11 Sep
2011
11 Sep
'11
4:48 p.m.
They tend to run very hot in order to work at all. Temperature
controlled units will not cool off as much when you put them to an
object / board, and will heat up as needed to maintain the heat and
temperature.
Note that the main thing that happens first when you touch something is
that the objects temp comes up an a lot of heat goes out of the tip of
the iron you use. If it is non temperature controlled, it will be at a
much higher temp than you probably need to do your work, thereby dumping
a lot of heat into your work.
With temperature controlled, when you touch the iron to the work, it
will heat up only to the point you have set in the temp control, and
transfer less heat that way. The heat energy necessary to just get your
work flowing is all you want, and the less you transfer the better.
Of course I'm assuming you don't have one of the old Wellers we used to
use to do house electrical as well as plumbing soldering, and a fine
point cheapo with no temperature control. One of the ones that operate
like that would melt the board and the solder and the part.
On 9/11/2011 2:52 PM, Rob Jarratt wrote:
I don;t know
what you have at the momnet, but if it's not temperature-
controlled you are making life difficult for yourself.
I have a Weller 40W iron, not temperature controlled. What I don't
understand is why this makes life difficult, if it melts the solder what
makes it hard to use? The only thing I can think of is damage to the board
and/or components if the temperature is too high. Is there something else
about a non-temperature controlled iron that makes things hard?
Regards
Rob