nysulli
500+ Head-Fier
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- Jun 9, 2005
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i made my first few IC's with a standard 15 or 25 watt weller from homedepot, you might want to get a smaller tip then their standard wedge though
Originally Posted by kaizer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Id like something better than the crappy old soldering iron that came with an old pc tool "kit" I dont want to spend much over 50 bucks on one.. I keep hearing Weller for a name brand.. Any particular models I should look for? Id like to get it local if possible, but online ordering is fine. |
Originally Posted by AndrewFischer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not my experience. I've got 2 WTCPT stations and a Hakko 936. Both are decent but the WTCPT is more rugged than the 936. Tip life is about the same. I've recently switched to using Plato tips for all 3 irons. So far I like them. Plato has an extended range of tips for both brands. That removes any advantage Hakko had over Weller in the tip department. One big downside to the 936 is that changing tips can change temperature calibration. That doesn't happen on the WTCPT. |
Originally Posted by dinoadventures /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not to threadjack, but I felt it would be better to ask here instead of making a new thread... I'm gonna make a pair of small IC's. I need something that'll help me do the job well, but I don't want to spend a lot of money. I've soldered maybe one thing in my life, so I suck at it and I probably won't use it after this for a long while. There's a Fry's relatively close to me...what do I get? |
Originally Posted by kaizer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Id like something better than the crappy old soldering iron that came with an old pc tool "kit" I dont want to spend much over 50 bucks on one.. I keep hearing Weller for a name brand.. Any particular models I should look for? Id like to get it local if possible, but online ordering is fine. |
Originally Posted by mono /img/forum/go_quote.gif As we'd discussed previuosly, ... |
Originally Posted by AndrewFischer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The CS-1 is a Chinese clone of the Hakko 936. The CS-1 is not as good as the Hakko. Still it is worth considering if you are on a < $50 budget. There is a very long thread on the CS-1 and Hakko clones. |
Originally Posted by mono /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it is made in USA then I appaud their efforts to keep US economy stronger, but I would still wonder if it's actually made in US or just assembled there. |
Originally Posted by duchamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's good to know. The 936 was my second choice and had a feeling that the CS-1 was not really comparable quality wise. The reliability was my only complaint with the CS-1 (I was happy with the design, function, etc.. ) But obviously if it doesn't work at all then these points don't really matter. That being said, I'm very happy with my Circuit Specialists DMM which I bought based on what others on Head-Fi have said about it. |
Originally Posted by mono /img/forum/go_quote.gif These shouldn't be hard to repair, what went wrong with yours? If you still have it, might only be a frayed wire or bad pot or triac, the typical power silicon and mechanical failure points on any device. They aren't terribly complex, given a working multimeter and that the entire thing is low voltage after the transformer, it's reasonably fixable. |