Calibrate Solder Station
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Greetings,
I'm going to purchase a solder station, probably one of the popular Weller or Hakko units, with additional tips. Both manufacturers sell accessories to calibrate the stations. Some recommend performing a temp calibration whenever you replace the tip or the iron. All well and good until you see the cost of these calibration (test) units. Would it be prudent to forego the calibrations altogether, and just swap tips as needed, and rely on the initial cal to keep it in the ballpark? I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena. Just wanted to see what folks thought about calibration and if it was worth it. Thanks. 73 Walter, WB2IDK (ex-N0DZJ) ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Walter V. Gilles wrote:
> Greetings, > > I'm going to purchase a solder station, probably one of the popular Weller or Hakko units, with additional tips. Both manufacturers sell accessories to calibrate the stations. Some recommend performing a temp calibration whenever you replace the tip or the iron. All well and good until you see the cost of these calibration (test) units. Would it be prudent to forego the calibrations altogether, and just swap tips as needed, and rely on the initial cal to keep it in the ballpark? I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena. Just wanted to see what folks thought about calibration and if it was worth it. Thanks. 73 > > Walter, WB2IDK (ex-N0DZJ) > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.35/2033 - Release Date: 03/31/09 13:05:00 > > Your question prompted me to try my Raytek Minitemp remote thermometer on my Weller soldering station. I get some high temperature readings. I suppose that this kind of thermometer should be sufficient to monitor the how the soldering station is performing. Why not use a general purpose remote sensor instead of buying a specialized tool? Don, N0YE ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Walter V. Gilles
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In reply to this post by Don Nelson
Walter,
I use a Hakko 936 constantly, and have never calibrated it with any degree of precision. I 'calibrate' it whenever I solder. I watch the solder flow. If it can adequately heat the solder pad and make solder flow in a 2 to 3 second window, the temperature is right. The actual temperature required will vary dpeandong on the area of copper on the PC board (more area sucks away the heat and requires a hotter iron), the diameter of the component leads (same reason), the ambient temperature, and a myriad of other variables. If the solder does not flow out to a nice solder connection in 2 to 3 seconds, I move the iron temperature dial up a bit, but if it flows more quickly than that, I reduce the temperature. No expensive calibrating equipment is needed. The above criteria is valid for thru-hole construction, and following good soldering techniques, which means that the solder is applied to the solder pad and component lead on the side away from the tip of the iron (the soldering iron can be 'wetted' with a small bit of solder). If you have questions about the proper soldering technique, refer to the soldering tutorial on the Elecraft website. If you are heavy into SMD construction with sensitive components, then more exact temperature calibration may be in order, but that is seldom encountered in amateur radio type construction. 73, Don W3FPR Don Nelson wrote: > Walter V. Gilles wrote: > >> Greetings, >> >> I'm going to purchase a solder station, probably one of the popular Weller or Hakko units, with additional tips. Both manufacturers sell accessories to calibrate the stations. Some recommend performing a temp calibration whenever you replace the tip or the iron. All well and good until you see the cost of these calibration (test) units. Would it be prudent to forego the calibrations altogether, and just swap tips as needed, and rely on the initial cal to keep it in the ballpark? I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena. Just wanted to see what folks thought about calibration and if it was worth it. Thanks. 73 >> >> Walter, WB2IDK (ex-N0DZJ) >> > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
Re: Calibrate Solder Station
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In reply to this post by Walter V. Gilles
Walter,
For many years I have used a Weller TC 3001 iron (temperature control) with various types of tip, and its WTCP 51 power supply, and I have not found a temperature calibration unit to be necessary. This iron has been and is used a lot while building homebrew equipment, most using SMD components, which includes the soldering of the seams of metal enclosures used for shielding. 73, Geoff GM4ESD Walter V. Gilles wrote on Wednesday, April 01, 2009, at 12:06 AM Greetings, I'm going to purchase a solder station, probably one of the popular Weller or Hakko units, with additional tips. Both manufacturers sell accessories to calibrate the stations. Some recommend performing a temp calibration whenever you replace the tip or the iron. All well and good until you see the cost of these calibration (test) units. Would it be prudent to forego the calibrations altogether, and just swap tips as needed, and rely on the initial cal to keep it in the ballpark? I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena. Just wanted to see what folks thought about calibration and if it was worth it. Thanks. 73 Walter, WB2IDK (ex-N0DZJ) ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
