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Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

instructables.com

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Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#181

Post by arcticbull »

sandreas wrote: post #176
arcticbull wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The TS100 is apparently not recommended for IronOS according to their README. Curious why you chose that one over, for instance, a recommended TS80P or better a Pinecil V2? Full disclosure: I have a 15 year old Weller WD1 so I don't know much about this.

The TS100 was just the only one of these I could buy for an acceptable price in an acceptable time period. Mine was 35 bucks. I ordered mine as used device here in Germany. Aliexpress would have taken weeks and Amazon was just to expensive (cheapest about 80 bucks).

Thanks! Yeah the IronOS site says the TS100 is only not recommended because of some knockoffs. IronOS is very cool, I’ll probably pick up a Pinecil.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#182

Post by friendzis »

sandreas wrote: post #20

Oh boy, nice idea, but this looks complicated and time consuming. I recommend to get some good equipment first: - solder fume extractor (see below) - extra thin high quality tin - a desoldering pump AND desoldering wire - high quality flux - a TS 100 soldering Iron with KU tip from ali express for 50 bucks - optional: USB-C Power Adapter for your existing power supply (so you don't have to buy one) - optional: a sold…

> heat iron to 370° Celsius

This sounds like way too much. Yes, with an iron you don't have the luxury of going just above melting point. It's a balance between heating up workpieces quickly (so that heat does not conduct too far) for what you need higher temperatures, not burning the flux and solder solidifying as quick as possible, because any movement in solidifying solder WILL reduce quality of the solder. Lower temperatures are almost always better than high temperatures.

You are better off getting powerful iron with good temperature control rather and keeping temperatures in working range rather than heating iron to very high temperatures and having it cool down during soldering if the iron cannot keep up with cooling. For soldering wires to a breadboard it may not be much of a problem (sans insulation burning off), but I would not risk damaging silicon with temperatures that high.

With 60/40 solder temperatures around 300 [290-310] are usually more than enough, depending on workpiece size.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#183

Post by snvzz »

sottol wrote: post #33
sandreas wrote: post #20

Oh boy, nice idea, but this looks complicated and time consuming. I recommend to get some good equipment first: - solder fume extractor (see below) - extra thin high quality tin - a desoldering pump AND desoldering wire - high quality flux - a TS 100 soldering Iron with KU tip from ali express for 50 bucks - optional: USB-C Power Adapter for your existing power supply (so you don't have to buy one) - optional: a sold…

Or get a $25 Pinecil that comes with IronOS pre-installed and is by all accounts almost as good as the TS-100 [1] (it's $40 on Amazon now :/). I got one, was so impressed that I got another. One big upside over the TS-100 for me is that it can be driven by both a beefier USB-C (which I always have around anyway) and DC-plug PSU. Plus, it's running Risc-V, and they even sell an breakout to use the "logic board" as a R…

You say "almost as good", but isn't it actually better?

What advantage, if any, would the ts-100 have?

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#184

Post by snvzz »

sandreas wrote: post #160
Zekio wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

damn, you made me notice they've made a V2 of pinecil

Do you know where I can get a Pinecil V2 for 25$ in Germany? The TS100 was about 40$, when I bought it...

Official Pine64 store ships worldwide.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#185

Post by snvzz »

lapetitejort wrote: post #29
sandreas wrote: post #20

Oh boy, nice idea, but this looks complicated and time consuming. I recommend to get some good equipment first: - solder fume extractor (see below) - extra thin high quality tin - a desoldering pump AND desoldering wire - high quality flux - a TS 100 soldering Iron with KU tip from ali express for 50 bucks - optional: USB-C Power Adapter for your existing power supply (so you don't have to buy one) - optional: a sold…

> Now flash IronOS[1] on your soldering Iron I got to here and thought this was some elaborate joke, and expected the github page to continue on with the joke. An operating system for a soldering iron?? But no, it seems 100% serious. Somehow soldering iron tech passed me by.

