Huakko 936C Soldering Station (Hakko 936 Clone) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 07:13:04 am
content: You've probably seen these dirt cheap soldering stations on eBay; they can be had for just under $40 AUD delivered. I think a lot of the people with the branded stations will probably just dismiss them as cheap Chinese trash, but here is a review with pictures. I've had mine for about a year, using it pretty frequently. I got mine off ebay for under $40, just search "936C soldering station" and you'll get a ton of hits.The unit:This is the unit, pretty standard; it’s got temperature control, the holder with sponge. It’s the 220v version and the cord is directly wired to the station. They provide the unit with an adapter for the mains plug for your country. Unfortunately because the power cord is wired directly to the unit, you’ll have to mod the power cord to change the plug. Would not be difficult due to the simple wiring inside though.This is the soldering pencil dismantled. At the base of the heating element theres a temperature sensor for the feeedback loop. Surprisingly, spare parts are readily avaliable on ebay. The iron came with a super fine conical tip which was utterly useless for general soldering. Its only useful for very small components because of the heat capacity.I bought a chisel tip off ebay for a few dollars. Suprisingly the chisel tip came in Hakko packaging and the tip was tinned. Very happy with it.One of the huge advantages of this iron is that it accepts standard Hakko 900M tips. The soldering pencil plug on the front of the unit is not Hakko compatible though. From the front of the unit you can see it has temperature control. The LED on the left lights up when the unit is heating up and goes out when it’s up to temperature. It’s running on a feedback loop so typically when its reached a steady state you’ll see the LED blinking on and off every couple seconds or so.One important aspect of an iron is the time it takes to heat up. From cold, the iron took 52 seconds for the LED to go out and could melt solder. Certainly acceptable, those cheap Jaycar/DSE firesticks take ages to heat up. This thing is advertised as 50w iron, if you don’t trust the specs here’s the reading from a power meter:The holder comes with a sponge in a removable tray. What I found was that the ring (marked in red) was painted with a paint that was unable to withstand the heat of the iron. So you get tiny bits of melted paint on the iron which is a pain. I ended up sanding the ring to bare metal and now its fine. The paint ends up flaking off when you do this so didn’t take me long. This is the only real gripe I have about the quality of the iron.Dismantling:Sorry, I did try to get the front panel off but it requires desoldering of the socket and I didn't want to attack it with my old firestick soldering iron.Seems to be pretty simple construction, we have a single sided PCB on the front and most of the box is dominated by the transformer.The tip is indeed grounded to mains earth. On the right the earth wire goes to the front panel to the front socket.The PCB is just a single sided board and all the components are through–hole.Most of the joints are quite good, looks like its gone though a wave soldering process. However, the wiring is soldered by hand on the production line and theres some flux residue. All the joints look fine though.The left blob of goo is for the fuse on the top of the board, probably to reduce the possiblity of arcing on failiure. The glass fuse is soldered in, so it would be quite annoying to replace, especially having to remove all the goo.Verdict:Overall, I quite like the station, its served me well over the past year and works very nicely. Two things I’d recommend:- Get a chisel tip, the fine conical tip is useless- Sand off the paint on the rim of the holderI've used this thing for general purpose through hole and SMD soldering, drag soldering for ICs up 0.5mm pitch with absolutely no problems. I think the quality overall is quite decent and certainly not worthy of being called cheap chinese junk. Sure a lot of stuff coming out of eBay is very questionable, I bought a hot glue gun from ebay that was downright dangerous in terms of how it was wired to the mains. But this is certainly worth a look if you want a decent iron.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 07:23:18 am
content: The name is hilarious!Dave.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 08:55:58 am
content: Quote from: vtl on July 03, 2011, 07:13:04 amNot dismiss, but call it what it is, a cheap Chinese ripoff that isn't too great but apparently works. I won't want to have one of these around in a professional workshop where it would run 8 h/day, 5 day/week. But for occasional hobby use, why not?Can you peak between the front plate and the PCB to identify the microcontroller they use? The 936 clones I have seen all had a 8051 kind of controller.

