Yihua 8786D-I (The upgraded version from the older 8786D)

[pipe2null]

So I just got a new Yihua 8786D-I heat gun/soldering iron rework station.  It is pretty similar to the previous 8786D, but includes the 10 minute sleep/auto off, and has separate control and display for both the heat gun and the iron.  I attempted to follow the sage advice from many posts in the forum about getting separate equipment and avoiding 2-in-1's (or 4 or 5-in-1's).  And I almost made it, but it was difficult to avoid the $15 difference between just a cheap hot air gun and a cheap 2-in-1 that also included the soldering iron...  Eh.  Overall it is only a $60 US gamble, so I hope it holds together long enough to get some use out of it...  I have rolls of duct tape and paperclips on standby just in case.

I haven't really used it much yet, so I can't provide much feedback other than the soldering iron will heat up from room temperature to 600 degrees F in about 42 seconds, at least that is what the digital display says for the temperature sensor.  It doesn't actually melt solder until around the 60 second mark, but room temperature to soldering in about a minute is good enough for my purposes.

ANYway.  For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to switch to Celsius from the out-of-the-box Fahrenheit?!?  I have searched, and messed around with the 5 buttons quite a bit (and accidentally messed up the temperature calibration but managed to re-calibrate using a meat thermometer...) but I haven't found the magic decoder ring.

Does anyone know how to change the temperature units?

[Tegra]

I have purchased a second 8786D that seems to not have the upgrade, but the PID profile is much different, as observed by the heat led flashing.

What is strange is that the hot air appears to be in F and the iron in C. (From testing with a thermocouple.) Thus it seems like a setting is wrong, as the temp profile appears to follow a F scale rather than a C.

There are no pots in the circuit so I am not sure how this could be switched or recalibrated.

   Tom

[pipe2null]

Sorry, I meant to post my reply from Yihua but I saw a Squirrel and got distracted... 

"Dear customer, The default temperature setting for this YIHUA 8786D-I is Fahrenheit(°F). And as a result of customer demand and custom, this model can be set to display temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius scale. The setting guide is as following: 1. Switch either the Soldering Station or the SMD Rework Station ON. 2. Press together the Soldering Station temp. “PLUS” and the SMD Rework Station temp. “PLUS” buttons for 2 seconds. "C" will be displayed, indicating in Celsius scale. And then press the SMD Rework Station “PLUS” or “MINUS” button or the Soldering Station “PLUS” or “MINUS” button to alternately display in in Celsius or Fahrenheit scale. 3. Press the Cold air/ Hot air switching button to confirm. The system will save what you have set and exit the setting automatically. If you should have any questions, please feel free to click the link below to contact us. https://amzn.to/2mKq0EU Thank you and best regards, YIHUA OFFICIAL STORE"

I don't remember the exact button combination to manually calibrate the temperature, but I remember that I found it in the user manual (but the F or C selection directions were NOT in the user manual at the time).

If your unit is somehow using different temperature scales for heatgun and iron...  Not sure what to tell you.  Perhaps toggling the F/C units might make a difference?

[pipe2null]

I got a PM asking for an update on this, so here goes...

I've been using this soldering station for over a year now, and so far it has not burned down the building.  Many, MANY other projects have taken priority, so I haven't done any SMD designs or rework yet, but I've used the station for occasional through hole projects, "precision shrink tubing" hehe, and various light duty use.  Generally speaking, it has performed the tasks that I needed it to do.

My main complaints are:
- The iron tips it comes with are crap, not surprising for the price
- I'm not convinced the tip makes good enough contact with the heating element.  Sometimes it solders as I expect, other times jamming solder on the tip results in bent solder with no melting...  It could be a variety of causes, but generally it is nowhere near as reliable as the Weller I used back in the day.  BUT with some patience and irritation it still gets the job done.
- I have to regularly re-tighten the nut that holds the tip assembly together, nearly every time I turn the thing on it is loose.
- The soldering iron handle rattles a little bit.  I've taken it apart and the rattle does not seem to indicate a fire hazard, so I just put up with it.

Note: I have not tested the unit to verify temperature readout or regulation.  With the above mentioned issues and my light use, it didn't seem worth the time.  I have no complaints about the hot air, but I've only needed it for shrink tubing, reforming plastic, and emergency hair drying...  Kidding!  NEVER use a hot air gun on your hair.

Bottom line, I got my money's worth out of it and I don't regret the purchase.  In retrospect, I wish I went with an iron with more wattage.  IIRC this one is only 40 watt for the iron itself.  I will eventually replace this unit with a better and more reliable one, but it has held up "good-'nuff" so far.  For an ultra-cheapie, it has served well as a temporary duct tape solution, but I would go with something better if I needed a rework station more than occasionally.