Do soldering irons come under "test equipment"? After all, while definitely an "In the workshop" item, one does not run tests with them, one just solders with them?
Well anyway, I needed to put my post somewhere and my existing soldering iron, a Weller TCP 80 with PU81 power supply has started falling apart. I purchased it used from a form member some years back, so it has served me well for quite some time. The problem is that the barrel holder that the tips are popped into and that is then screwed down onto to the base to secure them to the iron, has opened up at the top so that the tips are starting to get difficult to secure and are getting a bit wobbly. It is just about still usable, but barely so and because the tip is now unable to be fastened down fully and the temperature seems a bit compromised. I have seen a replacement "barrel" available and it is similar, but does appear to be the correct part which has a black plastic gnurled ring at the base.
I do have a cheap far east iron in reserve, but although there are still some bits available for the Weller TCP 80, I have been unable to find a replacement part for the iron. A complete replacement Weller TCP 24V iron (without PSU) costs 200GBP which seems a pointless spend when one can buy a complete soldering station for that.
I am therefore requesting suggestions for a replacement iron. I have noted from various comments over time that Weller seem to have had some quality issues these days and Pace, Metcal, Ersa, Hakko are some other brand names that also spring to mind. Unfortunately, Metacal iron prices seem to border on the ridiculous. I guess I would be willing to spend up to £300, maybe even a little more if there were a specific advantage to doing so, but my use case is hobby occasional rather than continuous daily, although as we know, when one has a project on the go, the iron might be hot on standby for hours for a number of days running. I therefore don't need industrial grade, but would like something of decent quality. I do have a separate de-soldering gun, so don't need a soldering/de-soldering station combo.
I used to use Weller TCP and was a big fan, however, four years ago moved to a Metcal, and I'd never go back, they are brilliant. I bought my control unit second-hand for £120, then purchased two new irons and a load of tips to last me years. All in just shy of £350 excluding tips.
https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/community/general-discussion/metcal-sp200-sp-pw1-20/
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Nothing wrong with Antex in my opinion.
I used to use Weller TCP and was a big fan, however, four years ago moved to a Metcal, and I'd never go back, they are brilliant. I bought my control unit second-hand for £120, then purchased two new irons and a load of tips to last me years. All in just shy of £350 excluding tips.
https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/community/general-discussion/metcal-sp200-sp-pw1-20/
Now that you have mentioned it I had another look and there are a number of used Metcal bases on that auction site. I also found a thread similar to the one you linked on Eevblog. Most people there also seemed to be genuinely surprised by how well it worked. One thing I notice is that the Metcal bases have no indication of iron temperature. I am curious as to why that is? More importantly are there any Metcal models that are preferred or to avoid?
Anyone had experience with the FNiRSi DWS-200? I saw it used by someone on a YT video who claimed it was OK although that video was the first time they had used it so hadn't fully tested it.
The Hakko FX888 is also supposed to be hard to beat but I don't think its the same technology as the Metcal. I had a cheap version of the Hakko (Yihua I think) for a few weeks but it was pretty awful and was gotten rid of very quickly.
PS, is a "rework system" the same as a soldering station, or does it have a specific focus?
I have come across a Metcal MX500P-21 "rework station", it needs bits but would be within my budget. I am had difficulty finding the specs for it although eventually found that it rated for "only" 40W. My current iron can provide 80W". I do SMD work, but also old fashioned vintage radio work, so do need the power.
but also old fashioned vintage radio work, so do need the power.
I used to do all my vintage radios with a 25W Antex with no issues. The only time I needed something big it was a 65W Henley 'Solon' with a 3/4" solid copper bit - that was to desolder a braid from tuning gang to chassis on a wartime Cossor.
@cathovisor The Antex irons were excellent, I had 10watt and a 25watt, those did most of the work that I had to fix. A 65watt iron, forget it’s make, for very occasional use on chassis’s etc.
I seem to remember the Antex could use long life bits, the irons rarely failed but if required spares were cheap and readily available. I suppose my mine could have been like “Triggers broom” but they were in daily use for many hours and years.
