Three most useful tools I got from AliExpress - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 12:48:24 pm
content: The ckt board holder is stable and holds. Much better than the alligator clamping thingies. The Proskit is a joy. We had to heat and strike to desolder. The Iwiss tool does a great job and is highly polished.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 03:47:42 pm
content: Links to the tools please.The board holder does look very nice, and do I see you invested in a chip tester? The one Adrian Black (digital basement) used to test al kinds of chips with?

author: Calambres
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 06:28:41 pm
content: I've got the board holder and the Proskit solder sucker. Both are good and work fine for me.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 09:40:16 pm
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on April 28, 2024, 03:47:42 pmI really like the board holder. If a board is too long, you can always hold it sideways or buy an Aluminum bar at a metals supplier.Yes, I am assembling the retrochip tester from 8bit-museum.de. I found it is much cheaper (but more painful) to order the parts from DigiKey; $120 vs about $250.Per Request:https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806317632603.htmlhttps://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800993178532.htmlI have to find the ProsKit desolder gun. But it was about $100; bought it as a "first timer" on another account. (Yes, I am that cheap!)

author: tatel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 04:20:52 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 28, 2024, 09:40:16 pmhttps://aliexpress.com/item/32957483227.html

author: pope
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 07:03:08 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 28, 2024, 09:40:16 pmDid you buy the board holder from this specific shop? IT has rather low feedback so I'm a bit hesitant.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 09:45:14 am
content: Yes, it is from "my orders" page. Looky at the ratings as well as the number. Came fast as well.Regards,Dewey

author: pope
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 09:50:04 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 29, 2024, 09:45:14 amThank you.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 10:00:30 am
content: It's one of the most useless tools I have. It sucks at everything besides that it actually holds the board. The only way it's useable is if you insert TH components and bend the leads so they don't fall out before putting it in holder. Inserting while in holder is a no-go. Not to say soldering under angle means that solder tends to flow downwards, especially on large solder joints. Frankly board just laying on the desk works better.

author: pope
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 01:22:23 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on April 29, 2024, 10:00:30 amAre you talking about this specific holder or about holders in general? Personally I find board holders very handy when I use the desoldering pump instead of the gun.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 02:45:30 pm
content: Quote from: pope on April 29, 2024, 01:22:23 pmI'm talking about this type of holder in particular. Maybe it's ok if desoldering with solder sucker but when pulling component from opposite side it often obstructs your hand/tweezers.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 06:15:00 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on April 29, 2024, 02:45:30 pm

author: mcjeff93
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 06:15:33 pm
content: Thank you for the useful info.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 08:43:07 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 28, 2024, 12:48:24 pm1. I have one of them too. It’s good for some things. For others I prefer no holder, or a high-quality helping hands made from loc line and high quality alligator clips. (I am 100% in agreement with you that the “classic” helping hands are absolutely terrible.)2. What do you mean by “heat and strike”?3. As I told you in the crimp tool thread: No, it is not “highly polished”. The iwiss are arguably the best low-cost crimp tools, but compared to an original tool (which admittedly costs 10x as much), they’re only lightly buffed. When I say that the best ones have a true mirror finish, I am not exaggerating.The attached photo shows my iwiss IWS-3220 crimp tool next to the AMP tool. You can readily see the difference in surface finish. The other shows the surface roughness of the iwiss. As I said in the other thread: shiny yes, but smooth no.And to be clear, I don’t say this to diss iwiss; they’re probably the best low cost crimper brand. But we need to keep our praise realistic.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 09:00:42 pm
content: "When I was a boy....." No solder wick, no desolder stations, no solder suckers. Only fixed soldering irons and Weller guns.Soooo you heated the joint and hit it against the bench or hit the joint with the needle nose. Then you found where the bend was and cut it and did it again. This is what gave PCBs such a bad name. In those days, traces were just that: traces. Copper foil seemingly glued on some fiberglass that pulled off when you did rework. We reinforced them by "tracing" them with solder.This is also how those solder splashes got on meter glasses.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2024, 06:17:26 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 30, 2024, 09:00:42 pmI still use that technique sometimes to get rid of excess solder.

author: HobGoblyn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 02, 2024, 08:20:22 pm
content: I’ve got this holder too. It’s now in the cupboard.It’s fine for through hole soldering but most of the things I do, I need to use my microscope, this stand is simply too tall to use with it.As I use other stands (got a few different sorts) with the microscope, I also use the same stands when not using it.