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 09:42:21 am
content: I think my main intention was to just say its not a peice of garbage that will attempt to melt your hand off. Yeah sure its a chinese knockoff but I think it'd hold up well in a Pepsi challenge when you look at the quality of the joints you end up with.I just had another look at the front panel and seems like the pot knob you just pull it out. Don't know how I missed it before hahaHeres the front:This thing is fully analog, no microcontroller in there. The DIP IC is a dual opamp and the TO-220 is a BT136-600E logic level triac and the little transistor is a 2N3906 npn. From the markings I don't beleive any of them are name brand parts. In the unlikely event anything did go wrong itd be a pretty easy fix though with the exclusive use of throughhole components.

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 10:03:44 am
content: I just got an Atten 938D which seems to be a slightly updated digital version of yours.Couple of pics:The boards inside are labled 936D so like i said, only a slight update with the 938D! Thats a PIC16F688 in thereIt has the same BT136 in there tooIf anyone wants more pics of anything let me know

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 12:40:17 pm
content: Thanks for the tear downs and photos! Will study the photos and post later.Hakko has let the clones go for years but began litigating ~ 5 years ago. There are copies that look and work alike, such as AOYUE, to those that try to pass off as the real thing. If you want one of these types, get them while you can.http://www.hakko.com/english/company/ip/With the 936 out of production, its less likely you'll fall for a counterfeit from eBay.http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/531570/is-this-a-counterfeit-hakko-936

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 03:11:53 pm
content: Had a good look. While there are a lot of superficial similarities, its inside were there are big differences. But all depends on the type of duty these devices will see, the heavier the the use, the more the subtle advantages of the original are more apparent.Hakko's somewhat humorous documents detail where a lot of the cost goes into making irons, where small variations in heat stability, or subtle design, will show itself in errors or damages that won't be visible except in a busy production line, or in having to meet government or military regulations that are of no consequence to home users.http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?CID=49,112&PID=1249&Page=7Early this year a ham operator decoded and posted the entire schematic of the genuine 936, here, and his website has hi resolution pdfs.http://www.n0ss.net/index_general.html

author: thmjpr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 10:20:08 pm
content: Nice picturesOne of the great things is definitely the cheap/high quality tips. As you said they come in hakko packaging, made in japan. The body is also laser engraved.

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2011, 11:00:00 pm
content: I don't like those flimsy converter plugs, IEC computer cables are everywhere, cut the plug off and swap the cable for the correct plug type. Those converters are fine for temporary use but the cheap ones don't fit tightly.Those fake tips from ebay comes in fake packaging too. Hakko has changed the printing on the tips packaging a few times making it harder to spot. There's almost no difference in the printing on the packaging but if you buy a few tips of the same model you will see large inconsistency in their shapes when compared to a set of real tips. Don't be fooled by the laser inscription on the tips thinking they are real. Hakko actually supply their tips in bulk to authorised dealers in Japan that doesn't come in any packaging.Having said that, I have many clone tips too, they work just as well I don't see any difference. The real tip actually turn ugly blue & brown earlier.In grade A clones, you get a better transformer, I don't know what's the difference but it was what the store owner said, in-line mains fuse holder and genuine Hakko heating element . The wire is flexible but Hakko cable is lighter and has softer feel. When replacing heater element, look at the through hole vias, some clones don't have plating in them at all. So soldering on the copper trace surface won't work, you need to route the wires through the hole to the other side.Almost all clones I've seen in China electronic stores do not have a foam grip. So if you got a real Hakko you got a foam grip. The Hakko 936s originate from Japan factory, most units after 1990s are made in Singapore. Likewise for FX-951. Early models of FX-888 were reported to originate from Japan but the later ones are made in Malaysia.In terms of technology and complexity, the 936 is no match to advanced units like Metcal, JBC and the likes but turns out, simple things that works, wins. That's why they are so many clones out there. FYI, I saw the very first FX-951 clone sporting a yellow/blue 936 handpiece just a little under 3 weeks after the real FX-951 was released.

author: bxs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2011, 12:05:23 am
content: Thanks for the photos, one Soldering Station will probably my next buy, so very interesting.

