Learn Electronics Repair #10 - Soldering Tools and Equipment
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Learn Electronics Repair #10
In this video we have a look at Soldering irons, Desoldering tools and Hot Air Rework stations. I'll talk about the equipment I have in my workshop and why I chose to use those items. I'll suggest what you should buy, what is essential (the bare minimum soldering equipment you will need to undertake repairs) and what is nice to have. Finally I will make suggestions on what you should buy if you are on a budget, and what you could buy if you have more money to invest in your soldering equipment.
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Equipment used in my videos. These are affiliate links, you pay the normal price and I make a small commission.
TEST METERS
Aneng AN8009
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KM601
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VC480C+
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MESR-100 ESR METER
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XC6013L CAPACITOR METER
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TM-902C TEMPERATURE METER
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LCR-T4 LOW COST COMPONENT ANALYZER
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FNB58 USB ANALYZER
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PCI POST ANALYZER
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TL460S Plus PCI_E ANALYZER
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TOOLTOP ET829 SCOPE METER
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MULTIMETER PROBE KIT KET05
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OSCILLOSCOPES
FNIRSI 1014D
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FNIRSI DSO-TC3
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FNIRSI DPOX180H
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BENCH PSU
NPS3010W
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SOLDERING
T12 Station with M8 9501 Handle
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M8 9501 HANDLE
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T12-BC3 Tip
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SUGON T26D
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QUICK 861DW
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PROS'KIT SS-331H
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SS-331H Spare Parts
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THERMAL CAMERA
Infiray P2 Pro
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MICROSCOPES
Amscope Optical Microscope (copy)
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ANDONSTAR AD407
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EEPROM Programming
TL866 II+
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CH341A
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1.8V ADAPTER
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CONSUMABLES
NC-559-ASM FLUX
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DESOLDER BRAID (I use size 8045)
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MECHANIC HX-T100 Solder 63:37 (I use 0.6mm)
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ESD-11 TWEEZERS
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Thank you
Richard
Coming back into the hobby I've been blown away by how much things have progressed in 25 years!
I knew I had to replace my Antex with the dodgy tip and after an awful lot of research & talking to others I am most the owner of a Quicko T12-952 with their replacement T12-M8 black aluminium handle. (Great minds... etc. etc.)
It was a relief to have my noob research backed up by a jobbing electronics repair tech.
And after seeing someone douse a whole chip in liquid flux just to desolder it my jaw hit the floor! Thank you for filling in the details for me.
And as for unleaded solder! I thought I'd developed neurological problems when I tried to use the stuff! I could barely tin a brand new bit of wire. I'm glad it's not just me 😆
I'm binge-watching your whole back catalogue Richard and I just want to thank you for taking the time to pass on your hard-won skills & knowledge.
I'll be here for the long haul mate!
Cheers! 🍻
lots of useful info, thanks!
GREAT info👍
Thanks for the video. It was great.
Another great video. Your videos come over like a mate explaining things.
Fantastic video. Great getting advice from somebody who actually uses the products. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge Artie😊
Been needing a video like this! And your other videos a really informative and useful aswell!
I like your channel, I repair CB radios 27MHz in Australia and I started with cheap soldering irons and then cheap desoldering stations.
I progressed to older PACE stations and now have a more than fully complete PACE PRC2000 station.
These are not cheap and are still around $10K USD , mine owes me around $7K AUD.
Some may say why spend that much but let me tell you once you have a station like this you can fully appreciate how valuable they are in speed and accurate temperature control.
It can even nickel and gold plate PCBs where needed, do any SMD or thru hole work and repairs, especially damaged PCBs.
I run a soldering iron and 2 desoldering irons for different size component lead diameters.
Its very easy to use any of the other tools as they just plug and play. Each of the 3 channels is temperature adjustable digitally.
It also has a variable speed Dremel style tool that is very easy to hold.
If you can find a Pace unit buy it you won’t be disappointed, the range of tips and desoldering tips is vast and you can even get bent tips that make component removal on thru hole with boards in place in many instances.
I'm with you on the solder. My solder of choice is 63/37, which a eutectic solder. Also, RMA liquid flux and 99% isopropyl alcohol. I use Kimwipes with the alcohol to clean the contaminates from the solder.
