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Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

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Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#81

Post by mrandish »

After a quick look at the specs:

Plus

* 5 secs to temp. * Heat resistant, vented cap. * User can change auto idle and sleep times.

Minus

* Need iFixit power station or computer to change temp and other settings. * No temp indicator on the iron. No mention if the LED indicates it's reached set temp.

I'd love to keep a small, lightweight, high-quality portable iron in my tool bag ready for quick repairs. It needs to heat fast and be instantly capped and tossed back in the tool bag without waiting for cool down. However, I don't want to carry the iFixit power bank in my small tool bag. Yet without it, I'd need to pull out a laptop to change temp. And I do need to change temp enough for that to be annoying. Especially when there USB irons which have temp readouts and controls on the device. While cheap, those irons generally don't get to temp in 5 secs, have a well-thought out heat resistant cap and aren't high-quality.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#82

Post by myrmidon »

thesh4d0w wrote: post #62

The 100w and heat resistant storage caps are nice, but that battery pack pricing and the lack of on-device controls makes this not an option for me. $110 cad for the soldering iron is semi-reasonable, if a bit high compared to their competitors. $342 for the iron + battery means that's a $230 battery pack, which is absolutely insane. Requiring the battery pack to be able to easily change controls means anyone doing m…

For tools that you use regularly, it is sometimes worth it to take a step back, put the cost into an absolute perspective and then just get the thing if you know that it's well-made and you use it regularly, instead of getting a cheapish, price-optimized knockoff instead (my experience).

I spent over 200$ on a glorified PCB holder and some probes (PCBite), which is in hindsight one of the most useful tools I own and still makes me happy every time I use it (even that alone is kinda worth it over time!).

I don't know your financial situation, but just consider: How much do you spend each month on meals/entertainment? Is $300 actually an inappropriate cost for a quality thing that you often need?

Note: Iron + station shows up as $250 to me, $350 is the set with some additional bits and bobs.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#83

Post by kwiens »

nightpool wrote: post #8

I hear https://github.com/google/web-serial-polyfill gets used a fair amount on Android devices, so that might be one road you could go down. Additionally, I can't imagine it would be that hard would it be to build a mobile app that could provide a WebSerial interface to a friendly webview of your choosing. You'd need the user to download an app, but then you could use the same code for both web and app versions.

Very interesting, I will check that out!

And yes, if it seems like mobile browsers don't plan to add support then we'll have to look at wrapping it in a native app.

I'm hopeful that smartphones will start supporting higher power output from their USB-C ports. The iPhone does 4.5W right now, which is (barely) enough to melt solder, but not enough to do anything with.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#85

Post by adolph »

This is a really beautiful system. The pen-cap style cover is great. The Lamy Safari style cap clip that uses the lugs on the battery to become the holder is inspired. (see 0 for better view than the linked article's picture)

If this was available back when I got a Pinecil and PowerWheels Ryobi adapter [1], I would have been severely tempted to spend 400% more.

0. https://www.ifixit.com/products/fixhub-soldering-toolkit

1. https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Pinecil_Power_Supplies#Tool_Bat...

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#86

Post by kwiens »

quitit wrote: post #7

I am interested to know its repairability score.

We are, too! It didn't seem fair for us to rate it ourselves. Hackaday took theirs apart and seemed to like it.

We're posting full service information and schematics here: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iFixit_Soldering

We'll be selling spare parts starting October 15.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#87

Post by dghlsakjg »

mrandish wrote: post #81

After a quick look at the specs: Plus * 5 secs to temp. * Heat resistant, vented cap. * User can change auto idle and sleep times. Minus * Need iFixit power station or computer to change temp and other settings. * No temp indicator on the iron. No mention if the LED indicates it's reached set temp. I'd love to keep a small, lightweight, high-quality portable iron in my tool bag ready for quick repairs. It needs to he…

Look up the Sequre S99 soldering iron. Basically what you are looking for.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#88

Post by 420official »

myrmidon wrote: post #82
thesh4d0w wrote: post #62

The 100w and heat resistant storage caps are nice, but that battery pack pricing and the lack of on-device controls makes this not an option for me. $110 cad for the soldering iron is semi-reasonable, if a bit high compared to their competitors. $342 for the iron + battery means that's a $230 battery pack, which is absolutely insane. Requiring the battery pack to be able to easily change controls means anyone doing m…

For tools that you use regularly, it is sometimes worth it to take a step back, put the cost into an absolute perspective and then just get the thing if you know that it's well-made and you use it regularly, instead of getting a cheapish, price-optimized knockoff instead (my experience). I spent over 200$ on a glorified PCB holder and some probes (PCBite), which is in hindsight one of the most useful tools I own and…

Why buy this for $250 when you get the same thing from a pinecil v2 and use it with any 20v 100w PD USB-c power pack? I'm not seeing any differentiating features.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#89

Post by thebruce87m »

donatj wrote: post #51

Every time I see a soldering iron use a 3.5mm headphone jack for the tips, some dark dumb part of my brain wants to plug a pair of headphones into it to see what happens.

Before the invention of lead-free solder you would hear heavy metal.

Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system

#90

Post by KeplerBoy »

myrmidon wrote: post #82
thesh4d0w wrote: post #62

The 100w and heat resistant storage caps are nice, but that battery pack pricing and the lack of on-device controls makes this not an option for me. $110 cad for the soldering iron is semi-reasonable, if a bit high compared to their competitors. $342 for the iron + battery means that's a $230 battery pack, which is absolutely insane. Requiring the battery pack to be able to easily change controls means anyone doing m…

For tools that you use regularly, it is sometimes worth it to take a step back, put the cost into an absolute perspective and then just get the thing if you know that it's well-made and you use it regularly, instead of getting a cheapish, price-optimized knockoff instead (my experience). I spent over 200$ on a glorified PCB holder and some probes (PCBite), which is in hindsight one of the most useful tools I own and…

But it's just a soldering iron and a weird usb c power bank. Of course one can spend 300$ on it and justify it, but is this actually better than the alternatives?

The ts100 and variants of it have been around for a long time, can be adjusted on device and powered by regular usb pd power banks.

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