Super broke,need cheap soldering iron/station to solder phone charging ports - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Max11
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 02:00:44 am
content: Hello,up front I apologize for my English. I would appreciate if someone can suggest me cheap soldering iron/station capable of soldering MicroUSB connector to mobile phone logic board. I was looking to buy Aliexpress fake of Hakko FX-951 and use fake T-12 series of tips,but is it good enough to do the job. Knowledge and time to solder is not an issue...but has anyone here tried fake 951 on job like that...can it do the job at all? I am open to all suggestions if it is cheap(broke AF).

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 04:14:49 am
content: Any soldering station is only going to be as good as the person operating it. Try to find something that's at least 60W.More watts the better.Basic hot irons have been used for years .Personally, I avoid "clones" because its to much of a gamble as to what your getting.Some of the DIY soldering station kits have been reviewed on You Tube and have performed quite well. YIHUA and Aoyue have inexpensive units that have some good reviews.Like you I can't afford the best and have been getting by on a simple 60W adjustable soldering iron for some time now.I can't say what something like that would cost you in Croatia but they're about 20 dollars Canadian.

author: t1d
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 05:43:42 pm
content: If you are just trying to repair your personal phone this one time, borrow a soldering iron. Look for "Maker" clubs, in your area, or try a shop teacher, at a local school. If you are wanting to get into electronics as a hobby, or profession, search this forum for threads on this subject; there are many. You might need a Multimeter, too.Once you have access to an iron and multimeter, we would be glad to talk you through the repair. Look on YouTube for "NASA soldering tutorials."

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 05:55:01 pm
content: Quote from: Max11 on December 26, 2018, 02:00:44 amYou want it for just this one job? Is this your first experience with soldering? Because, if it is then my advice is don't do it. Chances are you will do more damage.If you are experienced with soldering then you can find a cheap soldering iron almost anywhere, online or in cheap bazaar stores.

author: mrpackethead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 05:56:12 pm
content: I think dave did a review of a fake 951 a while ago, and it was a total fail.There are some KSGER FX9501 units on aliexpress for about $40-50US. I' bought one and its really good. As good as a hakko FX-951. ( i have several real 951's at work, but wanted one for home ). However the fake T12 catridges i got were rubbish. Real hakko tips in teh FX9501 work really well. The handle was not great but still useable.

author: mvs
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 06:28:53 pm
content: Quote from: Max11 on December 26, 2018, 02:00:44 amI use cheap hot air station (858D) for this job... MicroUSB is not easy to solder with normal iron.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 06:31:35 pm
content: if your really mad broke and desperate what they used to do is get a chunk of iron, file it to the right shape and heat it with fire (you can even heat the back of the iron with a torch or even candle to regulate the tip temperature).

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2018, 06:44:35 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on December 26, 2018, 06:31:35 pmProbably we have all done that at one time or another but copper works much better because tin solder will not wet iron but will wet copper or brass.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2018, 09:15:10 am
content: iron wets its what they use for plating.not sure if the old thing I have is iron plated or just copper thats real dirty or pure iron (i have yet to use it, it was supposed to be for like heavy duty soldering thats less oxidized then gas, i think i got it from a garage sale)https://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/oki-metcal/extendingTipLife.pdf

author: daybyter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2018, 09:05:04 pm
content: The hobbyking station or borrow an iron.