I love this little soldering station! Also got two T100s (bought the second because the OLED on the first died, and then I ordered a new OLED for the first, replaced it and this is how I got 2). Never hurts to have some extra irons at hand!
@@TooBanger Frankly I am only using the KSGer now, because I have a wider range of tips to select from. If you're a casual user, the TS100 might be ok for you, but if you plan to do more serious work, the KSger is a better choice. It has more power, different handles to choose from, more settings, cheaper tips and a wider tips selection.
I know this is an old video but just wanted to comment in case it helps anyone that I bought one from the official ksger aliexpress store last month and it came grounded already. Pretty good soldering station for the price.
Thanks for the video and for advising owners of these stations to ground their chassis. I recommend using crimp connections wherever possible on ground connections as high currents can melt solder connections, allowing the wire to simply fall off. A fuse or breaker will hopefully cut the power before the soldered connections fail, but UL-approved ground wires are crimped to things like spade connectors and screwed eyelets, not soldered. We want to *force* something upstream to trip or blow well before the internal ground fails. With that said, the present-day KSGER stations with coincident, soldered power connectors between the plug module and power supply board don't offer an easy way to attach a spade connector to the ground terminal, so a soldered chassis ground is better than none at all.
I also removed the resistor to ground from the rtc battery and added a verticle 2032 battery holder using the original battery pigtail so everything is quick disconnect. The battery is still going stron a year later. This is a fantastic little soldering station. I recently upgraded to a hakko fm203 station (my dream station) and passed on my ksger to a friend.
Yep, that grounded RTC trace through that resistor was a pretty big mistake - glad they sorted it quickly on the 2.1S and that it's not an issue on the 3.1S version. Sounds like you did the same thing to your original V2.1S as I did by adding an actual battery holder for easy battery replacement. I would think our larger capacity 2032's will last the better part of a decade - lol. 😄
Being the millionth and one person to buy one of these I did appreciate this little video. John is right, it's a mystery to me why it isn't done out of the factory, especially the rectifier heat sink.
Just purchased one. Earthed out the case as per your mod. Went to do the heat sink mod and to my surprise they have modified the board and the circuit now clears the heat sink. Must be later model? Someone at the factory has been watching your videos👌
@@alejandroperez5368 I'm not quite sure that the OPs version is, but John's board mentions v2.04. I received mine within the last week and it looks different, mine being v2.0.5. I still plan on grounding the case... just can't find a small enough nut for a screw.
In my experimentation, the black anodised finish was very strongly insulating. Even pushing my DMM probes into it as hard as I could I couldn’t get continuity. And I imagine that even if you ground one panel, that continuity wouldn’t follow on to the other 4 pieces of aluminium. So instead if you’re worried I’d just add some fabric insulating tape around the inside of the case where a heat-sink or other bits could contact it. Though sanding down the area near the screws isn’t bad either. That heat sink goop looks conductive though, and it was getting kinda close to shorting the diode’s pins out.
Thanks for the video. Just picked one up. Grounded the case but will have to move it the rear, way better placement. Will have to do the heat-sink adjustment.
I always put in a 2-pole switch on devices like this, so live and neutral get separated. This is because here in Germany we do have non-polarized outlets/sockets and there is a 50% chance to get live on neutral and vice versa. Of course it still works and shouldn't be an issue, but it feels better with the 2-pole switch. But by far the most important mod is the PE/earth connection of the casing. It's more like a repair than a mod really. I like to use fan washers (Zahnscheiben in German), since they cut into the metal when tightening them down. Never thought about that heat sink though.
Looks like I lucked out with the DXCHMEI brand one of these, doesn't have any of these KSGER problems & it's properly grounded & insulated inside the metal case
The one I just got had an interesting variation. The power connector to the front board looks like it was snapped off, so they just soldered the wires right to the board! You can see the broken leads where the connector was. Nice job!
That ground tab already had solder on for the board connection, but I added more for the wire because I wasn't happy with my first attempt. Totally dependent on how much solder is already on your ground tab to begin with, your soldering skill, and how much excess solder you want on the wire connection.
For anyone looking at the T12 mini, the handle should already be grounded however the anodized paint has to be scratched off the corners and dials inside to properly ground the PCB to the case.
Cool. our the KSGER T12 is truly amazing, I'm very glad I bought it (thanks to sir John's channel, where I first saw it). It's like modding our R/C (battery powered, Tamiya and Futaba combo guy- R/C race champion here, when I was a kid at least:-). God bless, Rev. 21:4
I bought one based on John and others reviews, but it was John that inspired me to open it up and do the mods he suggested. He's right, just because it's fun! If any knows/can explain to a noob, why the outside of the GX12(?) socket isn't connected to the earth pin. I mean, this would have solved the who issue right?
Very useful and informative video! I have one question: I don't have a second iron right now, and I don't wanna buy two irons just to use one for modding another. What would you think, would it be too stupid to do soldering with the same iron on its earth ground pin? - while being extra careful of course to not touch anything else besides the pin being soldered. (To do just the grounding mod. Obviously, I couldn't do anything with the heat sink this way).
