(Part 2) Top products from r/soldering

951 is substantially better than the 888D. I personally used an 888D for close to a year and recently upgraded to an FM-202. It's similar to the 951.

So, the 888D definitely is not a bad station. It's actually pretty good. For general purpose soldering (wires, large electronics like perfboards, protoboards, etc) it works wonderfully. It uses the standard thread-lock tips, and my personal favorite tip for the 888D was the T18-BR02. It's a bent conical tip, and being bent like that turns it into a very useful multipurpose tip. I used it exclusively for just about all the work I did. This included working on SMD components on smartphone motherboards under a microscope.

HOWEVER, as time went on and I read more and more about the 951 I just wished I got one of those. The 951 contains very many features that the 888D lacks. I'll break those down for you now.

Firstly, the 951 has a built-in auto-sleep. When you put the iron back in the stand, the unit automatically puts the tip to sleep until you take it off the stand again. This dramatically improves tip life. If you find yourself leaving your current iron on for minutes at a time before you actually start using it, then this sleep function will save you a lot of tip replacements. This sleep function is not a replacement for turning the station off. You should always turn it off when you are done, but the sleep will preserve tip life for those few minutes between soldering where you don't want to turn the station off.

Secondly, the 951 uses a very different tip system compared to what you might be familiar with. Most cheaper stations and irons use the standard thread-lock tips. The ones that screw down onto the heating element in the iron. The 951 uses a cartridge-based system. The tips you buy are a lot more expensive (around $20 to $30), but the tips themselves contain the heating element. Since the tips themselves actually have the heating element in them, you never have to worry about buying a new heating element for your soldering station. Just get a new tip if you notice something is off with how it's heating.

This cartridge system is leaps and bounds better than the thread-lock tips. You can very quickly and easily swap tips while the iron is hot with no danger to harming yourself. You'll need to get some Hakko tip sleeves and a tip holder to do this. The sleeves themselves slip over the tips, and lock at a certain depth. The sleeve functions as the locking mechanism that secures the tip into the handpiece. When you swap tips you never have to touch any hot metal. You just clip the sleeve out of the handpiece and stick it into the tip holder, then grab another tip and slide it into the handpiece and lock it. If you want a more accurate description of this system in action let me know, I can record a video. The 202 is different from the 951 but it uses the same handpiece and tip system.

Honestly, you can probably skip this step of the additional sleeves and tip holder if you don't find much of a use currently for switching tips. The J-tip (like the T18-BR02) is my favorite all-around tip because it's very versatile in what it can do. The 951 has a similar tip, the T15-J02. They also have the JL02 and JS02, both are similar to the J02 and T18-BR02 in shape but have different size profiles.

The 951 also has a very unique heating system. The tips themselves contain a feedback sensor that is able to very reliably detect when you are touching the tip to a larger thermal mass (like a ground plane). When tip temperature drops from doing this, the station is able to push out more power to maintain the tip temperature. It has a very state-of-the-art regulation system for keeping tip temperature consistent. The 951 is basically your entry-level "professional" soldering station.

The 951 also allows you to use a micropencil with it. It's basically a soldering iron handpiece that allows you to use very, very fine tips with it that are much smaller than standard tips. These are useful for working with SMD components under a microscope. The 888D does not have support for this.

If you want to futureproof yourself and get a really really nice station, I'd go for the 951. The 888D is not bad, not in the slightest. The 888D is geared more towards hobbyists at this point, but you really can't beat having a professional station like the 951.

You certainly can use that soldering gun but it won't be fun or easy because it is so large (that's what I started with and used for a few years). I'd suggest picking up a Hakko FX-888D or Hakko FX-951 if you have a desire to continue with electronics.

Definitely add more solder because it has flux in it which will clean the oxides and allow the solder to flow out. You will also need to use a bit of solder wick/desoldering braid to clean up the pad before fixing it. You'll want to get some Kester leaded solder to work with.

Watch these Pace soldering tutorials before you begin to understand the basics. Heat the pad and wire then touch the solder wire to the joint. If you add it to the tip of the gun/iron the flux will burn away and it will start to oxidize. Doing it that way certainly has it's place but it isn't for this type of work as you'll need to add extra flux to protect the joint.

I'm not good at soldering myself but can offer simple tips:

• patience, have lots of it.
  
• get conformable. sitting, standing, whatever, make sure your work it at a nice working height for you
  
• have lots of work space
  
• have good lighting, adjustable, movable. (flashlight)
  
• watch you tube videos that reflect as closely as possible what you want to do. (good videos, at least three)
  
• practice with something worthless to get a feel for how the solder will flow.
  
