11 Sep
2011
11 Sep
'11
10:32 p.m.
Hi Phil,
All of those units look pretty good.? I think the asymptote for soldering irons is the
size and balance of a pencil; the wands all look about the same for the best stations.
I got all my (metcal) soldering gear cheap and used on Ebay years ago, and have been glad
ever since.? Before that I had a weller WTCP, and there's no comparison.? For the same
price as the models you listed, you could pick up a used Metcal MX-500 system on Ebay,
with solder and desolder attachments, like this:?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metcal-MX-500P-11-Power-Supply-Wand-Desoldering-DS1…
Or if you don't want to supply compressed air, you could pick up the a MX-500 with
wand and an SP-440 desoldering station about the same amount, if you are patient.
I'm a fan of the metcal stuff.? The skinny pencil sits just like a pen in the hand,
same balance and distance, really about optimal. The old stuff works just as well as their
newest offerings for everything I've come across.? I actually have th DS1 desoldering
kit, but I don't have compressed air in my home lab, so I use an SP-440 and it works
beautifully.
Dave
________________________________
From: Philip Pemberton <classiccmp at philpem.me.uk>
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2011 7:24 PM
Subject: Soldering stations - OKi-Metcal, Pace or something else?
Hi guys,
Well, we've got a thread on desoldering kit, so I'm going to start one on
soldering stations... :)
It seems my love-hate relationship with my Antex 660TC soldering station has finally
become one of almost pure hate. I sat down to assemble a couple of DiscFerret boards
tonight, and after about 40 minutes the handle of the iron was too hot to hold. Tried
again with the other iron, same story. If I hold it any further back, then the whole thing
is completely out of balance...
So I figure it's time for a change. Hopefully to something which won't try and
roast my fingers.
I've narrowed my choices down to two manufacturers -- OKi-Metcal and Pace. This is
basically because they're the only two "professional" brands Farnell carry
(I did look at some of the Weller soldering stations but they don't look much better
than the Antex).
I'm looking for something that'll suit SMD work -- ideally one which has
"mini-wave" soldering iron bits (aka "hoof" bits) easily available,
and is designed for lead-free work. I do run an SnPb line as well, though I'm slowly
phasing it out (once I run out of 60-40 solder, which might take a while...!)
At the moment the front-runners are:
? - Pace WJS100 (with TD-100 and Instant Set-Back aka auto-standby). Not overly keen on
this one, seems overpriced when compared to other Pace kit (especially when you consider
that the WJS only works with certain soldering bits and one type of handpiece)
? - Pace ST50 + TD100. Seems about the same as the WJS100, but will run the tweezer
handpiece and a wider variety of bits. Catch is, I'd have to special-order this from
Pace UK if I wanted the ISB option (Farnell don't stock the ISB "cubby" /
iron stand).
? - Metcal MFR-1110. Cheaper than the Pace (or so it would seem), cheaper tips. Also seems
to have "auto standby" as standard. What concerns me is that it seems to run at
a fixed temperature, though OKi/Metcal claim that SmartHeat makes this a non-issue...
I'm not convinced...
Has anyone used any of the above, or anything similar?
Are there any other brands (or other soldering stations from the above manufacturers) that
I should look at?
Thanks,
-- Phil.
classiccmp at philpem.me.uk
http://www.philpem.me.uk/