(Part 2) Best soldering stations according to redditors

I've been looking into this space (best medium-cost maker/builder/fab tools) over the past couple of months, and here are my recommendations so far...

• CNC Mill (router) - For doing wood, plastic, and some light metal work, the Shapeoko 3 stands above the rest. It runs around $1.2k with a router included and can cut 16"x16"x3". You'll still need mill/router bits and materials, but pretty awesome for the price range. Note that they also just started selling larger versions (goes up to 33"x33"x3") for a few hundred dollars more. To move up to the next professional level but still on a budget, I'd consider building your own via CNCRouterParts Pro Kits (48”x48”x12”, $8k total).
  
  
• 3D Printer - The LulzBot TAZ 5 stands above the rest because of the range of materials it can print (with a special high temperature hot end) and its build area (11.7”x10.8”x9.8”). It's recently been reviewed by Make as the "Best Overall 3D Printer" which is a pretty high endorsement. It runs a little expensive ($2.2k) but looks like it's one of the best bets if you're looking to get into 3D printing.
  
  
• Lathe - You can get a mini lathe (7”x16”, $1.3k) in the price range you're considering, and while it may be a bit too speciality and manual, they're a great tool to have in your workshop. Especially if you like making round things.
  
  
• Laser Cutter - To get a decent laser cutter (not just engraving, but actually cutting materials) that won't break down, catch fire, release noxious fumes, or potentially blind you is currently around $4k minimum. There are a lot of cheap "eBay" laser cutters out there, but when you start to add up everything and weigh the risks they aren't really all that much cheaper. The two stand out models I've been considering are the FullSpectrum (40W, $6k) and the "coming soon" Glowforge Pro (45W, $4.8k).
  
  
• Electronics - You didn't mention this, but if you're looking at getting your hands dirty making things, electronics is now a pretty crucial component to support. The big ticket items (like an oscilloscope) are now a lot more reasonable than they were even 5 years ago and sites like SparkFun carry a lot of electronic components and tutorials that make it easy to get started even if you don't have much background in circuitry (yet!). My short list would include: a Rigol 50MHz, 4Chan, color disp, 4 probe oscilloscope ($450), a nice Weller soldering iron ($320), a soldering fume extractor ($70), some helping hands ($10), a Siglent signal generator ($360), and some nice boxes to keep your parts sorted ($20).
  
  Now go make some awesome things!
  

These are super reliable and super effective. $265

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FR-301-Desoldering-Tool/dp/B07BKSLLG9/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1539496196&sr=8-6&keywords=desoldering+gun

This one gets good reviews and Amazon and is more affordable. $200

https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Function-Soldering-Desoldering-Absorber/dp/B009Q5ZH58/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1539496394&sr=8-27&keywords=desoldering+gun

These are really good if you clean it often as you use it and are even more affordable. $99

https://www.amazon.com/Desoldering-S-993A-Electric-Suction-Desordering/dp/B073TRPBHM/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1539496513&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=desoldering+gun&psc=1#customerReviews

Hey everyone, I didn't have the forethought to take photos as I went along, but here's how I did it. Fair warning; this project requires an intermediate amount of soldering experience. If you have surface mount soldering experience, you'll be golden. If you don't, make sure you can handle sacrificing a few light strip segments for this project :)

1. De-solder the sections of an existing Hue Light Strip. The first half of this video shows how to separate the sections. In the video, he uses a soldering iron. I used a hot air gun to desolder mine; I found the hot air gun approach easier.
   
2. Keep careful track of the start and end sections of each strip; you cannot reverse them! Each segment has "PHILIPS" printed on it in blue letters. To help me keep track, I always kept the PHILIPS logo facing upright. At the end of the original light strip, Philips added a female 6-pin connector, so I used female connectors for the end of my segments and male connectors at the beginning. Philips used surface mount contacts with 2mm spacing, which is a lesser-used spacing standard. I bought these for the male end of each segment, and these for the female end.
   
3. Break the headers into 6-pin sections. The male ones are easy to break apart with a vice and a pair of pliers. The female headers were a bit more difficult; I held them in a vice and hacksawed them into sections. Then I used a dremel to clean up the messy cut. Someone mentioned using this cut-end to 6-pin product to save on soldering, but I chose to solder each end of the strip. Since the connections will be under some tension when they're bent at 90 degrees, I wanted to make sure they were 100% solid.
   
4. Solder the 6-pin connectors to each end of your cut strips. If the female headers were too difficult to break apart or solder, you can technically use male ends on both sides of the strip. Litecessory's cables can be converted to either female-female or male-female.
   
5. Spread hot glue over the solder joints to prevent them from making incidental contact with other conductors and to give the connectors more strength.
   
6. Use pre-made 2mm 6-pin cables (2 inch, 3 feet) to make your strip as long or as short as you need! When connecting segments, make sure to connect them in the same polarity, such that pins 1-6 on one segment are connected to pins 1-6 on the next segment. If you flip the cable, connecting 1-6 -> 6-1, at best your segment won't light up; at worst it'll fry it for good.

I need to tighten up my soldering game since I have a mod in need of repair and want to build a DNA200 squonker. Thinking about ordering this station. I know dick about about this stuff... my only iron is probably 25 years old. Thoughts?

a fuzz face is one of the simplest circuits out there. Its just a darlington pair of transistors with an emiter feedback adjustable bias on Q1.