I would personally never solder on a live circuit, especially one at line voltage potential. That single event would be much more dangerous than using the station for years with the case not being ground IMO. Keep in mind, lots of folks use these stations with floating cases without any problems. You're call of course.
@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you! Got it, and I'll pass on any mods before buying another iron, or will just try to screw a connector to that ground terminal (as I saw in some videos, those ground terminals had holes in them)
Hi John! I have watched this video as well as a few of your other t12 reviews, and I am uncertain whether the 3.1s I plan to buy needs the mods outlined in this video. I'm hoping not, but better safe than sorry. Many thanks!!!
@XL-Freak. This is the 3.1S version in the video, so unless KSGER have changed the design, these same mods can be performed if you get one keeping in mind you don't have to do them. The vast majority of T12 stations out there have not been modded and are working for their users perfectly fine. I pointed them out in this video for 3 primary reasons: 1. To show the two main weaknesses of these low cost, yet performance rich T12 stations. 2. To demonstrate how easy it is to correct them. 3. For the simple reason I enjoy performing easy little mods like this to stuff to make it even better than it already is. On a side note, I personally like the 2.1S version better than the 3.1S.
really like watching your vids ..just discovered your channel. someone asked about the T12 iron i mentioned that i bought years ago. i don't have an electronic background so i went with the save option and bought the mini one and bought an external higher end power supply came in handy because i also wanted the TS100..i prefer the KSGER T12 because of all the tip options.. i really like the mods you did. and how you explain it.. i don't know that i would have bin able to mod the heatsink as i don't have a counter screw drill bit (i believe that's what you call them ? , eng is not my native language ).. will subscribe to the channel like the way you share your knowledge .. Greetings from The Netherlands..
I think you mean tapping bit, he drilled a new hole, and then created a thread inside that hole to receive the screw. I just bought my KESGER unit yesterday and noticed the issue with the body of the unit not grounded so that is my next project.
Nice vid, just a quick question. Are the four round thru holes on the corners ground planes like all my PC motherboards? Could I attach the board with stand-offs screwed to the case and ground it as well?
@@elamritiThank you. I ordered a station without the power board. And plan to use a spare laptop power supply to power it. Is there any safety concern?
@@haihonghuang As long as you use a well-known brand they are very safe. I do believe at least Dell laptop supplies (older ones?) with the very large barrel and a thin wire pin in the middle actually pass through the safety earth to the secondary side too. The large barrel has earth on the outside, return (0V) on the inside of the barrel and positive on the pin so there are models out there which pass through the ground if you really want one. Of couse you could always wire in the ground yourself if you wanted to.
@ Haihong Huang Just keep in mind when powering the T12 controller with that method your iron tip won't be grounded, unless like Ben mentioned, you also run a separate earth ground to the negative input or you don't mind a floating iron tip / require ESD protection.
Ok, if the case is none conductive, (since you need to sand it well first), then, Whats the piont of connecting a wire to it? For the handle ,iron body, its connected to AC input earth already (through 24 negative, black wire)......ok, I can think of one scenario: the pcb has a sharp part or heat sink has 220v or 120v, it touches the case very hard and scratches the paint and make the case has 220/120v....then we happen to touch some outside part of the case where it happens to have no paint on it.....rare case, but still a valid case.
Yep, it's exactly those rare cases why it's CODE in most countries to have any metal cased line voltage tool/appliance earth grounded. Tools get dropped and abused all the time. There are many scenarios one could think of where the line hot could come in contact with the case. And since the guts are not double insulated, the metal case by code here in North America HAS to be grounded. As for a micron or two layer of anodizing offering adequate insulation - not likely.
I also got one of those wire assortments off Amazon and I'm wondering what the zip ties are for. Mine had five smaller gauge wires and 5 zip ties so I assume it's one per spool but I just don't see what they want me to do with them. Did yours come with zip ties too? Did you ever figure it out?
I am thinking of buying one of these after my Antex went missing. Problem is, how am i supposed to do any mods unless i own a 2nd one ? I only need one and i'm not going to use it that often to need two.
I was unable to desolder the heatsink, no matter what I tried (hakko fr301, wick, soldering iron), the pins remained stuck / some solder always remained in the holes. I wonder if it's because the heatsink is transferring away the heat on those parts, thus not allowing the solder to heat up enough to melt. Any tips how to solve that?
Yes, the heat sink pulls a good deal of heat from the pins. The usual tricks apply including: use a larger wedge or hoof tip improving thermal mass and heat transfer, use a higher wattage iron that can overcome the heat loss, melt in some proper quality leaded solder to both lower the melting point and broaden the eutectic point, use more flux. If none of those are workable options, the pins are just slid into the heat sink so it should be possible to pry the heatsink off the pins (just make sure you remove the screw in the rectifier first) 😀
@@Rchelicopterfun I managed to do it with a larger tip and a lot of patience :) It took quite a lot of time, and I am wondering, due to the long exposure to this high temperature, is the transistor in danger of dying (the one to which the heatsink is attached)?
