Pace Vacuum Desolder Station, anyone know model numbers?

[dicky96]

Hi guys
I'm looking for a vacuum desoldering station for through hole repair work

I've seen various reviews, in particular the ZD-8915 seems quite popular and not too expensive

However back in the day I used similar desoldering stations when I was working in repair workshops

The first one I used was a Pace but I don't know what model it was. This was in 1983 and the machine was not new then.  It had a foot pedal to trigger the vacuum and a fairly narrow wand style desolder iron.  The bits were just simply little smooth metal tubes about an inch long, tapered at the business end, and we had them in bags of 100 or more.  I'm pretty sure either the desolder iron and/or the base station had a turquoise colour.  The desolder iron could have been black though. It had a glass tube with a filter and maybe a spring inside.  The glass tube was exposed so you could easily see how full it was and you could easily unclip it to empty the waste solder.  Anyway I loved that machine, and would like to find a used one.  Any idea what model that would have been?

At another company we had some similar machines but they had a pistol shaped desolder iron, and to be honest I hated them in comparison to the Pace.   I have no recollection what brand they were. This was in 1992. Anyone who ever used a Pace would know there is a technique of moving the bit around in little circles while applying vacuum to leave the component pin clean and free, - and I just find that horrible to do with a pistol gun.

So as I hated the pistol type machine I am really not sure if I would get along well with the ZD-8915.   

Are there any alternatives that are like the Pace with (1) a wand shaped iron and (2) a foot pedal? New or used is fine - as long as can buy spare parts/consumables.

best regards
Richard

[Enigma-man]

Hey Richard:

The turquoise coloured model you refer to was likely made by Ungar or Weller.  I used to own an Ungar Hot-Vac pistol grip model.  After about five years
of use, back in the 80's, the plastic became brittle and fell apart.  When I tried to get a replacement, I found out that my model was replaced by a
24 volt model. The pistol grip looked the same so I ordered two. The AC heating elements which I had was incompatible and would not fit the new handle.
Anyway, I had to fart around with it put up with it for years.  I was given a Pace desoldering handle in the late 90's along with dozens of tips and spare glass
delivery tube after a company changed hands. I used the Ungar's vacuum section and added a foot switch from an old Dictaphone.
As for the Pace technique you mentioned, that's in the Pace bible... 
A friend of mine has a Hakko desoldering system but hated the stiff unwieldy cord so he replaced it with a more flexible rubber type found
on vacuum cleaners.
Spare parts are always a problem and if you buy a new one get replacements ASAP.  Thankfully, ebay will usually have what you're looking for.

When I worked for Radio Shack in the early 80's repairing TRS-80's I,II,III and 4 I used a Pace system that had both solder and desolder capability with a foot
pedal. It was brand new. Can't remember what model it was, but it was dark grey or black.  The Pace handle that I have is grey.

Den

[chris_leyson]

I picked up a pair of Pace ST-75 power supplies together with SX-90 desoldering handpieces. I think the SX-80 and SX-90 handpieces have been replaced by the SX-100 but a lot of parts are interchangable.

[dicky96]

Thanks guys
OK Forget the turqouise, that will be my bad memory, it was years ago - it was 100% definitely Pace.  Thinking about it our soldering station were definitely Weller.

[bsudbrink]

If you keep an eye on eBay, you can build up a nice Pace station for not unreasonable money.

Keep an eye for SensaTemp -vs- IntelliHeat.  They are not interchangeable without adapters.  SensaTemp is the older standard and works just fine.  SX-70, SX-80, SX-90 and SX-100 desoldering pen handpieces have all been made with SensaTemp connections.  SX-90 and SX-100 can also be IntelliHeat.  IntelliHeat is most easily identified by the plug shroud being made of blue plastic rather than black.  Some of the base models were made in both standards, it is usually clearly printed on the front.  The 300 series bases are strictly IntelliHeat, the 200s are strictly SensaTemp.

I use an MBT-250 with an SX-100 and other attachments for my day-to-day soldering.

[Shock]

What you were describing sounded like a Pace as well, the older ones were blue. You just missed out on some discounted Pace ST115/SX-90 stations being sold by a forum member a few weeks back.