Re: Calibrate Solder Station
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In reply to this post by Walter V. Gilles
Walter,
Your instincts are correct: "I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena". Unless you are in a critical manufacturing environment, the precise temperature is meaningless. Turn it up only as high as you need it to melt and flow the solder into the connection. 73, Bob W5OV -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Walter V. Gilles Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 6:06 PM To: [hidden email] Subject: [Elecraft] Calibrate Solder Station Greetings, I'm going to purchase a solder station, probably one of the popular Weller or Hakko units, with additional tips. Both manufacturers sell accessories to calibrate the stations. Some recommend performing a temp calibration whenever you replace the tip or the iron. All well and good until you see the cost of these calibration (test) units. Would it be prudent to forego the calibrations altogether, and just swap tips as needed, and rely on the initial cal to keep it in the ballpark? I'm guessing after getting used to the station, you will have a sense of proper temp for a particular job, and could just tweak the temp setting up or down as needed without really getting into the calibration arena. Just wanted to see what folks thought about calibration and if it was worth it. Thanks. 73 Walter, WB2IDK (ex-N0DZJ) ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Walter V. Gilles
The eutectic temperature of most 40/60 solder is around 750.
One easy test you could do once you get the tip prepped is to turn the unit off and while it is cooling get a glob of solder to jell on it. Then adjust the heat control to the lowest setting and turn it back on. See what temperature setting is required to liquefy the solder you have on the tip. That setting will probably be your safest for heat sensitive devices. I can tell you though, after 13 years in manufacturing and teaching hi-rel soldering, temperature sensitivity of that resolution would have to be for a device that is pretty vulnerable to heat. A number of descrete devices such as FETs have a general suggested time duration for tip contact. Sensitive DIPS like surface mount ICs quite frequently are soldered criss-cross like you'd do for tightening up the head bolts on an engine. Another way of telling if your tip is too hot is by looking at your joints with a magnifier. Solder inspection in manufacturing is typically done under 14 power if I remember right. Get yourself one of those little eye-scopes. You'll want to have one anyway. Your joints should have a shiny look to them. A technician can often tell if someone has been working on a pcb by looking at the joints. If they look dull or soupy looking, that is a sign if contaminated solder, two many times re-heated, or a tip that is just too hot. Joints from a tip not hot enough may look globby. You could spend up to $200 on a surface probe for a DVM. Digi-key sells one that is just a bead type for $10 TP-29-ND I would check to make sure this comes with a conversion chart. Most of them run negative coefficient. Take a small piece of aluminum and drill a hole in it and squeeze some thermal compound into it. Then insert the thermo-resistor bead into it. Then you can touch the solder tip to it and watch it come to temp. Hope that helps. N1BBR dw -- [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
Re: Calibrate Solder Station
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In reply to this post by Don Nelson
Don Nelson wrote:
> > Your question prompted me to try my Raytek Minitemp remote thermometer > on my Weller soldering station. I get some high temperature readings. I > suppose that this kind of thermometer should be sufficient to monitor > the how the soldering station is performing. Why not use a general > purpose remote sensor instead of buying a specialized tool? Assuming this is an IR thermometer, I'm rather surprised that it didn't read extremely low. Conductive sources tend to reflect the IR temperature of their surroundings, rather than their physical temperatures - that's partly why radio astronomy is possible, even though the antenna may be at 30 degrees C - the conduction electrons are cold, even though the atoms are hot. Also, the devices read the average emissions in their field of view, and soldering iron tips are quite small. -- David Woolley "The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio" List Guidelines <http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm> ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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