@@kimwenceslaosanchez4449 i seen on aliex.... ,but they sell whole board did check connection ? maybe lcd is ok try solder pins , board cost 12-16£ not sure if this make sense repair for this price
12:10 Hmm... not sure why North America decided to have switches like that. The reason I like OFF to be up is that most of the time a switch is turned off, and when that part of the switch is tucked inside the case, it won't easily catch dust. I really dislike dusty switches and I think the less you have to maintain them, the better. :) P.S. Thanks for this video, I'll check my station to see if it's grounded or not. :) I'm not really worried about the heat sink, as long as it's soldered there's barely any chance to make contact, and arcing is probably unlikely to happen.
Yep, always check the local electrical codes. The logic right out of one of my electrical code field guides states: UP = awake, alert, high potential, one... thus = on. Down = asleep, down, low potential, zero... thus = off
I'd like to suggest connecting the big cap and transformer (area where it gets hot) to the heat sink and the case w/ thermal pads that have the best non-liquid metal TIM or TIM with a copper metal (wrapped around the capacitor, not on top coz' if it explodes, it'll a small but powerful firecracker). The copper metal maybe secured with silicone (amazing at heat, can even handle an electrode welder's heat). The bottom gets warm too I noticed. I would put anything that warms up on a custom mesh small table (mod an office equipment with mesh design). God bless, Rev. 21:4
Hey John! I ordered the V3.1S station a few days ago and i read that the capacitors probably will need a change, as the infomation online seems somewhat cloudy about what the replacement should be, would you be willing to list out what you would recommend replacing and should the values matter?
I would recommend not touching them and enjoy using the station until they (if ever) need replacement. When and if you ever have to replace them, yes values matter - use the same values as what you took out.
@@Rchelicopterfun Oh, OK. That brings up something I never thought about... what about using TS100 tips on a T12? If they are shorter in length, would the handle get hot?
I think replacing the caps with something name brand may help with overall worry free use. Seems worth it being half the price of a hakko yet half the size and same power. Hakko is likely better but this is a cool little project spare.
Half the price? More like 1/4. The comparable T12/T15 direct drive technology Hakko FX-951 is around $270 USD at most vendors. Regardless, both great direct drive soldering stations IMO 🙂
@@Rchelicopterfun I guess that is true, I was comparing it to a hakko 888d which isn’t cartridge based. Not sure how to pick which soldering pen style but I’ll buy one soon.
Couldn't you just use the existing screw holes to attach the wire (probably with a nice termination connector ending) instead of drilling a new hole in the case?
Two totally different tools. Portable soldering iron vs. bench top soldering station. It therefore depends what your soldering needs are... Portability for field use or feature rich, more robust bench top tool.
@@Rchelicopterfun btw it's a good question whether it's actually good or bad for the tip to have a low-imp path to earth. imagine soldering (by mistake) something that's plugged into wall socket. and as far as ESD protection goes, won't a 1MOhm resistor between the tip and the earth do the job?
The hot air variant of this type of product is no better. Not only is the aluminium housing not earthed/grounded the exposed metallic portion of the wand isn't either.
Do you think it is worth the effort with this station to connect the iron's tip to ground to provide ESD protection? Also, have you had a chance to look at the $20 Handskit version of this station on Amazon?
Tip is already ESD grounded (provided you plug the station into a grounded outlet of course). Never looked at the Handskit version and have no working experience with it...
@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you, I will try watching again a few times, I didn't see a grounding connection between the controller board and the power board?
Hi, I finally have this T12, but on the inside near the L pin it says 'AC-220V'. Does that mean that this is for 220V only and that there is a separate 110V version, or can I connect it to both110V or 220V? The description said 110V-220V...
@@ohmware2020 yes and no. if there's no earth connection, the requirements for the quality of insulation become much higher to prevent any chance of gettting mains voltage on the case.
Hi john, i recently bought a ksger 2.1s and if you dont mind i have a couple of questions..... Firstly, i grounded the case, but when i test it with multimeter i beleive everything should read less than 1 ohm but the bit under the dial shoots up to around 350ish while every other bit i test reads 000.5..... Have i done something wrong? I see videos where people touch the metal under the dial and the earth pin at the back to show it isnt grounded, but they never show touching those same 2 points after grounding the case. Also regarding the r10 resistor, on mine the only r10 i can see is in a completely different place (under the dial) does that mean i wont have the battery drain issue? Thanks in advance
The R10 RTC battery grounding issue was fixed long ago on the 2.1S - not an issue anymore. No idea where your resistance increase is occurring? You would have to probe from the where you made the grounding screw connection on the case and work your way along the case until you figure out where the resistance increase is occurring. Remember, anodizing is an insulator.
@@Rchelicopterfun I would not expect that one to fail any time soon. It operates at low frequency and should not be under too much stress. It's usually the ones exposed to the high frequency switching noise that fail first (secondary side stuff).
