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pagoglia

SolderingStation Selection

I am waiting for my K2/100 to be delivered. In the meantime I am deciding on what soldering station to buy. On the Elecraft web site there is a posting to stay away from soldering irons >40 watts and > 850 degrees.
I am looking at a Weller 50 watt and variable temp from 350 to 850 degrees. It is a model WES51. Is it ok to use this soldering station on the K2/100?

Tnx,

WN2K

Paul
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K2QI

Re: SolderingStation Selection

I bought an Aoyue 937+ digital controlled ESD soldering station. It's
Chinese made and nowhere near as expensive as American brands, but works
well and holds temperature just fine. Many tips to choose from also.

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW

73 de James K2QI

On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 6:33 PM, <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I am waiting for my K2/100 to be delivered. In the meantime I am deciding
> on what soldering station to buy. On the Elecraft web site there is a
> posting to stay away from soldering irons >40 watts and > 850 degrees.
> I am looking at a Weller 50 watt and variable temp from 350 to 850 degrees.
> It is a model WES51. Is it ok to use this soldering station on the K2/100?
>
> Tnx,
>
> WN2K
>
> Paul
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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--
73 de James K2QI
President UNARC/4U1UN
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--... ...-- -.. . .--- .- -- . ...

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

Paul,

Sorry to hear about your confusion. First, a soldering iron is
different from a soldering station in that the former is not temperature
controlled - although the word usage sometimes becomes "garbled" and
some will refer to them interchangeably. The 40 watt limit is there for
those brave souls who want to use a soldering iron to assemble their K2s.

For soldering stations, the temperature range is the important factor.
The extra wattage will allow a smaller tip to be used.
So, yes, that is a good soldering station to use for the K2.

If you are not quite familiar with soldering on boards with thru-plated
holes, please review the soldering tutorial so you can see the
appearance of good and bad solder connections. It is available for
download from the Elecraft website and a printed copy will be included
with your K2 kit. Remember that most builder problems come from
unsoldered or poorly soldered connections and also from poorly tinned
toroid leads.

While Elecraft does not discourage the use of lead-free solder, I do not
recommend it unless absolutely required - it has a higher melting
temperature and does not flow out onto the solder pad nor the component
lead well. My recommendation is for a eutectic solder alloy (63/37)
with a mildly reactive flux - like Kester 285. While Kester 44 is also
suitable, it has a highly reactive flux which will clean better, but
will leave more solder residue and is not necessary for new boards and
components. Save the Kester 44 for antennas and old components that
have developed oxidation on the leads.

A note on the eutectic alloy - that is the alloy with the lowest melting
point, plus it has no plastic state - it goes directly from a liquid to
a solid. The old "bug-a-boo" of cold solder joints (crystallized)
caused by movement as the solder is cooling will disappear with a
eutectic alloy. For lead/tin solder, that magic alloy is 63/37.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 11/6/2010 6:33 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

> I am waiting for my K2/100 to be delivered. In the meantime I am deciding on what soldering station to buy. On the Elecraft web site there is a posting to stay away from soldering irons>40 watts and> 850 degrees.
> I am looking at a Weller 50 watt and variable temp from 350 to 850 degrees. It is a model WES51. Is it ok to use this soldering station on the K2/100?
>
> Tnx,
>
> WN2K
>
> Paul
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
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> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
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AC7AC

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

CONTENTS DELETED

The author has deleted this message.

Iain MacDonnell - N6ML-2

Re: SolderingStation Selection

I'm far from an expert on this topic, but I bought myself a WES51 a
few years ago, having previously only used soldering irons... it was
quite an enlightening experience - I'll never go back!

It seems that the Weller accessories (wide variety of different tips,
replacement sponges, etc) are very readily available (Fry's
electronics around here), but I see the Hakko stuff around a lot too.
I'm sure either would be fine for building a K2.

~Iain / N6ML

On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 11:19 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]> wrote:

