hakko fx-888d - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2019, 06:40:45 pm
content: hey everyone, i have and am using a hakko fx-888d but was wondering if this is still a good iron or should i upgrade to something else?also at my local goodwill is a pace pps5 with just the pedal and was wondering how hard parts are to find?

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2019, 10:45:32 pm
content: The 888d has a clunky interface like an 80's alarm clock.Also, there's no USB connectivity to upload customized firmware. No OLED display. No bluetooth phone app or IoT. Progress has made soldering stations so much more sophisticated and sparkly, you can't hardly imagine.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 12:15:25 am
content: Nor does it take out the trash, pour you a frosty beverage or massage your aching muscles. Now, if it does the soldering job you need it to do and does it in a way that meets your expectations and doesn't annoy you, then you don't need a new one.

author: shteii01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 03:24:48 am
content: In other words: don't fix what aint broke.

author: Cnoob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 03:35:54 am
content: Once you set your preferred temperature you normally don't have to use its clunky interface (worse part of the station)The iron is nicely balanced in your hand unlike a pace TD100 the cable pulls at the iron.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 04:16:22 am
content: Quote from: ironsniper1 on April 23, 2019, 06:40:45 pmYou might be able to find a SX-25 desoldering tool if you look long and hard enough. The Pace IR-4 iron is impossible. Newer tools are not compatible with the PPS-5.The station was made more than 40 years ago and parts have been discontinued for at least 20 years. You will have a hard time finding parts.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 05:05:47 am
content: Secondhand I'd stay away from anything older than the Pace Sensatemp series the MBT250 was the 3 channel. The current 3 channel is the Intelliheat MBT 350, more up to date, but also more expensive.Paces new series is Accudrive and they have only released a single channel station so far, the Pace ADS200. If you are interested in buying new they are ~$206 for the standard setback and ~$228 for the instant setback version from tequipment.net eevblog members get a 6% discount seethis thread here.For a couple of hundred dollars the ADS200 is great value, it has an aluminum iron, all metal chassis and stand, plus great selection of low cost tips.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 05:22:43 am
content: does anyone hate the digital controls for soldering irons? I like the damn potentiometer.

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 06:36:23 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on April 24, 2019, 05:22:43 amYes, I love the damn potentiometer! But the same people that thinks that a solder station (or a hammer for example) need to seem like a smartphone they love the displays and buttons and if have a big HD screen with visual effects and real time graphics better off course.I not understand these people, when I use a solder station I'm concentrated in solder, not in the screensaver at the solder station, never need to change a firmware that was thought by people that knows a looooot more than me in solder circuits and tested it for years in factories.I believe that a hammer it's not a better tool at all if it have screen and interface to hack, it's better if it have ergonomics, balance and off course the best steel.I know people really big and respected at their work that still soldering with an old 936 and they solder better than most of people with fancy solder stations plenty of temp profiles, buttons lights and animated graphics in hd screens. These people are soldering or seeing a movie in their solder stations screen???Quote from: GreyWoolfe on April 24, 2019, 12:15:25 amthe best answer!ironsniper1:I had for years a 888D, worked like a charm, and still use it!. Buy by parts a FX-951 because I need to solder a LOTS of very small smd components under the microscope. Work better? Yes, but I think that barely justify the cost/benefit at the moment of solder a component. It justify the extra cost by their better ergonomics but principally the possibility of change the tip in seconds, but all the solder stations with cartridge tip share this improvement.A friend of mine borrowed me a JBC. Nice solder station but the difference in price it's not justificable to me, maybe for people that solder very massive GND PAD's, but I solder it without problem with both of my solder stations.If you are comfortable with your 888d, don't change it, invert this money in another gadget, your solder station would be work for decades.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 08:02:06 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on April 24, 2019, 05:22:43 amI like potentiometers as well but there are a few catches when running multiple tips. Stations that require tip calibration or offsets like the Hakko FX stations can be a pain, having presets gets around this and also handy to use as a temp boost. But it entirely depends on how friendly the interface is. A bad digital interface will make you beg for analog, a good digital interface however outweighs the negatives.Digital displays make the station easier to work with as well. What I don't like is custom LCD panels, if you need a replacement down the track your stuck. Pace still thankfully uses generic LCD and LED displays,which came up in another thread recently. The average person sees more buttons and fancier displays as a better station, while it has nothing to do with ease of use, reliability, regulation and ergonomics (which is what I'm looking for).I expect all the potentiometer models to be eventually phased out due to the power and tip saving features of setback and sleep modes (both of which you would want to configure). Stations with a few seconds warm up time don't need to be running at full temp all day anymore.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 08:26:08 am
content: QuoteYeah, this is true. It takes me a bit longer to figure out where to set the dial when changing tips. When using a digital interface, it's more repeatable. So it only takes a short while to be convinced I need to adjust the temp when using this tip or that. With the dial, I may not even be convinced the dial is moving. My memory of where I have been setting it moves, instead. And now I also have it wrong when I switch back to the other tip, lol.With fatter stubbier tips, you can generally use a lower set temp. And with long pointy tips, you generally need to use a bit higher temp. Metal tips have different set temps built in for the tip type.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 01:36:04 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on April 24, 2019, 05:22:43 amWhy not take it 1 step further and get rid of the damn potentiometer? Get a Metcal, only has a power switch and a port selector switch on 2 port models like my MX-500.

