WTB: Desoldering station - or parts to build one - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Acecool
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2018, 03:28:34 am
content: I've been looking around and from what I've seen, desoldering guns / stations, etc.. all go for around $200 USD or higher... Hakko starts at $269 for FR-300 but I think I'd rather have an actual stand-alone unit because I want to add a mod to it ( vacuum chamber, pressure cutoff switch, etc.. so when I pull the trigger, there is an immediate 100% force applied instead of 0.2ms wind-up time which would cool the solder and reduce efficacy of the unit - someone else did something similar on Youtube but they have the motor running non-stop and a poor container which leaks so ... I want to make improvements on it and keep it all contained within the unit itself )...If I'm going to be paying $200 USD or more, I may as well go for a genuine Hakko product with a warranty ( what are the warranties on those units anyway? ) and I'd be ok spending up to around $300 with a stand. I am looking into a $100 option which would be a 915 variant renumbered and ESD compliant but with shipping it still may end up close to $200... I'm also looking at building my own - the guns can be purchased on eBay for around $40 ( sometimes much more, sometimes as low as $30 or so ) and I'm sure I can find a vacuum motor and a power supply for less than $60 with the mods I want to do... I may even be able to use the power supply on my Zeny 853D unit if it has the leads, the power rating, etc... otherwise I can add in a switch to use the desoldering gun instead of the heat wand when needed then I have access to the desoldering gun and the soldering iron at the same time and if I do it this way.... I could even make a circuit to convert the digital power output to the unit this way although the knob controlling the speed of the motor would need to be ignored or I could add that to the vacuum...Preferably - if I make it, since I want to modify the current button system on the Zeny 853D to knobs like that which controls the heat wand motor speed to control the temperature because those are much easier to deal with while keeping the temp output, I'd like to simply add the feature to my unit, but I would likely need to build a new box or modify it to allow for the extra controls, connections, etc...Attached is a photo of my current unit - I'll likely need to remove the top handle to stack a unit on top of it and move some things around... As the photo shows, I added a GX16-8 connector for the heat-wand and it works great.. By default it is permanently attached and it just kept getting in the way... There is a bit of spare room on the front panel to add another connector, maybe enough room for another LED panel if I stick it under the buttons for the solder section and chop a part of ZENY off for the buttons ( but again, I'd rather use a rotary dial with digital output - meaning I could get rid of the dial below the solder station and move it to rework but I'd need to cut a new faceplate and change how everything is mounted so that takes a lot of time )... Also, I did open this unit at one point but I'm not even sure if there is enough room so I'd likely still need a new box, especially if I need a new power supply...So - I'm looking to either buy ( In new condition, like new or good working condition ):- A resoldering station with the gun, tips, etc..or- A gun by itself ( with the tube - ie no vacuum on board )- A vacuum system- A power supply- A vacuum chamber- Pressure switch- other components for temperature control, display, etc..If I build the unit myself from sourced parts, I may design a PCB for it although I believe there are already open-source variants available for a soldering station which should work for this since it is essentially a soldering iron with a tube connected to a vacuum network... It may need modifications for my ideal layout ( digital output of temperature, with analog input to control instead of a button control which takes forever to adjust when you need to take wide swings at different temperatures ) - any changes I make will be available and if I order PCBs I'll order more than necessary so I don't mind passing the extras along or assembling more units...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2018, 06:10:36 am
content: I'm all for building things, but you won't save any money trying to build a desoldering station. You can buy inexpensive Chinese units, some of which are ok. There are also occasional deals on used decent brand stuff. Years ago I splurged on a Hakko 808 and have never regretted it for a second, it's wonderful.

author: Acecool
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2018, 01:30:41 pm
content: The main issue I have with the 808, 300, etc.. is since they're all contained, the controls aren't great... You also don't get feedback on temperature ( the 300 has a tiny wheel at the bottom ) so you don't know exactly when it is ready... The added weight is a problem for me too - I have a broken neck, back and severe nerve damage from a car accident May 7 2011 so I have problems doing things even just with my hands in front of my body - I haven't been able to cook a decent meal in years or do anything enjoyable because of it...I'd prefer a station because of the lighter tool, the temperature readout, and so I can add the instantaneous suction mod so instead of 0.2ms spinup time for the motor where it takes that amount of time to reach 100% suction, it is delivered instantly via use of a vacuum chamber, pressure switch and so on...With the station / housing, I can add those components inside, but I can't modify the handheld units because of their small size...If I didn't have the injury, then maybe I'd go for it, but because I do, I need to make it as light as possible to help with endurance...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2018, 05:23:04 pm
content: Well they make station style units too. I'm not sure why you're worried about a few milliseconds to spin up the motor, I don't think you'd ever notice the difference in operation. The 808 and similar tools work very well for removing solder, which is what they're meant to do. In the years I've had mine I've never felt a need to fiddle with the temperature setting or worry about the precise temperature. I just plug it in and a few minutes later it's all ready to use. Some of the station types have a temperature meter if that matters to you.

author: Acecool
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2018, 10:04:02 am
content: Even Hakko worries about the time it takes to spin up the motor... Some of their units have a feature which is different from the vacuum chamber idea, when you press the button it spins up the motor and only activates the valve to the nozzle when it has reached full speed. The reason behind it, is because in the time it takes for the motor to speed up, the solder will be cooling down.. So you could end up cooling the solder back into solid form before you reach full suction. This means you need to use a higher heat to combat that.So... Vacuum chamber idea means instant suction at maximum pressure with no delays when pressing the button.With the Hakko design, you pull the trigger, and there is a delay before any suction happens...Both have pros and cons, but I think I prefer the chamber idea because you don't need to calculate when you think the solder will be ready and pull the trigger that much in advance. I doubt I'd be working on anything sensitive enough to warrant the feature, but I'd prefer it...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2018, 06:32:21 pm
content: How is the solder cooling down? The entire tip/nozzle assembly is heated all the way to the chamber where the solder goes.Have you ever actually used one of these things? I have one on my bench, I use it all the time, the spool time of the motor is a complete non-issue.

author: EHT
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2018, 07:06:19 pm
content: I'm quite happy with the Aoyue Int 474++ which was about £100 GBP. It seems quite well built, certainly good enough for occasional use.