Pace ADS200 soldering station

[RobinBlood]

I may get this if the reviews are good. I bought an FX-888D to replace my Weller but really wanted a better iron with even faster recovery and better thermal capacity. I wonder if it's programmable to go into sleep mode. Because I really don't think I need a $60 instant setback stand for electronic repair work.

Edit: Actually don't know what the model with the instant setback stand will sell for. I was looking at some wrong info.

You may want to read this before you order it with ISB https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/pace-set-back-controls/
One thing I hoped Dave would show (if he decided to let them ship one), is the possibility of easy DIY instant-set-back on the new model.
This is all the ST models require:

Great Product, just got mine.
After I saw this post, I thought I'll give it a lazy try.

Three JumperWires and a 50 cent "TCRT5000 Infrared Reflectance Sensor Obstacle Avoidance Module"
The Stand actually looks like it's designed for this part :-)



I choose the opposite side for wiring reasons and used HotGlue (reflowed with a HeatGun) to attach it.
... it instantly worked without any calibration or adjustment needed.
Now I'm all set up.

Best Regards

[Shock]

Welcome to the forums, nice first post and good idea. I wonder if there are any low power wireless relay solutions that could work as well. Since there is 5V present you could just plug in the receiver into the station like a dongle.

[labjr]

I thought about trying similar modules last year but never ordered one and spent the extra $ for the ISB stand.

There are different versions of that module. Some have an adjustment for sensitivity and some don't. Do you have a picture of the component side of the module?

I'm wondering how the reliability is? Does it always work properly? Thanks.

[RobinBlood]

There are different versions of that module. Some have an adjustment for sensitivity and some don't. Do you have a picture of the component side of the module?
I'm wondering how the reliability is? Does it always work properly? Thanks.

So far I tried 4 different Tips and all of them work very reliable (they are all "Ultra Performance" ones)
But I guess since the IR reflects from a round shiny surface, one of the rays will find it's target 


((edit: you can actually see the green indicator light (detection) through the hole in the PCB, the "green" below the blue wire is from the (power-)status led))

Welcome to the forums, nice first post and good idea.

Thanks mate

I wonder if there are any low power wireless relay solutions that could work as well. Since there is 5V present you could just plug in the receiver into the station like a dongle.

you could use two esp8266-chips but you'll need another 3.3V to the holder to power the WiFi bridge

[Shock]

you could use two esp8266- ;)chips but you'll need another 3.3V to the holder to power the WiFi bridge

Yes would have to be a low power battery type solution. Having power wires running to it defeats the purpose

[labjr]

Very nice! Thanks! All you need is a mini DIN cable.

I originally thought it may be possible for a simpler solution that would use the grounded tip and a contact to provide the low input with a single conductor. But the iron tip is not at the same potential as the GND at the ISB port.   

[EEVblog]

Welcome to the forums, nice first post and good idea.

Yeah, great first post. Video worthy perhaps?
Is the ISB stand exactly the same as the non-ISB one except for the microswitch?

[floobydust]

Why can't this be done in firmware, like Weller does?
An idle station is detected by monitoring heat demand, which is steady and low when the iron is in the stand. Once you solder, heat demand increases and it resets the timer. It works good.
T12 clones use the shake-switch in the handle but I do like this optical sensor better.

[RobinBlood]

Yeah, great first post. Video worthy perhaps?
Is the ISB stand exactly the same as the non-ISB one except for the microswitch?

glad I could contribute something, thanks.
I guess so, It even has a metal plate fixed inside the gap where the switch would have been.

[labjr]

I think ISB stand adds more of an assembly with a switch and small bracket etc than just a micro switch. But the stand is the same.

Cliff shared this a few pages back.

[EEVblog]

Yeah, great first post. Video worthy perhaps?
Is the ISB stand exactly the same as the non-ISB one except for the microswitch?

glad I could contribute something, thanks.
I guess so, It even has a metal plate fixed inside the gap where the switch would have been.

Great pic, that really show it's the same stand. You could just install a lever micro switch too if you got the right one.

[Shock]

The switch might be better on a wireless solution as it doesn't need to keep a sensor powered.

Why can't this be done in firmware, like Weller does?

There are 3 different modes you can use a combination of - automatic setback, auto off and instant setback. Every station has these in the firmware. Pace sells a instant setback stand which when connected up to the station triggers the instant setback option, or as discussed you can DIY your own if you like.

[tooki]

Why can't this be done in firmware, like Weller does?
An idle station is detected by monitoring heat demand, which is steady and low when the iron is in the stand. Once you solder, heat demand increases and it resets the timer. It works good.

