KSGER C245 C210 Soldering Station - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: meebro
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 06, 2025, 02:09:39 am
content: Currently on sale on Amazon for $60, so I grabbed it as the equivalent kit on Aliexpress was $80. It came with both a C245 and a C210 handle - 3 tips (I/K/IS) for each handle. A stand with sleep detection was also included.Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8WBZ445Aliexpress:https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806703180290.htmlEarth goes to the handle but case is not grounded.From the listing, I was a bit skeptical of the SMPS design (silkscreen appears to say PW-12(24)V-13A V1.13) as other KSGER supplies were known to be sketchy. I noticed the mains plug was connected to the PCB via header pins, and the "sleep switch" jack leads were a little close to mains as well. The heatsink for the secondary dual diode was sitting on a HV trace, and it was quite close to the empty pads for an extra mains bulk cap. There is a footprint for a smaller secondary heatsink. But I think the typical safety mods apply here and are easier to implement. Any thoughts?For anyone interested in reverse engineering, I attached some pictures. Controller board uses a NUC029LAN, AO4423 PFET. For the SMPS, primary switch is SMF16N65, flyback IC is CR6842S, dual diode is MBRF20200CT.

author: balazer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 12, 2025, 09:07:28 pm
content: I also purchased the KSGER C245-C210 soldering station. Like on yours, my tip was grounded but the case was not. I measured high resistance from case to ground, and during operation I saw 2 VAC and 10 VDC from case to ground.When I jumpered the case to ground, the unit would not operate: the screen said "Self.recovery Output Protection". When I removed the jumper, it would operate again. The case is not isolated from the circuitry. There is a line from the sleep connector shell to the logic board.Edit: I found a solution. I disconnected the internal brown wire going to the shell of the sleep connector (heat shrinking the end so it can't contact anything), and then added a green ground wire from the IEC connector ground to the shell of the sleep connector. Now the unit operates without error and sleep still works. I have continuity from case to ground, and 0 V measured between them during operation. You only need to remove the top four screws to remove the cover and access the internals. The screws have 2 mm hex heads, and they're screwed in quite tightly. On my unit there's continuity from the rear plate to the front plate through the case, but you might want to confirm that on yours since it's anodized aluminum.Disconnecting the brown wire means you lose the feature where the iron automatically cuts the power to the tip when it touches the tip extractor at the back of the stand.Aside from this safety problem, it really is a nice soldering station. It heats super quickly, sleeps when it should, and I'm sold on the benefits of JBC-style cartridges. You just shouldn't have to modify your equipment to make it safe. I would only recommend this soldering station to people who are prepared to do the modification.