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2011, 09:02:14 am
content: After taking the unit apart for photos numerous times I decided to just to change out the plug to the good ol Australian one.Its fairly simple and doesn't require butchering anything. Was a bit annoying because I had to use my old soldering iron firestick and all the plating had long been worn off.This shows the connections. You just desolder the live wire from the switch and desolder the ground from the tab. I could've desoldered the neutral from the front but that would require getting rid of the white goop so I didn't bother.This units got a very nice screw-in stress relief for the power cord, makes it easy for modding. Heatshrunk and tied everything down and thats the final result.

author: thmjpr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2011, 03:26:50 am
content: Quote from: nukie on July 03, 2011, 11:00:00 pmInteresting, thanks for the info.

author: ciccio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 05:36:43 pm
content: Interesting: I'm looking at the photos of the UAKKO unit.for what I see, the mains switch is wired to input LIVE conductor (brown) and the fuse is wired to NEUTRAL (blue).This saves two pieces of wire, and maybe 50 cents of cost, but it's not allowed by any safety regulation:LIVE must go first to fuse, then to switch.Look at the real HAKKO schematic, that is how it should be..

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 07:48:45 pm
content: We've had an interesting but related issue with the Atten/Yihua/WEP 858D+ hot air workstation on eevblog; I had my 120V unit neutral wire as switched and the chassis wasn't grounded as paint insulated the casing from the ground wire; on another model on the thread the hot wire was connected by error as the chassis ground.For no name and clone Hakko units, it would be good to see a performance graph since there are some standards for soldering stations to meet, and it can be used to compare soldering stations with objectivity, than just subjective statements like 'heats quickly' and 'maintains temp'. For example, the FX 888 brochures often show this graph in its sales brochure:... and there are these, the green lines being less desirable.To do such tests, all you need is a good thermocouple and a standard load, say a fixed sized copper coin or washer.Quote from: ciccio on July 28, 2011, 05:36:43 pm

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 08:17:37 pm
content: Frys have this for $69 at the moment... prices have really come down on this stuff. Prices of the Weller wes51 are down to $75. Those used to be well over 100

author: ciccio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 07:05:10 am
content: Quote from: gregariz on July 28, 2011, 08:17:37 pmIf the price difference is so small, I think that I'll buy the Weller unit.... (the European version, model WS-51, has been discontinued and replaced by 80W model WS-81, thet costs more than 200 euros + VAT).

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 02:11:23 pm
content: Yes, the Weller unit has a rebate, that's the final price; it may be different for other countries.The Hakko is not stocked, so I guessed its just an old link. I think for the most part most 936 have sold out; as when I couldn't find any more 936 for sale, magically the FX 888 was now available ... at least in the USA.Quote from: gregariz on July 28, 2011, 08:17:37 pm

author: eternal_noob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 07:22:35 pm
content: I received my ATTEN 936b a week ago, and so far I'm pretty happy with it. It cost me only 48 USD or thereabout, shipping from China included, so I couldn't resist.But I did some mods to the station and these include:The original transformer was a wimpy 25VA unit which got pretty hot after some time in use, probably because the core is driven hard (high Flux Density) to preserve good regulation from the transformer. So, I changed it with a 50VA unit from an earlier project that never became anything. The thing is running much cooler now and the heat-up time has decreased from a little bit over 1 minute to 40 seconds when the temperature control is set at 325 degrees celsius. I can definitely feel that improvement when I'm soldering too. I also drilled a few holes here and there in the bottom of the case to try to increase air flow.I changed the line cord to a longer one with a proper wall plug (German) for my country. I think I will also change the SPST line switch to a DPST when time permits.To add some weight and make it possible to put some rubber feets on the iron stand, I cut out a piece of plywood, spray painted the edges black, then drilled a couple of holes in the stand and mounted the base plate with small rubber feets sticked to its bottom.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 10:21:26 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on July 29, 2011, 02:11:23 pmThere was still a 936 in-store last time I looked a few weeks ago, but they've been replaced by the new HakKo... so the only stock left is what is in store.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 12:30:51 pm
content: Looking at Farnell's offering, I note that real Hakko's are not available in many EU nations. I presume they are not for sale there?I was wondering how accurate and how quickly does the unit heat up? See this thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=4208.0If you have any eutectic lead free solder around, you can quickly test the calibration setting on your iron. SnCu0.7 for example melts at precisely 227C.If you set your iron for that, I'd be interested in how quickly it comes up to that temperature, on the Hakko 936 it takes 20 seconds, from room temperature to melting solder. Note, for best results the iron really has to be at room temperature as if you've used it within 30 min or so, it can still be warm and it will seems to heat up faster.Quote from: eternal_noob on July 29, 2011, 07:22:35 pm

