[Nil]

Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

[Don Pearce]

On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:15:53 -0600, Nil
wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

There doesn't appear to be a power spec for that second one - you
certainly don't want to drop below 60W if you are doing guitar work.
You also need a fatter tip - one that will hold plenty of heat so it
doesn't cool off as soon as you put it on a ground with a couple of
coax braids attached.

If you are doing any chassis work on valve amps, also get a specific,
large, powerful chassis iron.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[G-Dawg]

"Nil" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Nil,

Been wondering about this myself. Been looking at the Weller solder
stations, nice but expensive. I believe they are the "standard".

What I'm wondering is, they have temperature settings... What temp is what?
I've always gone by iron wattage for soldering work.

I have an AB763 amp build ready to start, I need a good solder station and a
good multimeter. Looking at fluke meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I
guess, which equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

It'll be interesting to see what anyone recommends. You may want to post
this to alt.guitars.amps as well. Many builders there.

[Mike Rivers]

On Feb 3, 2:25 pm, "G-Dawg" wrote:

Been wondering about this myself. Been looking at the Weller solder
stations, nice but expensive. I believe they are the "standard".

Weller is one of the old time and consistently good makers of
soldering equipment. Hakko is another. They make temperature
controlled models that pump more juice into the heating element when
you put the tip on something that sucks the heat away. This is
important for working on modern circuit boards. For point-to-point
wiring such as on older instrument amplifiers, you can get away with a
fixed-wattage heating element around 50 watts or so.

I'd be suspicious of something you find from a faceless eBay seller
that claimes to be "same as Weller" and sells for half as much. It's
possible to make a bad soldering iron with which you won't be able to
make good joints.

What I'm wondering is, they have temperature settings... What temp is what?
I've always gone by iron wattage for soldering work.

350C is about right for most routine work. If you're using lead-free
solder, that requires a higher temperature.

Looking at fluke meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I
guess, which equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Yeah, but it's a lifetime investment.

[jthread]

"G-Dawg" wrote in message
...

"Nil" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Nil,

Been wondering about this myself. Been looking at the Weller solder
stations, nice but expensive. I believe they are the "standard".

What I'm wondering is, they have temperature settings... What temp is
what? I've always gone by iron wattage for soldering work.

I have an AB763 amp build ready to start, I need a good solder station and
a good multimeter. Looking at fluke meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC
I guess, which equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

It'll be interesting to see what anyone recommends. You may want to post
this to alt.guitars.amps as well. Many builders there.


I have one similar to the Weller. But it's 300 watt equal or less.
It's nice to have a good hot iron when u need it. I think it's one price
range higher. it's red.
I've yet to use it.

[Arny Krueger]

"G-Dawg" wrote in message

"Nil" wrote in
message ...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering
station for general electronics, including guitar and
amplifier work? Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Nil,

Been wondering about this myself. Been looking at the
Weller solder stations, nice but expensive. I believe
they are the "standard".


The standard brands in soldering irons are Weller, Ungar and Hakko

What I'm wondering is, they have temperature settings...
What temp is what?

There's a right temperature for every soldered joint. It the one where the
joint heats up in a few seconds, the solder and rosin flow quickly across
the joint together, and the solder wets large area of both pieces to be
soldered in a few seconds more.

The right temperature depends on your soldering style, the mass of the tip,
the items being soldered together, including what metals are being soldered.
That's the beauty of an adjustable iron, you can adjust it to get the action
that suits the job and your style.

I've always gone by iron wattage for soldering work.

The wattage of an iron is a gross indicator. Tip size and wattage tend to go
togehter.

I have an AB763 amp build ready to start, I need a good
solder station

Tubed equipment soldering wants more heat and a larger iron. More like 50
watts, less like 15.

and a good multimeter.

For this one job or the rest of your life?

I don't think that you need to invest in an expensive Fluke if this is going
to be your one big electronic project for this life.

Looking at fluke
meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I guess, which
equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Really? The Fluke 17B does 1,000 volts DC, and runs well under $100.

[Paul Stamler]

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

and a good multimeter.

