New Soldering Iron (Hakko FX-888D) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ferroto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 01:29:19 am
content: Well after years of getting by with my trusty Radio Shack fire starter™ I decided to spend a little on a Hakko FX-888D and with our crappy exchange rate plus an excise tax (blame Canada) it came close to about $160 plus 20 bucks shipping. Man what a difference it makes it heats up in seconds as apposed to minutes, the handle is closer to the tip, the cord is flexible and doesn't fight me and I've been practicing SMD soldering on a scrap board and soldering mod wire to SOIC parts is now possible.The only issue I have with this iron would be the digital interface and the fact that it appears to be in Fahrenheit mode with no apparent way to change to Celsius. A rotary encoder knob would be nicer then "Up" and "Enter" as well, although I've been keeping it between 650 and 700deg F and haven't really had to change the temperature much.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 01:45:33 am
content: Quote from: Ferroto on May 03, 2016, 01:29:19 amIt is time to read the manual.

author: sosuke
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 03:36:46 am
content: Hold up while turning power on. Hit up until it says 01 then hit enter. Should switch to C. Hit enter so it goes back to 01. Hold enter until it flashes some other text. Should be set to C now.I might have buttons swapped around. Go check the manual if it doesn't work.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 03:46:04 am
content: Quote from: sosuke on May 03, 2016, 03:36:46 amCheck the manual anyway. It can do a lot of things through a very convoluted UI.

author: newbrain
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 05:17:24 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on May 03, 2016, 03:46:04 amWhat ataradov said. A single button more would have made for a much better interfaceA suggestion: nobody really needs a single degree accuracy in setting the temperature.Look up in the manual on how to switch the unit in preset mode, it's also possible to set the number of presets and their values (I use three), and switching from one to another is quite easy.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 06:52:16 am
content: Quote from: newbrain on May 03, 2016, 05:17:24 amOr just an old fashioned dial. Some things really don't need to be digital.(or a dial for setting plus the LED temperature display - it's fun to watch the temperature rise when you switch it on)

author: imidis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 03:36:37 pm
content: I had a stint of not using it and well, was wondering why the heck it wasn't working so well at 300 degreesI need to switch it so I don't forget LOL

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 04:28:38 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on May 03, 2016, 06:52:16 amDigital givens more flexibility - temperature calibration, pre-programmed settings, which can be password protected, change of temperature scale.Some of those things are not needed for home use, but password protection, for example, is required for industrial use, where you don't want people on the assembly line "optimizing" the temperature.

author: Ferroto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2016, 08:51:56 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on May 03, 2016, 03:46:04 amThanks but I just need something that heats up. Glad I finally got it into Celsius mode.

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2016, 02:36:38 pm
content: Someone was drunk when they designed the case and the interface. I still can't believe that they tossed away decades of precedent and suddenly made a case that doesn't stack. Very amateurish, and the interface is complete disaster. Fortunately, the performance and price are still very very good, but I stopped recommending them for a long time until they published how to reset the cal back to factory specs. For a while, people where blowing away their calibrations just trying to change temperatures because the interface is a pile of garbage.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2016, 08:36:57 pm
content: The 888D is so well built and popular, 100's of years from now, some of these things will still be around. I can just imagine how much frustration it could cause if instructions are no longer easy to Google.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2016, 11:39:15 pm
content: Google will be gone, Skynet will take over.

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2016, 09:13:29 pm
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on May 04, 2016, 11:39:15 pmSkynet will fall apart when all those crap lead free joints fail and no one can figure out how use an FX-888D to fix them.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 09, 2016, 12:44:38 pm
content: Quote from: John Coloccia on May 08, 2016, 09:13:29 pm