New Metcal CV-5210 - The iron tells you when the connection is good

[GreyWoolfe]

The cynic in me thinks the real reason is the 'smarts' in the tip will make it incompatible with Thermaltronics tips. DRM for soldering irons? 

If so, it wouldn't be the first time Metcal tried to discourage use of Thermaltronics cartridges. A few years ago the Metcal MX-500 firmware was updated to check if a Thermaltronics M series cart was installed in the handle. Apparently Thermaltronics carts heat up a few seconds faster than Metcal carts. If the Thermaltronics tip was detected the power unit would display an error message and shutdown. Thermaltronics described this issue and a workaround in their June 2014 newsletter.

Would I assume you mean MX-5000, not MX-500?  I have an MX-500 and there is no firmware to update.

[mikeselectricstuff]

The cynic in me thinks the real reason is the 'smarts' in the tip will make it incompatible with Thermaltronics tips. DRM for soldering irons? 

If so, it wouldn't be the first time Metcal tried to discourage use of Thermaltronics cartridges. A few years ago the Metcal MX-500 firmware was updated to check if a Thermaltronics M series cart was installed in the handle. Apparently Thermaltronics carts heat up a few seconds faster than Metcal carts. If the Thermaltronics tip was detected the power unit would display an error message and shutdown. Thermaltronics described this issue and a workaround in their June 2014 newsletter.

Would I assume you mean MX-5000, not MX-500?  I have an MX-500 and there is no firmware to update.

They stupidly messed with the model numbers and now an MX-500 is a lower powered MX-5000
http://uk.farnell.com/metcal/mx-500av/soldering-rework-system-40w-240vac/dp/2433356?st=mx-500

[LeonR]

Just googled the model... It's going for ~800USD. No-no for even the hardcore hobbyists

[tooki]

Ummm... duh?

It’s a feature specifically for improving quality/consistency in production soldering...

[nanofrog]

That's rather steep, even for Metcal.

[Reckless]

They are going for $450 now.  I am thinking about getting some to replace my metcal SP1s.  Has anybody had long term experience with this?  We had varied results in demonstration today trying to solder brass components in less than 8 seconds (IPC standard).  We are waiting to demo it further before making a judgment.  I think it may come in handy in certain applications.   

[panic]

Hi! Does anyone know if MX series handpieces (e.g. MX-PTZ tweezers) would work with CV power supply?

[thm_w]

Hi! Does anyone know if MX series handpieces (e.g. MX-PTZ tweezers) would work with CV power supply?

No, according to SDG
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/new-metcal-station-_cv-5200-connection-validation-soldering-station_/msg3598068/#msg3598068

Best for any non-production use to avoid the CV.

[panic]

No, according to SDG
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/new-metcal-station-_cv-5200-connection-validation-soldering-station_/msg3598068/#msg3598068

Best for any non-production use to avoid the CV.

That's unfortunate, it would be great to find some good deals for MX series pieces and be able to use with CV series power supply. Otherwise, I was planning occasional (like 1-2 per month) production runs of quite complex boards (99.9% TH soldering) that I wanted to sell – not sure if it's production use, but this CV system seemed to be right for my use case...

[panic]

Is MX stand compatible with CV series iron at least? They look identical...

[thm_w]

Is MX stand compatible with CV series iron at least? They look identical...

Yeah read that thread, just use the CV iron RF and don't plug in the other connector.
On some really old Metcal stations RF connector won't fit due to pin diameter, but you can get a male to female adapter for a few dollars that should fix it.

[mairo]

I think JBC also has this on offer now, or at least seems similar.

[panic]

I think JBC also has this on offer now, or at least seems similar.

They have a system with similar functionality, but not the same: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/jbc-soldering-assistant-value-(jbc-cdeb-vs-jbc-cdb)/

[panic]

Is MX stand compatible with CV series iron at least? They look identical...

Answering my own question: yes, MX stands are the only option. Metcal CV5210 kit is supplied with MX-W1AV stand

[comka]

hi guys,
it would be nice to get the old tips working the new CV system. have any thoughts 

[Goldie]

Just a heads up we recently bought a CV5210 and have found the hand piece to be quite fragile. In fact after just a couple of months use it seems to be broken, it still works but requires pushing the tip/bolt in then pulling it back a bit. Our first observation was that this iron was excellent although initially concerned it heated up too hot have not experienced any damage caused. However once we bought some more more tips we noticed that they didn't work (connection validation fail), we found that we had to push them in further which was more firm than we'd like.

Roll on a couple of weeks and after several people using it one user obviously pushed too far and pushed the back end out of the hand piece. This might be classed as miss use but I was disappointed both with how much force was required to insert and also how easily this broke.

It looks similar or the same as the ones depicted with the MX5210. Has anyone else experienced this failure?



We have another Metcal MFR-1300/1351 (I think) which has not yet broken but takes different tips (shorter and fatter) so not compatible would also need an F-Type adapter to make the hand piece fit the CV5210.

[thm_w]

The CV5210 handpiece is CV-H1-AV: https://store.metcal.com/en-us/shop/soldering-desoldering/hand-pieces/CV-H1-AV
Its very different from the MX-H1-AV: https://store.metcal.com/en-us/shop/soldering-desoldering/hand-pieces/MX-H1-AV

Not too surprising if the CV version is crap, the MX version is already nice and light so if they crammed a bunch of wires into it, its probably a strength compromise. I can push on the MX tip with 10-20lb and nothing moves.

Try to return it if you can.

We have another Metcal MFR-1300/1351 (I think) which has not yet broken but takes different tips (shorter and fatter) so not compatible would also need an F-Type adapter to make the hand piece fit the CV5210.

Its a different frequency (450kHz) so won't work.