The current Pace desoldering iron model is the SX-100 Sodr-X-Tractor.

I have the Pace MBT350 (3 channel) rework station, there is also the MBT301 (2 channel), ST115 (single channel) and ST75 (single analog). The foot pedal comes as an option for these models and connects to the pedal port at the rear of the station.

Hard to beat the Pace SX-100 handpiece for desoldering and land prep. They have made several improvements over the years. Aside from the iron being a wand rather than a gun Pace has superior anti clogging tips. It's a very simple and durable design and lightweight so minimal fatigue. Buying spares and consumables is no issue either and filters are dirt cheap (quarter the cost of other brands for better filters).

If you buy extra reusable glass traps you can essentially desolder all day if you like with minimal downtime and clean later. I have a bunch of them for this exact purpose.

[dicky96]

What you were describing sounded like a Pace as well, the older ones were blue.

That may explain why I remember the hand piece being slimmer than the ones I can see on the internet?
And if I am not wrong you could see the glass tube while it was in use

Thanks for all the help I will keep my eyes open to see what comes available second hand.  They don't seem particularly common though. Having said that I'm not in a desperate  rush, I have a number of other items I want to buy for my new workshop and I am able to work on a lot of jobs with what I already have,

Are there any other brand desolder stations available that have the same sort of design (wand and foot pedal option) to the Pace?  But cheaper than a new Pace....




Rich

[dicky96]

The current Pace desoldering iron model is the SX-100 Sodr-X-Tractor.

I have the Pace MBT350 (3 channel) rework station, there is also the MBT301 (2 channel), ST115 (single channel) and ST75 (single analog). The foot pedal comes as an option for these models and connects to the pedal port at the rear of the station.

Hard to beat the Pace SX-100 handpiece for desoldering and land prep. They have made several improvements over the years. Aside from the iron being a wand rather than a gun Pace has superior anti clogging tips. It's a very simple and durable design and lightweight so minimal fatigue. Buying spares and consumables is no issue either and filters are dirt cheap (quarter the cost of other brands for better filters).

If you buy extra reusable glass traps you can essentially desolder all day if you like with minimal downtime and clean later. I have a bunch of them for this exact purpose.

Hi Shock
Thanks for this very informative post.  The SX-100 looks very impressive and I can get one new for not too much stupid money.

Would you recommend a new SX-100 with used base station as a good combination or reliability vs price? 

I assume for one SX-100 I only need a single channel controller?  Why do you need the 3 channel one (unless it was just a good deal you picked up)?

Rich

[Shock]

Thanks for this very informative post.  The SX-100 looks very impressive and I can get one new for not too much stupid money.

Would you recommend a new SX-100 with used base station as a good combination or reliability vs price?

I assume for one SX-100 I only need a single channel controller?  Why do you need the 3 channel one (unless it was just a good deal you picked up)?

No problem, yes you only need a single channel station with air to run just a SX-100 handpiece, if you want to use shop air you can buy the ST-65 station but I think you lose the snapvac feature (gives the Pace desoldering irons that distinct "turbo like" ramp up sound).

I wanted 3 channels in order to run multiple handpieces without constantly changing them over. So on the MBT350 I was aiming for the SX-100 for desoldering, MT-100 for mini tweezers and the TJ-70 for precision hot air (which is also handle or foot actuated).

I avoided secondhand largely due to living in Australia. The used market is small here and if you try to piecemeal a used system together from the US, shipping is expensive and the weight makes it a one way trip. The US secondhand Pace gear is also mostly 120V.

So ended up waiting to upgrade and going for new, obvious advantage with new gear, warranty and you get to wear it in yourself. When buying a combined station with one or more handpieces it works out cheaper. I'm not against secondhand though in general. Pace does sell replacement parts and kits for station wear and tear, so factor that in with shipping costs if you go secondhand.

Long term you are going to get value for money no matter what, time wise turns an afternoon job into 10 minutes.

[bsudbrink]

If you buy extra reusable glass traps you can essentially desolder all day if you like with minimal downtime and clean later.

Also, if you're lazy (like me), you can buy disposable cardboard traps and pitch (bin?) them when they're full.