soldering iron problems

[jcoffin1981]

I have posted before about my frustration with various soldering irons and stations.  I have a Hakko 936 clone that died after 2 uses and a 937 Aoyou that served a purpose for a while.

I  have found that premium soldering tips really do improve overall quality of work and even heat distribution.  A problem I seem to have is that the irons themselves that attach to the stations seem to deteriorate in service and usability over time.  I'm looking for any reason that would cause this and am at at loss.  Degradation of the heating element or buildup of other deposits anywhere in the iron, but I can't find them.  I purchased a third iron, the first two are the ones that came with the previous stations and I'm waiting for it to arrive.  The problem is at even 300 degrees C the tip barely gets hot enough to melt solder.  I dont' know if  they malfunction or degrade, but I can't find a problem.  I'm wondering if anybody has had similar experiences.  I would break down and buy a Hakko station, but I so rarely use  it that it's not worth it.  I only use it to replace the odd LED light or switch that sticks.  I'm curious to hear how others fare. 

[Tactile]

Try about 375 C (700 F). This is a typical soldering temp. If that doesn't do the job it's probably a bad heating element. I have a cheap digital multimeter which also came with a thermocouple for temperature measurement and use that to check the tip temp on the rare occasions when I suspect an issue.

[suicidal_orange]

I've had the tip somehow shrink so when I undid the screw as if to replace it it fell back in and worked better.  Makes no sense but a quick and easy one to try.

[wodan]

I use lead-solder and around 320°C temperature. 375°C only makes sense for unleaded solder ...

Oh yeah and invest in a good soldering station. Makes your life so much better.

[jcoffin1981]

I wouldn't mind spending 150 bucks on a good soldering station, but I've finished all my projects.  I now really only need it to replace the odd switch that pings or sticks or something. 

I did even push the temp to 310 or 315 degrees, but it did not make a difference.  After 3 or 4 seconds in contact with solder it would semi-melt and then solidify on the tip.  These are brand new Hakko tips, not cheap ones.  I don't know if over time there are changes in the metal that effect heat transfer, or maybe the ceramic heating element breaks down, but this is a trend that I've seen with two stations, a 936 and a 937 clone.

I usually solder at about 270 degrees at the solder liquifies almost instantly.  I don't know if temps close to 400 degrees are really necessary and I'd be worried about damaging the pcb or the pads coming up, etc.  I was able to buy a replacement iron to plug into the front of the station for about 10 dollars, so we'll see if it works.  I was just wondering if anybody else has had similar problems. 

There must be some kind of feedback circuit that senses the temperature.  Perhaps this is where the problem is and the tip is not as hot as the machine thinks it is?  For example when you tin the tip you can watch the temp go down 4 or 5 degrees and then go back up again

[thatsmrdoctortoyou]

Perhaps your issue is solely with the temperature being too low? Full disclosure, I'm a noob at soldering. However, with the research I've done it seems a common temp range for leaded solder is between 300-350C (572-662F). That being said, your concern for heat damaging your PCB is valid if you leave your iron in contact with the PCB for >5 seconds. Perhaps try upping your temp to 300-320C to see if that helps? You could try heating up the iron, tinning the tip, cleaning the tip, then tinning again to see if the iron will keep the solder liquefied.

[Spopepro]

Are you talking about fresh solder, or rework? What you are describing sound like what solder (especially lead free solder) does when you exhaust the flux, regardless of temperature. Have you attempted different spools of solder and/or using a tiny bit of rosin flux? How do you clean your tip?

[jcoffin1981]

The is rework, desoldering and resoldering.  The solder is leaded.  I clean the tip with the brass shavings thingy and a wet sponge and make sure it is freshly tinned.

I have always found that 270 degrees is more than adequate.  Contact with a mound of solder for 1 or 1.5 seconds will melt it.  The pads and tracers on a Poker are very delicate and come off easily.  My station comes with a replacement ceramic heating element, but the catch is it has to be soldered in place.  The replacement iron came today so we'll see if it solves it.  Hopefully it's the iron and not the station.

Maybe it's the poor quality Chinese components vs the Hakko iron?  To replace a genuine Hakko iron is very expensive.

