Hakko FX-888 anything to be done for large grip-to-tip distance? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: craftyjon
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 02:21:22 pm
content: Apologies if this has been covered already, but my searches have not turned up the answers I'm looking for so far.I have a FX-888 at home which works ok, but I have been totally spoiled by the Metcals I have at work. No, not because they heat up in <10 seconds and concentrate all the heat at the tip (although that is nice!) -- because the tip of the Metal is only about 30mm past the place where you grip it. This is on the standard Metcal wand. We also have the new "micro" wand which only has a distance of 18mm, which is even better!But, the Hakko, the Weller WES, and almost every other soldering iron in the <$150 range I've seen has a distance from tip to grip of more than double this. The WES51 we have at work measures about 80mm, and my Hakko is about the same. This is a royal pain when working on surface mount components. If you have only ever used one of the Hakko or Weller irons and are not sure why I'm complaining, try holding a pen or pencil down by the "wrong end" and writing something. It doesn't work nearly as well as when you hold the writing instrument down by the pointy bit that does the work!So:-- Does anyone know of any modifications that can be done to the Hakko (or alternate wands that can be made to work) that reduce this distance?-- Does anyone have experience with a soldering station in the Hakko's price range that has a shorter distance?At this point my searches have turned up "no" answers to both those questions, and I have resigned myself to looking for a Metcal for home use.I have taken apart the Hakko wand, and it looks "theoretically" possible to make some modification, but might involve replacing the ceramic heater with a shorter one. It looks like I could make some modification to some of the parts with a lathe, which I might try if I don't get any better ideas.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 07:28:35 pm
content: You can get shorter tip-to-grip distances in other brands, but it's still going to be longer than those offered by Metcal AFAIK.Take a look at the Weller WP80 for general purpose, and WMP for SMD work (~45 - 52mm IIRC, so not sure how much of an improvement this is for you). Thinking these might be the easiest to modify to use with the Hakko power unit.But you may be able to find an entire WD1 station kit (WP80 & stand; skip any with the WSP80, as it's a tad longer) at the upper end of your budget on eBay if you're patient (US at any rate, not sure where you're located).

author: craftyjon
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 07:36:23 pm
content: Hmm, thanks for the tips, I'll keep those options in mind when looking for used gear. I am in the US.I will take a closer look at the FX-888 wand when I get home. I think the critical thing is the length of the heating element. If I can shorten it, or find a shorter version to swap in, I can modify the metal surrounding it to reduce the distance.

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 09:23:15 pm
content: Ersa Nano and Pico might fit your bill, if you can get one over the pond.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2014, 10:43:53 pm
content: Quote from: Yago on November 21, 2014, 09:23:15 pmYou can get them here now.Ersa has a US office, and I recently got an email fromMurray Percivalthat they're now a distributor (first in the US from what I can tell).

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2014, 04:13:29 am
content: You get all the good stuff over there!Jammy sodA quick measure of Nano, 50mm from finger shield to tip.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2014, 04:28:18 am
content: The distance is there so you don't burn yourself; I don't know how the Metcals do it but the traditional irons have a relatively large heater and rely on convection cooling of the long exposed shaft to keep the handle from getting too hot. I'm guessing it's related to the power density since if you concentrate all the power in a tiny spot at the tip and use a mostly thermally insulated mount (maybeaerogelscould work here? Anyone tried?) for the heater then you don't need such a long shaft.Ideal application for a thermal camera...

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2014, 11:34:10 am
content: Quote from: amyk on November 22, 2014, 04:28:18 amI thought that the distance from grip-to-tip was simply how irons were made in the past.Thinking outside the box, modern materials and construction has allowed that distance to be decreased.The point being that the grip-to-tip acts as a lever and magnifies all angular movement.The shorter this distance the easier to make small movements of the tip (I think!).