I thought this was going to be about a DIY USB-C cable.
Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
241–250 of 415 posts
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#242Nice. The soldering iron is only US$80, but the battery is US$250.[1] Not shipping yet, still in pre-order. Does iFixit have enough manufacturing capacity to satisfy demand? This should be on DigiKey. [1] https://www.ifixit.com/products/fixhub-power-series-portable...
We're talking with Digikey! Stay tuned. Preorders start today and will ship on October 15.
Is there a holder that doesn't include the $250 power supply?
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#243Soldering is one of those things where the tools you use have a direct impact on the quality and enjoyment of the work. Shitty $20 soldering irons from Home Depot not only produce awful results but they are incredibly frustrating. I’m pretty sure most people who think they suck at soldering and hate it only feel that way because their tool sucks. A good quality soldering iron and high quality, thin solder make a huge…
Be interesting to see how this stacks up to a good entry level iron like the Hakko FX-888DX. https://hakkousa.com/fx-888dx.html
I can guarantee it is leagues better. Frankly, I won't solder anymore unless it is with a direct-heat iron. They heat up instantly, cool down quickly, provide far better thermal transfer, and are much more comfortable to hold.
Don't brush off what I'm saying before you try a direct-heat iron (Hakko sells them, Pace does, and JBC is the gold standard). They are usually expensive from the big names, but even a Pinecil direct-heat iron for $30$ would be many times better than non-direct-heat irons.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think for simple through-hole stuff, this should be fine. However, so much stuff now requires SMT reflow and a hot air wand (and likely a binocular microscope) that except for home builds and power electronics, I rarely use an actual iron. As you say, it's so much easier to get good solder joints (especially for the fine stuff like QFN/BGA) with lead blends and flux, that having a vent hood is likely required as we…
It's cheaper and easier to get a USB microscope and look at a laptop screen than to peer through a binocular microscope. I've used only lead-free solder for a decade. Get the good stuff with some silver in it and it's not difficult.
I usually use my phone zoomed in + flashlight in video recording, and an external macro lens. It probably isn't as good as a usb microscope, but it works really, really well.
Looking at videos of people using microscopes, the quality seems to be on-par or worse than my phone.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#245Earlier quoted context omitted.
You seen knowledgeable. I've used leaded solder in my bedroom / apartments since community college, usually with a fan in the room or a window open. What damage could have or has happened?
Depends, how much solder did you eat? In all seriousness, very little. I would personally want more than just a bathroom fan to do fume evacuation. Outside on a patio/balcony is my usual spot. I also have a 120mm computer fan that I hacked onto a gooseneck mount so I can blow the fumes away from my face. The times I can't be outside, usually due to weather, I use a table right in front of an open window, and one of t…
I didn't think lead, in it's metallic form, had a particularly high toxicity. I thought it was lead salts that were the problem.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#246Soldering is one of those things where the tools you use have a direct impact on the quality and enjoyment of the work. Shitty $20 soldering irons from Home Depot not only produce awful results but they are incredibly frustrating. I’m pretty sure most people who think they suck at soldering and hate it only feel that way because their tool sucks. A good quality soldering iron and high quality, thin solder make a huge…
Be interesting to see how this stacks up to a good entry level iron like the Hakko FX-888DX. https://hakkousa.com/fx-888dx.html
This is the key question.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#247Soldering is one of those things where the tools you use have a direct impact on the quality and enjoyment of the work. Shitty $20 soldering irons from Home Depot not only produce awful results but they are incredibly frustrating. I’m pretty sure most people who think they suck at soldering and hate it only feel that way because their tool sucks. A good quality soldering iron and high quality, thin solder make a huge…
The tips make a huge difference too!
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#248Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am completely confused by your example. Buying a better knife doesn't make you a better chef. Buying a faster car doesn't make you a better driver. Buying a more powerful laptop doesn't make you a better developer.
Do you cook? There are dozens of obvious examples. A crappy knife will tear instead of cut. You'll ruin tomatoes, have uneven dices, crush and smear delicate herbs, have ripped apart meat and fish that you'll destroy more trying to get rid of the trim. That's not counting the downtime you'll have when the knife slips instead of cuts and you can't cook at all due to injury. Giving an expensive knife to a new cook that…
I don't cook, but I solder. And I got a lot of mileage out of a dirt cheap Radio Shack iron. Well, I do cook, but I'm not into it or as skilled at it to the degree I am with soldering.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#249Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think for simple through-hole stuff, this should be fine. However, so much stuff now requires SMT reflow and a hot air wand (and likely a binocular microscope) that except for home builds and power electronics, I rarely use an actual iron. As you say, it's so much easier to get good solder joints (especially for the fine stuff like QFN/BGA) with lead blends and flux, that having a vent hood is likely required as we…
It's cheaper and easier to get a USB microscope and look at a laptop screen than to peer through a binocular microscope. I've used only lead-free solder for a decade. Get the good stuff with some silver in it and it's not difficult.
Jewler's Loupes work as well.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#250Soldering is one of those things where the tools you use have a direct impact on the quality and enjoyment of the work. Shitty $20 soldering irons from Home Depot not only produce awful results but they are incredibly frustrating. I’m pretty sure most people who think they suck at soldering and hate it only feel that way because their tool sucks. A good quality soldering iron and high quality, thin solder make a huge…
You're correct that some soldering irons (especially uber-cheap ones) are shit, but Pinecil proves cheap can also be good. Past a certain point, soldering becomes a hobby about how dangerous you're willing to get to make things easier on yourself. You can swap out non-toxic solder for lead trace if you want a cleaner board; then there are high-wattage irons, board reflow/fluxing, and even all sorts of scale-specific…
Interestingly enough, the leaded-solder topic is a hot-button issue in some online communities. People get angry about it, and I don't have an explanation for why.