Its literally just 11 parts.

A fuzz face is also one of those pedals where you can make an identical pedal to those 800$+ nkt275 sunface for less than 50$, with even some of the more "mystic-magic-mojo-bullshit" transistors its still going to be dead cheap to build.

Also, heres a little copy paste i made for people looking to start soldering and what tools you should pick up, and what you dont need.

Yes that will work absolutely fine, but as someone who does a lot of soldering there are a few other things I would say.

if you don't plan on doing much soldering in the future and it's more of a one time thing, there's really no reason to get anything bore expensive than this. I spend easily 60 hours of solid soldering on the earlier version of this (same thing just without the leds) and I only ever replaced it because the tips were getting worn out (although you can replace the tips for cheap) and because I thought I deserved a more solid iron considering how much soldering I do.


if you do plan on doing lots of soldering in the future then I would recommend getting something other than a weller, they're honestly just one of those things that for years have been the industry standard but honestly have gone down hill. I've used a dozen different wellers, some old some new, some cheap some costing 300$ but none of them are really good. I, along with almost everyone in electronic repair industry like Luis Rossmann recommend a brang called hakko. I use atd absolutely love the hakko fx888d. It's really honestly just magic. It heats up to 700+ in under 30 seconds, with a live temperature readout (my old weller would take close to 15 minutes), atd the tips are really just magic, they just don't get corroded at all like every other brand I've used.



It's also worth mentioning for anyone new to soldering that the type of solder used makes a world of difference. What your going to want in rosin core, leaded solder (preferably 63/37 but 60/40 will work too). You want rosin core because it makes it a ton easier to not have to worry about flux, atd unless your doing really tiny electronic you won't need flux beyond the rosin core. You want leaded solder for a few reasons. First off, it melts at a way lower temperature (leaded solder melts at about 360f ish where lead free is closer to 460-480f, but saying that that's not at all the temps you wound use to actually solder at, it ranges from 400 - 700f depending on the application ). Leaded also has a way better surface tension, and melts more evenly, all this really just adds up to making it 100 times easier to work with, ESPECIALLY if you need to desolder anything.

A pair of helping hands helps prevent burns and makes tight solder jobs easier

I'll just give you a list of the items I've been using (and like):

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-T18-D08-D12-D24-D32/dp/B00C1N30DI Hakko FX-888D. The extra tips may be unnecessary, I only ever use the one chisel tip

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068IJPO Leaded solder

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SPGFT8 Brushes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZPDG1K Side cutters

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00425FUW2 Flux

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O9VLA2 Solder Wick

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013HT2QW KimWipes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B5JT8C Isopropyl Alcohol

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CU56KM Acetone spray (use carefully/sparingly)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G5T9M0 Jewelers loupe

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019SLLOMY Tweezers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P8Z4RPG Hot air station (works well despite Chinesium)

Also, I noticed in Dave's videos he rarely adds flux, just the flux that's built into the multicore solder. I don't know if I'm alone on this one but with flux I always felt the bigger the glob the better the job. Just have to clean it afterwards with the solvent, tissues & brushes.

Edit: Okay that's a much bigger list than I thought, this stuff can get expensive!

Capacitors can definitely be real troublemakers sometimes. I haven't recapped a C64 specifically but I can give a few general tips on replacing them:

• Commodore 64 uses what are called through-hole capacitors, which as the name implies means the leads go through a hole in the motherboard and are soldered on the back. Some C64's have it easy to reach the back of the motherboard and other C64's have an RF shield soldered to it. Either way, you'll need to get the old caps off by desoldering them. For desoldering through-hole stuff, I really like this desoldering gun. It might be a little more than you're willing to spend if this is the only thing you're planning on recapping, but it's a great tool to have in your arsenal. If that's too much you can just use a regular soldering iron to heat up the solder point and pull out one leg of the capacitor while the solder is molten, then get the other one.
  
  
• As for replacing the capacitors themselves, there are two numbers you need to care about. Fortunately these are always labelled on the capacitor itself. You should make sure your new caps have the same Microfarad (μF) number as what you're replacing, but the Voltage rating can be the same or higher. If you don't wanna hunt down the caps on your own, there are cheap C64 capacitor kits you can buy.
  
  
• Check the area around the capacitors for any kind of corrosion. If you find any, clean it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol and if the alcohol leaves any residue (which it shouldn't but sometimes you move old dirt around) purified water is good for getting the rest off. Just make absolutely sure to dry everything before you solder and before you power anything up.
  
  Overall replacing caps isn't hard or scary. I'd recommend watching some videos of people doing it on Youtube to see what the process looks like, though I don't have any specific recommends on which videos. I watched a ton before my first recap project just to get a feel for what to expect.

considering the pin density of that socket if you have a vacuum iron you could get it off. but it's a specialty tool and not really affordable for one hobby job... so :(

they're a soldering iron but hollow and a vacuum pump attached to them. you melt the solder around the pin and hit the suck button. it pulls the solder cleanly out of the hole. do all the pins and out it comes.