I have recently started refreshing what I learned in the 80s too. Never too late to re-engage with a past skill. There’s robots coming afterall 😅
My old Soldering iron died and I went to repair a family member's portable fan and realised... the soldering iron from Homebase was gone - If I remember rightly the tip was useless.. Now I need a desoldering tool to finish any new repair jobs... Picked up a thing for £10 in Aldi in the special. This guide is so helpful. too many tools out there and reviews.
I have a few - I have a 1980's Pace soldering station in the "Posh" workshop - it is tres posh.. works great. Beast machine. Back in the day it was expensive. Out in the "Less Posh" workshop, I have a Lidl soldering station I use for doing vehicle wiring looms - it cost less than 20 quid & works good - every soldering job it does, it pays for itself again. Will now seek out a KSGER .
I have bought 2 x T12 s as I've found if I need a bigger tip save pulling out a hot tip I just switch on my other one with bigger tip, another good vid rich👍
Nice refresher. I never cared for the handheld electric pump because it would vibrate the tip and damage the traces at the connection point. I do use the solder-sucker. But I'd like one with the pump offboard.
Amtec is great flux but very expensive, I use kingbo rma 218 it’s slightly lesser quality than amtec but a fraction of the price 👍🏻 also the ksger t12 is a great unit (just make sure your running 2.1 software) … the ksger hot air 700w blew up in less than a month (replaced with atten st862d) great video, really glad I subbed, slowly going through them all
Excelente
In regards to flat pack type chips one of my tools has the ability to use diff styles of tools that fit different shape flat packs and heats the leads on all sides then you press the button and a vacuum is applied to the chip and you lift it off the board.
i WOULD LIKE TO ADD Resistance tweezers soldering. It heats instantly on metal chassis, RF connectors, thick wires along with multi-wire connectors where small space is hard to work. In 2 navy yards, so I worked on just about everything in Military Electronics and it sure was a time saver.
Can't beat a Antex iron. I have two of different wattages and wouldn't get rid of them. Also have a solder/hot air station, TS100 etc. Each one ideal for purpose in its own way.
Thank you for the tip on stainless steel needles. We never had them in the 80's when I started but I wish they had.
I am waiting for the Kada preheater and other bits to have a go at changing a ram chip on a 980ti. Would you say 150C on the top of the board was a good target for preheating these GPU's?
Heya really thinking about strating a hobby elelktronic repair so used your links to order some materials
Hey bud,
I've just been directed to your channel By Jaso's Electronic Repair, I'm a noob technician without a bloody clue, but i'm documenting the journey on Youtbue and I can already see that you channel will be invaluable. Thank you already!
Hi Wayne, I'm happy to help, i anything needs more explantiion just ask, I'll do my best
@@LearnElectronicsRepair Thank you Sir! Much appreciated! You have a cure for shaky hands? haha
@@GetRefurbed Yes. Practice practice and more practice. :D
Great video, Richard. Do you have any tips to remove varnish? most of the boards i work with are covered in the stuff. thanks
Very nice video but checking prices for the stations in 2024 it seems that 90% of them are waaay more expensive now.
I checked Amazon UK and for example the 'Quick 861D' hot-air station that you said it would cost around 200, its now at 324 😵 without the delivery costs!!!
Anyway, thanks for the video and the analysis 👍
very nice job explaining all your tools and or equipment Richard :)
Richard.. Amazing work! Is there any way you can point me to the safety video if I missed it. I wonder if this is something you want to make into a playlist that is a "Watch this first!" list. I am interested in your variac, isolation transformer, and light bulb setup. Thanks again for one of the most useful resources I have found. -Todd
Very clear video about all soldering possibilities. I use a 40W soldering iron connected to a dimmer 230V outlet to control the temperature and check the temperature with the multimeter. Also use the manual vacuum pump device. LoL. Very amateur, but I already repair a lot of things. I need to learn hot air soldering. Have you done a video about that already?
I use a variety of techniques including hot air in my repair videos.
great video i went for a ts 100 and now i am regreting my decision.
got the same hot air station and got the wick thank you vwey much !
Let us all know how you get on with the solder wick when it arrives. Don't forget to use flux with it ;-)
This KSGER solder iron looks very useful. I was looking for it (THIS kind of handle/solder iron WITHOUT the station and couldn't really find one (at least, not a KSGER), can you please help sending here an appropriate link to buy it?
Great vdeo, I am trying to source those soldering needles but am not having much luck, do you by chance have a link. TIA
How about these?
www.aliexpress.com/item/4000314247227.html
@@LearnElectronicsRepair Cheers just bought 3 sets for £3 with postage.
