Soldering station recommendations

[DanP]

I've got one of the 986's and I would highly recommend them. Solder wick is OK for a quick job, but desoldering IC's I'd say you need a decent desoldering setup (well I do anyway). I've used a bit of Wick lately cos I can't use the desoldering iron in the evenings these days for fear of waking littleun's up. Tis a frustrating time consuming experience for sure...

Dan

 

[system11]

Xytronic stuff is awesome, I've got the LF 9000 dual unit. I'd never use one of those spring loaded pump efforts again. Money well spent.

 

[karlcdoe]

I can never get solder wick to work properly. For monitors and components with only a leg or three I use a manual pump solder sucker. For everything else I use a desldering station, the cheap duratool one from CPC that some people say is sh*te but I have used it a lot for the last 10 months or so and it's okay so far:

http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/47770-desoldering-station-uk-eu-plug-80w.html

I don't think I'd remove an IC again without a desoldering station unless I was really desperate or scrapping the board. With a desoldering station and a bit of care you can nearly always remove the chip in one piece allowing you to reuse it and it doesn't seem to pull all the tracks off the board in the process.

 

[cliff_poole]

I have been tempted by these desoldering stations from seeing all the good reports on various arcade forums.

I once worked at a place that had a big Weller desoldering station but no one ever used it, when I showed an interest I was told it clogs up all the time and was discouraged from using it. It was only after they got rid of it that I read peoples recommendations.

From this tread, I trust you, I'm going to keep an eye out for one at a good price

.

As far as wick goes, I use the sucker first then use the wick to get the last bit. Extra flux is a big help with wick as it helps distribute the heat. Also, wick tends to go off a bit with age, I guess the surface tarnishes over time.

 

[DanP]

Desolder stations do clog up if you don't clean em after every use. Do that and they stay tip top!

Dan

 

[system11]

Even then the tips can clog permanently over time, but the tips are cheap enough.

 

[cliff_poole]

OK, I took the plunge and bought one of those Duratool desoldering stations from CPC. I am now completely converted, there will be no going back.

The quality is pretty much as you'd expect for the price. The moulded pieces of the gun don't sit together very cleanly and, as others have found, the back stop on mine doesn't seem to push in as far as it looks like it should.

Yes it does get clogged but no more than a normal solder sucker. You know when it needs cleaning a bit like a vacuum cleaner, it just doesn't work as well all of a sudden. I found the spring filter thing a bit of a pain to clear out but I'm sure I'll get the hang of that as time goes on. They conveniently supply you with prods to clear out the nozzle.

All in all though, I am seriously impressed. Excellent work encouraging me to to do it, thanks

.

 

[DanP]

Quick question Cliff, how noisy is it in operation? My 968 is great but it's just a tad too noisy to use in the evenings (when the kids are sleeping in the next room).

Dan

 

[cliff_poole]

Yeah, it is fairly noisey. It would definitely keep someone awake in the next room.

 

[grobda]

bought one too, it arrived today. looking forward to trying it out.

 

[Equites]

bought one too, it arrived today. looking forward to trying it out.

Let us know what you think, Im still old school with manual pump and solder wick.

 

[grobda]

its brilliant!

ok it does need cleaning a bit, i cleaned the spring filter after each chip, and i can see me going through a few of the disposable filters.

I do find sometimes it doesnt get all the solder 1st time; it just removes the bottom solder. i put this down to practice. in these cases i use my normal iron from the top and the gun from the bottom to clean up (it doesnt really work to heat from the top with the gun).

but overall its making the job a lot easier, definitely money well spent.

 

[Purity]

Also gonna go for the Duratool. They do get some good comments

Purity2012-01-23 21:30:49

 

[stevearcade]

I use an Antex 25watt iron (http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=180&P_ID=823). Most of the soldering I do is building cabling for Pro Audio applications, this is ideal. The work isn't sophisticated enough to warrant adjustable wattages. I've got one at home and one at work. They go for a long time before the tip needs replacing. I can't imagine using anything else quite honestly. The handle is slim and ergonomic and (providing you don't lose it) the finger guard attachment is really nice too. When I bought mine (from Maplins) it came with a cheap stand like this one (http://www.maplin.co.uk/soldering-iron-stand-4074) which is fine, does what it says on the tin so to speak.

For holding the things I'm soldering, I've got a couple of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-Tools-60335-Helping-Magnifying/dp/B001BMSBD4/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1327355473&sr=8-13

Honestly, they're cheap and brilliant. Eventually the croc clips lose their bite and the wing nuts wear out. But for the price they're great, really versatile. And if you've got two, you can make them look like robots or something and fight them against one another when it's really quiet at work

.

 

[DABOSS]

After reading this thread i purchased one of these -

http://www.maplin.co.uk/60w-professional-lcd-solder-station-with-esd-protection-511927

Looks nice , iron holder is crap tho but for £60 should do the job