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 04:26:38 pm
content: i dont care how old or new something is as long as it works as it supposed to, i only asked because i was trying to desolder some caps off of a computer power supply and even with the temp at 850c and some flux it wouldnt melt the solder no matter how long i left the iron on the joint,as for the other thing i didnt know what it was i just knew it was for soldering and thought it looked cool cause it was so old lol

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 04:41:18 pm
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on April 24, 2019, 01:36:04 pmWell that opens up a can of worms, but induction stations are a different beast. Not specifically compared to the MX-500 but they along with accessories and consumables were typically more expensive. Temp is locked into the station iron or tip, so changing that would require additional cost. Not sure if any of them have a setback/low power/temp standby? They used to be the faster heating with better regulation stations but that line is getting more blurred now. Power is hard to draw comparisons but the new MX-500 says the station is 70W with an SMPS with max tip output of 40W. Personally I don't fancy trying to calculate efficiencies and power consumption on any station. Having a display or not could be viewed both good and bad.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 05:52:12 pm
content: Quote from: ironsniper1 on April 24, 2019, 04:26:38 pmThe point I was making is that age and therefore service parts that might be required to get a desoldering handpiece up and running on the PPS-5 might make it a poor purchasing experience. You will obviously have to weigh up the cost yourself.Desoldering caps off a power supply doesn't sound like the most challenging task so I assume it's a large joint on a thickly soldered high current trace. Tip size to make a decent thermal bridge and store and dump heat, plus the recovery speed of the iron and the power is going to make the difference.The PPS-5 would have been awesome to own in the 1970s. If your keen to get one back into operational condition give it a try. Here is video with a similar vintage station.

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 06:01:14 pm
content: Quote from: Shock on April 24, 2019, 05:52:12 pmit was like 20 bucks at goodwill, if it had the parts i would have grabbed it but since the parts are hard to find im going to not get it, the joint i was trying to melt was a small one for a 2200uf 25v cap so just a small one not sure what the issue is, the power supply itself is for a hp z800 if that helps at all

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 07:14:55 pm
content: Quote from: ironsniper1 on April 24, 2019, 06:01:14 pmTwo EEVblog usersin this thread hereown a PPS-5. Send them a private message if you like, they seem still active. $20 if it works is actually a cheap station. It's two channel either hot air, vacuum desoldering iron, soldering iron. One went a couple of months ago on ebay for $40. I had no luck in finding a desoldering handpiece for it. The earlier ones before this I think were blue handpieces. These had light grey and smooth black. Later models textured darker grey, with textured black being the most recent.The joint you are having problems with, perhaps it would help to post a couple of photos. If you are using the stock thin tip that came with the Hakko FX-888D that might be part of the issue.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 09:10:04 pm
content: OP: 850F, not C.A computer motherboard is a particularly difficult board. You're dealing with 6-8 layers with solid ground planes for heat dissipation.When you run into an issue with your 888, the first thing you have to consider is tip selection. There is no station that is going to do what you tried to do with the wrong tip. And even with the most powerful station and the right tip, you still might need a preheater. This is not unusual, at all. A mobo is a a very good radiator that takes away the heat you are putting into it and transfers it to the surrounding board... and ultimately to the surrounding air. The component was initially put on there in an oven that brought the entire board up to temp.There's a limit to what an iron can do. If you just keep jacking up the power and temp of the station instead of using a preheater, you will have a very hard time to remove or install a part without damaging the board or the component (plus you will create stress in the joints). And you will still end up heating a huge amount of the board around the joint in the process. So it's not like it'll be any much different than using a preheater. Where you have your hand set on the board, expect to burn yourself by the time the part comes off, using your 1000W soldering iron.