@ Ben Baselet, the big power input cap was the first one to go in my original T12 V2.1S version so I'll be keeping an eye on it and the other little buggers 🙂
From the comments I am reading, it seems like a lot of new users are getting upset with the "ERROR" message on the display. Perhaps a future version of the display should say "CALIB" or "UPDATING" so the user knows that nothing bad is happening.
I understand why you would wish to ground the metal case, but isn't the power supply double insulated? So there should be no way the case should ever become live
Exactly why I said at the beginning of the video it's most likely fine and that this is totally optional. Nope the power supply is not double insulated. Double insulated as the name suggests requires two independent levels of insulation. One between the electrical parts inside & the exterior of the metal case, and another between the metal case & the user. For this station to be double insulated, not only would the board inside have to be totally insulated from the case (which it really isn't unless you consider a micron thick layer of anodizing good insulation - I don't); it would also have to have a non conductive plastic/similar material shell. There is always the remote the possibility, the case could become energized when being fed line voltage from a loose wire, failed component, solder bridge, poor assembly, part movement, board failure, who knows).
The majority of people who would be considering a direct drive technology tip soldering station like this already have soldering irons. Or use crimp connectors instead. Or simply don't ground it - as I clearly pointed out, these are optional mods.
@@Rchelicopterfun I know. What I like most about your videos that explain everything so nicely is that when you buy something you check it and improve/repair it. The people who produce something are often not any smarter than us so I think it is great to make modifications yourself. I just moved so I will buy the cheapest soldering iron my mexican home depot has and then try to buy this station through one of your links. Thanks!
My oled display died last week, idk why, I just use the station maybe 2 3 time per week. The iron gets hot and i ear the beeping when I switch the knob. I tried the oled from my ksger hot air and it works. Anyone know a compatible oled screen? I already did a research and found its a 4pin i2c display ... Some foruns talk the problem is the "driver ic"?¿ I have the blue pcb controller 2.12s version.
Not sure why anyone one go to that trouble as these things barely get warm inside. You would also have to cut cooling louvers in the aluminum case - no thanks. They work perfectly fine with passive internal cooling.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I love this little soldering station! Also got two T100s (bought the second because the OLED on the first died, and then I ordered a new OLED for the first, replaced it and this is how I got 2). Never hurts to have some extra irons at hand!
im deciding from the ts100 and ksger t12 which do you recommend
@@TooBanger Frankly I am only using the KSGer now, because I have a wider range of tips to select from. If you're a casual user, the TS100 might be ok for you, but if you plan to do more serious work, the KSger is a better choice. It has more power, different handles to choose from, more settings, cheaper tips and a wider tips selection.
I know this is an old video but just wanted to comment in case it helps anyone that I bought one from the official ksger aliexpress store last month and it came grounded already. Pretty good soldering station for the price.
Thanks for the video and for advising owners of these stations to ground their chassis. I recommend using crimp connections wherever possible on ground connections as high currents can melt solder connections, allowing the wire to simply fall off. A fuse or breaker will hopefully cut the power before the soldered connections fail, but UL-approved ground wires are crimped to things like spade connectors and screwed eyelets, not soldered. We want to *force* something upstream to trip or blow well before the internal ground fails.
With that said, the present-day KSGER stations with coincident, soldered power connectors between the plug module and power supply board don't offer an easy way to attach a spade connector to the ground terminal, so a soldered chassis ground is better than none at all.
I also removed the resistor to ground from the rtc battery and added a verticle 2032 battery holder using the original battery pigtail so everything is quick disconnect. The battery is still going stron a year later. This is a fantastic little soldering station. I recently upgraded to a hakko fm203 station (my dream station) and passed on my ksger to a friend.
Yep, that grounded RTC trace through that resistor was a pretty big mistake - glad they sorted it quickly on the 2.1S and that it's not an issue on the 3.1S version. Sounds like you did the same thing to your original V2.1S as I did by adding an actual battery holder for easy battery replacement. I would think our larger capacity 2032's will last the better part of a decade - lol. 😄
@@Rchelicopterfun thanks for the great vids. Keep up the good fight
I recently received a V2.2 with ground preinstalled, what a wonderful thing
I purchased mine few days ago, and it was already case grounded 😃
Being the millionth and one person to buy one of these I did appreciate this little video. John is right, it's a mystery to me why it isn't done out of the factory, especially the rectifier heat sink.
Just purchased one. Earthed out the case as per your mod. Went to do the heat sink mod and to my surprise they have modified the board and the circuit now clears the heat sink. Must be later model? Someone at the factory has been watching your videos👌
Enjoy it & glad to hear they've fixed the heat sink issue.
Which version? Do you have a PCB image?
@@alejandroperez5368 I'm not quite sure that the OPs version is, but John's board mentions v2.04. I received mine within the last week and it looks different, mine being v2.0.5. I still plan on grounding the case... just can't find a small enough nut for a screw.
