6AM AEST Saturday Morning Live Stream

Tune in and relax to the soothing sounds of my semi-conscious ranting.
Equipment:
Soldering:
Pace MBT station w/SX100 & PS-90 handpieces
Hakko 474 w/815 handpiece
Hakko 936 w/907 handpiece
Hakko FX-888D w/FX-8801 handpiece
Quick 861DW hot air station
BOFA fume extraction unit
Loctite Multicore solder (C511 / 362)
Test Equipment:
Fluke 11, 175, 177 & 179 handheld DMM's
Tektronix 2236 analog oscilloscope
Rigol DS-1054z digital oscilloscope
BK Precision 4017A sweep / function generator
BWD 160a function generator
HP 6236B triple output DC power supply
Kyoritsu 3132A insulation / continuity tester
Video equipment:
Overhead cam: Panasonic HC-V785 w/Audio Technica AT9946CM mic
Handheld cam: Panasonic DC-G85 w/Olympus M.Zuiko Pro 12-40mm f/2.8
On location cam: Panasonic DC-GH5s w/Panasonic-Leica 9mm f/1.7 & 12-60mm f/2.8
Capture card: Magewell HDMI USB
Editing: Adobe Premiere Elements
Hand Tools:
Wiha, Felo, Stanley screwdrivers
CK & Engineer cutters / pliers
RS Pro wire strippers
Sidchrome & Gear Wrench spanners, sockets & shifters
Veritas planes & chisels
Materials / Consumables:
JJ's / TAD electron valves
Elixir / Ernie Ball / D'Addario / Rotosound strings
Electrolube & DeoxIT cleaners, lubricants & chemicals.

[@sauce_aux]

Alright Brad, I’m going to rearrange my entire production studio while I listen to this, thanks for the stream as always

[@kbkman7742]

Love the old radios. Have a couple of AWA/Beale tallboy radiolas (I also thought that referred to the big ones) and bakelite krieslers around. Wonder what they are worth. The old aussie miniwatt and awv valves sound great in guitar amps when they aren't microphonic. It's cool to find the old stuff with made in Australia printed on it.

[@nigeltrueman5931]

not sure if anyone mentioned it but the 250 is now being replaced with the MBT360 Multi-Channel Soldering and Rework Station w/ TD-200 and SX-100. Parts availability and existing inventory for the MBT250 are expected to last until the end of 2024. All applicable tips and accessories will continue to be supported

[@goodun2974]

I've never seen or heard of a "Goot" piston-type solder sucker before but it looks just like my blue "Soldapult" solder sucker except for the color.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Scaring Michelle: 3:07:25

[@goodun2974]

At 1:34:30 and at 1:37:15, this is the kind of discussion about decent yet affordable soldering/desoldering gear that I was hoping to initiate. However, $800 for a Hakko desoldering station is a bit out of range for most hobbyists and especially for newbies. There are less expensive options for the hobbyist; I will do some research and post details when I get a chance.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

I've heard good things about the Hakko rip-off Atten and Yihua or whatever ones, but I'm not comfortable recommending clones. Remember I only talk in AU$ unless otherwise specified, too. Which makes those prices very reasonable. Good vacuum pump designs are not cheap, but cheap ones fail early, cancelling out any initial savings.

[@goodun2974]

​@@BradsGuitarGarage , When the 1980's Hakko on my workbench failed (parts are not easily available), the boss switched me over to an inexpensive AOYUE (pronounced A-U) dual soldering/desoldering station (model INT701A++ !); I used it every day for 5 years without any major problems. The pencil iron was kinda light duty and I didn't use it very often, but the vacuum pump is a champ, no problems whatsoever. The guns are a little bit cheesy but I came up with a couple of minor mechanical modifications that improved their thermal mass and made them extremely unlikely to clog, and I used a better (Hakko ceramic-wool) filter for the solder collection chamber. The US distributor is SRA Solder Systems in Massachusetts; and the prices are ridiculously low: $200 for the 701 mentioned above, with iron, desolder gun, stand, tips and accessories (a 240VAC unit is about $25 more); or $135 for the 475A++ stand-alone desoldering station with a gun and tip (but no other accessories). Both units use the same desoldering gun ($55 for a spare gun) and tips ($7), and replacement heating elements are $13. I don't know if the vacuum pump is the same on both models, but on the dual unit it worked great. The tips are unusual and usefull as they have a sort of a pipette nozzle (better at getting into a tight spot than the old 1980's Hakko nozzles were) and a long steel tube that passes through the heater into the collection tube. I might order the 475A++ for myself; I could probably even drive up to the distributor and buy one in person! Probably costs about $250 total for the station, a spare gun, some spare tips, and a couple of heating elements; a very attractive price ( some might say "too attractive"). I likely wouldnt even consider it except that I had such good luck with the pump system on the dual station at work ( The older units like I was using had an AC pump-motor and the newer ones purportedly have a DC pump-motor). The sample size was only one, of course, and maybe we just got lucky....... the guns definitely aren't built well enough for serious production but with a little tweaking they worked out surprisingly well for me.

[@goodun2974]

@@BradsGuitarGarage , PS, I was looking at SRA's list of US-made Xuron hand tools; they sell # 573 lead-forming pliers for just $25 (list price is $40). I haven't been able to find a pictorial that shows the bends it can make, but it might be a good affordable alternative to your expensive Piergacono or whatever they're called.

[@Mark70609]

Hi Brad, how is dry July going?

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

G'day Mark. Yeah, no dramas mate. Only a few days left. Been too busy to go out most of the time anyway. But I will enjoy a nice warming single malt on Thurs night.

[@Mark70609]

@@BradsGuitarGarage I would like to do it, maybe next year. It’s great that you did it.

[@Mark70609]

What are your thoughts on your Rigol oscilloscope?

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

They're great, mate. I have a DS-1054Z which is great, but their new one coming out is a game changer, and I'm keen to get one on the bench. It has a HDMI output so I can integrate it in my videos and livestreams while carrying out diagnosis.

[@Mark70609]

@@BradsGuitarGarage thanks, my digital CRO is reading low and it’s so old it’s not worth fixing.