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 10:35:07 pm
content: Quote from: KL27x on April 24, 2019, 09:10:04 pmi cant tell ig you're being snarky or sarcastic or mean or all 3, but anyway i dont know why i would want or need a 1000w iron for but okay, also this is not a computer motherboard but a board for a computer power supply also it is set at C always has been since i got it, if i should change to F i will but for now its been working okay for the minor stuff i have been doingQuote from: Shock on April 24, 2019, 07:14:55 pmyes i can post some pictures of the board later, it will be a while as its dinner time!

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 01:21:28 am
content: I'm not being snarky. I'm saying even if you had an iron powerful enough to solder to ground planes on a mobo, it wouldn't work like you might think it would. Apparently this is not a mobo. But the point is the 888D has enough power and thermal mass to hang with just about anything for electrical work. If it's not enough, then other tools may be a better way to go than an upgrade of the soldering iron.QuoteQuoteYou can't set an 888D to 850C, though. I believe the highest it goes in Farenheit, even, is 840. In Celcius it goes only up to 480.If you do not read the instructions, it is easy to accidentally adjust the calibration rather than change the set temp. You keep "adjusting" it up, and the iron just gets colder.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 01:41:37 am
content: Quote from: ironsniper1 on April 24, 2019, 04:26:38 pmQuote from: ironsniper1 on April 24, 2019, 10:35:07 pmQuote from: KL27x on April 25, 2019, 01:21:28 amI just interpreted it as you were talking Celsius and wrote the Fahrenheit temp with the wrong symbol. ~850F happens to be the limit of a lot of stations.The HakkoFX-888D manual can be found here.Section 6. Parameter setting, discusses presets.Section 5.C Operation, discusses "adjustment" (commonly referred to as temperature offset or calibration).The way it reads in the manual is the station can adjust an offset a maximum of 150°C/270°F every time but it's effects appear cumulative.One way of telling if the "adjustment" is messed up is changing the set temperature (not the adjustment) around the melt temp of the solder that you are using and then lower it and down and see where it stops melting.60/40 Sn-Pb at ~188 °C (370 °F)63/37 Sn-Pb at ~183 °C (361 °F)Lead free a little higher at ~217°C (422°F)The other is by using a suitable thermocouple and measure the tip temp then adjusting back the temperature "adjustment" until it's back calibrated. If you feel it's totally messed up then you can do a factory reset as shown in this video.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 02:38:52 am
content: Sorry to complicate things but one other thing you might want to check as well is if your Hakko FX-888D is counterfeit unfortunately quite a few fakes were/are sold on Ebay and Amazon. That also could explain a performance problem.

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 03:32:00 am
content: I agree with other people:1) Check if the Hakko FX-888D it's genuine, counterfeit's are generally crap that only works in small boards with small components.2) Check that you are using the correct tip with a lot of contact surface3) As a comment, I used to remove components, specially big capacitors, from PC Power sources for years and never had a problem, solder did melts almost instantaneously, remove the componente and put new one without hassle with all solder station that I had had prior the fx-888d and off course, the 888 itself.I think that the problem it's not your solder station

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 02:07:52 pm
content: thats one of the first things i did check was wether it was fake and i have seen that video and mine is the real deal everything on mine matches the real one, also i reset it to default settings and it set the temp to 750C as default