It works OK, but not great. My Ersa i-Con nano uses that approach, so I’m familiar with it. Two issues:
1. It doesn’t allow for really short setback timers (like 10 seconds) because it could go into setback while in your hand, e.g. while preparing a joint.

2. The bigger issue: Once the iron has gone down to the setback temperature, it relies on detecting a plunge in temperature (from wiping on the brass wool or sponge) to figure out that you want to solder again. So far so good. But where it gets problematic is when it’s just entered setback mode and the iron temperature is falling. If you grab the iron and wipe it on the brass wool to drop the temp, it doesn’t wake up, because it’s expecting the temperature to drop at that moment. So there’s a, say, 20-30 second window during which it won’t resume from setback automatically. And as it happens, it’s often right when you’ve finished inserting a bunch of components or dressing wires or whatever.

The “big” i-Con stations use an accelerometer in the handle to much more accurately detect activity.

IMHO, some kind of mechanical sensor, be it in the handle or in the stand, is the way to go.

[EEVblog]

IMHO, some kind of mechanical sensor, be it in the handle or in the stand, is the way to go.

I agree, that's the best bullet proof solution.

[labjr]

Sometimes you can over-engineer a simple task. Aaron from Pace commented that they originally used some kind of proximity sensor but it proved to be unreliable.

[tooki]

Sometimes you can over-engineer a simple task. Aaron from Pace commented that they originally used some kind of proximity sensor but it proved to be unreliable.

At least with an IR proximity sensor, I could see it getting fouled with flux residue and dust, or potentially get confused by the IR radiation from the tip itself. That and being potentially sensitive to tip geometry.

[labjr]

At least with an IR proximity sensor, I could see it getting fouled with flux residue and dust, or potentially get confused by the IR radiation from the tip itself. That and being potentially sensitive to tip geometry.

The module is mounted on side so shouldn't see any residue falling on it.  And it has a sensitivity adjustment so maybe it can be move further from the tip. Good thing is it cost less than a dollar.

[tooki]

At least with an IR proximity sensor, I could see it getting fouled with flux residue and dust, or potentially get confused by the IR radiation from the tip itself. That and being potentially sensitive to tip geometry.

The module is mounted on side so shouldn't see any residue falling on it.  And it has a sensitivity adjustment so maybe it can be move further from the tip. Good thing is it cost less than a dollar.

Gravity isn't the only way things spread, for example smoke, which is exactly what I was thinking of. And spatter.

[exe]

It's a very interesting discussion. I thought that the most robust way to activate set back feature is with a microswitch pressed with the weight of the handpiece. JBC uses, afaik, electrical contact with the cartridge, which I'd assume a less reliable solution, but haven't heard any complains about it.

Cheap stations use a "tilt sensor", which is just a ball shorting the contacts. I had bad experience with this one, the station used to go into sleep when soldering for a long time without shaking the handpiece.

My current cheap soldering station seems to have an accelerometer (haven't looked inside yet, as it "just works"). It work surprisingly well, I'd say it's way too good: it often wakes up from the slightest touch of the cable, or from a tiny vibration of the table.

[tooki]

It's a very interesting discussion. I thought that the most robust way to activate set back feature is with a microswitch pressed with the weight of the handpiece. JBC uses, afaik, electrical contact with the cartridge, which I'd assume a less reliable solution, but haven't heard any complains about it.

According to this thread, the tip shorts the stand to ground, one signal for the tip exchange part, another for the handle rest. Now, when the handle is in the stand, the tip isn’t touching anything, so what I assume they mean is that it’s shorting to the metal ring at the end of the handle. (This also explains a question I had wondered, namely why JBC puts a metal ring at the end of the handle, where it can get hot and burn you if you touch it.)

[ian_682]

Well, looks like they dropped a new video on their facebook. https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=yEt1Cky0khU

[Shock]

Great video Aaron/Pace the MT200s are looking great. That music is kind of catchy as well.

[tooki]

Now all we need is for Pace to make an affordable vacuum desoldering iron!

[labjr]

Now all we need is for Pace to make an affordable vacuum desoldering iron!

Yep! Someone from a local recording studio contacted me to refurbish a mixing console. It has approx. 1,200 capacitors which need to be replaced. I've been thinking about one of those Chinese made contraptions. I don't receive enough of that type of work to invest in a better quality station.

[Shock]

1200 capacitors, because faders, pots, sockets and switches never fail .