I do have an soldering iron, adjustable one with a potentiometer.. but has stopped working 😢..do you know why is not working? I want to fix it 😭😔
Wish someone would make one with a stubby metal end.
Hi, I notice your list of tools typically has a link an alliexpress tool and an Amazon tool. Is there much difference in quality and durability? Amazon prices are significantly higher, are they worth te extra cost? Which do you typically buy?
I was going to get a T12 station based on this video, but after researching them I keep finding info that they are very dangerous as the earth is not connected to ground inside, plus it has a metal case. Are there any good alternatives?
If you are worried about it, then get a T12 which has a five way plug connecting to the soldering iron itself. The fifth wire is the ground lead to the iron. You can connect the metal case of the soldering station to ground yourself easily enough.
Also don't consider having your soldering iron 'not grounded' as always being dangerous.
If we are talking about mains powered soldering irons (where the heating element is connected to the mains) then yes you have a fair point, the iron needs to be grounded for safety.
If we are talking about soldering irons where the heating element runs at a low voltage (eg 24V) like the T12 then the galvanic isolation of the power supply transformer (switch mode) actually makes the chances of the soldering iron tip becoming 'live' very unlikely.
An ungrounded soldering iron in this instance is no more dangerous than an ungrounded laptop connected to a mains powered 19V supply. In fact given the possibility of doing something stupid like accidentally touching 'hot ground' with the soldering iron when the device is powered up, you are possibly safer with an ungrounded iron!
Can I ask you a question? Do you have a mains isolation transformer powering your work bench (the device under test)? If you don't, then this is a much greater safety consideration than whether the soldering iron is grounded or not.
@@LearnElectronicsRepair Hi, thanks for getting back to me, but I don't think I explained myself clearly. My concern is that the metal box with an input of 240V is not earthed and a short would give a lethal shock if the box was touched, ie moving it when powered on. The iron itself is not an issue as it has a plastic handle. I am not concerned about the iron transfering voltage to or from the boards, more that I wouldn't want to be hospitalised by dodgy wiring in a mains voltage device.
@@arm1e3000 please take a look at Hakko FX951 or Exso Ledsol 300 soldering stations. Their bodies are made of plastic and they are earthed as well
Why not modify yourself and make a groundconnection yourself to the metal case ? It isn’t clear to me why the manufacturer hasn’t done this , any suggestion ?
I don’t see a link to a desoldering pump Gun?
Hello, and what kind of microscope?
Hi. Do you use rosin flux core solder?
Yes I do
@@LearnElectronicsRepair thanks. Even when using separate flux applied to the thing being soldered?
@@daveythree3670 Yes, when needed. if the component leads and pcb pads are clean then usually just the rosin core solder is enough but if I need to add more flux to get the solder to flow properly I do. I did also use hard rosin flux for a long time (the tin of brown stuff you melt with your iron tip), but a little while before starting this channel I was recommended to try NC-559-ASM and liked it so much I changed to using that. I'm more likely to add flux when desoldering than when soldering (unless it is drag soldering on smd devices and similar techniques)
@@LearnElectronicsRepair thank you. Just ordered the NC-559. This will no doubt help with my soldering technique. Not that great ATM. But getting better. Thanks for the excellent videos.
@@daveythree3670 Let us know how you go on with it, I think you will love it.
This was of great help, I was looking at soldering stations that cost over 80€ and thinking if they were any good because Hakko ones cost over 250€, that station you suggested looks really good.
Are you in the EU? I saw that you were mentioning the prices in Euros, if you are do you have a page? I was thinking if you were up to replace the bad caps on 2 motherboards and try to fix a third one that shortened and something is off.
Hi Farben, Yes I am living in Spain (Gran Canaria) so I work in Euros, but sometimes I mention Pounds (or the slang term Quid) as I am originally from England
Where do you get genuine Amtech flux in Europe?
I have no idea if the flux I use is genuine - I order it from AliExpress and it works brilliantly (as you will see in my many videos)
www.aliexpress.com/item/32919126582.html
It's like the Amscope 'clone/copy' trinocular microscope I use - what is 'original and what is 'copy' these days as bot hthe 'branded' and 'unbranded' one are probably made in the same factory in China
Back to the flux - just buy some form that link and I am sure you will be more than happy with it.