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 03:14:00 pm
content: In my experience it's not necessary to increment the temperature a lot, I use it at 260-280 c with the tip with the highest storage of heat possible for the application.https://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selection/selection_1.htmlIn T12 (fx951) exist tips with special high heat capacity, but in T900 the geometry it's the key. Use original tips with good tinning, this improve a lot the wet ability and lower the temp. SMD spatula have a VERY high heat storage, but any of the other tips with 5-7mm front may be enough, for example K type or S3 that are cheap and long lasting, mine have more than 6 years and seems like new.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 06:07:33 pm
content: Quote from: ironsniper1 on April 25, 2019, 02:07:52 pmCool yeah that is good to hear. After you restore the default settings the only time you want to go into the adjustment setting is to recalibrate it. As I mentioned previously using the melting point or better yet a thermocouple will help get that adjustment setting accurate. Otherwise changing it randomly will throw the tip temp out of calibration and you won't know where you are at.The running temp should most of the time be less than 350C or 660F for normal soldering. If you have a scrap PCB board with some through hole try doing some reflowing of joints (fresh solder) to see how it's running and give the PSU another go. Its hard to determine though what is going wrong without seeing the exact tip and joint you're soldering.As a rule of thumb the end of the iron tip should be approximately matched to the size of the pad/joint. This is why thin pointy tips aren't the best for through hole they have minimal contact area to heat the pad. Looks black in this picture because of the light but your tip should also be shiny when cleaned. If it's dull and dirty looking after cleaning it might be oxidized and that will make it harder to heat up the joint and solder easily.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 06:45:04 pm
content: QuoteYou cannot adjust the set temp of a genuine Hakko 888D to 750C. The range of set temp is only 50C - 480C. If you try to set it to 500+, the most signficant digit just wraps back to 0. And if you try to set it between 481-499, the input is not accepted, and the interface wraps back to the most significant digit.On the 7 segment display, you might see decimal points between the numbers. If these are lit up, you are adjusting the calibration rather than the set temp. Earlier you mentioned setting your iron to 850, and this is impossible even in F**, so I think you are making some incorrect assumption regarding how to operate this station.I think the station defaults to C when you reset it, but I could be wrong. Maybe it's F. W/e is the case, I think you are mistaken in some way. 750C is 1382F. I think this is hot enough to make steel glow.I'm not going to reset my station, but I would take a guess that the default F setting after a reset is probably 650-700 or thereabouts, and the default C setting is maybe 350 or thereabouts.**I think I got the timestamp right. Right around 45:45. This is a Hakko 951 set to display in F, but the 888D operates pretty much the exact same way. Here, Louis Rossman demonstrates what happens when you try to set a Hakko 951 to 850F:https://youtu.be/WgoGhnlJHas?t=2747

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 08:20:25 pm
content: Quote from: Tarloth on April 25, 2019, 03:14:00 pmI have a FX888 (not D) and I also used to have some trouble with large mass soldering with the standard tip. However, after I bought a few different models (T18-S3, T18-D32, T18-CF4) this problem was severely reduced.Large GND planes on multi-layer PCBs are still very difficult to negotiate, but I will eventually finish building my board pre-heater and things should improve.

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2019, 02:46:03 pm
content: so two things have happened, 1st being i was wrong and my iron was set to F and not C, set it to C and its working better, also i won a desoldering iron with vacuum pump on ebay for under 70 shipped so i am happy about both!

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2019, 03:47:04 pm
content: The 888D was buyed at ebay too? How much it did cost?

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2019, 03:54:51 pm
content: Quote from: Tarloth on April 26, 2019, 03:47:04 pmsee screen shot

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2019, 01:44:27 am
content: Are you confident that is a original one? This solder station plus the new solder/desolder station that you did buy it's more money than 888d original with a lot of accessories or you are close to buy one Pace or FX-951 station. I ask to me every time that I see a tool offer in ebay, It's worth buy at ebay/bangood/etc tools with the risk of a counterfeit part and need to replace in the future?

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2019, 02:53:02 am
content: Ness Electronics is a distributor, the Hakko FX-888D often sells for around $90-$100.https://www.hakkousa.com/storelocator/index/view/id/223

author: Tarloth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2019, 12:27:06 am
content: OK, It's original, really good news, but why not buy directly to them ?