For this one job or the rest of your life?

I don't think that you need to invest in an expensive Fluke if this is
going
to be your one big electronic project for this life.

Looking at fluke
meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I guess, which
equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Really? The Fluke 17B does 1,000 volts DC, and runs well under $100.

To which I would add that ultra-accurate DC metering isn't something you
really need for a guitar amp. Back in the day, they were usually calibrated
with a Radio Shack VOM or an Eico VTVM. On (most) guitar amps, if you're
within 10% of the designed voltage, you're fine.

Peace,
Paul

[William Sommerwerck]

"Paul Stamler" wrote in message
...

To which I would add that ultra-accurate DC metering isn't something you
really need for a guitar amp. Back in the day, they were usually
calibrated
with a Radio Shack VOM or an Eico VTVM. On (most) guitar amps, if you're
within 10% of the designed voltage, you're fine.

More to the point... It's the relative voltages on the cathode, plate, and
grids that matter more than the absolute voltages.

[Scott Dorsey]

Paul Stamler wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

and a good multimeter.

For this one job or the rest of your life?

I don't think that you need to invest in an expensive Fluke if this is
going
to be your one big electronic project for this life.

Looking at fluke
meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I guess, which
equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Really? The Fluke 17B does 1,000 volts DC, and runs well under $100.

To which I would add that ultra-accurate DC metering isn't something you
really need for a guitar amp. Back in the day, they were usually calibrated
with a Radio Shack VOM or an Eico VTVM. On (most) guitar amps, if you're
within 10% of the designed voltage, you're fine.

However, a meter that won't break when you drop it IS important. To be
honest, the $50 Wavetek meter I have is more than accurate enough for
this kind of work. But I wouldn't want to drop it. The Fluke 77, you
can drop and step on and it keeps working.

Note that SOME older manuals list reference voltages made with older
low impedance mechanical meters, and if you use a modern DVM everything
will seem too high. Consequently, having a Simpson 260 on the bench is
still occasionally useful. Also nice for rough go/no-go measurements
on electrolytic caps... set it for ohms, count how long it takes for the
needle to settle, compare with the time on a known-good cap out of circuit.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Arny Krueger]

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message

Paul Stamler wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

and a good multimeter.

For this one job or the rest of your life?

I don't think that you need to invest in an expensive
Fluke if this is going to be your one big electronic
project for this life.

Looking at fluke
meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I guess, which
equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Really? The Fluke 17B does 1,000 volts DC, and runs
well under $100.

I have no reason to believe that the Fluke 17 is not up to normal Fluke
standards for durability.

To which I would add that ultra-accurate DC metering
isn't something you really need for a guitar amp. Back
in the day, they were usually calibrated with a Radio
Shack VOM or an Eico VTVM. On (most) guitar amps, if
you're within 10% of the designed voltage, you're fine.


Back in the days of analog meters, the better meters broke down into a
number of classes, based on input impedance.

My recollection is that tubed VTVMs usually had 10 megohm input impedances,
which is similar to most modern DVMs. Passive voltmeters were either 1000
ohms/volt or 20,000 ohms/volt. A 20,000 ohm/volt meter on its 250 volt
range has a 5 megohm input impedance which is not all that far from a VTVM.

However, a meter that won't break when you drop it IS
important.

Agreed. It has been many a moon since I dropped a meter and broke it. The
most common problem with analog meters is that the shock would knock the
needle and armature assembly out of the spring-loaded pivots. Putting it
right was something that you could learn to do.

In the Army I had a PFC working for me who said he had worked in a meter
repair shop. These were the days of analog meters and we had a lot of them
in our mobile missile system. Therefore, we had a lot of them that would get
misadjusted beyond what the usual adjustement screw could handle. The book
said replace them, and he would put them right after they went into the
scrap barrel. We ended up trying to figure out what to to with a fair number
of nice, slightly-used 50 uA meter movements.

To be honest, the $50 Wavetek meter I have is
more than accurate enough for
this kind of work. But I wouldn't want to drop it.