Here are some rules to keep in mind:

• Keep your soldering iron clean and tinned, a dirty/oxidized soldering iron doesn't transfer heat well. I use a wet sponge at a bench. If I'm in the field, the hem of my jeans works well. Just quick wipe and a touch of solder for a good shiny tip. (Adding a little bit of solder to "tin" the tip of the iron also aids in heat transfer and keeps dirt/oxidation off.)
  
  
• Be sure your parts are clean too. You want clean, shiny copper to solder to. Wire or circuit boards that have been exposed to moisture are a disaster to solder to. Fine sandpaper and alcohol can clean things up if there's tarnish.
  
  
• Heat the part you're soldering with the iron. Use the hot part to melt the solder. Just like you don't plop your bacon and eggs on the stove, you put a pan down first and put your food in the pan. You're not using the soldering iron directly on the solder...
  
  
• Don't blob your solder on. This isn't paint and it isn't glue. It's liquid metal. Your joint should look almost as if it has been moistened with water.
  
  
• Keep a mental count of 10 sec. Too much heat can destroy components on a circuit board and melt the insulation on wires. 10 sec is a good rule of thumb. If you can't achieve a good joint in that, let things cool down and try again.
  
  
• Too little heat is also bad. It makes the solder joint brittle and the solder doesn't flow evenly. You'll have a grainy appearance. Allow the heat to conduct through both parts you're soldering together. Bigger parts will require a little time to come up to temp. Tiny parts are almost solderable immediately.
  
  
• Remember that solder take a bit of time to cool. Don't move your part around until the melted solder has solidified. Moving it while it's liquid is another way to have a brittle joint.
  
  Start with a pair of wires... Just twisted together wires, like a "Western Union" or "Lineman's" splice.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Union_splice
  
  It's how I usually install car stereo equipment when putting the car and radio harness together.
  
  Next, you can move up to kits. I wish HeathKit was still selling shit... Velleman seems to sell small trinkets for less than US$10 and you can find them on Amazon. They're fairly easy to assemble, single layer board kits.
  
  http://www.vellemanstore.com/en/minikits
  
  Mainly, it's practice, practice, practice.
  
  You don't even have to spend a whole bunch on an iron... Either of these is quite acceptable and I work on electronics on a daily basis:
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP25NUS-Standard-Soldering-Black/dp/B00B3SG70K/
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP40NUS-Medium-Soldering-Black/dp/B00B3SG6UQ/
  
  The first one is a 25 watt unit and better suited for smaller circuit board jobs. The second one is a larger 40 watt unit and more suited for wiring type jobs. But both should be acceptable for both types of jobs.
  
  EDIT: Also, as someone who works on electronics almost daily... The was James May should have repaird this was to bend a hook in the end of the wire he was soldering. That way, it'd hang on the terminal strip without the need for a third hand. Iron in one hand, solder in the other.

I use this xtronic https://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-MODEL-4010-XTS-Digital-Soldering/dp/B0053491YO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1518918401&sr=8-5&keywords=soldering+iron+xtronic and it has been very good. I think it gives a lot of the premium features of the hakko but with savings.

I am using this currently but this is coming in the mail tomorrow ;) along with some more lube and solder.

Edit: I have built all of my boards with the Weller without any issues. I also have a desoldering iron which is 10x better than the pump. If you ever plan on desoldering pick yourself up the desoldering iron for the extra 10 bucks. The solder pumps will break and you will end up spending that much on them anyways so its definitely worth it.

I hate to say it, but RadShack makes my favorite budget desktop soldering iron. I have one of these and it works wonderfully. I've been through about 40 tips over the last 3 years with it, not counting one-use modified tips.

At the school lab, we were using this (in quantity at lab desk) or this (instructor's, who would loan it if we knew how to solder). I am going to miss the school lab. Transferring to the next higher level at a different university, where a friend attends, and their lab sucks.

If I bought a new one, I'd get the Weller WD1002. Until I upgrade to that, I'll keep my radshack 64-053.

If you buy a $13 soldering iron, you're buying a $13 soldering iron. Some will work better, some will work worse. Really doesn't matter where you bought it. I never had one last more than a few months.

If yours started out working ok then didn't, make sure your tip is clean. A highly oxidised tip left on overnight isn't going to work well, no matter the iron... if your tip is black, replace it. If it only came with a fine point tip, consider a different shape tip. Fine point tips (generally) only work well with higher power soldering irons.

If you want contactless-soldering, then you're not looking for an iron. You're looking for either a hot air reflow station or an iRDA station. Irons are meant to touch the solder to melt it. Hot air works with solder paste, meant for very low temp soldering (SMD safe). iRDA uses infrared light to melt solder, generally used for specialized surface soldering.
***
It sounds like you may be a little new to soldering, so I also highly recommend this comic to you... Soldering is Easy - PDF. I highly recommend it to those who have been around the block a few times as well.

And it can be yours for only $73. 98!

Well, if you can use the lab and it has a scope in it then you just scored big time.

