What does the quality of my rework station seem to be from a visual aspect? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: GroundedNOOB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 22, 2016, 11:17:30 pm
content: Today I've decided to open up my soldering/hot air rework station to ensure that the ground wire and various other components/cables were secured in place, and while I was opening it, I decided to take some pictures..Due to the fact that this machine is made in China, does this mean safety is a concern, or that it might not last as long as a genuine branded Hakko machine?Is the earth wiring reliable?I've used this handy station to fix a couple of PS4's so far, and it's fantastic. It was £85 (GBP) when I bought it on eBay, and it works fantastic.The model is: WEP-952D+Does this machine look of reasonable quality, or does everything look cheap & unreliable?Just to clarify, but was putting hot glue on the ground terminal and the rest of the appliance a good idea?Since putting the hot glue in place, the station appears to be a bit quieter, although the glue looks like a sloppy job...but will having put hot glue over the system prolong its lifespan, or will it have a negative effect too?Also, when this station arrived, it said to take out 2 bottom screws that were tied to the pump, and the pump wobbles quite a bit, (the part with the white zip ties). Why is that, can't it run secured in place? - apologies for the overload of pictures; and for being a total noob!Thanks!

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 02:13:58 am
content: I am just guessing, but it's probably an anti-vibration solution so the pump lasts longer and probably will run quieter.

author: wblock
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 03:24:25 am
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on March 23, 2016, 02:13:58 amYes, Hakko does the same thing in some units. The pump is mounted on rubber shock mounts. The shipping screws are there so it doesn't get torn loose when the shipping company drops it from eight feet.

author: RobertHolcombe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 05:41:21 am
content: Ideally the mains would be secured to the inside of the chassis with a p-clip after exiting the grommet, the mains at the switch and fuse holder would be terminated using insulated crimp terminals and the chassis earth terminated with crimp terminals - either a ring terminal affixed with a machine screw/nut and star washer, or female blade/spade terminal connected directly to a corresponding male blade/spade as part of the chassis.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 07:17:40 am
content: Quote from: GroundedNOOB on March 22, 2016, 11:17:30 pmTry to run it for a short moment with the screws installed. It won't destroy the station, but you'll understand why.

author: ChunkyPastaSauce
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 07:24:03 am
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on March 23, 2016, 02:13:58 amMaybe saves other components as well, such as the free standing parts on the PCB (bad for connections).

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 07:37:19 am
content: This is a diaphragm pump, without such suspension it will work like a jackhammer.

author: GroundedNOOB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 23, 2016, 03:46:36 pm
content: Quote from: RobertHolcombe on March 23, 2016, 05:41:21 amThanks, you're right. A ring terminal with a screw in the middle, which routed to the soldering iron outlet and a seperate one went directly from the left side of the transformer to the air gun outlet. I suppose it is a good setup for the earthing wire.