In my experimentation, the black anodised finish was very strongly insulating. Even pushing my DMM probes into it as hard as I could I couldn’t get continuity. And I imagine that even if you ground one panel, that continuity wouldn’t follow on to the other 4 pieces of aluminium. So instead if you’re worried I’d just add some fabric insulating tape around the inside of the case where a heat-sink or other bits could contact it. Though sanding down the area near the screws isn’t bad either.
That heat sink goop looks conductive though, and it was getting kinda close to shorting the diode’s pins out.
Thanks for the video. Just picked one up. Grounded the case but will have to move it the rear, way better placement. Will have to do the heat-sink adjustment.
Enjoy it
I always put in a 2-pole switch on devices like this, so live and neutral get separated. This is because here in Germany we do have non-polarized outlets/sockets and there is a 50% chance to get live on neutral and vice versa. Of course it still works and shouldn't be an issue, but it feels better with the 2-pole switch.
But by far the most important mod is the PE/earth connection of the casing. It's more like a repair than a mod really. I like to use fan washers (Zahnscheiben in German), since they cut into the metal when tightening them down.
Never thought about that heat sink though.
Thanks John for all of your T12 videos! They have been really helpful in my choices. Keep up the good fight.
Glad to hear it 🙂
Looks like I lucked out with the DXCHMEI brand one of these, doesn't have any of these KSGER problems & it's properly grounded & insulated inside the metal case
And where did you get that one from?
Hi, adding the ground wire to the case also makes the tip grounded ? Some connect a ground wire directly to the Tip GND of the GX12 connector.
The one I just got had an interesting variation. The power connector to the front board looks like it was snapped off, so they just soldered the wires right to the board! You can see the broken leads where the connector was. Nice job!
Quick question here? Did you edit out tinning the ground prong @ 5:13? I am new at this and just trying to be thorough, trying to copy this exactly.
That ground tab already had solder on for the board connection, but I added more for the wire because I wasn't happy with my first attempt. Totally dependent on how much solder is already on your ground tab to begin with, your soldering skill, and how much excess solder you want on the wire connection.
For anyone looking at the T12 mini, the handle should already be grounded however the anodized paint has to be scratched off the corners and dials inside to properly ground the PCB to the case.
Cool. our the KSGER T12 is truly amazing, I'm very glad I bought it (thanks to sir John's channel, where I first saw it).
It's like modding our R/C (battery powered, Tamiya and Futaba combo guy- R/C race champion here, when I was a kid at least:-).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
I bought one based on John and others reviews, but it was John that inspired me to open it up and do the mods he suggested. He's right, just because it's fun! If any knows/can explain to a noob, why the outside of the GX12(?) socket isn't connected to the earth pin. I mean, this would have solved the who issue right?
Very useful and informative video! I have one question: I don't have a second iron right now, and I don't wanna buy two irons just to use one for modding another. What would you think, would it be too stupid to do soldering with the same iron on its earth ground pin? - while being extra careful of course to not touch anything else besides the pin being soldered. (To do just the grounding mod. Obviously, I couldn't do anything with the heat sink this way).
I would personally never solder on a live circuit, especially one at line voltage potential. That single event would be much more dangerous than using the station for years with the case not being ground IMO. Keep in mind, lots of folks use these stations with floating cases without any problems. You're call of course.
@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you! Got it, and I'll pass on any mods before buying another iron, or will just try to screw a connector to that ground terminal (as I saw in some videos, those ground terminals had holes in them)
Hi John, great explaining of your steps, to easily fix the issues, awesome video as all your others all are, keep up the brilliant work mate. 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼
Thanks 👍
Hello from France. Thank you for your great and helpful tutorials. Do you know how to adjust the brightness of the LCD. Thanks
Unfortunately, no brightness adjustment possible (OLED).
Hello, thank you for your help. God bless you and yours
Hi John! I have watched this video as well as a few of your other t12 reviews, and I am uncertain whether the 3.1s I plan to buy needs the mods outlined in this video. I'm hoping not, but better safe than sorry. Many thanks!!!
@XL-Freak. This is the 3.1S version in the video, so unless KSGER have changed the design, these same mods can be performed if you get one keeping in mind you don't have to do them. The vast majority of T12 stations out there have not been modded and are working for their users perfectly fine. I pointed them out in this video for 3 primary reasons:
1. To show the two main weaknesses of these low cost, yet performance rich T12 stations.
2. To demonstrate how easy it is to correct them.
3. For the simple reason I enjoy performing easy little mods like this to stuff to make it even better than it already is.
On a side note, I personally like the 2.1S version better than the 3.1S.
really like watching your vids ..just discovered your channel. someone asked about the T12 iron i mentioned that i bought years ago. i don't have an electronic background so i went with the save option and bought the mini one and bought an external higher end power supply came in handy because i also wanted the TS100..i prefer the KSGER T12 because of all the tip options..
i really like the mods you did. and how you explain it.. i don't know that i would have bin able to mod the heatsink as i don't have a counter screw drill bit (i believe that's what you call them ? , eng is not my native language )..
will subscribe to the channel like the way you share your knowledge ..