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2019, 06:05:24 am
content: ^Hakko appears to sell mainly through authorized distributors, in the US. I have never purchased anything directly from Hakko. I don't even know how, of if it's even possible without becoming a reseller.I bought my first one or two from Amazon, but I checked the seller is an authorized distributor. They also sell them at Fry's, but there are only something like 6 store locations in the US. Brick and mortar electronics stores are somewhat rare, here. We are a land of people bred and trained to value newness and to attain this newness by buying things, not making/fixing things.If you want to buy a soldering iron from a brick and mortar store, many people will be able to find only the cheapest of Weller's line at the hardware store, and that's about all. The lil station with the adjustable power knob and the spring holder is gonna be the "good one."Radioshack is our equivalent of Dick Smiths. But most of them closed down and the ones that are left mostly only sell cell phones and audio cables and Sharper Image style toys, in the last 15 years.If you don't trust eBay, you can buy from companies like All Spec or Tequipment.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2019, 06:29:59 pm
content: Quote from: KL27x on April 28, 2019, 06:05:24 amhttps://www.hakkousa.comQuote from: KL27x on April 28, 2019, 06:05:24 amBoth are excellent in my experience.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2019, 06:47:41 pm
content: Thanks. I don't know if I will start buying from here, or not. I already have accounts elsewhere. Shopping online is like automatically saying "yes, I'd like to sign up for a shoppers reward card."And the price seems to be 5-10% more expensive, here; at least, on the items I have bought. Resellers are apparently allowed to and are given enough margin to undercut by a bit. In OP's case, something like 20% cheaper, even with eBay's cut.OP, I was wrong:According to Hakko's USA store, you can set the station higher than 840F"Adjustable temperature control, range: 120° - 899°F (50° - 480°C)"I would have just tested it myself, but you know what the UI is like. I'd a had to look that up, how to switch from C to F. FWIW, the "super hot" preset on mine is 350C, and that is only for temporary use. If I was in a pinch, I might try to adjust up to maybe 400C/750F, tops, before breaking out hot air for preheating. That's kinda what I have learned, but I typically use tips with large mass, which has an affect on the temps I use. At 400C, the chrome plating turns dark if you forget and leave the station there, IME... say unattended for a spell. I mean, if you were still using it you'd notice because the flux would be instantly vaporizing in a cloud of smoke.

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2019, 09:26:04 pm
content: Thanks for the reply I got a bigger tip for my soldering iron and set it to c and it seems to be working better, my used desoldering iron needs a new tip as the previous owner broke something off in the tip and didn’t put it in the eBay description, I ordered a new tip but it’s coming from China so that will take a while, the iron I got is the crappy Chinese S-993A which I figure I can use for a starting point, but was wondering if anyone knew where to get tips from inside the US?

author: ironsniper1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2019, 06:05:58 pm
content: wanted to post an update after dialing in the temp and changing the tip it has gotten better and i have been able to used desoldering wick easier, looks like things are looking much better!

author: User01
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 05:23:15 am
content: I know this is an old thread... but man I feel for you guys using the FX-888D. The FX-888 was/is amazing. The D is a pain to use. I bet you could get used to it but man it's a clunky interface.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 06:01:23 am
content: Quote from: User01 on April 02, 2024, 05:23:15 amYes. The interface is clunky.The question is just how often to you need to use it?I set three presets at 20oC apart and find no need to ever change them.No temperature selection is more than two 'up' button pushes plus an 'enter' key away.Even four presets wouldn't be a hardship.If you need to constantly change the temperature a few degrees for soldering, I wouldsuggest you have a bigger problem than the soldering station.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 06:11:43 am
content: I have both. The 888 is better IMO.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 11:17:15 pm
content: Quote from: User01 on April 02, 2024, 05:23:15 amHakkodiscontinued FX-888D, now replaced byFX-888DXwith better UI: changed to a rotary encoder, and 95W option.I don't see it offered on the Hakko USA site yet.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2024, 11:51:07 am
content: What an unfortunate new slogan "How do you solder?".

author: simone.pignatti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2024, 10:59:08 am
content: Here we go! Stock just landed. Public launch 1 of May 2024. We will publish a video in the next few days.

author: simone.pignatti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2024, 11:32:22 am
content: Comparison picture FX-888D Vs FX-888DX

