Hello all,
I have a JBC station, similar to the one Dave reviewed in episode #472 (
https://lbry.tv/@eevblog:7/eevblog-472-jbc-cd-2bb-soldering-iron:8)
I'd like to alter/hack the station so that once the iron is removed from the station it activates a smoke removal fan & switches it off (after a short delay) once the iron is replaced.
After examining the unit I discovered that the outer ring on the soldering iron is connected to one of the pins (number 5 I think) in the soldering iron connector. Using this connector & the metal receptor which it contacts on the soldering station it should be relatively straightforward (I think) to trigger something like an opto-coupler that would trigger the fan appropriately.
However the only issue might be is that the soldering station also uses this connection to signal (via the dsPIC) the heating of the iron (see video at 2:45 & 9:13).
From my understanding once the signal is a few volts & separate from the soldering station supply it should be relatively safe, but before I destroy a very good station I'd appreciate any thoughts from others.
Thanks for reading,
Leo