Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

PS900 cartridges ... I'm on my second one. Bought the iron in early 2018. Original tip though! I do more than a fair bit of soldering.

I do get cartridge anxiety though. The last time I thought the cartridge had gone it turned out I was just trying to use solid 1/0.6 as solder because it was 2AM and I probably should have been in bed

[BU508A]

@bd139

Is this your soldering station?

[bd139]

That's the one.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/which-iron-for-low-volume-smd-assembly/msg1638419/#msg1638419

Cerebus makes some very valid points above. It's impossible to bugger up stuff with it.

[med6753]

I was looking at prices for new Metcal's and holy crap, they ain't cheap. I can go through multiple $30 orange POS and still be ahead. 

And I'm not sure if I'd want to buy a used one off FleaBay. 
 

[bd139]

If you want to cheap it, look for the Thermaltronics TMT-2000S. It's like the metcal but cheaper

Edit: actually cancel that. That's an RS pricing bug ffs.

Yes they are expensive I will agree there. The second hand market is saturated though. If you buy an MX station, clean it up and get a new cartridge and tip, job done. I'll be doing that next time myself.

[BravoV]

Talking about Metcal, I've been offered the power unit only, no solder handle piece, just like that, but about $25. 

Worth it ?

PS: I'm just a humbly Hakko user. 

[bd139]

I'd buy that for 25 whatevers.

Thermaltronics SHP-S handpiece will work with it. Those are 40GBP approx. Just add a cartridge and tip and job done.

[BravoV]

I'd buy that for 25 whatevers.

Thermaltronics SHP-S handpiece will work with it. Those are 40GBP approx. Just add a cartridge and tip and job done.

Cool, thanks. 

[bd139]

Well fuck. Some stupid ass tree surgeons just cut through my fucking phone line. 

[BU508A]

Well fuck. Some stupid ass tree surgeons just cut through my fucking phone line. 

It is Monday, isn't it?      

[URI]

Thanks mnem for your extensive description of your KSGER T12 soldering station!

I ordered a KSGER STM32 V2.1s T12 OLED controller. So no worries 'bout that..   

As I wrote: I came across reports saying that this controller is sensitive to overvoltage.
When I have my controller I will check what it is and what it's capable of.

The tip of the T12 cartridges being actually fully isolated would make ESD compatible design of T12 soldering station easy! 
Too late for me, I took the steep way...      
The DC buck converter you used would have been enough me, too.

Anyway, my DC/DC converter is capable of delivering 4,5A continuously and 7,5A for a short time.
I expect short heat up times and good/fast heating when soldering.

Ahhhh... it gave me a chance to revisit my T12 project and remember why I liked them in the first place. Glad if my experience can help others in the future. Just how honkin' big are those honkin' big caps you stuffed in there anyhow...? My gut reaction is you'd be better served to put one in front of and one after that DC-DC converter; minimize effects of surge current draw from the controller. Of course, if

You're right, the filtering caps are over designed.   
I wrote they filter the rectified unregulated DC voltage to under 1V ripple.
No, they don't.
Under full load of 5A DC output out of the DC/DC converter the ripple is less than 150mV.   
The DC/DC converter is capable of 150% surge current output so no worries and no extra capacity needed on its output.
I easily could half or quarter the capacity of the filter caps though...   

[URI]

Thanks mnem for your extensive description of your KSGER T12 soldering station!

I ordered a KSGER STM32 V2.1s T12 OLED controller. So no worries 'bout that..   

As I wrote: I came across reports saying that this controller is sensitive to overvoltage.
When I have my controller I will check what it is and what it's capable of.

The tip of the T12 cartridges being actually fully isolated would make ESD compatible design of T12 soldering station easy! 
Too late for me, I took the steep way...      
The DC buck converter you used would have been enough me, too.

Anyway, my DC/DC converter is capable of delivering 4,5A continuously and 7,5A for a short time.
I expect short heat up times and good/fast heating when soldering.