author: balazer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 13, 2025, 03:27:15 pm
content: This is my review of the KSGER C245-C210 soldering station. The case is not grounded, making it potentially unsafe. Though my unit operated correctly, if an internal failure were to develop, it could energize the case and present a shock danger to the user. In the event of such a failure, touching the tip (which is grounded) with one hand and the case with your other hand could give you a nasty shock. Grounding the case protects against this danger, and is standard for all equipment with a metal case and high voltages inside. It's an easy mod to ground the case: disconnect the internal brown wire going to the shell of the sleep connector, and add a ground wire from the IEC connector ground to the shell of the sleep connector. (See photo) The high voltage line has an F4AL fuse, so with the case grounded, you should be fairly well protected. Plug into a GFCI-protected outlet for maximum protection.The brown wire supports the station's "Output Protection" feature that cuts power to the tip when it touches the tip extractor at the back of the stand. With the brown wire disconnected, that feature is lost, so I always set the temperature to zero or turn the station off when I change tips. If you really wanted, you could maintain the feature by routing the brown wire to the sleep stand via a different kind of connector that keeps it isolated from the base unit's metal case. In any case I don't use the stand to change tips, as it seems like they could be damaged by dropping into the tip collection area or being pressed against the metal plate. I always change tips by hand.I had two units, one from Amazon with firmware version 2.06, and one from Aliexpress with version 2.18. The version 2.06 unit worked correctly. The version 2.18 unit did not. It had two problems. First, it wouldn't detect when the handle is not attached or a cartridge is not inserted. (The good unit says "Error / No Tool" and stops sending power.) In this state, the temperature reads near room temperature, and if the station is set to a soldering temperature, it sends constant power to the handle. This risks burning out a tip if the heater makes contact before the thermocouple during insertion (e.g. if you don't insert it all the way or there's a bad connection). It also risks burning your hand when inserting a tip, as there'd be no delay before heating starts. The second problem is that the temperature would always show as room temperature when the handle is in the sleep stand, even if it's hot. I consider that to be a safety problem. It should always show the correct temperature, or else you risk burning yourself when you change tips.The 2.06 unit works really well. I'll run down the features:1. Real-time temperature read-out. Always know if the iron is hot or cold, for soldering or tip changes, even in sleep mode.2. Fast heating: about four seconds from room temperature to soldering.3. Auto sleep. Put the handle in the stand, and it automatically switches to the sleep temperature. I've set that to 0 degrees, so it shuts off the power completely, which greatly extends tip life and makes switching tips more convenient. And since the heating is so fast, it's no inconvenience to let the iron go cold in the stand.4. Precise temperature control.5. Powerful, fast response. When you touch the tip to a part, the tip loses heat, but the iron responds instantly, ramping up the power to maintain the temperature. This makes soldering easier, especially when you need a small tip to heat a somewhat larger part.6. Good selection of inexpensive aftermarket tips from various sellers. Having handles for C245 tips and C210 tips opens up a lot of options, and you can even add a C115 handle and stand for micro soldering. Authentic JBC tips should work also.7. Good tip design. The included tips (and all JBC-style tips as far as I'm aware) are designed with a tinned steel area that holds solder, and a chrome plated area that doesn't. This means the solder sticks to the tip exactly where it's supposed to, regardless of how you initially tin a new tip. And being pre-tinned from the factory means you won't accidentally oxidize the tip if you fail to tin it correctly on first use.8. Short grip-to-point distance: 5 cm for C245 tips, and 3.7 cm for C210 tips. This allows finer control of tip movement.9. Inexpensive aftermarket handles and stands.The whole soldering station works really well, and it has turned my soldering from a chore to a joy. I started surface mount soldering for the first time, and it's surprisingly easy when you have good tools. Of course you'll need good solder and flux. So far the iron has operated exactly as it should. The included documentation is sparse and wasn't even for the right model, but nothing about the unit's operation is too tricky. A short press of the knob cycles between normal temperature set mode and preset (channel) mode. In preset mode, there are four preset temperatures, plus zero as the minimum and Max Temp as the maximum. Long press to enter or exit the menus or go up a level. Short press for everything else. The screen seems like it would be vulnerable to damage, so I taped a piece of clear plastic over it to protect it. The rest of the unit is very solid.The included tips are good enough to get you started. I use the C210-K (knife) tip for most surface mount and through-hole work. It has a 3 mm edge. The C245-K tip has a 6 mm edge and handles bigger jobs. The sharp pointed ends of the conical and bent tips are only suitable for the tiniest of components, like surface mount resistors. The tips don't readily oxidize and they are easy to clean. Tips can wear out, burn out, and break, so you'll definitely want to look into aftermarket tips and pick out some that suit your style of soldering. They are very inexpensive. I'm partial to the C210 tips, as they're smaller and cool down more quickly, which facilitates tip changes. But there's a bigger selection of C245 tips and they are more powerful.Using C210 tips, the station is rated for a peak power of 85 W. I measured 2.2 ohms across the heaters of the included C210 tips, which is close to that of an authentic JBC tip.Authentic JBC C245 tips are supposed to have 2.5-ohm heaters, and that matches the 2.5-2.6 ohms I measured on the included C245 tips. The station is rated for a peak power of 180 W with C245 tips, and indeed, I measured the station momentarily drawing more than 180 W to heat a large tip. You can lower the voltage from the default 21 V if you want to limit the peak power. I've set mine to 18 V, which limits the power to 130 W on a 2.5-ohm tip, same as the limit of a JBC station.I've purchased several brands of aftermarket C245 tips, and they are all near the expected 2.5 ohms and work fine on this KSGER station:HZY,Relife, andOSS Team. I've also purchased C210 tips fromSunshineandOSS Team, and they were all right around the expected 2.2 ohms and work fine.On paper this soldering station has a lot going for it: it's lightweight, compact, high powered, includes multiple handle types, and is priced very low. But in light of the safety and quality problems, I can't recommend it. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would give up all those features and go for a transformer-based C245 station of 60-80 watts. The higher power of this KSGER is nice, but it's overkill for my needs. Lower wattage only adds a couple of seconds to the heating time. And though I like My C210 tips, the essential tip geometries are all available in C245. A C245-SK has nearly the same geometry and performance as a C210-K, just taking a lot longer to cool down. I would look for a station that is grounded properly from the factory, has a proper sleep mode, has a tip changing plate and collection area that are actually usable, and has a temperature readout that always works, even in sleep mode.SDG Electronicshas reviewed a number of suitable soldering stations.My settings:Temp setting, Sleep temp: 0Max temp: 350SystemSetting, Volume: 0SystemSetting, TempFluctuat: 2. (Raising this stops the temperature reading from fluctuating when the tip is up to temperature. Set it to 0 to see unfiltered readings.)Other setting, Volt ADJ: 180 (18 V)Language, Options: OFF. (Disables the language prompt on startup)Amazon.Aliexpress.