As far as $100. I would get:

(amazon links for convenience, use any supplier you wish)

• DMM (digital multimeter) - must have diode check, DC volts, AC volts, Ohms, and continuity. Extech EX330 ($50) or Equus 3320 ($20)
  
  
• clip leads for the meter such as these - these are important because you will need to take values while the amp is on, and you don't want to be poking around a live amp
  
  
• variable power/temp soldering iron - cheap one good one better one
  
  
• 60/40 leaded solder - I like this kind
  
  
• desolder braid
  
  
• rosin flux
  
  
• contact cleaner
  
  
• (de-oxit d-5)[http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B00006LVEU/]
  
  
• flush cutters
  
  
• solder sucker
  
  
• shrink tube of various diameters
  
  
• 92%+ isopropyl alcohol
  
  
• windex
  
  
• q-tips
  
  
• paper towels
  
  
• needle nose pliers
  
  
• nice set of phillips head screwdrivers
  
  
• standard screwdriver
  
  
• miner's headlamp
  
  
• digital camera for taking many many pictures before and during disassembly
  
  
• printer for printing service manuals
  
  
• heat gunor hair dryer
  
  
• canned air
  
  
  EDIT: Light bulb socket, 100W + 60W real light bulbs (not the hippy engery saving kind), electrical outlet - these are for making a dim bulb tester.
  
  All I can think of right now.

This was what I found: http://www.amazon.com/Desoldering-Station-Digital-Temperature-Controlled/dp/B00KQ6PR6K

I personally recommend this over the hakko - https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Function-Soldering-Desoldering-Absorber/dp/B009Q5ZH58/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494113285&sr=8-3&keywords=aoyue+desoldering

it has a desoldering station

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FNVQZ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Tuk7Bb1MHR6H8

I've got this one collecting dust, thoughts?

I got one of these for christmas about 2 years ago. It's treated me will with some use. I'm not an 8x5 user though.

Soldering mat. It’s some sort of silicone.

Kaisi S-160 Soldering Mat... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RFKHD6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I just upgraded to one of these Such a solid iron, heats up crazy fast too.

Use more flux and get a good temp controlled iron. It makes a huge difference. If the iron cant compensate for the temperature drop when you touch something its much harder to get a good melt.

I use this one in my office. Its stupid cheap and works great:

https://www.amazon.com/Kendal-REWORK-SOLDERING-IRON-STATION/dp/B004ZB9D4O

Also invest in some nice stainless steel needle pointed tweezers if you dont have some. Like these:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/apex-tool-group/EROP7SA/EROP7SA-ND/114194

Edit: And for a Microscope, I use the free Army Knife for Android app's Magnifying Glass tool. It lets you control the flash as an objective light and double tap to focus. I use a cardboard wedge as a stand to hold my phone and free up my hands to solder.

As someone else stated, get a clone. I have this kit and it has been great so far https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005TI1282/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also know 2 others that have one, and have the same stories.

Ouch, yeah as everybody else said the pads are fried. From your description it sounds like you were working with an iron that was way too hot & holding it on the PCB way too long. The board could be salvaged but it would be a lot of work & for what looks to be a MF68, I'd say it's not really worth it.

Chalk it up to a learning experience & don't let it discourage you from future building or modding of boards. If you really want to get into it a proper solder station that has temp control is basically mandatory if you are not already experienced at soldering. I use a Hako FX888D & highly recommend them. They are fairly priced & high quality for hobbyist usage. Using this soldering station or a similar one would help you yield much better results.

I also recommend practicing on a PCB from some fried piece of electronics, before trying to mod or build another board. Older motherboards were a favorite of mine when I was learning years ago.

Well, the easiest would probably be to buy one prebuilt. Making keyboards isn't very hard, however you need a few items such as a Soldering iron, and solder (of course), as well as a source for your own switches.

If you would like a prebuilt option of this keyboard, you can get one from here: https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keyboard/products/tada68-mechanical-keyboard-gateron-swtich-65-layout-dye-sub-keycaps-cherry-profils?variant=34710238797

A kit that you build can be found here: https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/keyboard/products/tada68-keyboard-diy-kit

There is also the option of sourcing directly from China, however this may seem tedious. You can find these prebuilt, and in kits on https://world.taobao.com, however they can not be bought directly from the site, and you would need to go through an agent such as https://www.superbuy.com.

The main benefit to building a board yourself is that you can use whatever switch you want, rather than picking from a few different options. This board in particular does not support any other layouts aside from the standard 65% shown. I will say that the prebuilt options for this board are great for a first board. From the site I linked, you can choose from various Gateron switches. They are "cheaper" cherry MX clones, however they are sometimes considered better than their "genuine cherry" counterparts. They are very smooth, so are overall nicer to type on, however some report that the switches are a tad wobblier (which means that keys may shift more than on cherry mx). This often is not noticeable however, and Gateron are overall very good and cost effective switches.

If you would like to build, like I said you will need a soldering iron, solder, and switches for this board. The keycaps that come with this board are superb. Great feel, and great quality PBT. Of course you can change these later on as I have, but the ones they come with are fantastic.

You can find cheap soldering irons pretty much anywhere, be it local stores like walmart or homedepot etc, or online shops like amazon. You don't need to spend a lot of money on these, however if you're okay with spending a bit more, there are irons that allow you to control temperature like this one (that I use myself, and find to work great): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0725GYLVH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For solder, you will need either 60/40, or 63/37 leaded solder. I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IQN8PDG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Leaded solder is generally a lot easier to work with than lead free.

Switches can be found from many vendors in our community. Here are just a few that people often use:
https://kbdfans.myshopify.com/collections/swtich

https://www.novelkeys.xyz/product-category/switches/

https://mehkee.com/collections/switches-and-parts

There are MANY options to choose from as far as switches go, so I recommend grabbing a switch tester from https://www.novelkeys.xyz/product-category/switchtesters/ to help you decide. You can decide from a very wide variety of options to place in each slot from here.

