This Hobby Is Actually Useful!

[Ian McLaughlin]

> On Aug 1, 2015, at 2:24 PM, Robert Jarratt <robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com> wrote:
> PS A related question. I struggled somewhat with the Weller Magnastat No. 8
> tip, when trying to solder leads to the ground plane, I could not get the
> solder to stay molten very long. I was using lead-free solder, its melting
> point is much lower than the temperature which a No. 8 tip reaches. The iron
> is 50W. Clearly the ground plane was taking heat away, but is it a problem
> with the tip not being hot enough, the iron not powerful enough, or perhaps
> some operator error?

Rob,
I would recommend a temperature controlled iron, such as the Hakko FX888D. I have one and it’s beautiful. It can compensate for soldering large ground planes by detecting the drop in heat and pumping more power to the tip.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11704 <https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11704>

Ian