What soldering tips for Zhongdi ZD-98 soldering station? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: FiltroMan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 09, 2020, 07:19:48 am
content: Hi everyone!I've been juggling myself with learning electronics, using the lovely book "Make: Electronics" for the theory (along with a couple of years' worth of YouTube content from the usual suspects) and some kits here and there to get components and practice in soldering. A thing that popped to my mind is that I only have a conical tip, which is fine for the current THT components that I'm working with, but when trying to use one of thoseSMD soldering practice kitsthe conical tip isn't cutting it: it's a pain in the back to heat up the pad properly without holding the iron at an awkward angle.I am using aZhongdi ZD-98soldering station and every kind of tip I've tried looking for don't look like are compatible, mainly due to the way they look: I mostly found stuff that looks like a "hat" for the tip itself.Does this style of tip have some kind of specific (maybe standardized) name that I don't know? Are there other parameters that I should keep in consideration when shopping for tips? Be aware that for the moment I'm not going for the best ever quality as it's going to be practice equipment (and money is rather tight).Thanks for your time and assistance fellas!

author: rockola
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 01, 2020, 09:52:37 am
content: Quote from: FiltroMan on July 09, 2020, 07:19:48 amGoing by the photo on that page, the tips look similar to these sold by Reichelt (and many others):https://www.reichelt.com/de/en/4-piece-set-of-tips-for-soldering-station-ap-2-spitze-ap2-set-p55456.html?&trstct=pol_2&nbc=1

author: uli12us
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2020, 07:22:13 pm
content: Your soldering "station" looks very similar to this part, and from the name of the tips the 4 from reichelt should fit.https://www.pollin.de/p/loet-starterset-daytools-ls-99kit-501746pollin delivers the same, several cents cheaper.https://www.pollin.de/p/ersatz-loetspitzen-set-840176But 2 from the 4 parts are so useless, like the first tip is. Those pencilshaped Tips are only useful for very little pieceswith tiny heat-requirement. For more heat you need a tip in the form of a chisel or flat-screwdriver, the Horseshoe shaped tipis as well an universal tip, If you hold your handpiece nearly vertical, you can use it for small parts, if you hold it in 45° you can heatbigger parts fast. OK within the power of the heat element.For the SMD-Kits, if you want to solder resistors, capacitors, or similar 2pin parts the pencil shaped tip is ok, but a small chisel shaped tip is better, because you can place a small amount of solder on the tip, that flows to your part, without separate solder. But you needadditional flux, put flux onto the pads, place your part above and touch it with your solder tip.You can do the same with the 2 or 4 sided ICs. First Solder 2 pins on the opposite side of the part. After that change the soldertip to the horseshoe shaped and drag it along the pins, the solder should flow between the pad and the pins of the IC without bridges. If you have bridges, than you need solder wick. And if you can buy it somewhere, buy a roll with 100gr or more 60/40, 63/37 SN/Pb solder from good manufacturers. For SMD maybe 0,5mm is good for all other parts 1mm should do it as well. Leadfree is good for the big firms, where people must soldering PCBs 5 days and 8 hours a week. But for all of us, who need to solder less then 10 minutes a week, its a pita.