Anyone have any experience with Desoldering Stations ZD 8915 and ZD 8925? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: RomanoCy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 11, 2019, 07:12:50 pm
content: Greeting from Cyprus, gents. I am looking to buy a Desoldering Station, as I do a lot of harvesting and I read all about ZD915 & ZD985 in here, so I got an educated opinion, thanks to the EEV forum lads. But I can also buy the newer models ZD8915 and ZD8925, both being at the same price like the 915 & 985. Do you gentlemen happen by chance to know if the newest models are better or worst than the older ones?Here are the links for the new ones:8915http://www.china-zhongdi.com/product/27.html8925[http://www.china-zhongdi.com/product/30.html/url]Thanks,Sorin

author: zorael
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 30, 2019, 10:18:34 am
content: Registered just to bump this. I am also looking for an entry-level desoldering station, for hobby use.The official page for the 8915 and 8925 in RomanoCy's post lists spare parts as being different, and obviously the main units differ, but it's not obvious what the big difference is between the two. For comparison, in the case of the 915 and 985 the former had a fan for active cooling.8915:(too big to comfortably embed)8925:(ditto)The assumption that the 8925 is "better" than the 8915 doesn't seem to hold if you go by eBay price listings. One seller sells the 8915 for 110€and the 8925 for 100€. If the 8925 is a reduced cost budget version of the 8915, without the LED display and such, why isn't it named the 8905?There is one review of the 8915 on YouTube  which rates it favourably, even referencing the eevblog 985 review. There are also two videos of the 8195 in Polish, one presumably reviewing it  and one comparing it to the 915 , but I don't speak Polish. There is one (1) YouTube hit for "zd-8925" that actually features a 8925, but it's not a review so you can only see the gun in use. The rest are about the other models (8915, 915, 985).Does anyone know anything about these?:eBay auction: #153128788480:eBay auction: #153496195348:::

author: CDaniel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2019, 10:56:34 am
content: I own a ZD-915 ... it is nice when new but don't expect to last long if you use it . The pump is very cheaply made , it is 2 stages vacuum pump with suction cups made from rubber. One of these suction cups cracked and "game over" . Now I want to replace it with a real pump , piston driven , no rubber and plastic .I doubt the new one is better made ...

author: zorael
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 31, 2019, 08:06:56 am
content: I mailed Zhongdi for some explanations as to the differences between the 8915 and the 8925.QuoteI guess I'll try ordering a 8915 and hope I don't get a dodgy unit. Some seem very satisfied with theirs, others not so much.

author: niva
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 03, 2019, 04:03:08 pm
content: I'd like to buy one of those ZD-915 too but prices here in Canada (form USA) are really high compared to what I can get from Europe.Is it very diffcult to convert it from 220V to 120V?Thanks!Guillaume

author: CDaniel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2019, 07:36:41 am
content: It has a SMPS power supply , a doubler circuit like in a computer SMPS should be easily doable .

author: niva
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2019, 03:28:36 pm
content: Sorry, I was talking about the ZD-985 but it should be the same SMPS power supply, right?Guillaume

author: CDaniel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2019, 10:58:41 am
content: 99,999% , the power consumption for heater + pump is too big for a resonable transformer . The SMPS is a flyback , it has only 1 filter capacitor .You need 2 diodes and 2 electrolytics to make the doubler , of course you have to know what are you doing .

author: zorael
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 23, 2019, 01:15:59 pm
content: Would just like to update in case someone else finds their way here via Google.I received my ZD-8915 two weeks ago or so, purchased from the Netherland eleshop.eu:https://eleshop.eu/zd-8915-desoldering-station.html. I asked and was promised a two-year warranty on the main station, and no warranty on the gun and acccessories, which seems fair enough to me.The main unit does not feel flimsy, it's as good as plastic gets.It's not apparent anywhere but it does have a fan. It's very silent though, as I understand the ZD-915's isn't.The gun could feel more sturdy but it's within the realm of expectations for something that cost me 80€ excluding taxes.There's probably an element of skill involved so maybe I'll have more luck with it down the line, but it's not magic and it's not always easy to clear a hole completely. Then you'll have to fill the hole anew and try again. So far I've only completely failed on one bridge rectifier with its semi-thick leads very tight through the holes; the rest have come loose eventually.You really have to clean the nozzle pipe very often with the supplied cleaning needles. Maybe its my imagination, but it seems to have gotten worse, as if there's residual solder on the walls inside of it making it easier to clog. Unsure how to remedy, please let me know if there is a way. (A new gun is 17€, which is not prohibitively expensive.)Don't jam the needles in there trying to break free whatever's blocking airflow. They'll bend and snap needing pliers to remove, and you'll be stuck waiting for more in the mail, trust me. Just push it as far in as you can and let the heat travel.Overall I recommend it. It may not be as good as professional tools outside my price range, but it's certainly good enough for a hobbyist prepared to use the cleaning needles. If it's either that or solder wick I'll pick this any day of the week.