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 12:34:03 pm
content: If I didn't own a 936 I'd get the Fx 888 immediately. Hakko's customer support is very good. The build quality is high, the parts are easy to find and of high quality, and you get a whole lot of workstation for the price, a similar iron stand with the brass wool, sponge and rubber cleaner are worth $30-60 by itself; its typical to the find the station for $80. At its lowest the 936 sold for $75.Quote from: gregariz on July 29, 2011, 10:21:26 pmThere was still a 936 in-store last time I looked a few weeks ago, but they've been replaced by the new HakKo... so the only stock left is what is in store.

author: img
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 01:28:11 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on July 31, 2011, 12:34:03 pmHakko for $80? My God, which country are you in?Here in the UK, 936 is over £100 plus VAT, plus shipping, and it's impossible to get the desoldering stations, like 472D from official Hakko distributors.I'll be in Toronto for a couple of weeks, and I wonder if Canada is any better off Hakko-wise than us in the UK.

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 01:32:44 pm
content: This is simply why you dont buy things from official distributors but from Chinese people on ebay. However i bought my fx-888 and tips from seller on ebay "niosales". He is wonderful to work with and situated in USA

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 01:35:55 pm
content: Yes, $80. In Canada, $100 plus add GST.http://www.all-spec.com/products/FX-888.htmlQuote from: img on July 31, 2011, 01:28:11 pm

author: eternal_noob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2011, 07:15:13 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on July 31, 2011, 12:30:51 pmI can get a 230V version of the FX-888 for 270-300 USD from RS (Radio Supply), but some months ago I ordered a 115V version from the US instead.Quote from: saturation on July 31, 2011, 12:30:51 pmSorry, I do not have any solder like that around here at the moment, but I compared the temperature settings between the ATTEN and the Hakko, and they seem to be pretty much the same at lower temperatures. So, I set the ATTEN at 250C and the LED extinguished after 20 seconds. I doubt if the tip reached the pre-set temperature at that moment - maybe add 5-10 secs for temperature stabilisation(?)

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2011, 01:32:40 pm
content: That's about as fast as the real Hakko 936. If the tip temp were truly the same, its a good copy.Quote from: eternal_noob on July 31, 2011, 07:15:13 pm

author: eternal_noob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 03:27:56 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on August 10, 2011, 01:32:40 pmBut please remember I have put in a larger transformer that gives more oomph than the original.I think I can recommend this to anyone else who buys a a Hakko clone too.

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 11:36:06 pm
content: I had a 27vac loaded transformer from one of these clones but it has a different type of heater with metal body. The transformer voltage is too high for the common ceramic wire wound heating element, it won't last very long. I removed a few coils to drop the voltage to 24 volts its all good now. Down side is the metal heater takes longer to heat up but I rarely use it.I haven't try over voltage ceramic heater with printed heating element. Shortening life span is last thing I want.

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 08:15:09 am
content: Dear vtl:--I love your clever picture where the chord hangs down obscuring the U in HUAKKO making it look almost exactly like a true HAKKO bona fide. It reminded me of the time my skinflint friend bought a supposedly hot OMEGA watch. He bought the watch at 12 minutes to Noon. When Noon arrived he discovered he had bought a CMEGA watch. Served him right. Come to think of it, the CMEGA might have been made by the same company that made HUAKKO.--I think WHACO, uh I mean HUAKKO may be the kind of company that Dave calls "One Hung Low" outfits. Perhaps you remember the old joke, " A book titled Chinese Rupture by Wun Hung Low" or the "Confucian" aphorism, "Man who have hole in pocket feel cocky all day" I think HUAKKO may have hand hand in your pocket. As my New York friend would say "Deyfashua gottalotta noive".--Right now, on eBay you can buy a used 936 for between $50 and $75 US, which is a much better deal, in my opinion. The 936 is well-nigh bullet proof, very safe, and parts will likely still be available many years hence. But perhaps I fail to take into account mains voltage and frequency, and shipping cost. So, if you are happy, I am happy. Thanks for the post and the pictures. Best RegardsClear Ether