I believe that is everything that you really need to know, aside from knowledge about actually soldering. For this, I suggest searching up basic soldering tutorials on youtube, and also find some keyboard build logs of people putting together their boards. Really it's quite easy, but this was a lot of information to take in I'm sure. Hope this was helpful, let me know if you have any more questions or if i wasn't clear enough about something. :)

Your list looks fine, but it seems to me like this would be cheaper than buying all of that individually and still give you more than enough variation in tip sizes/styles. I personally like the digital display so I can pre-program settings and easily see what temp the iron is at. The Weller iron on your list is good, though.

If you have rosin-core solder, you probably don't really need the flux pen. I'd say it's a nice to have, but not a need to have.

Desoldering wick is really only helpful for large components because you have to apply a lot of heat to get it to work right and it can easily damage small stuff. For small joints, just heat and the sucker will do. - Not that the option you have there is expensive, just a head's up to be careful with the wick.

I personally don't find the helping hands nearly as useful as I thought I would, but the one you have there looks like it's maybe better than the one I have.

i'm gonna go with what everyone else says: get a decent temp adjusting iron. it makes a world of a difference...add to that a small chisel tip (usually not provided on a cheap pen iron)...such much easier and enjoyable soldering. though, its not worth spending 80-300 dollars on a soldering iron for one project..

i use/recommend:

• an x-tronic station/iron $90 sponge+light/magnifier+tips+replacement heat element
  
  
• a hakko soldering tip cleaner $10
  
  also another good affordable iron:
  
  
• hakko fx-888 station/iron $90 sponge+cleaner
  
  everyone says weller...and its because they dropped the money on one and want other people to do the same haha...if you have the money, sure go for it. if not, many stations in the 80-100 range are excellent quality to begin on.
  
  also get a helping hand, tweezers, needle nose pliers, snips, and maybe a wire stripper.

Look up some tutorials on youtube. A good iron makes a world of difference. I struggled with properly tinning all the irons I've used previously which were just those cheap $8 dollar irons from like walmart. The weller that was in my dad's stuff wasn't much more expensive but they make quality stuff.

The tip tinned very well and everything was fairly smooth. If you don't have a decent stock of soldering supplies I would purchase them before you start.

Here's a quick rundown of what I would recommend:

Simple Weller Soldering Iron

Helping Hands

Desolder Wick

Kester .03" solder

Having the desolder wick saved me a few times when I had some bad flow from the parts not having adequate heat and the solder just clumping on the pin rather than flowing into the connection. You just lay the braid over the solder and press your iron on top and it will soak the solder into the braid and leave your parts clean. You'll probably want something to clean your solder iron tip with. You can buy a Hakko cleaning stand with wire brush for $10 on amazon or you can just wet a scotch brite pad you buy from walmart for a few dollars.

You can use solder you already have if it's a small enough diameter. You want small diameter so that when you touch it to the part (not to the iron) it melts quickly and you dont have to continue to apply heat to the parts. As far as actually handling the solder while you're trying to work I like to cut a small length of solder, maybe 6-8 inches and then wind it in a mini spool around my pinkie finger and leave a length of it sticking out so you have something to hold on to that will give you good control.

How-To Solder Instructable

Once you make the connections look at them, a good connection should typically be shiny and not cloudy. It's likely overkill for this project but those are good practices.

I've been happy with this super cheapie for regular shop repair and prototyping use for a year or two: http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-4040-Soldering-Assorted-MAGNIFYING/dp/B003TC8EQS/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1319760013&sr=1-9

For the price the heat is consistent and the performance is solid. The only issue I've had is that the ceramic element in the soldering iron is a bit too small for the hot knife tip and should you actually use it the tip can shift which cracks the ceramic. This means you have to use the replacement ceramic that they include earlier than if it just wore out while soldering. I was able to quickly get a replacement tip from the company though.

this should peak your interest, i use this guy to re-flow GPU's and changing out components on main boards, sooo much cleaner and easier with hot air.

I've got a Weller WD1002 that has served me well for about ten years so far, and I expect will keep doing so for many years to come. Heats up in less than 20 seconds, precise temperature control, fine tips and short grip pencil makes small/delicate tasks easier, but it can still ramp up the power quickly to handle those heavy gauge battery power leads. Probably a bit much if just buying it for quadcopter stuff, but as an electrical engineer it has been very useful to me.

https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WD1002-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000FVCCOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473703111&sr=8-1&keywords=wd1002

Not sure if it’s available in Canada but I have this and it works really well. I think it’s the same price

I have one of those little 2 arm stiff things from harbor freight and it just sucks. And I couldn't bring myself to buy the likes of this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AX1VO2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xvUszbQJWW83M

I am so trying this... Thanks for the idea and the link OP!!

https://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Function-Soldering-Desoldering-Absorber/dp/B009Q5ZH58/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501447394&sr=8-2&keywords=desoldering+station

Never look back

I would stay away from the cheap no-name all in one solutions. They tend to be pretty crappy. Look at some of the nicer options from Hakko or Weller. You really only need a 100$ish soldering iron to do incredible work (obviously nicer IS better, but the returns are diminishing). Check out this one from Hakko: Hakko FX888D,T18-B,BL,I,D24,D32,C05,S7,599-029 Soldering Station with T18-B/BL/I/D24/D32/C05/S7/599-029 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C2BHTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ohkZDb6WW5TJY

That set meets all of your needs and more. That, plus a cheap air station like this: BACOENG 110V Digital 858D SMD Hot Air Rework Station Solder Blower Heat Gun https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRQX15Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ojkZDbTDPH5PN

and a cheap extractor, and you are more then set.

