Pace ADS200 soldering station

[Shock]

I've only tried 4 tips so far, but all of them seem to work fine and melt solder.  Looking forward to the video later when I get a chance to watch it.

I just read Mike's comments below the video, Pace has contacted him already to do failure analysis on them. Could just be really unlucky at this stage.

[Shock]

Pace contacted me bright and early in the morning. They are not only replacing the tips but a factory service rep is hand delivering them to me. They want the defective tips back to do failure analysis on them. As was expected from Pace the customer service is great. Not just great, who else would hand deliver replacements. He said the two that did not work were most likely from a very early batch that did have a problem which was corrected. The third one that quickly looses heat is going to get dissected to determine what happened to it.?

Ok so it's down to 1 out of 11, that deescalated quick.

[Bud]

Is it me or the way tips are stored in the iron caddy pose a risk of injury?  You can seriuosly injure you hand/palm if not careful. Same is with JBC. I store tips tilted sidewise in the caddy tip container to minimize scratching or poking my hand accidentally.

[Elasia]

I've only tried 4 tips so far, but all of them seem to work fine and melt solder.  Looking forward to the video later when I get a chance to watch it.

I just read Mike's comments below the video, Pace has contacted him already to do failure analysis on them. Could just be really unlucky at this stage.

Hope so, mine is also from tequipment but 2 weeks out or so.  Guess i'll need to do a full examination and confirm the collection im getting is in good order.

Trial by fire, hopefully cross shipping any bad initial tips will go smoothly.  3 fails right out of the gate would suggest an early mfg problem that creeped in with at least the batch te got

[Dyaxxis]

Is it me or the way tips are stored in the iron caddy pose a risk of injury?  You can seriuosly injure you hand/palm if not careful. Same is with JBC. I store tips tilted sidewise in the caddy tip container to minimize scratching or poking my hand accidentally.

With the position of the station in Mikes video that could be possible, however... I place my stations and stands in positions that almost eliminates the possibilities of equipment damage or personal injury. Of course, something else I've seen done is where people use a separate tip cubby that mounts on top of the station.

Just my experience. 

[Elasia]

Pace contacted me bright and early in the morning. They are not only replacing the tips but a factory service rep is hand delivering them to me. They want the defective tips back to do failure analysis on them. As was expected from Pace the customer service is great. Not just great, who else would hand deliver replacements. He said the two that did not work were most likely from a very early batch that did have a problem which was corrected. The third one that quickly looses heat is going to get dissected to determine what happened to it.?

Ok so it's down to 1 out of 11, that deescalated quick.

Oh wow that's nice of them, i wonder if they are able to isolate them in TE's stock and pull em then.. might explain why i saw some date slippage earlier today on my shipment

[Shock]

Is it me or the way tips are stored in the iron caddy pose a risk of injury?  You can seriuosly injure you hand/palm if not careful. Same is with JBC. I store tips tilted sidewise in the caddy tip container to minimize scratching or poking my hand accidentally.

Little to no risk unless you put the stand (cubby) where you are reaching over constantly. They are easy to grab from the side. I think he brought his stand forward to fit in frame while filming.

[Cliff Matthews]

Re: video (about 12:04) it looks like the tip sensor gave incorrect feedback in getting the big tip to 800F in 3 seconds - did it seem too fast? The number Aaron gave was 5 I think (unless turning it on goes direct to setback temp while user changes keypad) 

[TheAmmoniacal]

Not the best first impressions in Shock's video, but I can look past that. I'm certain any faulty tips would be replaced swiftly!

The bigger problem is getting tips that are faulty without you knowing, i..e perform sub-par, giving you a wrong impression of what the tool is capable of.

[VEGETA]

I'm planning a US$150 station shootout, sadly this one at US$250 is a tad outside that.

That would be a nice video, but I suggest you do one for -100$ like the cheap (and reliable) Chinese stations. It could be 2 videos like the multimeter shootout (50$ and 100$).

Looking forward to it.

Given that Dave has a finite amount of time, how can "reliable" be established in a shootout?

I meant that today we have reliable Chinese cheap soldering stations instead of unreliable stuff like those which plugs straight to mains or usb iron or... etc.

What he should do is gather famous ones that are less than 50$ and do a shootout for them.

That is my suggestion... he can take it or leave it.

[Shock]

Re: video (about 12:04) it looks like the tip sensor gave incorrect feedback in getting the big tip to 800F in 3 seconds - did it seem too fast? The number Aaron gave was 5 I think (unless turning it on goes direct to setback temp while user changes keypad) 

700F is 5s according to Mike in the APEX video. Aaron said all tips 5-10s (so far I guess).
Yeah it wasn't heated up but had plenty of time before he soldered. Looks like it was a slow warmer probably a element problem because the thermal-couple I think would feedback to the station.

[MacMeter]

Stay picky - we want to hear from you! BTW, does the handle stay cool like they say? (important for me..)

I was just watching the TS-100 review with Louis Rossman live, and he liked it for the money. When he finds the tips stay black and corroded after 1 week, he'll start to think seriously about about what Pace thinks about tip cladding QC. Buy crap, get the same. I can't hardly wait until my Pace arrives... I like Christmas (but this will be better, I can burn my ancient Weller).

*To get an idea of how quick people are settling for budget-bargain-basement products, it's worth a view.


**His post review (some corrections). IMHO, TS-100 users suffer from gadget love ignoring a poor tip ecosystem and quality.

Thanks for the links, according to Louis Rossman, final opinion: “Highly recommended”. Hmm...