author: vk6hdx
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 08:13:08 am
content: I've been using for the last 5 years a cheap "Dick Smith" soldering station which I can't find replacement tips for now that the original one has seen better days. So I decided to order one of these "Hakko Clones".I just received an Atten 936b from a local eBay seller for $49 AUD delivered. It came with 5 various tips that had unbranded packaging but with Hakko part numbers laser etched on.. pretty sure they are not genuine but they look good quality. It also came with a proper Aussie plug / lead attached.I wanted the Hakko FX-888 but as it was going to cost close to $200 for the 240V version, I don't think I could have got this past SWMBO.Happy with it so far , seems to heat up fast and the soldering pencil is nice and light compared to my crappy dick smith soldering station.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 11:50:13 am
content: I'm happy for you. There are some good reviews on no-name Chinese, counterfeit and clones in the archives and its seems while they may be inferior to the original, some can be closer to the original, and its a better bang for buck than an unregulated iron. For individual or home use, it should perform, the only unanswered question will be long term durability.Quote from: vk6hdx on January 13, 2012, 08:13:08 am

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 01:32:28 pm
content: Regarding durability, mine has shown no signs of degradation of performance or anything nasty like that after over a year of regular use (maybe like 4-5 times a week?). The only things that I can see wearing out are the tips and the cleaning sponge, and if you look on eBay its flooded with Hakko replacement tips.The chisel tip (Hakko laser logo but probably fake) I've got still has no signs of wear and the plating is still perfect, despite abusing the hell out of it. I even use it to weld/melt plastic and it always wipes off clean and shiny.If people are worried about performance, I had no problems soldering a peice of metal to an ATX PSU chassis.Ok sure, the proper Hakko irons perform better (heatup time) but for some reason they like to charge 150$ for the 220v version despite being $90 for the 110V. For some people it'll still be worth it but theres probably other stuff you can buy with the savings.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 04:24:11 pm
content: That's good news for clone owners. The clones make good sense when Hakko cost so much more given the prices you suggest.In the USA, the difference between a clone like the 936, and a real Hakko like an FX888 or 936 is $20-40. In other countries there can be a high premium charge for the units. But the difference in cost is often the difference in making the unit fully meet IPA soldering station standards. The finer points of the standard may not be obvious for individual use.Quote from: vtl on January 13, 2012, 01:32:28 pm

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 05:16:47 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on January 13, 2012, 04:24:11 pmThat isn't necessarily a good thing. History shows that standards emanating from industry associations never get simpler. They get more and more complex as everyone's vested interest gets thrown into the mix and added to an ever-increasing check list of items.For a many purchasers the standard may contain items that increase the cost but have no relevance to the way the product will be used.

author: eternal_noob
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 06:02:06 pm
content: Quote from: vtl on January 13, 2012, 01:32:28 pmI think I can confirm what you're reporting although my ''turbocharged'' 936 clone is not more than 6 months old. I have also used my station a lot and it shows no sign of abnormal degradation. Well, the metal shroud over the tip has become a bit grayish from the heat but this would any soldering iron suffer from.It's not a real Hakko by any means (the temp. sensitivity is not half as good), but if you don't pretend it to be, it seems to me that the 936 clone is actually a decent station and let's not forget all the spare Hakko tips you can get for it.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 06:20:38 pm
content: I agree IanB, but for hand soldering stations the standard has plateaued. Its born out of the original MILSPEC MIL-STD-2000A, and the commercial version, IPC, incorporates I think, the military standards and aerospace standards. These include assembly techniques too, but we're only interested in stations standards, which has been stable for far over 10 years.For each individual China branded stations, its hard to say its =,> or < than a true Hakko, since the actual performance of each clone, due to their quality control, can vary. With the real Hakko, you know its very likely to meet the specs they publish for the entire product line. So if you buy one on the praise of a post on eevblog, your unit will likely be more variable more than a brand with better assembly practices.But, if the = > < capacity is fairly small, it may not matter at all. For example, if the green line is the clone station [ see post on this thread for details], it soldering capacity may not be a problem for an individual user, but it would fail IPC station standards. A user may only notice differences after having used an IPC qualified station then switched to a lesser station; moving 'up' from an unregulated iron, anything regulated will appear a big improvement.There is a recent post on eevblog by Fabio with a heating curve of his Chinese station, it looks similar to the green line; see that thread for more details.Quote from: IanB on January 13, 2012, 05:16:47 pm

author: plunger
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2012, 06:36:19 pm
content: Quote from: thmjpr on July 03, 2011, 10:20:08 pmI bought 2 Hakko tips last weekend from a retail chain here in USA (Fry's). Packaging was a lot different. I'll post a photo when I get home.

