Pace ADS200 soldering station

[Cliff Matthews]

Ohhh, top notch 7805 in there, well done Pace!

Attached to the floating heatsink with a old fashioned slotted screw and nut. Manufacturing can't be very efficient...

There are a lot of US armed forces and adjunct industries that use Pace equipment, that's why the best part (their tip ecosystem) has historically been so high in quality. On the 7805, I would imagine that Pace would make military sales points sounding like, "see a basic 7805 that you can even buy in Timbuktu runs the whole show" and, "you can swap most critical parts with just a basic screwdriver" or "just carry some PLCC's in an antistat bag, and you can swap the whole dang computer in less than 60 seconds".

Did you notice the costly Class-2 split bobbin transformer? or the red LED's? (for many years an aviation standard, now changing to Green/Blue. ( see: http://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/issues/35_10/features/Cockpit-Lighting-Choices_11065-1.html )

Take a look again, the rest of the board is mostly SMD. When he said "the main board's weirdness knows no bounds", I thought the clash of old world and new world tech had to be some kind of military sales pitch.
https://youtu.be/erKCA71q7cg?t=792

[labjr]

The KISS principle could be applied here. If it aint broke don't fix it. I think over-engineered products tend to fail more frequently. ie Toyota has far fewer electrical problems than BMW or Mercedes.
 
I wish I still had that old Maytag washer. You know, the one that needed new belts every 10 years?

BTW, I once asked my doctor what he thought of the health-grades website. He told me people either write great reviews or bad ones. But they usually don't write about average experiences.

[Shock]

What's that, a fisher price? Is it for kids? Ohhh, top notch 7805 in there, well done Pace!

Pace is quite conservative on aesthetics and if you compare it against the Intelliheat series you will see where they are going. But ultimately it's a production station and not a huge departure from the military like design used in previous models, including having the 7805 in that exact same spot.

In terms of convenience having up to 120W in a high quality station, moving to the aluminum iron for operator comfort, improving heating control etc, lowering the cost of ownership, seems quite a step forward.

The alternatives at $200 seem to be anemically soldered designs with tips over twice the cost, half the performance and questionable work life, so yeah easy math for me. Times change, now everything plastic at that price looks cheap and nasty.

[Bud]

What's that, a fisher price? Is it for kids? Ohhh, top notch 7805 in there, well done Pace!

That is an insult to Hakko. Noone can beat Hakko on Fisher Price user experience.

[labjr]

I think Pace is more like the Tonka Trucks of the 60's 

[Cliff Matthews]

In 6-days Marco Reps got >25,000 views and 359 comments on the Pace, I think he'll pass 100k subscribers by years-end.
(...unless Dave nabs him with an editing position in Sydney  )   I think a video chat with him and Dave would be fun.

[Shock]

In 6-days Marco Reps got >25,000 views and 359 comments on the Pace, I think he'll pass 100k subscribers by years-end.

I'll stay on the conservative side of 100k. I don't have the full stats but he had approx 8% subscriber growth last month.

I like his channel, very entertaining. Looking forward to seeing if he does a display mod, how it improves his soldering skills .

[mbless]

My Tequipment ship date keeps slipping. It was originally July 6, then July 13. Now it's July 17. I'm not expecting that one to hold...

[Shock]

My Tequipment ship date keeps slipping. It was originally July 6, then July 13. Now it's July 17. I'm not expecting that one to hold...

Tequipment typically shows stock numbers on their website which is a good indicator when they are about to deliver. What tips did you end up ordering?

[mbless]

My Tequipment ship date keeps slipping. It was originally July 6, then July 13. Now it's July 17. I'm not expecting that one to hold...

Tequipment typically shows stock numbers on their website which is a good indicator when they are about to deliver. What tips did you end up ordering?

That I know. I was talking to a sales rep who said they only had 9 units on order that would arrive 6/29, so I placed my order to secure one. I ordered the 1/64" bent conical, 3/64" and 1/32" 30deg chisel, and 1/8" UHP chisel. I use the bent conical 95% of the time with my Hakko.