Frank
I seem to remember the Antex could use long life bits, the irons rarely failed but if required spares were cheap and readily available. I suppose my mine could have been like “Triggers broom” but they were in daily use for many hours and years.
Mine was an X25 - it originally had a maroon body but the plastic crumbled around the end nearest the element and I was given a "spare" (in red) by a friend. The bits were iron-plated copper to lengthen their life and consequently you were asked not to file them as that would shorten their life somewhat!
At work we used to carry a 50W 'Oryx' iron with screw-on bits which had an adjustable thermostat, adjusted by an Allen key in the body. These were usually fitted with a plug that matched the power outlet on a camera so you could do repairs there without taking a Weller (or similar) station onto the studio floor.
Funnily enough I dug out an old 16W Antex iron from a drawer the other day. Forgot I still had it. The T12-942 works fine for SMD and other fine soldering but the Weller TCP80 is my main goto iron. The Antex works well enough for most general soldering. I could do with something for the big stuff though like soldering to earth points on the chassis. One of those big old vintage 65W irons would undoubtedly do the job. I have also been told that those soldering guns do quite well with that but they are rather bulky and I imagine would be a bit unwieldy.
Haven't decided what to do yet, but I did fond the part I needed for the Weller on Rapid Electronics, so might jut go for that and maybe pick up a vintage Solon or similar for those chassis soldering jobs. I did recently find some chunky soldering irons with angled chisel tips ranging from 80W to 300W on the usual far east sites. Not sure whether they are any good or not, but at £1.62 including postage for the 150W version I saw no harm in having a punt. I will be a bit gobsmacked if it actually turns up....
Well my large 150W soldering iron for £1.62 did actually arrive.
A number of things are not surprising, like for example, the weird plug with live and neutral angled toward each other, and the adaptor it was supplied which for the European rather then UK market. I chopped off the plug. The wires are a bit thin and with few strands, but this is running less than an amp so hopefully should be OK.
I fitted a fused UK plug and powered it up. Rather disconcertingly, the iron then started smoking from the vent holes near the handler quite a bit (which can be seen in the picture). I doubt the smoke is particularly healthy so I took it just outside of the shed. I left it to see what would happen as I wanted it to get hot enough to melt solder and was still doing it 10 minutes later when I switched it off.
It took maybe 5 minutes for the bit to heat up enough to melt solder. The barrel heats up far quicker and the bit lags behind. Once heated up, it took just a couple of seconds to melt a large blob of solder on the radio chassis. I would therefore have to say that it would do the job for those occasional to chassis soldering jobs joints. The bit is probably a bit big and the 80W or 100W version will likely have sufficed. The quality is, as one might expect from a far east source, but the handle seems sturdy enough and comfortable to hold.
I still don't know what the smoke is about. I get that there might be some impurities being burned off, but concerned that it was still smoking 10 minutes later. I will plug it in again tomorrow and see whether the smoke eventually dies down eventually.
Ok, so this post is a bit of an aside from the main question. I did also order the part I needed for the Weller TCP from Rapid along with a couple of new bits. For £30 I now have the Weller back in action which I am happy with for now.
the weird plug with live and neutral angled toward each other
Like this?
If so, it's Australian. It's also the worst mains plug I have ever encountered.
@cathovisor Speak for your own monster mains plug!
What is so bad about ours?
Actually, although it has been the standard for ever in Oz, it originated in the US as a 230V plug for larger appliances like aircons.
It's also used in China, which has the same M.E.N. power system and voltage as we do. Which is why you frequently find it fitted by default to mains powered items sourced from there.
Unfortunately, in China they reverse the Active and Neutral connections. Mostly this is unimportant but you do need to be aware.
Re the soldering iron smoke, who knows what they put on the heating element wire and insulation to hold it in place for assembly? I for one wouldn't be surprised, as long as it burns off and works normally thereafter.
When you think about it, although they could do the burn-off in the factory, the barrel would get discoloured and you'd think you were getting a secondhand item.
What is so bad about ours?
Appalling fit in trailing sockets, minimal contact area, prone to arcing as a result - need I go on? Oh, and unfused too.