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 01:57:43 pm
content: After accidentally leaving my iron on a few times I thought it'd be nice to install one of those mains switches with the inbuilt neon lamp. While I was installing it I also changed the wiring for the fuse. The unit is now fused on the active instead of the neutral. Heatshrunk everything and the result is excellent:

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 03:29:23 pm
content: A nice job and upgrade. Makes you think the makers should have put that in there in the first place. An exact fit.

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 04:13:37 pm
content: Greetings EEVBees:--Excellent job. See below a picture of my real Hakkos, modified, before DJ showed how to do it with just one LED using the same old hole, leaving everyone thinking "now why didn't I think of that"."In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king"Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus1466 - 1536Best RegardsClear Ether

author: rounsmith
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 05:32:52 pm
content: Hello ! I am interested in a good cheap soldering station .I am greek, and around this time we have really bad time with economics and such , and i don't have that much money to afford getting a nice and semiproffesional soldering stationOn my question this ,http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-60W-SOLDERING-STATION-WELDING-IRON-TOOL-ESD-936C-/200574620879?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb32dd4cfit's a valid hakko 936 clone?(And if the author of this post can post the link from the e-bay that got his station)P.s. Electronic stuff is my hobby(Studying Computer Engineering , i like microcontrollers since i love programming).Sorry for my bad english :/

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 08:18:07 pm
content: There are several other reviews of hakko clones scattered on eevblog, I think one with a report by Fabio has graphs of its thermal output, and its fairly decent performer. However, since China brand stations have variable quality control, a good review of one model doesn't mean all the others will likely be the same too. I'd choose a vendor who will easily take the unit back if it didnt' work and it would be important to stress test the unit you receive while its under warranty.Quote from: rounsmith on February 07, 2012, 05:32:52 pm

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 08:29:16 pm
content: Quote from: rounsmith on February 07, 2012, 05:32:52 pmYou might want to check out the following as they are in europehttp://www.circuitspecialists.eu/soldering-stations-c-1.html?zenid=f16e490f156d6470c27050177118ee3e

author: rounsmith
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2012, 09:20:57 pm
content: Hmmm , i will check local stores also , if i order from circuitspecialists , shipping cost is almost the price of a soldering iron so yeahThank for your answers though , i will do a deep search before i buy soldering station , since i want that to be a good one and flexible since i will be soldering much for a hobbyist !:P ( My weller has a really not flexible cord that bugs me off , it's one that costs like 30 euro that plug straight into mains).

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2012, 01:45:51 am
content: Quote from: rounsmith on February 07, 2012, 05:32:52 pmI don't have the eBay link I bought mine from since it was such a long time ago but yes, that unit looks identical to mine. Looks like a good price, just make sure you buy a chisel 900M tip as well, the fine conical one is useless. I have the 3.2mm and 2.4mm chisel tips, even the 3.2mm is fine for 0.5mm QFP drag soldering.Tips:http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/?_kw=900m%20tip&_ds=1&_fcid=80&_localstpos=&_sc=1&_sop=15&_stpos=&gbr=1Most come in Hakko packaging and are laser engraved but doubtful theyre genuine. But they're tin plated and very nice quality so who cares.

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2012, 10:53:09 pm
content: Hakko station can take abuse. When I was young, I worked in a Sharp TV and stereo assembly plant in Asia where I was born. I saw lines of lines of Hakko stations working daily with plastic knobs melted and the pencil brown and charred, I thought it was normal to leave it on long hours. It was an earlier model Hakko I dont remember which.It's easy to spot fake tips, buy a few of them and compare the business end of the tips side by side. The tip of the fake tips usually don't look like one another they vary in shape slightly.Hakko has changed packaging print many times over the years its hard to tell from packaging. The laser engraved tips are common in fakes too. Buy from eBay especially from Asia will almost certainly get you fake tips.However there are no magic in these tips. Get the coating right and the slot diameter set you are in business. I have clone tips, fake tips they all have their characteristic. Certain tips don't wet very well which is good they leave a nice puddle even if you don't have enough flux. Solder tend to ball up on the tips. Some tips wet very well as if you are soldering with a piece of solder.I have never tested the thermal performance of these tips against the real deal but I am pretty sure they are not far off. I find clone tips are better made than fake tips with hakko prints on it especially the black coated tips. There are also gold coated variant I have yet to try. The problem is I have so many tips fake and real I don't think I will be buying anymore in this lifetime. None of the tips has worn out, I always wipe with damp sponge never with brass wool. My oldest tip is more than 10yrs old.This is true for 60/40 soldering until you deal with lead free. I find lead free temperature turn the tips blue. I never had a tip blue, working with 60/40. The high temperature sets apart the real and fake Hakko tips. I find Hakko tip coating works better in higher temperature than clone tips. I have to wipe and wet clone tips more often and they start to look ugly quickly. Other than that its all fine. This is my finding after I switched to lead free.I havent bought any fake or clone tips for 2 years. They might have improved or might be worse.Hakko also supply loose tips in bulk without any packaging. You can find this in some little stores in Akihabara Japan. I remember they are $6 each or so.