[hrbngr]

  As a side benefit: Pace prevents a lot of unnecessary suffering in the stock photography business..

The chick working on the mobo while incurring 3rd degree burns just cracks me up....

[hrbngr]

I'm really hoping a few more thread followers buy this unit so that we can get some feedback on tip selection, usage, pros and cons. Also, TEquipment might have decent stocking levels on the station w/ISB and a good tip selection by the fall. Do they do a Black Friday Sale or is the eevblog discount still gonna beat that?

[VK4GHZ]

At least TEquipment have some of the standard tool stand variants in stock.

Australian retailers can't even place an order with Pace.   

[Shock]

Looks like Pace is now moving to Aluminum irons on their existing Intelliheat series stations as well. They have a new TD-100A iron which will come standard on the MBT 350 and 351 stations and be compatible with select ST and WJS stations that took the TD-100.

[masiman]

First post.  Looking to try as hobby with my kids on keyboards and Arduino.  I am new to soldering and am trying to find the differences between the ADS200 and some of the, I assume, older PACE stations (ST's and WSJ100).  Pro/Con?

Apologies if too generic, noob.  Hints to searches beyond 'PACE ADS200 vs' and youtube reviews, surprisingly few on the WSJ100.

[masiman]

Apologies if too generic, noob.  Hints to searches beyond 'PACE ADS200 vs' and youtube reviews, surprisingly few on the WSJ100.

...I think I found what I was looking for in the earlier pages of this thread.

[helius]

The pros for the ADS200 vs other Pace stations are:
1. Calibration is not required when changing tips. The WJS100 and MBT will detect tip removal and indicate that you need to perform calibration (by changing its LED from green to amber).
2. Availability of both compact Standard blue cartridges (1130- series), and high heat capacity Ultra Performance blue cartridges (1131- series), both able to heat at 120 watts.
The WJS100 is only compatible with the High Power gold cartridges (1128- series), a smaller selection.
The other Intelliheat stations are compatible with the Standard (1124- series) and long-life Diamond coated (1126- series) black cartridges, which is the largest selection.
3. more attractive price

Cons:
1. Unlike the Intelliheat ST, MBT, and WJS100 stations, the ADS200 can (currently) only be used with the TD200 soldering iron handpiece. In particular, it is not compatible with any of the Pace tweezer tools like the MT-100, which the WJS100 is able to use. The MBT stations with vacuum and hot-air support can use the widest range of tools, including older SensaTemp tools with a cable adapter.

The other tools you can use with a ST or MBT are:
TD100 cartridge soldering iron
PS90 tip soldering iron
MT100 mini tweezer
TT65 ThermoTweez large tweezer for large SMD components
TP100 ThermoPik tweezer with vacuum pickup
TP65 ThermoPik large tweezer with vacuum pickup
TJ85 ThermoJet air pencil
TJ70 ThermoJet large air pencil
SX100 SodrXTractor desoldering tool

See https://www.paceworldwide.com/sites/default/files/ProductOverviewEng_F.pdf

[Shock]

Apologies if too generic, noob.  Hints to searches beyond 'PACE ADS200 vs' and youtube reviews, surprisingly few on the WSJ100.

...I think I found what I was looking for in the earlier pages of this thread.

The Pace WJS100 is the older Intelliheat series. Unless you already own one it's more beneficial and lighter on the pocket to own a new Pace ADS200 Accudrive.

The ADS200 is a robust professional level station and would be perfect for kids to learn on with supervision. It has easy to replace tips, a low "tip to work" distance, plus a reasonably short handle so it's suitable for both kids and adults.