[Parak]

As with any tool, you get what you pay for. Quality of Hakko clones is extremely poor, with bad QA, calibration drifts, loose tolerances, and so on. Genuine Hakko helps, but at this point it'd be an 888 since 936s are pointless to find. I've also posted deals on irons that run circles around the 888 for around the same price, but nobody is ever interested - maybe it's the brand perception that Hakko is the best (they're not). But I digress.

Your issue might also be oxidized tips over time. Make sure that there's always a coat of solder on them and that they are bright and shiny. Oxidized tips means having to raise the temperature to compensate.

[0100010]

I honestly have no idea what temp my POS iron gets up to (its either on, or off), but - never had any issues...

[jcoffin1981]

Yes, I've tried brand new genuine Hakko tips and they were clean and freshly tinned.  The very base would get just hot enough to turn the solder into a semi liquid and it would then solidifyy on the tip and have to be cleaned off.  There is a spare heating element and I was going to change it, but the catch is that the connections have to be soldered.

The station I had before this one was a "Yihua" 936 and I like it a lot.  Unfortunately it did not power on the second time I used it.  I had a peek on the inside and the electronics were very crudely assembled.  There were huge blobs of solder and some connections that were very very thin, really threadlike.  There was flux everywhere and you could tell it was hand soldered, and not very well.  I think I paid 28 dollars or so for it.  The 937 I have I paid about 65 I think.

[cribbit]

Have you used any sort of measurement to see what temperature the tip actually gets to?

If you live near a university their electronics engineering labs will usually have good soldering irons. Walk in like you belong there and no one will question you. I use my school's labs all the time (including borrowing tools, free solder, free wiring) and no one ever asks me if I'm actually a student.

[jcoffin1981]

This is funny.  I'm in NYC so there are dozens of schools.  However many of them have security and students are required to display it.  I don't a tool measure the tip temperature.  Right they make those laser devices for measuring temperature.

There is a digital display on the station that show what the temp is supposed to be.  However, it barely melts the solder and just creates a little smoke.  My replacement iron came and of course the seller's description was inaccurate, so it doesn't fit. 

It just doesn't make sense.  I can't find any defect in the iron.  There is a tiny bit of material that has worn off the end of the heating element, but I have trouble believing that is the cause.  I guess it could be the station, but I think it's the iron.  I'm not sure how it regulates the temperature- if it sends a certain amount of wattage for the desired temperature, or if there is some sort of sensor or feedback so that it knows the iron reaches a certain temperature. Maybe I'll just buy a new station in the off chance that it is the issue.  You can get an imitation 936 for $20.  With my student loans I don't want to spend 100 to 150 dollars on a top quality station.

I borrowed a 7 dollar Radio Shack iron from somebody.  They suck, but it's probably adequate for changing a single switch, but I need a working station.

[jaffers]

I run my soldering iron at 440C for everything (desolder/solder). This keeps the heat localized (prevents lifting) and allows me to do a join in under 1 second. Use some liquid flux if the joint is being problematic. I also use a large chisel tip for just about everything. Get good solder. I recommend kester 6337

[chyros]

Frankly, although some of these expensive equipment might be useful to some people, I just bought a £10 soldering iron (it doesn't even have a temperature setting) and the cheapest solder sucker I got online, as well as the cheapest solder I could from a hardware store. With no training, and no braided wire, metal sponge, station or even a holder for the iron (I use a soup bowl) I've been able to desolder lots of boards, including a dozen or so AT102Ws, which are notoriously hard to desolder. All this with no training or tutorials.

Soldering is easy. With just a little practice it's a doddle even with basic tools. All I can say is don't think too much about it. Just put the iron on the metal until it melts and then suck away the solder.

[cribbit]

Just put the iron on the metal until it melts and then suck away the solder.

I think the issue being raised here is that the iron isn't getting hot enough for the 'until it melts' to ever occur.

[cicada]

I have a cheap Hakko 936  and always set the temp at 200C. I've never soldered keyboards but I use it everyday to solder custom cable connectors and never had a problem. I agree it's much easier to work on with expensive equipment though, tried once at my friend's house and its much more efficient.

[chyros]

Just put the iron on the metal until it melts and then suck away the solder.

I think the issue being raised here is that the iron isn't getting hot enough for the 'until it melts' to ever occur.

Yeah, so he could just get a cheap new one, doesn't need to be an expensive piece of kit to work well .

[Irving]

Try a Sal Ammoniac block:

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2014/tinning/

[chyros]

Try a Sal Ammoniac block:

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2014/tinning/

!