author: Pat Pending
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:07:37 am
content: Hi Nukie, in comparison to the other clone tips how are the black coated tips better?

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 01:47:18 am
content: Sorry I don't have 'use' experience with the black coated tips. I've only seen them at electronic stalls in China. Judging by eye sight, they have better quality coating and they don't have much variation between tips. Most importantly, you want good coupling between the tip and the heater element for effective heat transfer. If it's too loose then might want to shim with copper sheet otherwise just move on to other tips that works. If you look carefully into a Hakko tip, you will find there is a metal sleeve that goes between the tip and the heater element. Some fakes have this some fakes don't.Okay I just inspected all the unused tips that I have collected over more than a decade. The Hakko tips have one distinctive difference, they are bright and shiny copper inside the tip, regardless they are in their sealed packaging or exposed to air. Some of them are very old. The fake tips are copper but they are dull. Secondly, the laser engraving on some later Hakko tips aqquired 2-3 years ago have this 'rusted' marking makes it easier to read. Most of the fake tips have very light engraving and non of them have the burned marking. A set of clone tips have similar burned marks around the laser marking but it is different from Hakko burned marking. Finally, Hakko tips have random tiny dents and nicks all over the body but no machining marks.Certain fake tips has similar random tiny dents and nicks but the soldering end (tip of the tip) usually give away it's fake. They don't shape them properly. Some fake tips in use already started to have lightly rust spots on the body. This is a result of crap Chromium coating over the iron plating.I notice some of the pictures of tips on the internet have shit machining marks on the surface of the tips, best avoid those. Cheap machining probably means cheap coating and quality. If you intend to get from ebay and the seller is from certain Asia country then don't expect genuine item. They are not expensive, so buy a few types of clones and try for yourself.Hakko lawyers hard at workHakko burned laser markingHakko burned laser marking 2More pictures of genuine tips

author: Pat Pending
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 07:23:14 am
content: Thanks Nukie,There's are some black 936 tips on ebay, but the auction image is quite dark, so it's hard to see anything.I agree, some of the other chrome/nickle plated bits exhibit very poor surface finishing but its tolerable at 2 USD, sometimes less, and if the coating pits, it's no big loss.Appreciate the feedback.

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2013, 12:34:51 pm
content: I'm going to bring this back from the dead because I just bought one of these quite recently. The thread on the handle nipple was damaged when I got it, so I had to buy a cheap spare and swap it out. I would be pretty happy with it except for one issue, when the station tries to drive the heater hard (say after a large adjustment in temperature setpoint) I can hear the transformer buzzing as the heater drive is switched on. Is there a way to silence this? I suspected that either the transformer has a loose lamination (seems unlikely) or there is not enough capacitance between the DC power supply and the heater.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 11:16:35 am
content: How loud is it? I have a genuine Hakko 936 and it hums noticeably when the heater turns on (working in a mostly quiet environment, I've learned to use it as a signal that the iron is ready.)

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2013, 12:13:39 pm
content: I took it apart and one of the screws holding the transformer to the case wasn't driven all the way in. Tightening everything up and adding thread locker cut the hum down quite a lot. I can only really hear it now with my head next to the base unit at normal temperatures, it's just audible near max temperature. I also noticed that my iron has a single PCB like the one in the OP, it doesn't have a separate switch and fuse PCB. The mains connections are not covered in insulating paste like the one in the OPthat's one last thing I need to change.

author: jaycee
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2015, 12:35:20 am
content: Just wondering what the dimensions of the transformer is in these things ? They dont look big enough to be 50VA, rather more like 25-30VA !