I disagree with some of your evaluations. Like the desoldering tool with the spring loaded plunger, yes it is useless on multi layer pcb's. But it works just great on single sided boards. So rather than saying it is junk it would be more appropriate to say only use it for it's intended purpose. Mine is 40 years old and in it's day like late seventies it was a very useful tool. I also bought a super cheap mains powered version recently and it actually works quite well even on double sided boards since you do not have to heat with a soldering iron and then quickly put on the desoldering tool. I also have a powered vacuum desoldering station similar to the one you have but I only use it if I have to since it is a pain to clean out the solder...
Actually I quite agree - most things are good for their intended purpose. I have owned many of those plunger type desoldering tools (yes in the 70's too). Would I use one now? Nope there are better ways to do it, but yeah you are right I shouldn't call it junk.
Definitely need a bit more nuance in your comments. I know you have a particular slant on your channel towards the SMD repair etc. But a lot of the things you say "are rubbish" are great in other applications.
E.g. lead free solder, if you work on bigger things like guitar amps mixing leaded (what they are manufactured with if modern) and lead free is just asking for reliability issues. And spring loaded solder suckers are great for removing big amounts of solder quickly on non-delicate items (e.g. connectors).
I love this channel, but do take care on general videos like this not to give absolutes.
I guess we all have our own experience and preference. What you say is quite correct, some tools suit some jobs and other tools suit other jobs. I never really mix lead and lead free solder - only to reduce the melting point for desoldering. When I come to solder the replacement parts (or refit the old ones) I clean the old solder off first and use 60:40 lead solder. Please don't take what I say as absolutes - any video with the nature of this one, by definition, is going to contain a lot of personal opinion.
@@LearnElectronicsRepair I only mentioned the "talking in absolutes"thing because it's something that's been pointed out to me and I have to try really hard not to do myself. As I say, love the channel :)
@@fuzzylogickben No offense taken here and I basically agree though I still believe any 'review' type video like this one is ultimately going to be subjective. It's like the cheap hot air station (858D) in this video. I don't say it's junk which is the popular opinion on forums etc, I used it quite happily for a number of years until the sort of work I was doing changed and I found the limitations of that equipment. So I bought the Quick 861DW and it is much better. The 858D is still as useful for the work I used to do with it as it was before but having said that why use it (I still have it) when I can use the Quick? But I would never call it junk .
One thing I will stick by and that IMHO is the little hand held solder pumps are only good for ripping pads of boards. Maybe it is just me not being able to use them properly, but I have tried them on and off since the 1970s and nothing ever made me change my opinion. Compared with the PACE vacuum desoldering stations we used when I worked for ICL, and the SS-331H I use now (I couldn't justify the cost of the PACE) those things are junk.
I have to be honest and say that after trying the KSGER I think it is absolute junk. Hakko and Welller are the way to go. Just get a cheap iron from them or save up to get something better from them.
Yeah, It's surprising how much stuff I actually manage to fix with that junk soldering iron isn't it. I will probably try some other soldering irons when I get chance. Can you qualify your comment by suggesting some instances (repair work) where the T12 let you down or wasn't up to the job? There are occasions when I use my preheater or sometimes hot air in conjunction with the soldering iron if I have very heavy ground/power planes but I can't think of any times it let me down so far.
@@LearnElectronicsRepair Yes I got this Iron with three tips and noticed right away I was having a problem tinning the tips. 2 of the three supplied the c1 and Jl-02. I managed to get solder ball formed and figured I'd be off to a slow start. But it seems that these tips are cooling almost instantly. In fact I am working on ps4 controllers replacing the Joysticks and until i have a proper solder sucker pump this type of repair is tedious. Through hole pins. But I have success with wicks. But using this Iron the small solder wicks get soldered to the board and stuck because it is cooling off to rapidly. Even trying to melt solder will only melt a dent in the soldered pins. What would you think junk was the word that came to mind. Your help would be appreciated .
@@LearnElectronicsRepair I found the problem with this Iron. The Iron plug with the five pin connection to the box was soldered and bridging the pins. I removed the short and now it heats up enough to melt solder. That is quality now at its finest. I can say it is not total junk if you are a skilled technician you can fix the Iron when it arrives and tests your technical skills. Otherwise you might still need to get a working Iron.
Lead free solder suck's
I can't understand a word you're saying . Also , I think we have entered the age of high precision laser soldering .