PID controller and a bunch of menus.

The "OS" part is a bit of a joke. It's just an embedded application, AIUI they didn't write their own RTOS.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#186

Post by snvzz »

outworlder wrote: post #62
sandreas wrote: post #20

Oh boy, nice idea, but this looks complicated and time consuming. I recommend to get some good equipment first: - solder fume extractor (see below) - extra thin high quality tin - a desoldering pump AND desoldering wire - high quality flux - a TS 100 soldering Iron with KU tip from ali express for 50 bucks - optional: USB-C Power Adapter for your existing power supply (so you don't have to buy one) - optional: a sold…

Why is it that the TS100 gets recommended so often? I took a look at it, ultimately got a TS80P. It's smaller, and fed via USB-C. Seems to work perfectly fine. > solder fume extractor How big of a deal is solder fumes of unleaded solder?

> How big of a deal is solder fumes of unleaded solder?

Worse than leaded solder, because the temperatures are higher.

The lead in leaded solder doesn't go up in fumes. Contamination is from touch. You should wash the board after you're done (with e.g. IPA) and your hands.

You also should try and not solder where you eat, and the other way around.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#187

Post by lamp_book »

fasthands9 wrote: post #165
JKCalhoun wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The base with temperature control and a fine-ish tip is what makes them good, I think. The older Radio Shack pencil soldering irons had a fat tip, one temperature. The nicer stations like Hakko's have very nice metallurgy in their tips as well. As soon as you get a station too there's a little sponge, maybe some metal wool — these things you can use to clean the tip of the soldering iron. That in itself encourages go…

Thanks! Yeah my kit came up a sponge and station too - but unmounted was so lightweight it was worthless. Perhaps a safety threat but I (with my amateur perspective) still think a shorter length would be very beneficial if possible.

Look for an iron with a ceramic heating element as well - they come up to temperature much more quickly and it makes a big difference. I also recommend Hakko.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#188

Post by sandreas »

snvzz wrote: post #183
sottol wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or get a $25 Pinecil that comes with IronOS pre-installed and is by all accounts almost as good as the TS-100 [1] (it's $40 on Amazon now :/). I got one, was so impressed that I got another. One big upside over the TS-100 for me is that it can be driven by both a beefier USB-C (which I always have around anyway) and DC-plug PSU. Plus, it's running Risc-V, and they even sell an breakout to use the "logic board" as a R…

You say "almost as good", but isn't it actually better? What advantage, if any, would the ts-100 have?

Only advantage I know of is availability... The Pinecil is not available everywhere...

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#189

Post by sottol »

snvzz wrote: post #183
sottol wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or get a $25 Pinecil that comes with IronOS pre-installed and is by all accounts almost as good as the TS-100 [1] (it's $40 on Amazon now :/). I got one, was so impressed that I got another. One big upside over the TS-100 for me is that it can be driven by both a beefier USB-C (which I always have around anyway) and DC-plug PSU. Plus, it's running Risc-V, and they even sell an breakout to use the "logic board" as a R…

You say "almost as good", but isn't it actually better? What advantage, if any, would the ts-100 have?

Main reason is because I've not used the TS-100 personally so I cannot say for sure, afair the TS-100 heated up a tad faster in certain situations.

Anyway, USB-C is a big deal for me so I'd take the Pinecil if prices were the same.

Re: Soldering Wires – Here's a different way

#190

Post by linkdink »

exmadscientist wrote: post #147
linkdink wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The Mercury-4 is the culmination of years of research I'm imagining some researcher after years of investment and experimentation eventually accidentally discovering the solution: "you mean it just shuts _itself_ off?!?!".

It doesn't shut itself off. It just stops cutting. It's like using concrete as a kitchen cutting board: that knife isn't going to do any damage, regardless of whether or not you stop pushing. If you want to laser through metals, you need a different type of laser. Just as getting through concrete needs a different tool (say, a hammer chisel).

The line sounded funnier to me in the less pedantic way.
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