Hahah!

I think you’ll get the best price if you go direct!

Link: Kaisi S-160 Soldering Mat Insulation Silicone Magnetic Repair Work Mat Heat-Resistant Soldering Station Mat for BGA and Gun Soldering Iron, Workbench, Cell Phone Laptop Repair, Size: 17.8 x 11.8 inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RFKHD6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HaKWDbH327E7K

I literally just bought the upgraded model of the one you linked. I purchased this one

I really wanted to buy the Hakko 888D but I couldn't justify spending twice the price right now.

I got mine yesterday and I set it up and testing it out. For just a first impression, I'm very impressed. My 2 year old 40w Weller takes 3-4 times longer to hear up. You can see the actual temperature of the tip as it's heating up/cooling down. It heats up quickly and having the ability to control the temperature of the tip is awesome. Also the one I purchased includes a three year warranty vs the 1 year warranty of the one you linked and based on their responses to bad reviews on Amazon they seem committed to honoring their warranty.

I don't know anything about toddler safety as I don't have kids but I honestly wouldn't use this with them around. I even get nervous if my cat gets interested in what I'm doing when I have the iron on. What I did do however was mount both the temp control unit and the iron holder to the table I'm using them on with some strong double sided tape from 3M.

Are you open to soldering stations? I just recently got an awesome station off Amazon for $50. I was really impressed with the build quality and performance. Like realllly impressed. It was This little fella here

> You need a $120+ soldering iron

That's not necessarily true. This Weller is normally over $120, but it can be found for cheaper (like on Amazon.)

EEVblog, the author of the video linked above, even recommends (on a budget) this Hakko ripoff that even takes Hakko tips. Super cheap and is temperature controlled. You can find it cheaper than its Amazon listing too.

Can you order one online? For $18 you can get a better station. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/soldering-station-with-adjustable-heat-range-us-warehouse.html

Or, if you need to order from somewhere like Amazon, it's $30. https://www.amazon.com/YiHUA-936B-110V-Anti-Static-Soldering-Station/dp/B00O4ORHMM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483017642&sr=8-2&keywords=soldering+station+yihua

The station you linked isn't adjustable temperature, it's high/low which doesn't really help.

If worse comes to worse and there's no way to possibly order one online, I'd go for the 25w weller. 40w will be too hot and won't work very well for you. If that's not available, get the canadiantire station and use it on low. But both of these are expensive for not very good options.

enjoy!

I got this one several months ago to replace my cheaper one and am very happy with the upgrade. I hardly ever used the old one but use this one quite often for holding various things while soldering. The old one seemed to be too small or tipped over and I eventually just stopped using it.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01882K0OC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The old one was like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Soldering-Helping-Hand-Magnifying-Glass-Clamps-Arms-Stand-Station-Solder-Base-/282243361923?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

I got this one as a Father's Day gift and I've been very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0725GYLVH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Choose my SOLDERING IRON for me

Option A

Option B

Got it on Amazon, https://smile.amazon.com/Hobby-Creek-Helping-Hands-Soldering/dp/B01AX1VO2I/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1518638502&sr=8-7&keywords=helping+hands+vise+mount that kind goes over my panavise.

I was also at the seattle meetup and havee been considering stepping up my soldering game (specifically to the Hakko FX-888D that others mentioned). I'd be more than happy to give you my old adjustable iron if you want it. It isn't anything amazing (I think it is this one), but it will get the job done. I have done one from-scratch build with it, and used it to assemble my whitefox. If you want it just shoot me a message and I'll hook you up.

You can get a great soldering iron for $10 to $15 that will last forever and they're incredibly useful! Anyone into retro gaming or vintage electronics should definitely have one. Replacing capacitors or fixing loose wires yourself will save you so much $ in the long run.

Thanks, I'll try that one out. I ended up getting this one which doesn't seem to work super well. I'm trying to avoid getting one of these just to fix my fuck-ups... :)

Amazon.com (USA) alternative

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KQ6PR6K/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ABJ4AEC/

I use this and it works great. Heats up super fast, you can shrink tubing and reflow components, and even supply test voltages. It's been going strong for a couple years now.

I would recommend against constant-power pencil irons. Heck, pencil irons in general—power cord going to the wall/a power adapter and liable to get pulled, AND no stand unless you buy a soldering station-like stand? Great way to get burnt.

If you plan on doing any serious work, especially hand soldering SMD or soldering large amounts of components and doing it well, I strongly suggeset you get one of the entry-level temperature-controlled irons from reputable companies: for example, the Hakko FX-888 or FX-888D or the Weller WES51. Temperature control is incredibly important to make sure you get the optimal joint for the type of solder you are using—too hot and it'll burn the solder rather than getting wet with it, too cold and it won't melt properly and will make poor joints.

