget reasons I need to keep it to a max of 6 tips for now so trying to come up with a balanced set. I just finished a Nixie clock using a Pro'sKit SS-989E that worked OK but wanted something better. Since a few members have had experience using this station I thought it would be best to get their input to come up with a well rounded set limited to 6 tips for now.

Any other help with the final selection I need would be great.

[labjr]

You sure you want to use all Ultra Series tips?

[darik]

You sure you want to use all Ultra Series tips?

That's a really good point. The ultra tips are bulky, I don't think I would want them for anything smaller than 1/8". I don't think they'd be helpful for 99% of the work you'd be doing with smaller tips.

[edvb]

No I am flexible. But so far it seems that those that have the ADS200 seem to prefer them for the slight up charge.

Since I never used this station I wanted the expertise of those have and come up with the most used bits that can do double duty in a pinch for my application. It would be far better than using a tip that does not work well and getting a reply " I would of told you so if you asked"

I know everyone has their own style but for those with experience with this station should be able to help me with the 6 tips that will give me the best bang for the buck ,even if initially they cost a little more. This is strictly a hobby now so no production work.

I have a project coming up in a few days so I need to get this ordered in the next couple days.

[labjr]

If you plan to get it from TEquipment, you may want to give them a buzz first, because it appears they're out of the station.

[darik]

Compare the Ultra 1/16" tip with the standard 1/16" tip... look how much bigger it is...

It's a reasonably powerful iron, I personally don't think I'd like the extra thermal mass on small tips nearly as much as I'd like the smaller diameter to get in to tight places.

https://www.tequipment.net/Pace/1131-0019-P1/Tips/

https://www.tequipment.net/Pace/1130-0019-P1/Tips/

[labjr]

Oh and I think there's still an eevblog discount for TEquipment. Maybe someone can supply you with the code.