> That looks like a good choice, Paul.
>
> The temperature range, heat capacity and tip sizes important characteristics
> IMO.
>
> Knob temperature control like the WES51 is extremely useful. Most soldering
> is done at 750F and if I use some solder wick to remove solder I bump it up
> to 800F to compensate for the heat-sink effect of the wick.
>
> I use a 1.6mm wide chisel tip for 99% of my pc-board work. The narrow edge
> provides a very small "point" for small pads while the wide side works on
> most pads - even fairly large pads such as used to mount BNC connectors on
> the board.
>
> For very tight, small spaces a conical tip is good to have.
>
> I have a HAKKO 936 so I am not personally familiar with the Weller, but good
> heat capacity is important to avoid "temperature droop" or cooling of the
> tip by cleaning or just soldering a large-than-normal pad. The biggest
> danger to your pc boards is "cooking" a trace with the iron for too long.
> That will "debond" it from the board underneath and is caused more often by
> prolonged heat at lower temperatures than by higher heat for short periods.
> I set my temperature and choose the tip so that solder melts within 2 to 3
> seconds after the iron is applied.
>
> Ron AC7AC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> I am waiting for my K2/100 to be delivered. In the meantime I am deciding
> on what soldering station to buy. On the Elecraft web site there is a
> posting to stay away from soldering irons >40 watts and > 850 degrees.
> I am looking at a Weller 50 watt and variable temp from 350 to 850 degrees.
> It is a model WES51. Is it ok to use this soldering station on the K2/100?
>
> Tnx,
>
> WN2K
>
> Paul
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

KW4H

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

I use a Hakko 936 ESD soldering station and absolutely love it. Variable
temp, plenty of tips available.

73,

Steve, KW4H

On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 6:33 PM, <[hidden email]> wrote:

riese-k3djc

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

wow thats a deal,, isit a grounded tip

Bob k3djc

On Sat, 6 Nov 2010 18:48:17 -0400 James Sarte <[hidden email]>
writes:
> I bought an Aoyue 937+ digital controlled ESD soldering station.
> It's
> Chinese made and nowhere near as expensive as American brands, but
> works
> well and holds temperature just fine. Many tips to choose from
> also.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW

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David Fleming-2

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by KW4H

Hi Paul,
I have both the Weller WES51 and Hakko 936 (rhymes with Taco) on my bench. Both are excellent soldering stations. I've had the Weller for many years and bought the Hakko as a backup a few years ago. I usually flip the switch on the Hakko when I have a soldering job to do. The Hakko is hard to beat for the money, heats up fast, recovers quickly. Parts and tips are readily available for both units.
David, W4SMT

--- On Sat, 11/6/10, KW4H <[hidden email]> wrote:On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 6:33 PM, <[hidden email]> wrote:

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Eric Champine

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by KW4H

Hey Paul.
I use the "Aoyue 937+ Digital Soldering Station" and I love it. I have a
review of the soldering station under the name of "mekaone" at Amazon.com. I
have built many kits with it now and I just got done with the Elecraft K1. I
think I paid just under $50.00 bucks for it and it had free shipping from
Amazon. I also went online and purchased extra tips for it. In my opinion it
is going to last me a very long time and I am going to build many kits with
it. I just started to purchase the add-ons for the K2 and building them and
soon I am going to order the K2 and put it all together at one time. That
soldering station was just what I was looking for and much cheeper than the
others. O. I forgot to tell you it is a made in China station the seems to
be a knockoff of the Hakko but that is no problem for me. You can use the
Hakko tips in it but the Aoyue fit best so I just order them. Hope this
helps and good luck with your K2.

73 de W2EEC

Eric
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by riese-k3djc

Bob,

There are grounded tip soldering stations, and then there are isolated
tip soldering stations. Both can be ESD compliant.
One can work on live circuits (with caution) with an isolated tip iron -
with a grounded tip iron, make certain power is off before applying tip.

BTW - the Hakko 936 is a grounded tip soldering station - the Salomon
soldering stations that I have are isolated tip.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 11/6/2010 8:00 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> wow thats a deal,, isit a grounded tip
>
> Bob k3djc
>
> On Sat, 6 Nov 2010 18:48:17 -0400 James Sarte<[hidden email]>
>
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w7go

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

Paul,
I have several including a top of the line Weller.
My number 1 choice is the Hakko 936, just a great piece of equipment.

73,

Tony W7GO

On 11/6/2010 3:33 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

Ken Kopp-3

Re: SolderingStation Selection

A "me too" on the Hakko 936 being the top choice.

73!
Ken Kopp - K0PP
[hidden email]
http://tinyurl.com/7lm3m5

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Dave Quick - KØEKL-2

Re: SolderingStation Selection

In reply to this post by pagoglia

A second vote for the Aoyue 937+. Heats up fast, holds temp well, lots of
tips and accessories available like SMT tweezers.

I got mine from Stan Rubenstein:

http://sra-solder.com/product.php/6145/22/81c982eee53ec3cc8c38a9034136590d

Dave K0EKL

[hidden email]
-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of James Sarte
Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2010 5:48 PM
To: [hidden email]
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] SolderingStation Selection

I bought an Aoyue 937+ digital controlled ESD soldering station. It's
Chinese made and nowhere near as expensive as American brands, but works
well and holds temperature just fine. Many tips to choose from also.

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW

73 de James K2QI

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