author: Endracion
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 17, 2025, 04:06:59 pm
content: Thanks for your review balazer!Quote from: balazer on March 13, 2025, 03:27:15 pmI'm considering getting this from Aliexpress but since you've tested quite a few tips, I was wondering if you has a specific recommendation on which clones to get, or if you feel they all perform about the same anyway?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2025, 11:59:34 pm
content: Quote from: Endracion on March 17, 2025, 04:06:59 pmAixun, i2c, oss, mechanic, etc brand will be fine, as balazer said.Relife and sunshine look to be popular but haven't tried those.edit: updated.

author: elektryk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2025, 07:01:02 am
content: QuoteMeh, they want to prevent us from doing mods or they simply cut the costs...

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2025, 10:17:02 pm
content: Quote from: elektryk on March 18, 2025, 07:01:02 amCost thing, a lot of these had STM8's and really cheap mcu's. Odd choice though.

author: Pariah_Zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 02:04:29 am
content: QuoteThis is the path I took: I ordered aTensility 54-00152 from DigiKey(the external ring is plastic rather than metal, which separates the brown wire's signal from the (now grounded) chassis.)I didn't have a gauge to measure the pin size (calipers didn't reach either). I chose the part I did based on the measured panel hole size (~11.5 mm). The barrel jack connector, however, is a 5.5x2.2 mm - so the included cable doesn't fit in the socket - requiring an adapter.Fortunately, I have theoldconnector and a platoon of old switching wall warts I can use for donor connectors in the near term, but I'll make/find a proper cable when parts arrive.There is a5.5x2.1 model (54-00311), but the panel hole size is M12, and I wasn't confident it'd fit. Maybe it does, but I'm past that point.For my own observations: Mine came with the stand and the C115 handle/dock as well. The C115 handle has an ersatz thumb screw to tighten that dock into place. The threaded hole the thumbscrew goes into wasreallyrough, and I had to whip out my tap to re-establish the (M4) threads.The included "thumbscrew" was really a piece of threaded rod with a thumbnutadhered into place. Reading between the lines, I'm sure you can guess that the adhesive was laughably poor. The cut in the threaded rodalsodidn't even screw into place after the hole's threads were re-tapped.I decided the thumbscrew itself was a total loss, so I ordered a bunch of M4x20mm thumbscrewsfrom Amazon, and they fit perfectly.Otherwise: everything that was shipped functions. I haven't dropped in my C245 JBC cartridges yet, but I imagine they'd be OK. (I don't have any C210 or C115 JBC cartridges at this time).

author: Stranger21ufa
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 09:10:35 am
content: Has anyone tried uploading the firmware of this station to a pure NUC029LAN processor? I can't make it work. I have a 128k dump that includes the data flash area, but it doesn't work in a clean new processor. Apparently there is a link in the code to the serial number of the processor. Has anyone read any more dumps?