  Supplies to make it easier (Amazon (canada) links of stuff the I have bought for my similar attempt.)
  
  
• soldering pen (iron) [I have an older, cheaper, non digital version]
  
• thin solder (there are probably better deals)
  
• flux (very important for hope of a decent solder)
  
• wick (helps to clean up the old solder, and helps if you get too much solder on your new attempt)
  
• magnifier
  
• tweezers and spudger kit (you might find something else more suitable)
  
• magnifier with tweezers (probably not necessary for this project)
  
• new part (if you can reuse the one you have, great)
  
• backup new part (my part was under $3, so I ordered a spare)
  
• heat resistant tape (probably not necessary, might help hold the part in place)
  
  and of course try to avoid getting smoke in your eyes, and burning yourself.

I do plan to solder a lot. I have an IT background and I really want to get better into electronics, so I plan to do a lot of training.

• Buying stuff on ebay: Like fixing old video game consoles and other vintage devices. Besides, one thing I'd love to do is get an 3-1 Black & Decker waffle maker and convert it to 220V/UK plug (start simple!)
  
• IoT: I want to tinkle with Arduino -- A LOT. Love those things and I really want to move away from breadboards and do some cool stuff with it.
  
• Fixing stuff: Why shall I be throwing away perfectly good devices just because a capacitor or resistor has blown away? I've fixed some stuff in the past so I plan to do more of that in the future.
  
  So yeah... I'd like to find excuses to solder 🙃. One thing I've been doing is salvaging components from throwaway stuff. For instance, I got the alarm system from a previous house (when I was a tenant) and I salvaged all sorts of components like keypads, LCD panels, etc.
  
  While I certainly want to move away from my 12 EUR soldering iron towards a soldering station, I am starting off so buying a 1,200+ EUR Soldering+SMD station sounds like a stupid overkill.
  
  This is why going for individual components probably makes more sense. I can see from all the comments that the Hakko is an indisputable winner. And if I get it, I can always buy the other components/devices separately, like a hot-air gun and eventually a desoldering gun, and I would still have a top-notch soldering station. Buying a cheap all-in one I might end-up with a decent iron but a not so decent hot-air gun (for example), and having to buy a separate hot-air gun down the line anyway. But I gotta say that as a n00b, seeing the YIHUA is enticing but I'll fight the urge. If I was a good enough pro making money out of soldering jobs already I would be buying a YIHUA with spare cash and try it out just for kicks (gotta love some soldering, though!)

Total amateur here. I use a Weller WES51

https://www.amazon.ca/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU

i went from using a cheap piece of crap bought locally to this unit. i've never used a non-cheap soldering iron before and i find this thing to be awesome. heats up super fast and it's way smaller than any other iron i've ever used. the silicone cord is worth the price of admission alone, imo. i frequently solder in a canadian unheated garage. not fighting with a stiff cable is heaven. parts are easy to come by online for whenever i break it or wear it out.

i recap a few game systems every now and then, i dont have many hours on it.

+1 for the Hakko FX888D-23BY

Some solder wick and a desolder pump is something else I would add. Also a cheap tip thinner for a noob (like me). Helping hands are cheap and can be useful. Also a cheap variety pack of tips. Nothing expensive till you are comfortable with keeping them clean and tinned.

These are all things I bought when I purchased my Hakko FX888. All have been useful.

Desolder Pumps and Wick

[Tip tinner] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_k1kZDbJ5TS5Q6)

Helping hands w/magnifying glass

Various Tips

Hakko FX888D-23BY


All of this cost me $146 shipped. Right now, it'll all total to $139.83 shipped if in the US

The sponge, as some have pointed out, may be part of your issue. If you're using paste/liquid flux, and it does not match the flux core in your solder (no-clean core with rosin paste, for example), that can definitely cause problems. Your 80W non-controlled iron is also making it difficult because the tip rapidly shoots past the melting point of solder and zooms into the oxidizing temperature range. It's almost certainly running too hot. If you see your solder turning red-orange and then blue, then that's definitely what's happening.

I would suggest trying a tip tinner. Plug the iron in and immediately start rubbing it (gently) into the tinner. The instant it begins to melt, unplug the iron and continue tinning... it'll keep getting hotter for long enough to finish.

Or, if you're impatient, cool the iron, use that awful green Scotchbrite pad to gently scour the black stuff away, then wrap the tip with solder and add a drop of flux (again... make sure it's the same flux that's inside the solder, or use coreless solder), and plug the iron in. It should partially or completely tin the tip. Then you can use a wadded up paper towel with just a tiny bit of water in it to clean the tip off.

