Have you ever seen a soldering tip bend when it heats up? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: eek
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 13, 2015, 03:43:51 pm
content: So i decided to buy an Aoyue 2703, it came, i unboxed it, read the instructions, removed the transit screw and assembled the accessories etc. It has the new cartridge styles tips with an inbuilt element which are imho rather expensive but I figured i will live with the price if they do the job better as I am just a hobbyist.Anyway I obviously wanted to see if it worked ok. I cycled through the functions and everything seems to work ok at least as far as I can tell on a quick test. The only weird thing I noticed is the end of the soldering tip (wq-2b) is now bent. The unit was well boxed no external damage and I'm positive the tip was straight and properly inserted before I started. I just turned it on for a few seconds using the default temperature of 350c. It does heat very quickly and there was a little smoke which could have been machine oil or some other containmentJust wanted to know if anyone else noticed anything similar with this type of cartridge style tip?

author: djQUAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 13, 2015, 03:47:24 pm
content: I have used Hakko FX951's with tips similar to those both at work and at home and never seen that happen.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 13, 2015, 11:17:02 pm
content: I've not seen one bend but I've seen a few cases where a JBC iron element glows cherry red or even bright orange when its thermal management fails.I assume the control circuit for the iron goes open loop and it just heats up to a silly temperature where it glows red or orange.I've seen this a few times on more than one iron and the first time it happened I thought I must have imagined it but several colleagues confirmed thay had seen the same on a couple of our JBC irons.When it happens there is no smoke or funny noises, the tip just overheats and turns orange!

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2015, 12:16:12 am
content: Quote from: G0HZU on June 13, 2015, 11:17:02 pmWhat a fire hazard. You should complain to JBC.I've never had a bent tip on a Hakko FX-888, using the genuine and a suspected fake tip.

author: cpt.charlie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2015, 12:33:29 am
content: I have the same machine with the same tip and others and i have never had any problems with any of them, but yes, they are a bit expensive.PS: The smoke at the first use is completely normal.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2015, 11:41:10 am
content: A tip, regardless of heating technology, will bend or flex if the metal alloy is structurally inconsistent. In new tips, its a mark of poor manufacture or design, and in very old tips, wear. A problem is that once any deformation occurs on the tip heating can be inconsistent, because the flexing means heat conduction likely will be uneven. The failure maybe just a one-off or inherent faulty design. This type of failure is rarely if never seen in quality station makers today.

author: eek
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 01:54:09 am
content: Thanks for all your replies. From the sounds of it it's a bad tip so I'll buy another and hopefully it will be ok. Wish I could use a Hakko tip, shame the Aoyue ones cost so much especially if they're not the best quality.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 02:06:18 am
content: If the tip is glowing (ANY color) then it is NOT the tip's fault.It is the iron (or more precisely a faulty control of the temperature).

author: dom0
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 10:40:16 am
content: With resistive temperature sensing it's not really possible to distinguish hight contact resistances from a cold or hot tip (It's just a bad design). But with thermocouple sensing I'd expect thermocouple open detection from any reputable manufacturer.

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 11:48:07 am
content: Wow... Haven't seen anything like this before...Shouldn't the tip show stronger signs of discoloration if it overheated badly? My guess is it was bent right from the beginning and you just didn't notice...

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 12:09:43 pm
content: They copied Hakko's cartridge tips, so I doubt it's a design flaw.I'd suspect something along the lines of they used thinner wall stainless tubing as a cost cutting measure.

author: cpt.charlie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 01:36:28 pm
content: Quote from: dom0 on June 15, 2015, 10:40:16 amIn deed the machine detects a faulty tip if there is a problem with the contact or thermocouple.

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 15, 2015, 02:19:17 pm
content: Did you actually see it bend, while you were using it? Could've been bend already at transport or mechanically when you (man)handled it. But yes, die Aoyue tips feel a bit flimsy sometimes. Shouldn't be a big deal though.