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From: markp on 16 Jan 2010 11:47

> >I'm a consultant designer here in the UK and build my own prototypes. I'm
>>looking for a decent soldering iron (maybe Pace or Weller or clone) that
>>have a range of bits suitable for SMD down to 0.5mm TQFP and also for
>>through hole components. I don't want to spend too much.
>>
>>Anyone have any recommendations and where I can get one form? It should be
>>temperature controlled and I should be able to easily purchase inexpensive
>>bits.
>>
>>Also, any recommendations for solder that gives easy solderability and is
>>available in thin gauge? Lead free would be best, anyone use silver loaded
>>solder and is it better for fine pitch soldering?
>
> I'm in the UK and I've been using lead free solder for fine SMT work (hand
> assembled prototypes) for a few years.
>
> Leaded solder - works well on everything, good for prototypes, but not
> really usable any more for commercial products. For example most
> professional assemblers refuse to use it in case it contaminates the
> soldering machines; if customers who require lead-free detect lead (which
> is relatively easy) they will be most annoyed. I keep some leaded solder
> around for difficult-to-solder prototypes but try hard to avoid using it.
>
> Lead-free - I settled on silver loaded stuff a couple of years ago as it
> had the lowest melting point of all ROHS compliant types. However as I've
> moved to finer pitches I am not happy with it; compared to leaded solder
> it sticks into large snot-like lumps. I suspect my soldering iron is not
> hot enough despite the tip being allegedly calibrated by the
> manufacturer - lead free solder melts at about 40C above leaded (which can
> damage some more sensitive items like the metallisation on ceramic
> substrates). Also I often have problems wetting joints. I posted some
> queries here recently about fluxes / cleaning boards and discovered that I
> probably need to use an active flux instead of the eco-friendly "water
> soluble" ones I've been using: the halide-activated (acidic) flux burns
> through oxidation on component legs and permits the solder to wet the
> joint properly. The downside of acidic flux residues is they need to be
> washed off properly, eg vigourously with acetone, to stop long term
> corrosion of components; and I suspect the fumes from them are a tad more
> choking than from water-soluble fluxes.
>
> So I ordered some new bits and solders to experiment with the other day. I
> can't recall the brand of soldering iron I use right now. If you email me
> at paul.el - stitch these bits together - ectronics "at" furfur -demon
> [co] uk, I'll probably have firm data about "what seems to work", with
> Farnell part numbers, which I can summarise back to you within a week or
> so.
> --
> Nemo

Cheers Nemo, email sent.


From: Joerg on 16 Jan 2010 14:37
markp wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm a consultant designer here in the UK and build my own prototypes. I'm
> looking for a decent soldering iron (maybe Pace or Weller or clone) that
> have a range of bits suitable for SMD down to 0.5mm TQFP and also for
> through hole components. I don't want to spend too much.
>
> Anyone have any recommendations and where I can get one form? It should be
> temperature controlled and I should be able to easily purchase inexpensive
> bits.
>
> Also, any recommendations for solder that gives easy solderability and is
> available in thin gauge? Lead free would be best, anyone use silver loaded
> solder and is it better for fine pitch soldering?
>

I've always used Weller irons, in Europe as well as in the US. All you
really need is an analog station with a lone temp control knob. WECP-20
was the older generation and the new one is called WES51. Both very
good. Currently under $100 in the US but I don't know EU pricing.

For SMT I use a needle-point style tip called ETS. However, we are
nearly free from this <expletive deleted> RoHs nonsense over here so I
can't say much about RoHS soldering other than that I've wrecked ETS
tips doing it. But that was from boards with unknown types of lead-free
solder from clients. So it's best to keep a stash of tips on hand, they
are under $5 a piece.

Stay away from fancy digital stations, I've seen them die like flies,
got a dead one here (for scrap, in case I cinge or break the enclosure
of my analog ones etc.)

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
From: Frank Buss on 16 Jan 2010 15:10
Joerg wrote:

> Stay away from fancy digital stations, I've seen them die like flies,
> got a dead one here (for scrap, in case I cinge or break the enclosure
> of my analog ones etc.)

One exception is the Ersa i-CON. Very good soldering station and no
problems for years for a client in their service workshop (they have some
of the big ones with desoldering tools, but I'm happy with the i-CON1 at
home).

--
Frank Buss, fb(a)frank-buss.de
http://www.frank-buss.de, http://www.it4-systems.de
From: krw on 16 Jan 2010 15:16
On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:37:30 -0800, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid>
wrote:

>markp wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I'm a consultant designer here in the UK and build my own prototypes. I'm
>> looking for a decent soldering iron (maybe Pace or Weller or clone) that
>> have a range of bits suitable for SMD down to 0.5mm TQFP and also for
>> through hole components. I don't want to spend too much.
>>
>> Anyone have any recommendations and where I can get one form? It should be
>> temperature controlled and I should be able to easily purchase inexpensive
>> bits.
>>
>> Also, any recommendations for solder that gives easy solderability and is
>> available in thin gauge? Lead free would be best, anyone use silver loaded
>> solder and is it better for fine pitch soldering?
>>
>
>I've always used Weller irons, in Europe as well as in the US. All you
>really need is an analog station with a lone temp control knob. WECP-20
>was the older generation and the new one is called WES51. Both very
>good. Currently under $100 in the US but I don't know EU pricing.

I use what's on the bench. ...often after some mumbling.

>For SMT I use a needle-point style tip called ETS. However, we are
>nearly free from this <expletive deleted> RoHs nonsense over here so I
>can't say much about RoHS soldering other than that I've wrecked ETS
>tips doing it. But that was from boards with unknown types of lead-free
>solder from clients. So it's best to keep a stash of tips on hand, they
>are under $5 a piece.

Our stuff is all RoHS, so I have others do the soldering on production
stuff. I'll still work on prototypes but screw RoHS soldering. A
good connection looks worse than the worst cold solder joint.

>Stay away from fancy digital stations, I've seen them die like flies,
>got a dead one here (for scrap, in case I cinge or break the enclosure
>of my analog ones etc.)

Your designs go "*phut*", why wouldn't we expect the same from your
tools? ;-)
From: Joerg on 16 Jan 2010 15:36
Frank Buss wrote:
> Joerg wrote:
>
>> Stay away from fancy digital stations, I've seen them die like flies,
>> got a dead one here (for scrap, in case I cinge or break the enclosure
>> of my analog ones etc.)
>
> One exception is the Ersa i-CON. Very good soldering station and no
> problems for years for a client in their service workshop (they have some
> of the big ones with desoldering tools, but I'm happy with the i-CON1 at
> home).
>

Ersa is a good brand but we can't really buy it over here. So I got a
150W Ersa from Germany for heavy duty stuff and run it from the 230V
line in the lab. It is possible to design a good digital station but
IMHO Weller clearly didn't succeed with that back in the 90's. Inside of
mine are alumina hybrids so I guess they had stuff that ran rather hot.
Maybe too hot. It worked for a few minutes, then the LED display went
blinky-blink. A technician at a client told me they lost most of their
digital Wellers with the same fault pattern. It would still regulate,
you just didn't know what temperature. I prefer the analog ones, mankind
doesn't really need more than some temperature labeling around the
control knob.

It's like the fuel gauges in fancy cars that show gas mileage, how many
miles left in the tank and lots of stuff that a driver really doesn't
need. Then on a really cold day ... nada ... zilch ... LCD almost
invisible. If it's not your car and you don't know how much fuel is
inside you'd be driving to the next gas station with white knuckles,
only to be embarrassed when the pump shuts off right away because the
tank was full. There I prefer a simple analog gauge with liters or
gallons on it.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
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