Reddit reviews Aoyue 9378 Pro Series 60 Watt Programmable Digital Soldering Station - ESD Safe, includes 10 tips, C/F switchable, Configurable Iron Holder, Plug-in Spare Heating Element

That is not an electronics soldering iron. Depending on your budget, i'd recommend either this aoyue at $30 or this aoyue at $90 if you want a nice high quality station. The nicer one has the advantage of exact tempature measurements and also comes with a ton of extra sized tips.

As for the frame, its really not common to break arms as a beginner. Its REALLY hard to break an arm and you have to be going really fast and hit something really hard. The reason you may have read about arms breaking is because most beginners start with some cheap frame built with bad/thin carbon. The QAV250 wont break easily (although i've heard of the skinny part in the top frame breaking, but that can just be glued/taped back together).

Eh, soldering just takes a bit of practice, and there are tons of Youtube videos that explain in detail the best ways to do so.

(I'd recommend this channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChbLnX8JcsN9bH4BNgJZ6wA)

Really it's all about not holding the iron on the board too long. Once you get that down, it's easy. Learning the wire gauges and all that is also very easy as most boards have recommendations in the paperwork. (if it carries power, big wire... If it carries signal, smaller wire). These new DNA boards are about the easiest thing ever to work with, and even someone with little to no experience could solder them with ease. (now the DNA20/30/40, notsomuch)

If you're looking for a good soldering iron, you want something with wattage control, and while weller has been the standard for decades, they are overpriced and a bit hardcore unless you are a pro. I'd highly recommend the Hakko FX888D http://amzn.com/B00ANZRT4M which is what pretty much everyone uses, or what I personally use, the Aoyue 9378 http://amzn.com/B00BSW69LI which has served me very well. There are others for considerably less, and if you aren't planning on making this a hobby, then something like the Aoyue 469 http://amzn.com/B00MCVCHJM would be perfectly fine. (60w is about a low as you'll want for a variable wattage iron, so you'll have a little wiggle room)

You definitely want to get a soldering station. So something that can control the temperature of the of the iron. The reason being is the ones that just plug into the wall usually fluctuate between extremely hot and very hot which can become if you’re trying to solder next to very delicate transistors on the pcb.


I know people say you can get away with the cheapest everything but that’s usually not the case at all and sometimes dangerous to your health.


Getting good solder, tip tinner, brass sponge, flux pen, and a fan with a carbon filter will do you great things.


The fan is extremely important when your desoldering as that will give off a tonne of chemicals.


This is what I personally have


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BSW69LI/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074J6R1KQ/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001W2XZOS/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FZPGDLA/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NS4J6BY/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The soldering iron is overkill if you’re just using it for trains

It's a Weller 23w basic iron. I had my eye on this model a while ago, I think it was available for <$100 But it never made the top of my list when I was buying stuff.

Can I get your guys opinion on this one?

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00BSW69LI/ref=cm_sw_em_r_am_wp_am_ca?ie=UTF8

I've had it in my cart for almost a month now and I'm thinking I might pull the trigger. Currently I'm limping along with a $12 soldering iron from radio shack that's probably 15 years old.

Thanks!

If you plan on taking it further than just simple mods a couple times a year, I recommend spending a little more if you can. You don't have to go crazy either. I know that a lot of people go the Hakko or Weller route, but I've been very happy with my Aoyue 9378. Here is the Aoyue 937+ which is cheaper (45w vs 60w and a couple other things). Like others have said, get some wick and grab one of these over the sponge crap.

EDIT: Oh, and pick up some flux. There are flux fans and some that use it sparingly, but just pick it up.

Also, this goes much further than just installing a battery holder, but check out Voultar's videos to watch some technique. He's also a liberal flux / No Clean user and you'll see why.

I just bought this off Amazon to do soldering related projects with my pi.
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00BSW69LI/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1419892846&sr=1&keywords=aoyue+soldering
I haven't had a chance to test it out yet but the reviews seem good and from the research that I did, the brand is pretty good

I'll just recommend these:

https://www.getfpv.com/ts100-digital-oled-programmable-interface-mini-soldering-iron.html <----- Fantastic portable and desktop but best if you need portable. I own this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Variable-Soldering-Station-Removable/dp/B00MCVCHJM?ref_=ast_bbp_dp60W so you can split the diff.

https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-9378-Programmable-Digital-Soldering/dp/B00BSW69LI?ref_=ast_bbp_dp <---- I own this one. Works very very well.

Never owned a Weller that I've liked.

Modify the tip of a solder station to suit your needs. Will need an inverter to run off 12V.

This one only goes down to 392F, with a little searching they can be found lower.