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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

#381

Soldering 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…

Counterpoint - I got a £8 ($10?) chinese iron including bits and bobs and solder and it works fine. (similar to https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387009386986?_skw=soldering+iron&... )

I guess it depends how much you are going to use it.

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

#382
post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I meant to say depth of field, not field of view.

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

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect the usb-PD standard doesn't allow for raising the voltage any more than they already do

Even if usb PD could go up to over 9000 volts, it can only provide fixed set of voltages, none of which can really match what every tip requires

Actually that's not true anymore, PD Revision 3.1 has an adjustable voltage supply mode that can do any intermediate voltage between 15-48v, with a maximum power of 240W: https://www.usb.org/usb-charger-pd

I don't know how widespread support for that is though.

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

#384
post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In flashlights they use gold-plated phosphor bronze springs that seem to work well and last.

This (phosphor bronze springs) is, actually, pretty nice. 10A still should require either crimping or soldering, though. The flashlights draw significantly less current.

I can personally report that at 5A draw(the highest reported from any of my flashlights), these spring battery terminals still don't get hot. I'm not sure why I would need/want to push 10A to each battery? Drawing 5A already requires select cells.

I would rather batteries be field swapable than having a faster charge, which I try to avoid for the sake of their longevity anyway, personally.

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

#385
post #28

I paid ~$100 for my Hakko FX888D, and have had had that for almost 10 years. Looking on the Internet, the price hasn't gone up much. Not sure whether this (for $250 including the power supply) is a class above that. The repairability is a definite plus (assuming parts continue to be available for many years), and all the nerdy features are also cool, but not sure how useful they will be in the real world.

As another 888 owner, I'm not moved.

As plenty of folks have said, the FX-888D is an "older" design in the sense that the heating element and tip are separate components. But, that isn't to say that this layout is obsolete - it's still very common and Hakko (among others) still makes new irons using the same system.

Given that iFixit's design uses a TRS jack as a tip mount, you can safely assume there will never be a hook tip for this particular iron, and wide chisels are probably out of the question too. That makes this iron a non-starter for me, but it all depends on your use case.

What doesn't depend on your use case is the use of a USB port as a power source. Sure, it makes sense for consumer products where compatibility trumps all. But, its fragile contacts and lack of shear strength mean that this isn't just a soldering station that's easy to fix, it's a station that you're going to need to fix.

The way I see it, FixHub is a gadget, and an 888 is an appliance. FixHub has several design decisions that compromise its sole purpose: soldering stuff. Direct heating elements are great, don't get me wrong. But if you're soldering frequently enough that a direct heating element would meaningfully boost your productivity, then a high-end RF induction iron would serve you much better. I wouldn't accept such a compromised tip mount and cable at any price point, let alone ~$350.

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

#386
post #357
post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. https://ehs.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/EHS-0167.pdf

It says that lead fumes are unlikely to be generated:

Based on standard soldering iron temperatures of 620°F-700°F and the melting point of lead (621°F), it is unlikely that lead fume will be generated during electronic soldering, unless the solder is heated to lead’s vaporization temperature of 3182°F.

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

#387
post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I goofed up. It can do 126w (not 140w) with the appropriate charger. https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Pinecil#Power_Chart

Yes, and your link shows that the power delivered is dependent on tip resistance (which can vary with temperature). Hence pinecil --or almost any other usb-c iron-- cannot control real power delivered. And you cannot fix this with updates, no firmware can magically grow buck converter with beefy inductor inside the iron...

Yes, and yes. And absolutely not.

The chart is intended to show values for both kinds of tips that are usable on a Pinecil. V2 tips have a lower resistance, by design, and either style can be used with either handle.

Temperature is not indicated, although resistance can vary with temperature. But then: Temperature is never indicated for power of soldering irons. If you want to begin a trend of producing this data and filling this void, then by all means do so. Let me know how I can help.

And no, we absolutely do not need a buck converter to accomplish heating a resistive element in a circuit, nor to use PWM to modulate the average power dissipation of this circuit. (A buck converter can be used; sure! But E=IR and P=IE anyway.)

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

#388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you suggest an alternative please?

I upgraded to a Pace ADS200 and it’s dope.

I'm a ADS200 fan, too. Bought one recently after way too many years of using a 30W Weller. Having a big choice of tips is nice. As a bonus, it's made in the US. I've been able to tackle projects that I'd never have even thought of trying with the old soldering iron.

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

#389
post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 alth…

As much as I'd love to try your suggestions, they're very expensive even in that space. From what I can see, the Mantis microscopes are in the $3500+ range and the JBC stuff is similarly expensive. Most hobbyists would cringe at the price of buying a Thermaltronics soldering iron and that's like 5x cheaper. However, I can at least conclusively demonstrate the vast difference between something like that and a Hakko ri…

Absolutely, don’t get me wrong, all the other brands are fine tools, and nowadays even aliexpress soldering stations work wonders even for professional use, years ago only metcal and JBC had the “instant heat” technology, same for the microscope 4k 120fps cameras are trivial now but not so long ago they where unaffordable for the common person and optical stereo inspection micoscopes were a bit more affordable but the working distance and as commented here they are uncomfortable for longer use, the mantis was a revolution in that too.

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

#390

Soldering 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…

>a $40 roll of thin gauge solder (which will last the rest of your life) I dunno, I'm 56 and I'm about to finish the roll I bought as a teenager. (Albeit bought in pre-RoHS times.)

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