I've dropped my Beckman, my ProTek, and my Fluke many times.All 3 bounce
pretty well.

The Fluke 77, you can drop and step on and it keeps working.

Not ususual in this day and age.

Note that SOME older manuals list reference voltages made
with older low impedance mechanical meters, and if you use a modern
DVM everything will seem too high.

On the worst day of your life, you could have a few banana plugs with the
right value resistors wired into them so that your DVM would load circuits
like it was an old legacy meter.

Consequently, having
a Simpson 260 on the bench is still occasionally useful.

But, an issue that responds to an inexpensive dodge.

Also nice for rough go/no-go measurements
on electrolytic caps... set it for ohms, count how long
it takes for the needle to settle, compare with the time
on a known-good cap out of circuit. --scott

That can still works with DVMs, but you have to reprogram yourself to follow
the indications.

[Sean Conolly]

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
However, a meter that won't break when you drop it IS important. To be
honest, the $50 Wavetek meter I have is more than accurate enough for
this kind of work. But I wouldn't want to drop it. The Fluke 77, you
can drop and step on and it keeps working.

Heh, my old Fluke 75 has seen 20 years of service and been around the world
twice.

Sean

[GregS[_3_]]

In article , "G-Dawg" wrote:

"Nil" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Nil,

Been wondering about this myself. Been looking at the Weller solder
stations, nice but expensive. I believe they are the "standard".

What I'm wondering is, they have temperature settings... What temp is what?
I've always gone by iron wattage for soldering work.

I generally use about 600 degree for light stuff, and crank it up to close to 700
for heavier jobs. Without regulation they can go to 800 or more.
At 600 the tip will stay shiny a long time without cleaning while hotter
produces instant darkening.

I have an AB763 amp build ready to start, I need a good solder station and a
good multimeter. Looking at fluke meters... Need to go to 1000 volts DC I
guess, which equals $2-300 dollars. Ouch!

Voltage can be a problem with most meters. I use the old style Tripplets
for up to 5KV.

It'll be interesting to see what anyone recommends. You may want to post
this to alt.guitars.amps as well. Many builders there.

After working with a fancy Weller station, I have got used to the "right 'size"
soldering pen. This one is less than half the size of most pens. When I use
the other stuff they seem so crude. The really nice ting, it heats up in about 6 seconds.
For a really small size, its way hotter than most with a 100 watt heater. Great for big
jobs. I need to find a way to make a simple cheap station using this pen.
of, course, I use the Radio Shack 250 watt gun for big heat.

greg

[Scott Dorsey]

Nil wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Stay away from Radio Shack. Look at the Hakko stations and the Weller
stations. You don't need a temperature display, but you do need adjustable
temperature.

The Weller WES51 is a good first station. It's got good temperature control,
and can deal with everything from DIP stuff on up to octal sockets. Hakko
makes a comparable iron though I don't know the part number. The Hakko will
be cheaper.

You will need a smaller iron for surface mount stuff, and a larger iron for
soldered ground on steel chassis, but 90% of what you need to do you can
do with one of these.

Avoid the Weller WTCPT stations, which require changing tips to change
operating temperature. These things give very precise temperature control
for production work and last forever, but they are a pain for rework where
you will be needing to change the tip temperature often.

Don't forget to get several sizes of 63/37 solder, a Paladin solder sucker,
and a bottle of liquid rosin flux along with it!
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Edi Zubovic[_2_]]

On 3 Feb 2008 14:27:17 -0500, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

Nil wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Stay away from Radio Shack. Look at the Hakko stations and the Weller
stations. You don't need a temperature display, but you do need adjustable
temperature.

The Weller WES51 is a good first station. It's got good temperature control,
and can deal with everything from DIP stuff on up to octal sockets. Hakko
makes a comparable iron though I don't know the part number. The Hakko will
be cheaper.

You will need a smaller iron for surface mount stuff, and a larger iron for
soldered ground on steel chassis, but 90% of what you need to do you can
do with one of these.