From Paces track record they don't compromise on quality, they still manufacture their products in the USA and are known to last a long time. The tip selection is currently about 40 different tips and will increase if demand requires it. I've taught absolute beginners and I recommend to start on one tip and master the basics and work with more tips as you get used to them, three or four tips covers most situations. People typically limit tip spending to their budget. Hope that helps.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/teaching-to-solder-how-young-is-too-young/

[Shock]

Just a couple of other things. There is a "Temperature Limits" and "Password" feature that can be used to prevent other users from turning up the temperature to ridiculous settings. As some of the finer tips are quite sharp it's not suitable to leave them laying around or in the iron stand (pointing up) where children are reaching across or in an area where they play.

https://www.paceworldwide.com/sites/default/files/ADS200_Operation_Manual%20_%2013-Apr-2018.pdf

[masiman]

Wow, thanks all!!  I appreciate the responses to a noob.  I think the ASD200 will probably be overkill for us, but I do really enjoy nice tools.  I will be placing order with TE.

[Shock]

Wow, thanks all!!  I appreciate the responses to a noob.  I think the ASD200 will probably be overkill for us, but I do really enjoy nice tools.  I will be placing order with TE.

No problem, personally I don't think an overkill. Just the best choice for value for money. On the subject of tips again you will need to buy some with the station, make sure you add them to your order.
 
I took a little action shot photo here to help you out. Proper technique is to size the tip close to the size of joint (a land on the pcb) you are soldering. It's a personal choice and dependent on what you are soldering but here is a quick guide.

A chisel is a good choice for a through hole joint and the 3/32” 2.38mm tip (shown in image) looks a good fit for the left and center joints, in a pinch it can be used for slightly larger joints. For the right side surface mount joint something half the size would be more appropriate. For very fine surface mount joints look at even smaller tips. A bent conical/chisel is useful especially for approaching surface mount joints from the side.

[masiman]

I ordered the ADS200 with setback stand from TE yesterday. They are currently out of stock but should be in soon.

[Shock]

I ordered the ADS200 with setback stand from TE yesterday. They are currently out of stock but should be in soon.

The 1/32" 0.80mm tip is considered a fairly fine tip. For working on your old auto electronics and equipment I would go to a 3/32” 2.38mm chisel tip and even a 1/8" 3.18mm chisel tip in addition. Those three tips are a good start, and as I said in my previous post just size the tip to the joint.

Going larger than 1/8" 3.18mm may be the best choice for soldered lugs and connections, it all depends on what size you're doing. The decision to pick the standard or the higher wattage ultra performance tips is up to your personal preference. When you order check you are using the correct prefix for which type you want (1130 or 1131).

[masiman]

The 1/32" 0.80mm tip is considered a fairly fine tip. For working on your old auto electronics and equipment I would go to a 3/32” 2.38mm chisel tip and even a 1/8" 3.18mm chisel tip in addition. Those three tips are a good start, and as I said in my previous post just size the tip to the joint.

Going larger than 1/8" 3.18mm may be the best choice for soldered lugs and connections, it all depends on what size you're doing. The decision to pick the standard or the higher wattage ultra performance tips is up to your personal preference. When you order check you are using the correct prefix for which type you want (1130 or 1131).

Thank you Shock.  I will call tomorrow and see if they can add to my unshipped order.  I am guessing the standard tips(1130) will be perfectly adequate for what we will do in the near future.

There is also solder and  flux in the order as I pm'd you.  The sales tech explained to me about the benefits of using lead vs lead-free in exposed environments like a vehicle.  I understood it when he said it but I can't remember which is better.  No worries though, more fun research and learning.

[Shock]

Thank you Shock.  I will call tomorrow and see if they can add to my unshipped order.  I am guessing the standard tips(1130) will be perfectly adequate for what we will do in the near future.

It's your choice, the standard tips are plenty powerful enough for most work, if you use the correct size tip. I ordered 3 out of my 12 tips ultra performance, mainly to get a couple of beastly sized tips for soldering heatsinks to large ground planes.

There is also solder and  flux in the order as I pm'd you.  The sales tech explained to me about the benefits of using lead vs lead-free in exposed environments like a vehicle.  I understood it when he said it but I can't remember which is better.  No worries though, more fun research and learning.

I do rework/repair with lead, and since my wife is not an RoHS inspector I'm good. If you are an employee or producing a product etc, lead free is the way to go. But personal preference otherwise.