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Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
351–360 of 415 posts
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#352What's the draw of a portable soldering iron with fancy firmware? I have the same dial adjusted 120vac weller knockoff that I have had since the 90s and it has done board level repair, automotive, structural art soldering in a pinch, etc and always worked great.
I have the exact same question, I don't get it. A reasonably recent ESD soldering iron like a Hakko or a Metcal has never (outside of stupidly small pitched chips) caused me to think "this sucks, I need something better...if only it was webscale."
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#353Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#354Any plans to make a hot tweezer tip for this? It's hard to come by those for a reasonable price and that would be very appealing since I've often found myself needing to desolder surface-mount components. I was initially skeptical about the cap vs. a traditional stand until I saw that it mounts to the side of the battery pack to double as a stand. I like that idea! Also, is there documentation on the serial protocol…
Hot tweezers is a fun idea we've been talking about. How would you like to see it implemented?
Yes, we really love the cap. It instantly safes the iron when you're done.
We'll post more documentation on the serial interface, it's pretty straightforward. A temperature control program would be no problem.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#355Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you suggest an alternative please?
In the hakko line, fx-951 is the step-up which uses a heater and sensor in the tip (t15/t12 tips). The alternative, for a hobbyist, would be something like this new iFixit iron, the Pinecil, Miniware TS80/TS100 or one of the variety of chinese irons from amazon and Aliexpress that take Hakko T12 tips (Quicko and similar). On the high-end, professional side, it's JBC and Metcal. Expensive.
I recommend https://eleshop.eu/jbc-bt-2bqa-soldering-station.html
The handle is so light! Active tips! Heats up in 2 seconds. Goes to standby mode when you put away the handle to save the tips.
There's even a lighter compatible precision handle that you can buy.
Luke Gorrie posted a bunch of Twitter threads where he compare the sizes of soldering handles. Can't find it now but https://github.com/lukego/soldering might lead you to them.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#356Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 a cheap binocular microscope at home, and solder most everything underneath it. A USB microscope is much lower resolution, and the image lags. They're pretty terrible. At work I get to use a very very expensive Olympus binocular microscope. It is extraordinarily good, but at about 60k it costs more than a car.
Yeah you can get an old Bauch&Lomb for under $200. Probably need an LED illuminator ring for $10 too.
They have great field of view (cm) at decent/variable magnification (20-100x) and response time is instant, whereas your phone/USB are going to have just enough delay to be annoying.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#357Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm no doctor, but if you've only done a few hours of this and you're 20+ it's probably no big deal. However, you are breathing lead vapor and it's not good for you (if you're at 100s of hours and 12yo that's really not good). If it gets on things you eat, it's also bad. The effects are permanent. We had leaded (Ethyl) gasoline in cars which was banned 25 years ago and that had noticeable statistical effects on IQ an…
You're not breathing lead vapor. You're breathing flux vapor, which is probably not optimal either. https://www.quora.com/Can-I-get-lead-poisoning-from-inhaling...
Well, like I said I'm no doctor, but I don't know that I'd use quora to make medical decisions.
Here's an environmental safety article from MIT. It mentions lead oxide fumes from soldering. What do I know other than the required lab safety training.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#358Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 a cheap binocular microscope at home, and solder most everything underneath it. A USB microscope is much lower resolution, and the image lags. They're pretty terrible. At work I get to use a very very expensive Olympus binocular microscope. It is extraordinarily good, but at about 60k it costs more than a car.
My digital microscope has no lag and brilliant resolution. You can easily solder under it just looking at the screen. Just don't get the super cheap ones but one for maybe 150€ or so.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#359Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hakko fx888 is a good quality iron but quite outdated tech. The biggest downside is it doesn’t measure the temperature at the tip, but at the heater.
Can you suggest an alternative please?
For affordable, semi-professional grade equipment, it is hard to beat Quick. I have Quick 202d + Quick 861dw. The tips on 202d are integrated with thermocouples and heating is indirect but inductive, which strikes a nice balance between the price of the tips (3x more affordable than cartridge tips) and performance (heats just like cartridge tips). The handle is light and has short grip-to-tip distance. I still use the original tips I bought a few years ago, so they last. I always soldered lead free and I’m shocked people on the internet find lead free hard. Some even said I must be nuts to solder lead free at 600-650F.
Re: Show HN: iFixit created a new USB-C, repairable soldering system
#360Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm very much a noob at soldering so idk if I'm missing out on anything, but the Pine64 Pinecil[1] has worked great for me so far and is surprisingly cheap. It also uses a RISC-V chip and even has open source firmware[2] 1: https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-solde... 2: https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Pinecil_Firmware
This iron has more power than the Pinecil so it gets hotter faster and will heat up big chunks of metal faster (like ground planes or connector shells). Honestly, I've never been that interested in the Pinecil. It's nice that it's small but you still need a big type C supply. I could give a rats ass that it has open firmware and runs a RISC-V. I only care if it can push a lot of heat accurately and if the tips are af…
> incredibly dumb Metcal
The amount of technology in a Metcal to make it work as well as it does, justifying its $1,000 sticker price back when I did that kind of stuff, makes it far from dumb! The rest of the market has caught up, but back when it was released, Metcals were highly sought after! It does this induction heating thing with the Curie point which makes for a very good soldering iron.