Avoid the Weller WTCPT stations, which require changing tips to change
operating temperature. These things give very precise temperature control
for production work and last forever, but they are a pain for rework where
you will be needing to change the tip temperature often.
Weller WTCP is fine but asks for more soldering tips according to
temperature. 4 temperature ranges (#6,#7,#8,#9) times that many shapes
you'd deem fit. Generally, you'd need #6 (260 deg. C) and #7 (370 deg.
C). Higher temperatures are not needed for general electronics work
but you'd need one #8 (420 deg. C), larger chisel point perhaps for
sheet metal connection work. But it's much easier to work with
electronic Weller stations. As to me, I just have to hear that TCP
ticking when I work on something, that's a personal habit pardon me
-- For outdoors, I have a gas Weller Pyropen Junior. It's good but
asks only for Weller gas as the usual cigarette lighter gas can easily
clog it.
Don't forget to get several sizes of 63/37 solder, a Paladin solder sucker,
and a bottle of liquid rosin flux along with it!
-- Solder sucker and soldering gun are as a finger and a nail. And
yes, do not use any of that "Acid Free" flux grease for sheet metal
work. It's not at all acid free and it will eat up your soldering tip,
totally corrode your soldering joints (you can pull freely a wire out
of it) and corrode everything what comes in contact with. Liquid rosin
flux is OK.
--scott
Edi Zubovic, Crikvenica, Croatia

[Sac Dave]

"Nil" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Thank you for your question, now my old old Weller and my generic solder
pencil that have served me well for years & years don't look to good.

[Nil]

On 03 Feb 2008, "Sac Dave" wrote in
alt.guitar:

Thank you for your question, now my old old Weller and my generic
solder pencil that have served me well for years & years don't
look to good.

That's what I've made do with for decades, but I want one with
adjustable temperature and a cage to hold it when not in my hand.
I'm tired of setting the house on fire.

[Mickey]

On 2008-02-03, Sac Dave wrote:

"Nil" wrote in message
...
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Thank you for your question, now my old old Weller and my generic solder
pencil that have served me well for years & years don't look to good.


Yeah, some of that old stuff should be retired.

Your mention of Weller brought back an old memory. My entry-level
electronics job (early 80s) was working repairing circuit boards.
We had a warranty that covered power surges -- including lightning
strikes -- and got one board back from a user. They were claiming
that "the board had been struck by lightning, please fix".

I guess the lightning had hit some other things which had then struck
the board, because imprinted in the PCB material was the distinctive U-
shaped sign of the Weller soldering gun, which we called in the business
the "Weller welder". Someone had tried to modify the board with one,
then had some (understandable) problems and sent it back for warranty
repair. 8-)

--
Mickey
Any man who is under 30, and is not liberal, has not heart; and any man
who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has not brains.
-- unknown, often falsely attributed to Winston Churchill

[Jim]

Nil wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Check out the Hakko 936. I've used a few, including more expensive.
This one works GREAT, the iron is light and easy to use, and it heats up
in seconds and holds temperature very nicely. I have the ESD model.

[William Sommerwerck]

I've used EDSYN ("engineering dedicated to suit your needs") for years.
EDSYN also makes the Soldapult.

This is the model I currently own (10+ years), and I'm happy with it. What
can I say? At $134, it's a pretty good deal.

EDSYN used to be made in the US; I don't know if it still is.

http://was.stores.yahoo.net/95solstat.html

[[email protected]]

As a followup question which of the following is favored by the solder
jockeys in the crowd:

Weller wes51
Hakko 936 esd
Metcal PS800
Metcal SP200

I have an old OKI SA-10 that works fine but tips are no longer
available.

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

[Jim]

I own the Hakko, and it does a great job.

wrote:
As a followup question which of the following is favored by the solder
jockeys in the crowd:

Weller wes51
Hakko 936 esd
Metcal PS800
Metcal SP200

I have an old OKI SA-10 that works fine but tips are no longer
available.

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

[Richard Kuschel]

On Feb 3, 12:15 pm, Nil wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

I like the Tenma Station from MCM electronics. It is their house
brand, uses a digital display which reads the adjustable temperature.
Less than $100, different tip sizes are available and at much less
cost than Weller and Ungar.

