Atten/'Tenma' AT60D or AT938D - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Gemman Aster
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2015, 11:55:17 pm
content: Hey guys!!!I am on the cusp of buying a hobbyist quality soldering station. I am really getting in to modding retro computer systems but my old unregulated Weller 2012 is causing problems. I wish I could afford a 'Hakko FX-888D' but I genuinely cannot stretch that far - not without some serious repercussions from the missus anyway!I am UK based and Farnell sell both the Atten AT60D and AT938D as re-badged 'Tenma' units for a pretty good price. The latter model is especially tempting; it is going for under £40 whereas the identical machine is £50 from Maplins under a different label. However I have read several posts here referring to its lack of a 'real' temperature control. Is it worth spending the extra £15 and getting the AT60D model, which I believe does have a proper sensor?Could I also ask if either of these units can take Hakko brand - or other common and easily sourced - tips? I think the 1.8mm chisel would be ideal for my purposes.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 12:33:39 am
content: No way to drop spare coin of the realm into a jar until you have enough for the Hakko? You will be much happier in the long run. Well worth the wait. Don't forget extra coin for OEM tips.

author: urbis
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 11:11:51 am
content: Maplin also sell a rebadged version of the Atten.http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/60w-professional-lcd-solder-station-with-esd-protection-a55kjThey're frequently money off vouchers available.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 11:28:28 am
content: I think you need to add 20% VAT to the Farnell price. But next day delivery is free

author: Gemman Aster
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 12:54:25 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on September 29, 2015, 11:28:28 amThat's a damn good point! I suppose as a wholesaler they don't feel obliged to follow the new rules about advertising VAT. That makes quite a difference; ~£64 instead of £50 for the AT60D.Quote from: GreyWoolfe on September 29, 2015, 12:33:39 amIts not just the soldering station I am after right now though... I need ~£70 to replace a graphics card mod for my Atari 800XL. The first one I bought came faulty from the manufacturer, but postage is so expensive in Britain that the cost I was quoted to send it back to him in Eastern Europe was a good part of the original price. I attempted to repair it, but in the process removed a couple of pads due to the unregulated temperature of the 2012 and hence my desire for a semi-decent hobbyist unit with good temperature control. I really,reallydo want the Hakko machine, but its just not on the cards - not if I actually want a soldering stationandhave anything left over to buy fun stuff to do with it!Quote from: urbis on September 29, 2015, 11:11:51 amThey do... Right now its £49.99 - including VAT. The same thing from Farnell squeaks in at ~£46 after adding VAT. Still just on the right side, especially with free next-day P&P.Which is really what it comes down to - the AT60D or the AT938D. I would jump on the cheaper one if it weren't for its reputed lack of a temperature sensor in the tip. I already have an unregulated iron and do not want to get -ahem... - burned twice! Does anyone know if the more expensive AT60Ddefinitelydoes come with a built in tip-sensor? From posts I have read people saying it does, or at least implying it does but I really want to be sure before I drop that much cash on it.My guess is the AT938 calculates a fair guess at the temperature going from the current power demand of the heaters. That is not a terrible way to do it, but still i would prefer a genuine temperature sensor.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 01:03:24 pm
content: If you really want to be an Ebeneezer then check Topcashback for a 5.25% kickback

author: Gemman Aster
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 01:23:30 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on September 29, 2015, 01:03:24 pmI'm a Yorkshireman... My middle and last name is Ebeneezer!!!!

author: urbis
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 01:52:18 pm
content: Maplin is probably easier from a returns perspective.If you know a student, 5% discount with NUS too... even better if you know a member of staff and they get 25% off!Not sure regarding the temp sensor though.

author: Gemman Aster
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2015, 05:56:06 pm
content: Well...I paids me coins and tooks me chance. So to speak. The Tenma/Atten AT60D is on its way to me from Farnell. I will report back here how it turns out.I watched a couple of youtube video reviews of the older 983D and that looked a real disaster - struggling very badly when asked to melt solder on a large or heavily heat-sinked component. One user actually mentioned his iron had become stuck to the work-piece for several seconds on occasion before the heater caught up. NOT very impressive! The AT60/90/100D's look pretty nice though and one teardown clearly displayed a temp-probe at the tip, so I think these newer models do indeed fill that requirement. Accordingly with any luck they will not suffer the same lag problems.Of course, it goes without saying none of these clone brands are going to hold a candle to a Hakko. However they also are literally half the price and a damn site easier to order than going through the 'Dancap' bloke - the sole official supplier if you are a UK buyer. I am sure he gives excellent service and he sounded like a thoroughly decent chap when I spoke to him last year. However, he still has no eCommerce set up on his site and all payment was either by cheque - I genuinely don't have a cheque book for my account! - or direct bank-transfer, which always leaves me feeling pretty sketchy. Probably its totally above-board and Bristol fashion, but... It is 2015, not 1993...Anyway. I have a 2.4mm chisel-tip coming from ebay and the AT60D along with a bag of Rubycon capacitors made it inside the very generous Farnell cut-off time for this evening. Hopefully I should get both tomorrow, or Thursday at the latest.

author: urbis
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2015, 08:38:31 am
content: I'll be interested to see how it turns out, seems a nice iron.

author: Gemman Aster
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2015, 04:19:47 pm
content: I have been using this pretty solidly for just over two weeks now. The headline message is -I like it a lot. It is head and shoulders above the unregulated cone-tipped iron I was using before. I suppose that goes without saying.However, my very first impression could not be more contrasting - for the first day I absolutely hated it! Immediately on delivery I attempted to use it to replace a couple of very old capacitors on my retro motherboard and succeeded wildly only at removing two pads - not an impressive début!!! In retrospect I realize this was largely down to the micro cone-tip it came with and the fact i was running at 300 degrees - which seems to be pretty cool for through-hole work and components on a 1980's scale. I came very close to returning it then and there as I suspected the thermal regulation had turned out to be as crap as its older brother. However, I gave it another shot once my 1.4mm and 2.8mm chisel tips came from eBay and... It was like using a totally different machine - just amazing how much difference something so slight can make! I also turned the temperature up to 350 degrees going from Dave's tutorial video which could have helped as well.So in the days since I have used the iron for a mass single-wipe to precision re-socketing campaign - which was a colossal pain with the Weller 2012 - along with all manner of mod installation tasks from small patch-wires to replacing the pin-headers on the mods themselves. All grist for the mill. I also seem to have settled on the 1.8mm chisel tip and never change it. Even here the Atten/'Tenma' units have proved impressive; absolutely no wear is showing while the exact same tasks chewed through two Weller 2012 tips in the past. The much debated thermal regulation actually seems pretty solid as well thankfully. I have never once encountered the situation where the tip was momentarily stuck due to the thermostat struggling to catch up with a highly thermally-dissipative joint.So, at the end of the day Ihighlyrecommend this unit. It is half the price of the Hakko 888 and while I do not doubt it is inferior in more ways than I can count the AT60D seems to do everything I - as an admittedly basic hobbyist - could want for now.If anyone is considering picking the AT60D up themselves and have a specific question I will try to answer as best I can from my experiences.

author: wblock
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2015, 05:30:46 pm
content: How about photos of the internals?