I've never encountered any of the issues you mention, not with Oz-made plugs/sockets anyway. The mated Oz in-line plug and socket is a far more svelte affair than you could achieve with that big chunky plug and the commonly-available in-line socket is shrouded - the moulded versions are just about waterproof (although not intended as such). And you can throw them on a concrete floor, hit a wall outlet with a hammer or drive a truck over them and they don't break!
Although I have heard of Chinese-made extension leads that you can pick up with a magnet and which catch fire if you load them up with 10 amps!
M.E.N. Oz wiring rules and circuit breakers render the plug fuse an anachronism!
Oh, and did you know about the 15 and 20 amp versions of Oz plugs with backward compatibility? You can get a 15 or a 20 amp socket that takes a plug with larger pins (commonly used for air conditioners). You can still plug in a lower-powered device to the same socket but not the other way around.
Whatever. My experience of them was nothing but bad. Sorry if that bursts your bubble but I forgot - according to you anyway, everything Australia does is so superior to what the rest of the world does, isn't it?
the weird plug with live and neutral angled toward each other
Like this?
If so, it's Australian. It's also the worst mains plug I have ever encountered.
Yes, that's the pin layout although this one moulded into a UK plug shaped plug body, just a lot smaller and is marked rated at 10A/250V. Curious that being in the UK I should get an Australian style plug by default with a European two pin adapter. The mains wire is 2 core, so despite the three pin plug, there is no earth. I did check to make sure there was no conductivity between either of the mains cores to metal body and there is none.
Unfortunately, in China they reverse the Active and Neutral connections. Mostly this is unimportant but you do need to be aware.
Does that explain why the fuse and/or switch sometimes appear to be on the neutral side in some items from China? Do they reverse the colours as well? Or do they actually switch neutral?
Re the soldering iron smoke, who knows what they put on the heating element wire and insulation to hold it in place for assembly? I for one wouldn't be surprised, as long as it burns off and works normally thereafter.When you think about it, although they could do the burn-off in the factory, the barrel would get discoloured and you'd think you were getting a secondhand item.
The "stuff" whatever it was, seems to have now burned off and there is no more smoke, although, as you say, the barrel is now discoloured and looks used. Can't complain for the price!
@cathovisor Sorry if I came across that way, I was trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek.
We do sometimes get it wrong!
I did find this.
This article was posted in an Electrical Contractor Network forum and was printed in "Australian Amateur Radio Action" vol 9, issue 12 (March 1987). Here it is:
"Unless they've been overseas, or stayed in an international-standard hotel, the majority of Australians probably take the ordinary 3-pin electricity mains plug and socket for granted. But anyone who has encountered the various non-interchangeable types of 2-pin and 3-pin plugs and sockets in use in Europe, the UK and the USA will be aware of Australia's good fortune in having a standard design throughout the country.
Shortly after World War 2, in about 1949, the UK adopted a 13A parallel flat pin design which incorporates a fuse in the plug, but Australia had adopted its standard long before this.
Tracing its history, however, was more difficult than I had expected and involved me in some correspondence.
My first letter, to the Energy Authority of New South Wales, produced the information that "existing Authority records do not include the history of the origin of the standard three-pin, flat pin plug and plug socket. Plug and plug sockets used in this country comply with the requirements of Australian Standard AS-3 112-1981 'Approval and Test Specification for Plugs and Plug Sockets' as published by the Standards Association of Australia. This standard was first published in 1937 as AS-Cl 12 and the Standards Association of Australia may have a copy of the original issue plus each subsequent revised edition in its library at Standards House, 80 Arthur Street, North Sydney 2060.
'A measure of control over the sale of certain 'prescribed' and 'proclaimed' electrical articles and fittings, including plugs and plug sockets, has been exercised in New South Wales since 1938. The initial scheme in 1938 operated under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1919 and the present scheme operates under the provisions of the Electricity Development Act 1945.
"Plugs and plug sockets are 'prescribed articles' pursuant to the Electricity Development Act 1945 and, as
such, may not be sold, hired or exposed or advertised for sale or hire unless they have been approved by the Authority or the approving authority in another State and are marked with the allotted approvals marking. Similar legislation applies on each Australian State or Territory
"The approval marking takes the form of a letter identifying the State of origin approval, eg 'N' for NSW, 'V' for Victoria, 'Q' for Queensland, etc, followed by a number allotted by the approving authority) identifying the person or company to who the approval was granted."