[William Sommerwerck]

Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

[[email protected]]

On Feb 4, 3:16*pm, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:
Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Because the Soldapullt is no longer available. The nearest current
production item in the EDSYN line that would compete with the products
inquired about would be a 951SX. If someone has experience with that
model and feels strongly about it the information would be welcome.

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

[[email protected]]

On Feb 4, 4:12*pm, wrote:
On Feb 4, 3:16*pm, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Because the Soldapullt is no longer available. The nearest current
production item in the EDSYN line that would compete with the products
inquired about would be a 951SX. If someone has experience with that
model and feels strongly about it the information would be welcome.

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

Sorry, confused two items, the Soldapullt I see is the desoldering
tool. Which EDSYN model do you use William?

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

[William Sommerwerck]

Sorry, I confused two items, the Soldapult I see is the
desoldering tool. Which EDSYN model do you use, William?

This one...

http://was.stores.yahoo.net/95solstat.html

[Peter Larsen[_3_]]

William Sommerwerck wrote:

Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Well'er ... you see, actually I skipped the thread.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Don Pearce]

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:50:59 +0100, Chel van Gennip
wrote:

William Sommerwerck wrote:
Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Because I am using my Weller TCP for over 30 years now and I am still
content with it. Still can buy new tips too.

Same here. The only things I've had to do are to replace the iron's
cable, which stiffened over time, and also the mains cable which was
far too short.

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

[William Sommerwerck]

"Chel van Gennip" wrote in message
...
William Sommerwerck wrote:

Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Because I am using my Weller TCP for over 30 years now and I am
still content with it. Still can buy new tips, too.

I didn't mean anyone should rush right out in a buying frenzy. I simply was
suggesting it as a possibility, and was wondering why no one had commented,
pro or con.

[Scott Dorsey]

Chel van Gennip wrote:
William Sommerwerck wrote:
Why is no one paying attention to my EDSYN recommendation?

Because I am using my Weller TCP for over 30 years now and I am still
content with it. Still can buy new tips too.

The Edsyn is fine. So is the American Beauty. Metcal also makes some
good ones.

I like the Weller because that's what I have been using for years.

The important things are that it has a variety of tip sizes, enough power,
temperature control, and that you can get parts quickly when you need
them. With the temperature control, you don't need to be twiddling the
power up and down on a variac for different work; if you solder a large
thing that sinks more heat, the iron throws more heat into it. Pretty
much all the manufacturers have figured out how to make that work properly
now.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[WB]

Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )


http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

[Nil]

On 08 Feb 2008, WB wrote in alt.guitar:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062750

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

I've steered away from the Ratshack soldering gear. Lots of negative
reactions to them in this thread, and the reviews on their page are
negative as well - breakdowns and replacement tips seem hard to get.
So...

My final choice was the Hakko 936. It was a toss-up between that and
the Weller WES51. The Weller has a turn-off timer, which would have
been nice, but the Hakko seems to have about the same specs otherwise
but more popular support, and it was a bit cheaper, too.

I have a few jobs lined up waiting for it to arrive on Monday, so I'll
report back then. I'm sure it will be fine.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 8, 4:46*pm, Nil wrote:
On 08 Feb 2008, WB wrote in alt.guitar:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

* *for $50 thats not bad ...

* radio shack 25/50 watter ...

* I've used this for years ... still ticking
* ( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062750

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

I've steered away from the Ratshack soldering gear. Lots of negative
reactions to them in this thread, and the reviews on their page are
negative as well - breakdowns and replacement tips seem hard to get.
So...

My final choice was the Hakko 936. It was a toss-up between that and
the Weller WES51. The Weller has a turn-off timer, which would have
been nice, but the Hakko seems to have about the same specs otherwise
but more popular support, and it was a bit cheaper, too.

I have a few jobs lined up waiting for it to arrive on Monday, so I'll
report back then. I'm sure it will be fine.

