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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

#251

Post by brailsafe »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #152
brailsafe wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love iFixit, but their tools, parts, and kits have been a bit mixed (bit of poor, bit of good) in terms of quality.

I think their tools are overhyped - not worth the price, you pay for the brand they have built by basically PR (repair scores for iPhones).

For me it's hard to reconcile what is a good initiative to ostensibly reduce waste, with the reality of ordering at least one of their products. For example I couldn't get a screen replacement at one point unless I ordered a kit, but I needed 2 screens, so I ordered 2 kits and now have redundant, specific, toxic, tools, only some of which actually helped perform the repair.

I'm thinking of the heating liquid pad, which gave me a bit of a laugh and didn't work, the plastic spudgers that were too soft to be durable, the precut adhesive strips that almost seemed insultingly ineffective. The actual handles and screwdriver bits were great though, so mixed feelings, I just hate waste.

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

#253

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

wvenable wrote: post #210
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

> The accelerometer detects when you pick it up and heats it back up. I don't want this. I would rather push a button and wait for a light to turn on. Automatic off, fine, I guess, though I don't love it and would never want to rely on it. Automatic on, no way.

I have something like this on a TS100 and it works fine. You set it down for a while because you're still soldering but you need to move stuff and it reduces the heat. Then you pick it back up and by the time you've gotten to part it's already back up the temp. How is that worse than it just being full temp the whole time?

It's just unnecessary complexity and another thing that can go wrong. I know when I'm using it and not using it. I don't need the device to guess. The device guessing doesn't actually improve my life in any way.

And it's going to guess wrong a lot of the time. Automatically turning on and off both have unsafe failure modes that lead to it being on unexpectedly (it turns back on when I don't expect it to, and it doesn't turn off when I do expect it to) based on imperfect sensing hardware and software that can both stop working, and I'm not ok with unsafe failure modes in a device that will burn down my house.

This is also the reason that I disfavor battery-powered soldering irons in general, but at least being portable adds something you may need and can't otherwise achieve.

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

#254

Post by bmurphy1976 »

myrmidon wrote: post #116
420official wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Because I have more trust in ifixit then in pine64 to sell robust, quality tools. And most of what you are going to overpay (?) for this is going to ifixit, which is also a plus. It's like buying merch from a band you like.

I can see why somebody might think that of general pine64 offerings, but the Pinecil is anything but that. It's a significant improvement over my bucket of old soldering irons I inherited and purchased over the years. Unless you are doing some serious heavy duty work, I'm hard pressed to think of a better alternative.

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

#255

Post by lobsterthief »

kwiens wrote: post #75
jareklupinski wrote: post #16

i literally just bought a pinecil and usb-c battery pack (with carry case) to make basically a DIY version of this three weeks ago, but would have gotten this one instead if it existed back then after a few days trying to turn that into a daily driver however, i've had to go back to my weller desktop station, for one weird reason: i dont have anywhere to put the hot iron in between uses! i dont know if it's just me,…

Yes! You need a way to pull the iron out and put it away quickly. Our cap is just a game changer there. You handle it more like a Sharpie than a soldering iron. Put the cap on and stick it back in your bag. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXR8kMVbgAEeRgd?format=jpg&name=... I set the motion timer on mine to 5 seconds. It heats up so quickly when you pick it back up that there's no reason to bother with the power switch.…

The cap is neat but requires two hands to apply (and locate) vs a stand. Makes a big difference at times.

I’m also worried about burning myself if I’m not paying attention when putting the cap on 20 or 30 times in succession.

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

#256

Post by riversflow »

kwiens wrote: post #223
riversflow wrote: post #190

I'm going to go ahead and sling mud at iFixit for using a Battery pack instead of individual cells and springs. It also doesn't seem that this expensive power supply supports power pass-through. A soldering iron shouldn't have a shelf life. Easily replaceable commodity batteries with spring terminals are massively superior to packs. What a gross product that makes me think significantly less of iFixit. They seem to h…

I agree with you. We wanted to use individual 18650 cells so badly ! We designed the whole thing that way. We did exactly what you proposed, and built cell balancing circuitry and code. It worked great! Then we went to the safety certification bodies and they said, absolutely not, there is no way you can sell that. We tried so many avenues to persuade them, from proposing 18650s with built-in safety circuitry to show…

Sorry to hear that, and good luck. Additionally I apologize for the undue cynicism, but as a flashlight enthusiast I've been frustrated with this problem for years and years. The form factor of a battery charger and USB powerbrick/supply would be so nice! It's massively annoying to me that I own many 18650s and still need to buy and replace power banks.

Worse, it seems like the manufacturers best suited to make the product I desire(anker and nitecore) are directly incentivized by obsolescence to not ever make it. The best thing I've found so far is the Nitecore LC10, but it was discontinued. :(

I sort of suspected that it might be the case of safety bodies getting in the way. I really hope you make progress with UL. I'm rooting for you. There should be a way of overcoming this problem.

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

#257

Post by globular-toast »

bangaladore wrote: post #243
FuriouslyAdrift wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Is the OP one a direct heat iron?

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

#259

Post by neuralRiot »

Animats wrote: post #208
kurthr wrote: post #192

Earlier 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 have 2 vision engineering Mantis and I have yet to see a video system that can rival it to work under it, no lag, “real” 3D vision (you can move your head to see behind magnified objects). The only things I miss sometimes is more magnification and a camera port to take pictures/ videos. As per soldering iron I could write a book, I had Hakko, Pace, Metcal, Weller, Ersa and to me the best experience is with JBC although the tips might not last if you’re not careful.

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

#260

Post by bangaladore »

globular-toast wrote: post #257
bangaladore wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Is the OP one a direct heat iron?

Yes. The easiest way to tell is the soldering "tip" is much more than a tip. It's a cartridge. [1]

[1] https://hackaday.com/2024/09/12/review-ifixits-fixhub-may-be...

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