Greetings from The Netherlands..
I think you mean tapping bit, he drilled a new hole, and then created a thread inside that hole to receive the screw.
I just bought my KESGER unit yesterday and noticed the issue with the body of the unit not grounded so that is my next project.
Thank you Mr. Salt for making this video & posting it.
I used my dremel to remove the coating it worked great.
Nice vid, just a quick question. Are the four round thru holes on the corners ground planes like all my PC motherboards? Could I attach the board with stand-offs screwed to the case and ground it as well?
The board is already grounded through the grounding connection on the C14 plug assembly. The holes on the board have no ground traces around them.
I don't see filter, wondering if the switch power supply don't feed hi harmonic AC?
Does heat conductive snot= thermal paste? Thanks for the upload 🤙.
I think that goes without saying 🙂
Is it possible to just solder the grounding wire to the case without drilling it?
Nope, can't solder aluminum with low temp electrical solder.
Just curious, most of the laptop power supplies only use two wires, hot and neutral, but no earth. How do they ensure the safety?
electrically double insulated
@@elamritiThank you. I ordered a station without the power board. And plan to use a spare laptop power supply to power it. Is there any safety concern?
@@haihonghuang As long as you use a well-known brand they are very safe. I do believe at least Dell laptop supplies (older ones?) with the very large barrel and a thin wire pin in the middle actually pass through the safety earth to the secondary side too. The large barrel has earth on the outside, return (0V) on the inside of the barrel and positive on the pin so there are models out there which pass through the ground if you really want one. Of couse you could always wire in the ground yourself if you wanted to.
@ Haihong Huang Just keep in mind when powering the T12 controller with that method your iron tip won't be grounded, unless like Ben mentioned, you also run a separate earth ground to the negative input or you don't mind a floating iron tip / require ESD protection.
@@Rchelicopterfun good point. Thank you.
Ok, if the case is none conductive, (since you need to sand it well first), then, Whats the piont of connecting a wire to it? For the handle ,iron body, its connected to AC input earth already (through 24 negative, black wire)......ok, I can think of one scenario: the pcb has a sharp part or heat sink has 220v or 120v, it touches the case very hard and scratches the paint and make the case has 220/120v....then we happen to touch some outside part of the case where it happens to have no paint on it.....rare case, but still a valid case.
Yep, it's exactly those rare cases why it's CODE in most countries to have any metal cased line voltage tool/appliance earth grounded. Tools get dropped and abused all the time. There are many scenarios one could think of where the line hot could come in contact with the case. And since the guts are not double insulated, the metal case by code here in North America HAS to be grounded.
As for a micron or two layer of anodizing offering adequate insulation - not likely.
I also got one of those wire assortments off Amazon and I'm wondering what the zip ties are for. Mine had five smaller gauge wires and 5 zip ties so I assume it's one per spool but I just don't see what they want me to do with them. Did yours come with zip ties too? Did you ever figure it out?
No zip ties with mine, just the box with the wire spools inside.
I am thinking of buying one of these after my Antex went missing. Problem is, how am i supposed to do any mods unless i own a 2nd one ?
I only need one and i'm not going to use it that often to need two.
Don't do the mods. Most people don't, these are just fun little things to do to improve it.
I was unable to desolder the heatsink, no matter what I tried (hakko fr301, wick, soldering iron), the pins remained stuck / some solder always remained in the holes. I wonder if it's because the heatsink is transferring away the heat on those parts, thus not allowing the solder to heat up enough to melt. Any tips how to solve that?
Yes, the heat sink pulls a good deal of heat from the pins. The usual tricks apply including: use a larger wedge or hoof tip improving thermal mass and heat transfer, use a higher wattage iron that can overcome the heat loss, melt in some proper quality leaded solder to both lower the melting point and broaden the eutectic point, use more flux.
If none of those are workable options, the pins are just slid into the heat sink so it should be possible to pry the heatsink off the pins (just make sure you remove the screw in the rectifier first) 😀
@@Rchelicopterfun Thanks a lot for the tips, I shall try again :) also kudos for the video overall, it is an excellent guide!
@@Rchelicopterfun I managed to do it with a larger tip and a lot of patience :) It took quite a lot of time, and I am wondering, due to the long exposure to this high temperature, is the transistor in danger of dying (the one to which the heatsink is attached)?
Is there a handle thats compatible with this for micro soldering?
Several. Google search "Ksger T12 handle" 🙂
domyou have a video about how to change the Oled screen of TSger T12
why ?
@@adredy my tsger t12 screen is broken i want to know how to change the screen my self
@@kimwenceslaosanchez4449 i seen on aliex.... ,but they sell whole board did check connection ? maybe lcd is ok try solder pins , board cost 12-16£ not sure if this make sense repair for this price
12:10 Hmm... not sure why North America decided to have switches like that. The reason I like OFF to be up is that most of the time a switch is turned off, and when that part of the switch is tucked inside the case, it won't easily catch dust. I really dislike dusty switches and I think the less you have to maintain them, the better. :)
P.S. Thanks for this video, I'll check my station to see if it's grounded or not. :) I'm not really worried about the heat sink, as long as it's soldered there's barely any chance to make contact, and arcing is probably unlikely to happen.
