Transparent handle Soldering Iron with built in adjustable temperature control - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 04:45:20 am
content: Hi all,There are several types of irons with built in temperature adjust, it is especially handy when it comes to portability, you sure don't want to drag a station around but like to have the freedom of temperature adjust. From Hakko there are 933/934, 556SE, FX-601. Goot also makes the PX-201.The Chinese also has their contribution, such as theCT-96, CT-95, CT-97NP. And most impressive the digital display CT-97NPD.Pass two years, some transparent handle temperature adjustable irons started to appear on the net. From the looks of it, it's similar to Hakko controller, small enough to fit in the handle. I am wondering if anyone has tried it. I want to build a circuit that will fit into the handle of my current dumb firesticks. Oh the dangers of mains power yada yada...There are also cheaper wattage controlled irons. The irons listed above are all fitted with temperature sensors.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 08:02:36 am
content: There is no reason why you can't make a really good self-contained iron as good as a benchtop, however in practice you often find the handle is bigger and the whole thing heavier.Another issue is that the heater needs to be mains voltage, so build quality needs to be good to ensure safety, and reliable earthing is essential.For on-site use the latter can be a significant issue as you can encounter dubious or nonexistent earths.I'd argue that a useful feature on such an iron is an indication of earthing problems, although I'm not sure how reliably you could detect this in practice - maybe an inbuilt earth leakage trip.Benchtop irons tend to use traditional transformers, one reason being teh weight to make the base stable. A portable iron with a lightweighht lump-in-cord SMPSU might be a good compromise.A while ago I started building a lightweight Metcal PSU with a SMPS and fan cooling to reduce bulk, but never got round to finishing it.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 08:17:57 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 26, 2012, 08:02:36 amOnce I switched to a 936-style low-voltage iron, having to go back to something bigger felt like trying to solder with a banana.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 05:19:26 am
content: The chinese has come out with something ...yeah.http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=10914157703&http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=15927320302&

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 11:56:25 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on July 26, 2012, 08:02:36 amYou mean something like the9936?The only review I could find was short and negative, but that's probably due to the quality of the components in the SMPS. This design does have potential to be good, as an SMPS can be much more efficient than a traditional linear with a big transformer and (correct me if I'm wrong) there wouldn't be a need for rectifiers/filtering at the output since it's driving a heater.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 02:47:19 pm
content: You're right. I mean : triac*Only minimal filtering for the control circuitry

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 04:12:56 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on August 30, 2012, 11:56:25 amNo, like a Metcal..!