please help an idiot fix his soldering iron  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: eureka
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 01:58:40 am
content: i have a weller tc-202 soldering station and its a beast of a machine i got it 18 years ago when he passed away and he purchased it many years before that and over those years its taken a beating and still works. however recently the power cable has become worn out with age so i decided replace it heres were the stupidity comes in. when i unscrewed the wires to install the new lead i forgot note the order wires were in ( i know i should have taken a photo ) and while i can find the ground wire ( green and yellow ) the wires running to the hot and neutral terminals are all black. im not an electrician and my last foray into electrical repair resulted in a blow circuit breaker and blackend fingertips ( pro tip unplug a lamp before rewiring ) any help would be appreciated while am planing to purchase a Hakko FX-888D in the near future the weller still works and has some sentimental value so i would hate to let it go

author: Armadillo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 02:19:03 am
content: B to switch

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 02:26:56 am
content: Actually this does not matter. The same station used in Europe does not even have mains plug polarity.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 05:20:14 am
content: Quote from: eureka on December 21, 2018, 01:58:40 amI'm a tad confused--- do you mean the internal wires that go to the terminals inside the base unit?The replacement power cable should have standard colour coding.If you do mean the inside wiring, it should not be hard to trace the one which goes to the switch.This should be the active line (brown in a Oz standard power cable).SeeArmadillo'sposting.

author: eureka
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 08:01:39 am
content: yes the power cable that i unscrewed without taking proper note of the order are standard blue brown and green. the wires that connect to a screw terminal are all black except for the ground wire which is standard green and yellow. i apologize if im not clear my knowledge of electronics is basic while i have replaced power cords on tools before. if the orders not all ready marked i normally mark the hot and neutral or better yet take a photo and then replace it with an el cheapo coles extension lead i will see which wire goes back to switch

author: trevatxtal
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 09:49:51 am
content: Please do not call yourself an Idiot.Def Idiot""Idiot was formerly a legal and psychiatric category of profound intellectual disability, where a person's mental age is two years or less, and he or she cannot guard himself or herself against common physical dangers.""You just lack experience and the fact you asked for assistance before causing an accident show you are intelligent.Best wishes for a happy holiday and New year.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 09:56:14 am
content: What the previous posters where trying to say is that for this device, active an neutral can be reversed with no significant issues, If you still hold any concerns, Active goes to the switch.

author: Armadillo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2018, 10:07:25 am
content: Australia Color;

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2018, 03:45:38 am
content: But, Wait!--There's more!I was going to go out & dig around in the closed in back patio/ ham shack/ lab/ storage room & find my spare Weller base unit to trace the wire that goes to the switch, but since it's going to be 39C (102.2F) today, & it isn't insulated, I chickened out!Anyway, it just so happens that I don't need to do that if you have a multimeter (DMM or analog).On ohms range, test between the two black wires.If the "on/off" switch is "on", you will see a resistance of around 63 ohms.(I checked this on my working unit)This is the transformer primary.With the switch "off", you will see an open circuit.(Infinity or "OL")Leave the switch "off".Now, test between one terminal of the switch & each black wire in turn.One terminal will show the transformer primary resistance (63 ohms) back to one of the black wires & infinity to the other.The latter will be the the switched connection, which should be connected to active.If you pick the other switch terminal first, it will show very close to zero ohms to one black wire, & infinity to the other.In this case, the one with close to zero is the switched connection.