Yep, always check the local electrical codes. The logic right out of one of my electrical code field guides states: UP = awake, alert, high potential, one... thus = on. Down = asleep, down, low potential, zero... thus = off
UK .. up off down on ;)
I'd like to suggest connecting the big cap and transformer (area where it gets hot) to the heat sink and the case w/ thermal pads that have the best non-liquid metal TIM or TIM with a copper metal (wrapped around the capacitor, not on top coz' if it explodes, it'll a small but powerful firecracker). The copper metal maybe secured with silicone (amazing at heat, can even handle an electrode welder's heat). The bottom gets warm too I noticed. I would put anything that warms up on a custom mesh small table (mod an office equipment with mesh design).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
You did mention before that the caps leak over time, so when you were modding it, how come you didn't upgrade the caps with better quality ones?
No point jumping the gun. They may last for years after all.
Is there a continuity allowed between any of the pins of the GX (iron) connector?
You should desolder the cap and inductor from the irons ESD ground and jumper it with a 1m ohm resistor.
I notice there are no vented holes in the case, does the PSU stay cool nevertheless?
Hardley gets warm.
Hey John! I ordered the V3.1S station a few days ago and i read that the capacitors probably will need a change, as the infomation online seems somewhat cloudy about what the replacement should be, would you be willing to list out what you would recommend replacing and should the values matter?
I would recommend not touching them and enjoy using the station until they (if ever) need replacement. When and if you ever have to replace them, yes values matter - use the same values as what you took out.
John, about that 10 pack of tips: can I also use them on my Miniware TS100?
Thank you.
Yes, T12 tips will fit & work in a TS100, but they stick out almost twice as far as TS100 tips, so it's much harder to work with.
@@Rchelicopterfun Oh, OK. That brings up something I never thought about... what about using TS100 tips on a T12?
If they are shorter in length, would the handle get hot?
I think replacing the caps with something name brand may help with overall worry free use. Seems worth it being half the price of a hakko yet half the size and same power. Hakko is likely better but this is a cool little project spare.
Half the price? More like 1/4. The comparable T12/T15 direct drive technology Hakko FX-951 is around $270 USD at most vendors. Regardless, both great direct drive soldering stations IMO 🙂
@@Rchelicopterfun I guess that is true, I was comparing it to a hakko 888d which isn’t cartridge based. Not sure how to pick which soldering pen style but I’ll buy one soon.
Couldn't you just use the existing screw holes to attach the wire (probably with a nice termination connector ending) instead of drilling a new hole in the case?
To each their own. I specifically wanted it attached to the back the way I did it; but you could ground it out anywhere on the metal case you want to.
@@Rchelicopterfun Fair enough. Thanks for the reply.
would you recommend ts100 or the ksger t12???
Two totally different tools. Portable soldering iron vs. bench top soldering station. It therefore depends what your soldering needs are... Portability for field use or feature rich, more robust bench top tool.
With this grounding mod, does the tip get tied in too? Or would you need to bridge the output negative and earth to get the tip earthed too?
Tip is grounded all along, with or without case grounding mod - see review.
@@Rchelicopterfun Not on every unit. My unit doesn't have tip grounded (measured on tip, not on socket).
@@Rchelicopterfun btw it's a good question whether it's actually good or bad for the tip to have a low-imp path to earth. imagine soldering (by mistake) something that's plugged into wall socket.
and as far as ESD protection goes, won't a 1MOhm resistor between the tip and the earth do the job?
Leaded works very well for me lol, I don't get the hate, I'd personally just add a dab of flux to that joint that's not melting.
9:00 no thermal pad or thermal paste?!!??!
The rectifier doesn't get hot enough to warrant it, but I put some on for the hell of it when repositioning @10:29. Can't hurt right... 🙂
@@Rchelicopterfun I'm considering cut off part of heat sink. In worst case scenario power loss on rectifier is 5W so heat sink can be smaller I think
The hot air variant of this type of product is no better. Not only is the aluminium housing not earthed/grounded the exposed metallic portion of the wand isn't either.
My KSGER hot air rework station's metal nozzle is grounded (white wire) and it came out of the box that way: ruclips.net/video/C1OiKfb_0M8/видео.html
Do you think it is worth the effort with this station to connect the iron's tip to ground to provide ESD protection? Also, have you had a chance to look at the $20 Handskit version of this station on Amazon?
Tip is already ESD grounded (provided you plug the station into a grounded outlet of course). Never looked at the Handskit version and have no working experience with it...
@@Rchelicopterfun Thank you, I will try watching again a few times, I didn't see a grounding connection between the controller board and the power board?
@Robin Nesting - DC negative output on the PS shares earth ground.