[labjr]

Mike has the first video up. Looks like he has found 3 DOA tips (out of the 11 so far received).
Sort of expecting a bit of a postmortem or at least a measurement of the tips but perhaps he was saving it for another video

Aside from a problem with a few tips looks like it melts solder well! Excited!

Unfortunately, they seem to be having an issue with tips. I still plan on getting a Pace Station when they get the bugs worked out. I was waiting for the new firmware anyway. As some have pointed out, they deal with the industry and are committed to getting it right.  They aren't some Bangood seller.  I get a kick out of the commenters with doomsday scenarios. That's the internet for you.

I'm glad they can still compete globally and offer a product that's a workhorse. That's what USA is about. It's a shame that more American companies aren't still doing it.   

[Alex Eisenhut]

I just got an email saying the tips are a bit delayed and therefore I won't see my iron until the 18th.

Oh well.

[labjr]

Thanks for the links, according to Louis Rossman, final opinion: “Highly recommended”. Hmm...

Do you think Louis Rossman is throwing out his Hakko stations?  Does he know about the quality and lifespan of the tip cartridges after playing with it for half an hour? This may be okay for a hobbyist to use. But I do service work and I gotta have tools and equipment that I know are gonna work every time I turn them on. I'd use an FX-888D before I used a TS100 every day because they're reliable. 

I sometimes work for a guy who uses cheap tools and $12 soldering irons. He loves to substitute cheap parts and he's always doing recalls. No thanks.   

[MacMeter]

Thanks for the links, according to Louis Rossman, final opinion: “Highly recommended”. Hmm...

Do you think Louis Rossman is throwing out his Hakko stations?  Does he know about the quality and lifespan of the tip cartridges after playing with it for half an hour? This may be okay for a hobbyist to use. But I do service work and I gotta have tools and equipment that I know are gonna work every time I turn them on. I'd use an FX-888D before I used a TS100 every day because they're reliable. 

I sometimes work for a guy who uses cheap tools and $12 soldering irons. He loves to substitute cheap parts and he's always doing recalls. No thanks.

Do you own a TS100?

[labjr]

Do you own a TS100?

Do you?

[MacMeter]

Do you own a TS100?

Do you?

Answering a question with a question?

[Shock]

I just got an email saying the tips are a bit delayed and therefore I won't see my iron until the 18th.

Yeah to be expected anyway, it's literally only been out a week.
What tips did you go for?

[dolivas27]

I received my new system today and the first two tips I tried have the same CHP error.

The problem for me is the tips are not seating all the way in the handle! i just stop by to check the thread and seen your problems.

Now I will need to test all 17 of the tips I purchased.

I did find that if I pulled the tip out and reinserted it pushed a little harder on the tip it would seat but made a funny sound once it seated.

Going to check my other tips now.

[Cliff Matthews]

What has TS100 to do with this PACE station? Those are completely different market sections. There are people buying JBC, and there are people buying clone 936, and there are people buying something in between, ranging from TS100, FX888/WES51 to this entry level PACE, then maybe Metcal. Just keep your own dick in your own vice and who cares if the others buy anything else?

Sorry, it's my fault for posting that   I'm concerned for budget novices now treating "our most crucial tool in electronics" like a disposable gadget. Meanwhile, pro's (like Louis R.) are saying almost nothing about tip ecosystem quality vs. bench/shop productivity.
Please predict where this will lead: With T-12 tips coming to market from hole-in-the-wall sources everywhere, who guarantee's them? Who stands to loose if quality slips? Who measures plating thickness or does thermal cycling to certify quality?

[Shock]

I did find that if I pulled the tip out and reinserted it pushed a little harder on the tip it would seat but made a funny sound once it seated.

Don't force it in too hard they don't require that much effort. Are you saying that you have some tips running now though?

What tips did you end up getting? It might help others by listing the tips you think have problems if it's only happening to a few, if happening on all tips more likely a problem with the handle.

Keep in mind they have shipped a few hundred units of the first run in total so you are going to see a few problems here and there, it's a brand spanking new product.

[dolivas27]

I did find that if I pulled the tip out and reinserted it pushed a little harder on the tip it would seat but made a funny sound once it seated.

Don't force it in too hard they don't require that much effort. Are you saying that you have some tips running now though?

What tips did you end up getting? It might help others by listing the tips you think have problems if it's only happening to a few, if happening on all tips more likely a problem with the handle.

Keep in mind they have shipped a few hundred units of the first run in total so you are going to see a few problems here and there, it's a brand spanking new product.

Yes I have some tips working I think I have found part of the problems give me a few I am taking some pictures and will post in a few.

All my tips seem hard to insert and I might have figured that out also.

I am not worried at all Pace will make this right I was so happy to have a Pace back on my bench I have a JBC but needed another system and just did not want to spend the money on another JBC.

[Shock]

Yes I have some tips working I think I have found part of the problems give me a few I am taking some pictures and will post in a few.

All my tips seem hard to insert and I might have figured that out also.

I am not worried at all Pace will make this right I was so happy to have a Pace back on my bench I have a JBC but needed another system and just did not want to spend the money on another JBC.

Cool and please post the part numbers, if you think it there might be an electronic problem with the tip can you also do a resistance measurement and then compare it to a similar working (but cold) tip?

[dolivas27]

Can you look down into the handle and see if you see a rubber grommet. It seems to move around in my handle like it fell out of a slot or is torn.

I think that is what is cause some of the problems with my unit have a look at this picture it's the best I could get.