I went with the Hakko 936 esd as well. We'll see how it compares with
my older OKI SA-10. If I ever get real serious about it the Pace
mbt250 looks to be a good system but it comes at a cost (approx 15x)

bobs

BS Studios / SoundSmith Labs
we organize chaos

[G-Dawg]

"WB" wrote in message
. ..
Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )


http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.



How does Watts equate to Temperature??? I notice 20/40 watts has no
reference to temp and 350-840 degrees makes no mention of watts... ?

[Scott Dorsey]

G-Dawg wrote:

How does Watts equate to Temperature??? I notice 20/40 watts has no
reference to temp and 350-840 degrees makes no mention of watts... ?

There is no direct connection.

You set the iron for the temperature you want, and the iron puts as
much heat into the joint as it takes to get the temperature up to
where it is set, on an iron with temperature control.

You need _enough_ watts to get the joint you're working on up to that
temperature. The larger the item you're working on, the more power
you need.

But you cannot have an iron with too high a power rating if it has
temperature control, because the control system will throttle it down
to keep the joint at the right temperature.

Older irons and cheaper irons that do not have temperature control
must be selected individually for the size of the joint you are working
on, or operated off a variac. They are really not suitable for PC board
rework at all.

So, an iron with temperature control will have a temperature range (or
just one number if it's not adjustable, like the WTCP), and a power
rating. You want that rating to be as high as possible. An iron without
adjustable temperature control will have only a power rating and you
need to match that rating very carefully to the size of connections you
are working on. Get an iron with temperature control.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Arny Krueger]

"WB" wrote in message

Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )


http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

You can always use one of those regular household interval timers that fits
in a wall box, spliced into a regular extension/power cord. There are both
mechanical and electronic versions. They start around $10.

http://www.icca.invensys.com/paragon/et_series.htm

[GregS[_3_]]

In article , "Arny Krueger" wrote:
"WB" wrote in message
et
Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )



http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...=2032058.20322
36.2032313&parentPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

You can always use one of those regular household interval timers that fits
in a wall box, spliced into a regular extension/power cord. There are both
mechanical and electronic versions. They start around $10.

http://www.icca.invensys.com/paragon/et_series.htm

I was looking for something like this for dumb battery chargers and other
things.

greg

[GregS[_3_]]

In article , (GregS) wrote:
In article , "Arny Krueger"
wrote:
"WB" wrote in message
t
Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )




http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...=2032058.20322
36.2032313&parentPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

You can always use one of those regular household interval timers that fits
in a wall box, spliced into a regular extension/power cord. There are both
mechanical and electronic versions. They start around $10.

http://www.icca.invensys.com/paragon/et_series.htm

I was looking for something like this for dumb battery chargers and other
things.

Except this seems to have triac control and minimum load requirment.
30 watts

greg

[Arny Krueger]

"GregS" wrote in message

In article ,
(GregS) wrote:
In article
, "Arny
Krueger" wrote:
"WB" wrote in message

Nil wrote:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

for $50 thats not bad ...

radio shack 25/50 watter ...

I've used this for years ... still ticking
( crap for $22 .. half what I had for it ! )




http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...=2032058.20322
36.2032313&parentPage=family

I really wish it had a timer on it.
I tend to let it set for *hours* at times.

You can always use one of those regular household
interval timers that fits in a wall box, spliced into a
regular extension/power cord. There are both mechanical
and electronic versions. They start around $10.

http://www.icca.invensys.com/paragon/et_series.htm

I was looking for something like this for dumb battery
chargers and other things.

Except this seems to have triac control and minimum load
requirment. 30 watts

The mechanical ones are cheaper, and use plain old mechanical contacts.
Lowes has them on the shelf, with two different ranges of time.

Try to search for this:

Intermatic 20 Amp 125 Volt AC 60-Minute White Spring-Wound Time Switch

http://www.intermatic.com/images/catalog/pages/048.pdf

[MG[_2_]]

"Meat Plow" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:15:53 -0600, Nil wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good, moderately priced soldering station for
general electronics, including guitar and amplifier work?

Howzabout this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=190194925345

or this?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062751

Either would do. Make sure you can get replacement tips.


You just can't go wrong with Weller. Worth the extra money, if the work is
important.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com