However, if you're just getting started or just need something for the occasional repair, we use these irons (linked below) at our student society's lab for soldering tutorials. In two years of doing soldering tutorials twice a year, and having these things abused by students who have no idea what they're doing, we've only had perhaps one outright failure and one tip that oxidised and needs replacement. At $20, I'd recommend them for light work.

Two issues with it. Even with 60/40 or 63/37 solder, you have to be at least 3/4 up to the maximum power. For doing repair work, I'm not sure whether these things run hot enough to work with leadless solder, that you find in commercial applications. I've never tried with them; maybe it'd be enough to soften it up and suck it with a solder pump for repairs (use your own leaded solder afterwards), but it could be not hot enough to make good joints with leadless.

The other issue with this model is that the pen is poorly insulated, so at maximum power, it gets uncomfortably hot. Not painful or dangerous, but rather uncomfortable.

Also note that these are variable-power, but not temperature-controlled. The power dial changes how much constant power is pumped into the heating element, it doesn't specifically have electronics to maintain a set temperature.

http://www.amazon.com/Velleman-VTSS5U-Low-Cost-Soldering-150-480%C2%B0C/dp/B000I40HFQ

I like to use a rework station, to reheat plastic parts for touch ups... You could probably connect the two halves and then heat the seam up to get it to hold. Then if you're really worried about the seam, you can heat it up and smooth it out.

This one?

The Hakko are nice irons, we have several of the older 900 series irons in the office, and with the large and affordable tip options, they are great. Replacement parts are easy to come by. Now there are lots of other companies selling compatible parts. I recently for home picked up this unit from X-Tronic. It's not "pretty" but does a good job, compatible with the Hakko tips, and heater elements. Also comes with replacement heater elements for both the iron, and the hot air tool which was it's selling point over the a bit cheaper (same unit) model from Circuit Specialists.

http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-MODEL-4040-Soldering-MAGNIFYING/dp/B003TC8EQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406830377&sr=8-1&keywords=X-Tronic+4040

Would this be a good option from Xtronic?

X-TRONIC MODEL #4010-XTS - 4000 SERIES - Digital Soldering Iron Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053491YO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AxELAbEGN10R4

It's currently on a deep sale and I'm thinking about pouncing in it.

I have one of these cheap desoldering stations. You'd probably want a Hakko for serious work, but it works well enough for hobby use.

Amazon

Are there any desoldering irons that you personally recommend? I'm currently looking at this one, https://www.amazon.com/Anesty-Digital-Desoldering-Station-Professional/dp/B07542D82F/ref=sr_1_25?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1518219768&sr=1-25&keywords=desoldering+iron#customerReviews, I'm really only going to be using it for this project so i think this might do me ok. I dont really have a budget while doing this so i just want to get the best tools that will make it the easiest for me. (By no budget btw i mean nothing absurdly expensive like a $300 desoldering iron)

Braid is great for small surfaces and quantities but pins..... I found the investment in a good desoldering pump to be totally worth it.

I got this one from Amazon. Yeah, it's kinda pricey but it works so well! I took apart a computer keyboard with 30+ switches (2-pins per switch) and it was less than 10 seconds to desolder each pin.

It doesn't solve all your problems, but I use a magnifying lamp for working on my minis. It means I don't have to get so close. (Though I still always end up with nose smudges on the magnifier!)

Also, using things like makeshift stands or third hands help lift your mini from the table while still not being so high you have to raise and tire your arms.

(Note, there are much cheaper versions of both those items, those were just great examples, don't loose faith over money.)

https://www.amazon.com/Anesty-Digital-Desoldering-Station-Professional/dp/B07542D82F

I use this one for years and it’s perfectly fine :)

If anyone is looking for a desolder gun. it’s the most commonly used afaik.

Nope, sorry lol. You don't want to remove the solder from the pads, just the component from the solder pads. You need a hot air gun to heat up all the pads at once (while avoiding hitting other components) and tweezers to then pluck it off while hot

This is an example of what you would need:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRQX15Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_R6ZwCbGMH8H5N

If you insist. It looks an amazing amount like this, which is a smd rework hot air gun.

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably get end up getting this one based on advice from another commenter.

Cool, already got one of those wire tip cleaner things. Use it all the time and love it.

Is this any good?

Youyue

That one claims to be 700W (not sure what temp that translates to).

I am looking to buy a new soldering iron/station off of Amazon. I don't really do any electrical work that would warrant needing an iron around the house, but the one my dad has is a POS and it's time for fresh equipment.

I am planning on building at least 2 more keyboards this year (though I'm not sure I'll build any more after that, but I wouldn't put it out of the question).

Is this station off of Amazon okay? I was recommended this Weller station but I don't like that it doesn't have an exact temp display (people complain about the 1-2-3-4 settings). However, it's a good amount cheaper.

What do?

Here's a really good kit that has almost everything you could ask for. I would add a roll of solder and maybe tip cleaning wire if you really want, but the sponge will do.

http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-MODEL-4010-XTS-Centigrade-ANTI-MAGNETIC/dp/B0053491YO/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1417388540&sr=1-4&keywords=soldering+iron+kit

You can find solder stations that also have a hot-air rework gun. Those are perfect for heat shrink. One example: http://www.amazon.com/Kendal-REWORK-SOLDERING-IRON-STATION/dp/B004ZB9D4O

How does it compare to this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Station-extra-heating-element/dp/B005TI1282/ref=lp_13837391_1_18?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1421689004&sr=1-18#productDetails

I have the hot air only version of the first one, the 858D. It's okay, gets the job done. I got it on the recommendation of a friend who uses it all the time and is really happy with it.

