Hot air stations - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Cali-Sam
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 02:23:42 pm
content: I was looking into buying a hot air gun like the one Dave reviewed a while back.... The one Dave reviewed was an atten, there are many others on wavy that look exactly like atten but badged under different names like WEP or Youyue.. My question is: are these exactly the same as the atten?

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 03:28:13 pm
content: Quote from: Cali-Sam on September 14, 2014, 02:23:42 pmAFAIK, there are no 110V Atten branded units of that kind. The other ones are virtually identical (possibly by same manufacturer) though there was a thread here about units that uses two different MCU insides (not that it matters).These units work well but of low quality. You may want to inspect the ground path inside (I did and decided to return and get a used Hakko from ebay).

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 03:54:01 pm
content: If you aren't hot air reworking stuff all day long, have a look at this unit:http://www.circuitspecialists.com/csihotgun-2.htmlI've been using one for 5+ years and it's never failed to perform. Easy to adjust temp and air flow for pretty well any common application - heatshrink, reflow, desoldering etc. I've used it for 20+ minutes at a time (continuous reflow temperature air flow) and it's never got hot to hold etc. If mine ever failed I'd buy another immediately. Hard to beat the price if you're in the US.They aren't always in stock, so I assume they must be pretty popular.cheers,george.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 04:13:50 pm
content: Quote from: georges80 on September 14, 2014, 03:54:01 pmWhat is the box on the wire? Isolating transformer? Controller?

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 04:45:38 pm
content: The 'box' has a transformer. There's been a few variations of 'that' end. A unit we bought at work (later unit than mine) has a different 'box'.cheers,george.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 09:08:24 pm
content: I personally like that thing:http://www.aoyue.com/en/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=380That thing has a steel case and is build quite well, not the average china crap.No pump in the handpiece => lighter and smaller handpiece => easier to work withIt also has good temperature regulation and variable airflow, nice when working with different nozzles and component sizes, since you want to reduce air flow with small components to avoid blowing them away.

author: dfmischler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 10:11:18 pm
content: I have aYihua labeled 858D. It came to my house from an ebay vendor in California for $51.20 (price seems to vary by the day). Mine came with the typical four nozzles and an extra heating element (haven't needed it yet, and I don't know if every unit will have that: I don't remember it as part of the original listing). It is close enough to what Dave reviewed in EEVblog #167 to make no difference to me.One difference I have noticed is that my unit displays "---" instead of "SLP" once the air shuts off while the handpiece is in the holder.

author: Michael Weston
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2014, 09:33:10 pm
content: Quote from: Cali-Sam on September 14, 2014, 02:23:42 pmWhile there are many brands of Chinese made hot air rework stations, they arenotall the same. They are made by different manufactures with different degrees of quality.Generally speaking, all the Chinese brands are of low quality. To see what I mean, I encourage you to viewSteven Casagrande's Yihua videos.The one exception to this isAoyue, whose products are well made, and very well supported in the USA bySRA-Solder.comin Massachusetts. Before I ever made a purchase at SRA Solder, I called them multiple times with questions and they were always happy to help with very useful answers. I made multiple purchases over the years from SRA Solder, and have had nothing but excellent service. If you ever have a problem with your Aoyue product, the owner of SRA Solder will make sure your problem is resolved to your satisfaction.I bought myAoyue 2703A+ All-in-one Digital Hot Air Rework Stationfrom SRA Solder and am quite happy with it. The hot air wand has good temperature regulation, good airflow regulation, good airflow pressure range, a very wide multitude of affordablenozzlesto choose from for virtually any application, and relatively low noise (certainly quieter than the). Also, I find it easy to use.You don't have to buy the top- of-the-line model like I did to get a good quality product that fits your needs. SRA Solder offers arange of SMD hot air rework stationsto fit most any budget or soldering need. As of 2014-Sep-15, their prices on SMD hot air rework stations range from USD$79.00 to USD$299.00.I have 3 main recommendations for choosing a SMD hot air rework station:If you are serious about doing electronics, get a digital station instead of an analog one. The price difference is well worth it in benefits that include precision, ease of use, and more.Get a unit that has a pump in the control box instead of a unit with a turbine fan in the wand. If the turbine fan fails, you will need to replace the entire station if you can not find a compatible fan with similar specifications as the original fan. If the pump fails, it can be easily repaired with anew pump diaphramfor just USD$12.00 (2 x USD$6.00; they are used in pairs); or, worst case, with anew pumpfor USD$32.00. Also, the pump is quieter.If you are interested in a Chinese brand, or do not want to spend a lot of money and still get good quality on a SMD hot air rework or soldering station, make sure you get a genuine Aoyue product, and not a cheap copy.Full disclosure: I do not work for SRA Solder, nor do I have any financial association with them. I do not work for Aoyue, nor do I have any financial association with them.

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2014, 11:26:24 pm
content: I've had an Aoyue 968A for several years that's both a 60W soldering station and hot air station. It's been flawless. Stuart at SRA redefines customer service. I'd rather pick up the phone and call him to order something then bother looking for some other product a bit cheaper. He's usually at the best price anyway. Extremely knowledgeable of his products like the above poster says. I wound up buying an X-tronic preheater because Aoyue has changed their board holder on most of their models to the X type rather then the clamps on a rail. Units change frequently and the one I bought seemed to be built just as well as the Aoyue and near identical except for the black anodized finish. Seems like a lot of folks are quite happy with this company too. I can't speak for their stations, but the preheater is nice and customer support superlative also.In the states, ATTEN soldering stations and hot air station product line are branded Madel as the primary distributor unless they are sold as an OEM product like MCM's stations. My other, smaller pre-heater that's forced air and a knockoff of an earlier Hakko is made by ATTEN, but labled Tenema.If you do buy a hot air station, get a preheater base. I'm sure that by now, you can get one reasonably priced that has the ability to program a stepped thermal profile and have a second thermocouple sensor to measure the board.