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2024, 11:32:37 pm
content: Quote from: simone.pignatti on April 04, 2024, 11:32:22 amThat is a much nicer interface. I still resent the removal of analog volume controls from laptops.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2024, 05:30:05 pm
content: Marty, start the DeLorean! ... and here is my FX-888 dated 2011.13 years and this is Kaizen? - although this is an analog controller - no auto-shutoff. Who are these people that think you need 1°C resolution to be better at soldering?I modded the LED like Dave did, another Hakko UI mistake- only lit when the heater is on. You can glance, LED is off go home for the night but it was just the few seconds the heater was offMod is to go bi-colour LED- always lit blue yet flashes red when heater is on, also did it for the 470.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:38:02 pm
content: Turn then press the rotary encoder seems to be their latest UI mistake, an unnecessary second step.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:56:22 pm
content: Quote from: Shock on April 06, 2024, 01:38:02 pmEh, I disagree. That’s good UI design. Two reasons:1. Since rotary encoders need to use acceleration curves in order for large changes to not takeforeverwhile still allowing granular small changes, it’s important to not react immediately, since the user may overshoot (possibly significantly). Requiring a delay is one way to solve this, but pressing a rotary encoder your fingers are already touching is hardly a lot to ask, and requiring an explicit confirmation press addresses reason 2:2. Avoiding accidental changes. Imagine if, while reaching for something, you brush against the rotary encoder, or cause something else to brush up on it, causing it to turn. Reacting without a button press means the temperature could be changed by accident. The simple button press eliminates this in many cases.(I used to work in usability design.)

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 06:26:41 pm
content: The encoder pushbutton is like an Enter button, just turn it for a new temp and press.I think nobody needs 1°C resolution for temperature setpoint, that's 0.2%. Neither does my alarm clock need 1 minute resolution for wake time.It could easily be 5°C, or like my coffee grinder turning the encoder up jumps more (1 second) and turning it down it decrements less (0.1 second).In a manufacturing environment, there's a need to lock an soldering iron's temperature. I'm not sure why- most people get flamed if they crank it up too high and ruin tips.So this need complicates the UI - need a password function etc.Looking at the 888DX, it's still got a busy UI: Low temp alarm, presets, password lock, tip temp correction. Cluttered with features.Yet I don't see auto-shutoff feature which Weller has, based on heat demand- not some shake switch in the handle. It's not hard to implement in F/W.

author: BlackICE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 04:23:17 am
content: The Weller 1010NA sleep function is F'ing worthless IMO. I have to push a button, or touch the tip to a wet sponge. Then I have to wait a long time for it to get back to temp. It just pissed me off so many times when I went to solder a joint and it was cold and I had to wait 15 sec. That I set the timer for something like 20 mins so it doesn't sleep often.Now I'm using KSGER T12 clone with real Hakko tips. I pick up the handle and by the time I get in position to solder it is already to the correct temp. I can set the sleep timer to 10 or 20 sec it doesn't really matter. Much more useful in real life.Now I mostly use my Weller to melt threaded inserts into 3d printed parts.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 04:30:24 am
content: Maybe a wakeup on button press is better than the temp dip? Even if a station has an 8-hour run timer, still better than nothing. Had an idiot use a soldering station at work, left it on all weekend. The tip was destroyed.I had to go to a mercury switch in my KSGER T12, the shake switch is crap melts when soldered, not reliable I found.

author: BlackICE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 05:13:26 am
content: At least the 1010na tips are cheap. As you said the timer is only really useful to prevent you from leaving unused on for hours. Setting the timer for 30+ mins should not cause too much pain from the painfully slow wakeup cycle. The newer cartridge heater tips are much superior in heat up time. Once you go cartridge you will never go back. You may still go forward to a Metcal type system which is is even better. The downsides are the tips cost more and you may need more of them because tips are set for one temp. only.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 07:22:19 am
content: I know why they may have done the press to set, but it's still an unnecessary step. Aside from that they left in an easy way to accidentally enter the temp adjust (offset) mode again by making it a long press. Anyway.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2024, 11:19:51 am
content: Quote from: Shock on April 07, 2024, 07:22:19 amSo… toooootally unnecessary, except for all the legitimate reasons that make it necessary. Got it.