I would have bought this one for 80€ pesos

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/loetstation-oki-metcal-ps-800/1525324912-168-1929

I've soldered with different Weller soldering stations throughout the years and found them to be very good at their job.
Currently I have two WECP-20 and a EC 2002 "antistatic".

I noticed that I have three of them because changing the tip is a pita. These three soldering station eat up valuable space, their cords interfere with each other and I happen to use only one station regularly.
I've come to a point where it's clear to me that only for having it a little more easy to change top another tip by firing up the next station has come to an end.

The T12-based soldering station have caught my attention long ago; For me the T12 cartrigde with integrated heater (better/faster heat delivery to the tip) have the advantage of being able to be changed quickly by just unplugging and plugging. If one uses a silicone heat insulation pad it's possible even with hot tip -unlike the Weller with its srewed mechanism (pun intended).

After all that's been said about the Metcals I might consider them, too. -if one should come cheap one day.   

[med6753]

If you want to cheap it, look for the Thermaltronics TMT-2000S. It's like the metcal but cheaper

Edit: actually cancel that. That's an RS pricing bug ffs.

Yes they are expensive I will agree there. The second hand market is saturated though. If you buy an MX station, clean it up and get a new cartridge and tip, job done. I'll be doing that next time myself.

I could do that. But since the Hakko does everything well EXCEPT the ceramic strips it seems I could just stick with the orange POS.

And if it does blow up sitting quietly in the drawer is my Ungar Imperial which has served me faithfully for almost 45 years.

(Cord wrapped neatly, as always.  )

[med6753]

Well fuck. Some stupid ass tree surgeons just cut through my fucking phone line. 

D'OH. 

[bd139]

On 4g for two days now. Grr. Sooooo pissed.

[URI]

PS900 cartridges ... I'm on my second one. Bought the iron in early 2018. Original tip though! I do more than a fair bit of soldering.

Cartridge... what do you mean by that? I looked in the PS900 manual; There's the tip, the coil assembly and the handle assembly mentioned.
Tip and coil are mentioned as "consumables".
Does that mean that you are using the second coil assembly in two years?   

The heater and tips of the Weller WECP irons just last for ever literally.   

[bd139]

coil assembly = cartridge.

I suspect I killed mine by dropping the handpiece on the floor to be fair.

[BU508A]

PS900 cartridges ... I'm on my second one. Bought the iron in early 2018. Original tip though! I do more than a fair bit of soldering.

Cartridge... what do you mean by that? I looked in the PS900 manual; There's the tip, the coil assembly and the handle assembly mentioned.
Tip and coil are mentioned as "consumables".
Does that mean that you are using the second coil assembly in two years?   

The heater and tips of the Weller WECP irons just last for ever literally.   

Thanks for asking, I was wondering about the same. 

[URI]

coil assembly = cartridge.

I suspect I killed mine by dropping the handpiece on the floor to be fair.

Thanks.

Sounds like the cartridge is a bit delicate, doesn't it?      

[BU508A]

coil assembly = cartridge.

I suspect I killed mine by dropping the handpiece on the floor to be fair.

Thanks.

Sounds like the cartridge is a bit delicate, doesn't it?      

Only, if bd139 is involved, otherwise it is very sturdy.   

[Specmaster]

coil assembly = cartridge.

I suspect I killed mine by dropping the handpiece on the floor to be fair.

LMAO, you’ve just given yourself a new name, “Butterfingers” 

[bd139]

It's appropriate. I fall over shit and drop it all day 

[Saskia]

just found and fixed a short in an 1151 CPU socket.

Without my trinocular uscope that would have been quite impossible.

The wonders of buying stuff used.

[BU508A]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:



There are more in his video channel....         

[bd139]

Oh ffs. Youtube is crawling with that shit. It scares me.

Some cultures do not have risk management capability apparently. Perhaps that's why we outsource there.