The Standards Association of Australia told me that the background information on the origin of the three pin, flat pin plug and plug socket was rather sketchy due to the time elapsed since its initial adoption. However, they supplied the following'.
"(a) The majority of the work would appear to have been carried out in Victoria by SECV with the help of Australian manufacturers.
"(b) The design is virtually identical to a pre-existing American configuration except that the pins are 2 mm to 3 mm longer.
"(c) The configuration was first published as an Australian standard in 1937 as AS-C 112. The current edition of this standard is AS-3 112-1981.
"(d) The current configuration also covers 15 amp and 20 amp 3-pin flat pin configurations. Again, Australia is in the fortunate position as the system was designed so that any plug will fit a plug socket with the same or a higher current rating but not the reverse.
"(e) This system is also used in New Zealand, Fiji and New Guinea, and to some extent in Argentina."
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was rather tardy in replying to my letter, but a follow-up phone call produced the following:
"Archival records and minutes of meetings dating back to 1927 have been reviewed as staff have had the opportunity to do so and, although some references were noted of comments on the three-pin flat pin plug system, there are no specific comments on the origin of same.
"Inquiries have been made of former Electrical Approvals Board members and other long-serving personnel, but to date no specific information has been unearthed. At the present time we are following two lines of inquiry with retired personnel, but as one has been on extended holidays we have not been able to get in contact with him."
The SECV also made the suggestion that "one possible line of inquiry which may be fruitful may be Mr K Gerard of Gerard Industries (Clipsal) in South Australia as that firm has manufactured three-pin plugs and sockets for many years, possibly over 50 years."
And it was here that I struck gold. Mr Gerard was prompt in his reply and I cannot do better than quote directly from his letter to me:
Prior to World War 1 and during 1914-18, various plugs and sockets were imported from England and used in Australia.
During the early 1920s, it was difficult to import English plugs because of the shortage in production and at the same time it was noticed that a various assortment of plugs was being used in Australia and these plugs had round pins.
"Some American plugs, sockets and cord extension sockets were imported and these were of the flat pin type, ie 2-pin flat pin plug with the pins parallel and the 3-pin flat pin plug which had the configuration of the present 3-pin plug. Late in the 1920s, Ring Grip Ltd of Victoria and Gerard lndustries Pty Ltd (Clipsal) made 3-pin accessories to interchange with the US design.
"As Australia was committed to the 'earthing' system of supply, it was realised that a 3-pin plug was required.
"About 1934 a meeting was called by the SEC V, who was the leading supply authority in those days, at which a representative of the SECV, Standards Association, Mr Tivey from General Electric, Mr Fred Cook from Ring Grip, and Mr Geoff Gerard (my brother) from Clipsal were present. General Electric were importing their own 3-pin plug, etc, from the USA at that time. "The meeting, after reviewing all the plugs (English and American) being imported into Australia, decided to adopt the American 3-pin flat pin plug as an Australian Standard. The manufacturers' representatives considered flat pins were easier to make and their installation machines at the time were capable of making flat pins better then round pins.
"In adopting the USA configuration, the pins of the Australian design were shortened by 3 mm in length because of better safety standards against 'wrongful' insertion into sockets that were then produced and also to lessen the probability of personal contact with the pins when inserting plug into socket.
"A standard plug gauge was suggested, being similar to the one used by Clipsal in their plant, and this was submitted to the Standards Association of Australia and was finally published in a Standard Specification AS-Cl 12 for plugs and sockets in 1937.
This was adopted by all State supply
authorities and hence this 3-pin plug manufactured in Australia by Ring Grip and Clipsal became an Australian Standard.
"The design of 3-pin plugs has had a number of changes over the years since then, but the configuration of the pins has remained the same. People who travel to the USA, UK and Europe realise how fortunate we are to have a standard plug and socket throughout Australia."
I am indebted to those who went to considerable trouble researching on my behalf for supplying me with the information used in the preparation of this article."