To keep the temperature within usable range, I recommend you get a cheap soldering iron controller. I like the Mini Phaser:

https://www.amazon.com/INLAND-Inland-MiniPhaser-Temperature-Controller/dp/B001R4QWK0/

But you could also just buy a cheap light dimmer from a hardware store and use that to power your iron outlet.. it's exactly the same thing and that's what I use in my stained glass studio. I have an 80W iron and I have to turn the power down on it to solder 1/4" thick beads to windows.. so if you're using this for electronics you definitely want to dial it way back.

That soldering iron heats to 925 degrees F according to the packaging, and about 650 to 750 degrees is more appropriate for PCB work. However, if you're quick you could probably get away with using it. You shouldn't be holding the iron to anything on the PCB for "a few seconds". Also, your solder wire (which I can see in the picture of your iron) is too thick. What is it, 0.062"? 0.020 to 0.025" is ideal for most PCB work, and I wouldn't go any bigger than 0.032".

You don't need an adjustable temperature iron. If you want to play it safe, you can just get a lower wattage non-adjustable iron, i.e., 15 to 25 watts. Those will reach equilibrium at a lower temperature than your 60 watt iron will. Something like this for example - https://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP23LK-25-Watt-Soldering-Iron/dp/B0009ZD2AG - which reaches equilibrium at 750 degrees. It also comes with a couple of chisel tips, which is what you should use to most efficiently transfer the heat (due to having a lot of contact area) so you can solder quickly. With high end irons like the 13.56 mHz Metcals, small conical tips work perfectly (especially the bent ones), even for relatively large joints, but those work on a completely different principle than inexpensive, conventional irons.

If you need to solder on a pcb you'll want a temperature controlled soldering station, other essentials are rosin core solder, some flux to apply before soldering, and a helping hand to hold the pcb/component and wire in place when soldering. I leave my soldering station at a little less than 350 when I'm tinning wires and soldering on a pcb. Wipe excess solder off the iron, heat up the spot you want to solder to with the wire in place, then apply solder to the wire when the flux has smoked off, it should flow into the joint. You don't want to keep heat on a pcb for too long as it can damage components on the board. Make sure you tin the tip/s of the soldering iron with solder before and often during use, or the tips will oxidize and refuse to tin until you scrape the oxides off with a razor knife. Typically a problem at high temps, around 300C solder will melt and oxides form very slowly and the tip will stay hot without needing a retin for a 5-10 minutes. I usually set my temp on max when I first turn it on and hold a bit of solder to the tip and then turn it down when the solder melts. Saves a few minutes of warm up between use.

If you need to heat up a larger surface area (like a battery terminal) for tinning or soldering it helps to bump up the heat - sanding a large surface also will help. Steel and other metals may require use of a corrosive flux made specially for that.

That's about all I know XD

This is the flux I use: Tack Flux no clean in a 10cc syringe w/plunger & tip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CM2A97S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_a.M1DbGQW7WK8

For solder, any rosin core solder will work well. Paste solder is for surface mount components and hot air or reflow oven soldering, both of which are unneeded for the headers.

Check out Louis Rossmann on YouTube for some great videos on soldering.

I used to have a walmart version of one of these. There isn't a lot to them, so I'm linking this one because it uses weller tips and is actually cheaper than the one I got from walmart.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-ML500MP-Mini-Butane-Soldering/dp/B000TDFT9U

The only thing I ever used mine for was de-icing the locks on the car and soldering speaker wires in the car. Never used one on a board. Mine shot flames out of the vents when the soldering tip was on, so it was fun working in tight spaces with it haha. I don't know how contained this one might be.

I use the Engineer SS-02 Solder Sucker. It's definitely not as good as a proper desoldering station with a vacuum pump and all but it's probably the best of the spring loaded bunch. The tip is regular silicone tube that you can buy anywhere and cut to your preference. It also comes with about two inches of the same tube so you don't need to go shopping right away (you'll need about 5mm of tube to make one nozzle for it)

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.

Thanks for the information, what temperature should I be using?

I have some braid I can use to try to get it out tonight and maybe clean up the board. Originally I used this flux, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DNR01Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but my pen is this (which is the one I normally stick with) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OC3VMU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The original is the Soldapult. The clones probably work about as well but I wouldn't expect them to last as long.

I'll give the flooding a try next time. Did use hot air AND a big chisel tip to try to spread heat evenly.

This is my machine, had it about 8 years.