Good quality hobby soldering station  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: wons
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2023, 05:59:14 pm
content: Hey guysLooking for (probably chineese knockoff) soldering iron recomendation:* Main jobs will be small smd components that sometimes sit on small polygons* Good temperature stabilization and holding* A handle that is comfortable for small components (up to 0402 components)* Varaiety supported chineese catridgesBudget sub <100$I have bought an expancive SUGON station (dual JBC handle knockoff) and i was realy disapointed (although they have some good reviews -but my station couldnt hold its temperature and it is just unusable at all - and no replays from the sellers)So please im hoping to get recomendations only if you own the station you are recomending

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2023, 06:54:55 pm
content: I started out as a teenager in the 1970's with Antex soldering Irons. Farnell is listed as a distributor for Belarus herehttps://www.antex.co.uk/distributors/europe-distributors/I use PACE and Metcal soldering stations now but thats beyond your budget for now (start saving). Good luck.

author: wons
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2023, 07:12:35 pm
content: HeyThanks for your replay though these kind of handles that come with the station are a bit bulky for me and hard to hold stable near the board due to the cartridge lengthAt work i currently use the JBC nano station with c115 and c210 handlesBut the chineese stations/handles do not work original cartridges and the ones they offer are limited.So i was thinking of may be using the c245 or T12 handleAnd a station like the aixun or jabe that look nice on youtube (just looking for people to confirm my thoughts or debunk them 😅)

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2023, 08:44:40 pm
content: Chinese JBC tips are absolute crap.You can take a Jabe and use genuine C245 tips, that will work amazingly well, otherwise, take the T12 route.Any T12 station will perform similar, only the fancy stuff changes, big screen etc.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2023, 11:32:21 pm
content: Do you have a genuine JBC tip at work you can try on the Sugon?Have you calibrated the temperature on it?Sugon T3602 is a $400 station, why not spend a bit of effort to figure out whats wrong with it.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2023, 01:15:42 am
content: Didn't someone make an open source hardware metcal RF base station?

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2023, 07:34:23 am
content: Quote from: DavidAlfa on September 06, 2023, 08:44:40 pmWould you recommend supplementing the generic T12 station with some "quality tips"? Or are the supplied ones already decent enough?

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2023, 08:00:05 am
content: I never found any "quality" tips, all I got performed pretty much the same, maybe some slighly better, but I think it was just production quality variation, not that one Aliexpress brand was better than other.And I don't think those "pro" T12 tips being sold at twice the price are any better at all.Normally I buy several tips from the same seller. Last ones also had vast differences in performance.For example, the D52 performs worse than the smaller D4. It feels like the heater isn't properly bonded to the tip body, so it can't transfer all the power.This also happens a lot with these after some months of use. But no drama for the $3 they cost.A single C245 is 10x that, and they also burn down relatively quickly when used at 400ºC when soldering heavy parts.But when used at 350ºC or so, they last forever, eventually the tin disolves the tip, but after a lot of use! (Unless you scratch the tip coating).In any case, T12s are miles away from a genuine C245s, but decent for most DIY jobs. This is expected, the rated power is very different (T12 75W vs C245 150W+).I've never tested genuine Hakko T12/T15 tips, though.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2023, 11:04:20 pm
content: Quote from: Smokey on September 07, 2023, 01:15:42 amYeah its a cool project, but BOM/materials cost is going to be well over $100:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/i-built-the-diy-metcal-compatible-soldering-station/40W setup for ~$200 or 80W for ~$300 if you keep your eyes open on ebay. Again though, still over the $100 budget mentioned here, clone territory.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2023, 05:28:23 am
content: You can get a Metcal STSS-002 for $80 (I saw one for $40 at the local swap meet last month).https://www.ebay.com/itm/314668022478And new tips cost about $20.That gets you a well loved, but pro grade solution for your $100 budget.