Budget Rework Station - Atten or Aoyue or ??? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: minho
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 04:07:54 pm
content: Hello,I am starting up my lab/work environment and I am in the process of acquiring a Hakko soldering station (FM-203). Unfortunately, I can't afford the FR-803B or FR-810 Hot Air station just yet so I am looking for a good budget station. I know there has been lot's of discussion regarding the Atten 858 and it's clones but what about other option such as the Atten 860D or Aoyue or others?Thanks!

author: alsetalokin4017
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 09:17:45 pm
content: I just (couple weeks ago) took delivery of this Hot-Air station from SparkFun, and it is awesome. Inexpensive, solidly built with quality, easy to operate and plenty powerful. When you turn the Temperature control, the digital readout first reads your set temperature, then after a second or two reads the actual temperature of the air it is putting out, and then the light flashes when the air is at the setpoint temperature. It heats very quickly to the set temperature, and the airflow is almost _too_ strong (for installing components I'm generally keeping the airflow at the minimum value, and for largescale removal I set it to about half-scale.) It also has an auto cool-down cycle, when you switch it off the air keeps running until the handpiece is below 100C. Replacement heat elements are available easily from SF.https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10706It's not as cheap as the Atten clones... and a little larger bench footprint (has air-pump in the box instead of the handle) but the handpiece is nicely built and handles well and the connecting tubing doesn't kink.

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 09:19:24 pm
content: If you're willing to spend around $100, then you might as well buy a Quick 957D.Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk

author: Garywoo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 02:34:48 am
content: I got this 858 clone from ebay and it's fantastic.Checked inside and the PCB seems good, no obvious bad assembly or crummyness. The overall build quality in the case and blower is good, and I really can't see what the genuine or more expensive models of this kind would improve upon over this one.Oh yeah, it cost£29.75 / $45with free postage. Bargain!

author: bianchifan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 02:08:03 pm
content: 858D+https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/youyue-858d-some-reverse-engineering-custom-firmware/

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 02:13:13 pm
content: Quote from: Garywoo on November 25, 2015, 02:34:48 amI have one of these and I really like it. The more expensive stations will win on comfort - the handle is a little unwieldy due to size and does get hot on high settings.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 07:37:49 pm
content: Skip them.Go for aQuick 861DWinstead.It's extremely similar to a Hakko FR-810 in terms of capability and features, but at less than a 1/3rd the cost. Seriously, it works that well, and is properly constructed, making it one hell of a value.Quote from: wrapperSourceI can definitely confirm this.BTW, photos of the internals can be foundhereto illustrate the quality of construction (previous post of mine, but they were originally taken bywraper).

author: minho
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 07:53:13 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on November 25, 2015, 07:37:49 pmThanks nanofrog, this looks really interesting. I was considering the Atten AT-860D which looked to be of higher quality than the Atten 858 and it's clones. While I can't afford an FR-803B, I can afford a few hundred dollars. It will be used "professionally" but not always intensely so I want something in the mid range.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 08:46:55 pm
content: Quote from: minho on November 25, 2015, 07:53:13 pmThey're used professionally by several members here, so it will serve you well if you decide to go this route.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2015, 03:08:36 pm
content: The "auto cool down" feature means that even when switched off these things can still develop a short and burn your home to the ground. It's a good idea to only plug them in to a switched outlet such as a power strip and switch it off when not in use, or just keep them unplugged them from the wall socket.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 12:43:17 am
content: I brought a Yihua 858D I paid $32 including delivery though the sellers are often speculating seeing how much they can get. It works fine of course but the 858D have their own safety quirks, namely wrongly wired power cables, earthing and fusing.I'm intending to do the Samsung to ATmega328P mod.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/youyue-858d-some-reverse-engineering-custom-firmware/

author: LaurentR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2016, 05:41:10 am
content: Quote from: nanofrog on November 25, 2015, 08:46:55 pmBased on my research on the forum (and especially the many posts fromnanofrogon the topic), I just purchased a Quick 861DW, which seemed to be quite a step up from the Atten and Aoyue, nearly equivalent to the much more expensive Hakko and Oki.Apart from the sheetmetal, which could be nicer, the rest is very nice, it works well, the interface is intuitive and the separate stand with auto-cool-down (magnet-based) works perfectly for my setup.As I couldn't find the user manual anywhere, I scanned mine into a pdf -See attached Instruction Manual

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2016, 03:27:10 pm
content: Quote from: LaurentR on February 26, 2016, 05:41:10 amGlad you like it.FWIW, mine's just over a year old now, and hasn't given me any trouble (it does cause LED lighting to flicker though).Posting the manual will be helpful IMHO.

author: Mark
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2016, 05:26:46 pm
content: Quote from: Garywoo on November 25, 2015, 02:34:48 amI bought the same from eBay and for a similar price. Check the wiring, maybe you were lucky but mine had the live going directly to the element, the neutral was switched and fused. The neutral wasn't connected inside the plug (screw loose). Apart from that, it looks ok and works well.