For a soldering iron though, IMO you'd be better served by something name brand like the Hakko FX888D or the Weller WES51. I have the WESD51 and it has served me well. For J Random Soldering Iron, the temperature control might not be very good, and it might be tough getting different tips.

A decent budget option might be a hakko 936 knockoff, which should have pretty good availability of replacement tips.

> Without a soldering microscope and hot air (hot air being more critical) it's going to be challenging.

Oh man, gotta say that your post worried me a little...

But would it be as hard if all I want is to reflow? I mean, I don't need to replace the port, and (I think) I don't need to detach it and resolder it.

I reckon I could get a separate hot air. Someone suggested a generic one which is cheap enough, in the other post you replied to on advising for a soldering station.

I was looking at these 3 on amazon


Xtronic
Yihua
Aoyue

I taught myself how to solder by reading books (before YouTube was around.) YouTube tutorials and $13 at Amazon and you, too can be a soldering master.

Otherwise, WS2812 strips are usually cuttable between each LED.

I use this. heats up fast, accurate temp reading, comes with extra heating element (still using the first after 2 years) and extra tips.

They make small heat guns specifically for this. Just borrow/buy one of those. Otherwise good luck destroying everything while trying to desolder that connector.

http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-MODEL-4040-Soldering-MAGNIFYING/dp/B003TC8EQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374728744&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+heat+gun

like this but you can get a cheaper one.

I have this rework station and LOVE it for the price.

Any old iron will work. I used this $9 iron to fix my Hubsan many times.

I have a Hako now and it is MUCH nicer and easier to use but a pencil iron will get the job done for small projects like the Hubsan. If you plan on doing scratch builds or other projects that require soldering I highly suggest getting a variable temperature iron with integrated thermostat.

I have this Velleman soldering station and it has worked great for me. There are horror stories in Amazon's comments, but I have never had problems with temperature fluctuation and I've desoldered entire keyboards as well as assembled various projects.
http://www.amazon.com/Velleman-VTSS5U-Low-Cost-Soldering-150-480%C2%B0C/dp/B000I40HFQ/

If I was to buy one again, I'd probably buy this Weller model. It's a few dollars more, but they make good stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/

I'm a big fan of the Xytronic I picked up years ago. My model has been discontinued but they seem to have upgraded it to a digital unit.

http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-MODEL-4010-XTS-Centigrade-ANTI-MAGNETIC/dp/B0053491YO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427812259&sr=8-3&keywords=xytronic

I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TI1282/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It probably isn't as good as a $100+ one, and the manual it comes with is written in broken english, but it is decent for my purposes.

Here's what I got for the same $100: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AOA9D3A

Granted, that wasn't available 7 years ago (probably) and time will tell if it's still up and running in 7 years. But if you're in the market now with $100 to spend, I think the Yihua has a MUCH better value for money than the Weller (and it's such a pleasure to use).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RFKHD6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ah. I was thinking an actual pump pump, like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009Q5ZH58/.

I always called the hand held things "solder suckers".

Yeah, pretty similar, I have this particular one. I mostly do game console repairs and little custom perfboard hackjob stuff on it and it's served the purpose pretty well for the better part of two years now. Been thinking about finding a bigger one, potentially without the storage slots for more raw workroom.

Thanks! Amazon has these models but they vary in wattage from 45w to 50w and cost more... I didn't think finding a decent soldering iron would be this tough haha.
I use Amazon for most of my hobby purchases(swagbucks rewards) so I'll have to save up a bit but this looks like the choice for me.
Thanks again!

By far the most important part is your iron. There's lots of good choices out there, but if you can swing it I highly recommend this one made by Weller. It's expensive, but is the best iron I have ever used. It has interchangeable tips including some super fine ones that are great for SMDs, 3 selectable temperature settings you can program, digital variable temperature with a real time temp display, it heats up in seconds, has an auto shutoff if you leave it on and in the stand for too long, and has a grounded tip to help prevent issues with static discharge. You can do it with a cheaper iron for sure, but this one is my first choice.

Do you have a "third hand" to help you with that? I've seen people use a bit of tape on a block of foam to hold small stuff in place for a bit while soldering. I have one of these but I wouldn't recommend it unless you plan to do a lot more of this.

​

The other major thing I see /most/ folks new to soldering struggle with is just a good iron and a clean tip. You really want a high watt iron that can dump enough heat into your solder to cleanly heat up the components you're soldering to and have the solder wick nicely over them (flux can help with that wicking action).

​

I general you should be heating up the bigger heat sink (in this case the board) rather than the wire, then just bringing the solder down to lightly touch it.

​

Lastly lead free solder can just be a little bit trickier to work with and requires higher temperatures.

I'm thinking of getting this Yihua soon since it has 10 different tips and a hot air gun, it's $100. I have no idea how its quality will compare to a Hakko or Weller but I'm sure it will beat the shitty $5 chinese soldering pencil I've been making do with.