@@Rchelicopterfun I see where you commented on making sure the connector made contact, I apologize for not watching more carefully the first time!
What size tap did you use?
M3
Hi, I finally have this T12, but on the inside near the L pin it says 'AC-220V'. Does that mean that this is for 220V only and that there is a separate 110V version, or can I connect it to both110V or 220V? The description said 110V-220V...
They are universal voltage.
@@Rchelicopterfun thank you!
hello, does it make any sense if i electrically ground mine? my country wall socket has only type a, live and neutral
If you have no grounded outlet to plug it into, it's a non issue.
@@Rchelicopterfun so its okay to use without modifying it?
@@ohmware2020 yes and no. if there's no earth connection, the requirements for the quality of insulation become much higher to prevent any chance of gettting mains voltage on the case.
Jeez John! How much chilli sauce do you get through!
Enough to feel it 😅
@@Rchelicopterfun Going to have another rectumfire to heat-sink !! LMAO !
@@logicsparkelectronics8400 Rectum? Damn near killed 'em!
Nice, so I need to buy another soldering iron.
Hi john, i recently bought a ksger 2.1s and if you dont mind i have a couple of questions..... Firstly, i grounded the case, but when i test it with multimeter i beleive everything should read less than 1 ohm but the bit under the dial shoots up to around 350ish while every other bit i test reads 000.5..... Have i done something wrong? I see videos where people touch the metal under the dial and the earth pin at the back to show it isnt grounded, but they never show touching those same 2 points after grounding the case.
Also regarding the r10 resistor, on mine the only r10 i can see is in a completely different place (under the dial) does that mean i wont have the battery drain issue?
Thanks in advance
The R10 RTC battery grounding issue was fixed long ago on the 2.1S - not an issue anymore.
No idea where your resistance increase is occurring? You would have to probe from the where you made the grounding screw connection on the case and work your way along the case until you figure out where the resistance increase is occurring. Remember, anodizing is an insulator.
i would also change those caps to better brand and maybe higher temps
Yep, if & when the time comes. Suspect the big input cap will be the first to go.
@@Rchelicopterfun I would not expect that one to fail any time soon. It operates at low frequency and should not be under too much stress. It's usually the ones exposed to the high frequency switching noise that fail first (secondary side stuff).
@ Ben Baselet, the big power input cap was the first one to go in my original T12 V2.1S version so I'll be keeping an eye on it and the other little buggers 🙂
I replaced them all with nichicon's rated at 100c for peace of mind.
From the comments I am reading, it seems like a lot of new users are getting upset with the "ERROR" message on the display. Perhaps a future version of the display should say "CALIB" or "UPDATING" so the user knows that nothing bad is happening.
maybe install a fan for some cooling ?
Not required, it barely gets warm inside.
Another great video 👍
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
What the voltage that power supply is giving?
24VDC
I understand why you would wish to ground the metal case, but isn't the power supply double insulated? So there should be no way the case should ever become live
Exactly why I said at the beginning of the video it's most likely fine and that this is totally optional. Nope the power supply is not double insulated. Double insulated as the name suggests requires two independent levels of insulation. One between the electrical parts inside & the exterior of the metal case, and another between the metal case & the user. For this station to be double insulated, not only would the board inside have to be totally insulated from the case (which it really isn't unless you consider a micron thick layer of anodizing good insulation - I don't); it would also have to have a non conductive plastic/similar material shell. There is always the remote the possibility, the case could become energized when being fed line voltage from a loose wire, failed component, solder bridge, poor assembly, part movement, board failure, who knows).
@@Rchelicopterfun can I just conformal coat the whole PCB and not desolder or ground anything?
@@SolRC it already is coated. A thin coating is no substitute for proper case grounding.
If i buy this because is inexpensive, i would have to buy another even cheaper soldering iron just to be able do fix the grounding issue...
The majority of people who would be considering a direct drive technology tip soldering station like this already have soldering irons. Or use crimp connectors instead. Or simply don't ground it - as I clearly pointed out, these are optional mods.
@@Rchelicopterfun I know. What I like most about your videos that explain everything so nicely is that when you buy something you check it and improve/repair it.
The people who produce something are often not any smarter than us so I think it is great to make modifications yourself.
I just moved so I will buy the cheapest soldering iron my mexican home depot has and then try to buy this station through one of your links. Thanks!
My oled display died last week, idk why, I just use the station maybe 2 3 time per week. The iron gets hot and i ear the beeping when I switch the knob. I tried the oled from my ksger hot air and it works. Anyone know a compatible oled screen? I already did a research and found its a 4pin i2c display ... Some foruns talk the problem is the "driver ic"?¿ I have the blue pcb controller 2.12s version.
none of the outlets in my room are grounded, but i guess i will earth the box anyways lol
add some fans inside ehhehe
Not sure why anyone one go to that trouble as these things barely get warm inside. You would also have to cut cooling louvers in the aluminum case - no thanks. They work perfectly fine with passive internal cooling.
Why you use the ts 100
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