FixHub Power Series Portable Soldering Station Teardown - Repairable and Powerful!

[@haile6471]

You guys should release a battery bank with removeable batteries in it. I have not seen any repair friendly battery bank on the market at all

[@LovelyBurrito-fb5vw]

I mean Power Bank right

[@JogBird]

there are major liability issues imo.. e.g. if you put in a faulty or mismatched cell

[@D3R3bel]

You can find DIY power bank shells that support 18650 or 21700 batteries And pd pps >100w charging

[@D2_Papaya]

I agree, a professionally made non shoddy power bank would be pretty cool, bonus points if it can accept those large versions of rechargeable AA batteries

[@symik3]

I mean i would buy that, unlike this iron.

[@LordPrecision]

Well: i don't think it deserves 10 of 10. Maybe from 7 to 9. Here is why: 1) battery connector is proprietary - you (Ifixit) as a designer could've easily used the XT60 connector - it can take VERY high current and it is very obtainable in a drone parts store. 2) iron tip - you chose tip format similar to the TS80 soldering iron. It uses a 3,5mm jack which is not that reliable for high current. The TS100 connector is far more robust and is actually repairable with just a screwdriver. 3) control encoder - the most likely point of failure - it will be used a lot, and may wear out faster than a battery that will actually live a pretty long life: i don't think that there will be 8 hor soldering sessions each time, but a short sessions where knob will be used to set temperature etc... As about replaceable clip - it's a neat part but not of the main functionality. Replaceable display is a really neat thing: these OLEDs are not so reliable in the long term, but they are dirt-cheap so it's not a problem when there're only a few screws to replace it. Power through a type-c cable is great idea, but the cable seems to be of a proprietary format. If it works wit third party cables then no questions, but if it does not - it is a major downside because the cable is THE MOST likely thing to be broken.

[@goldenstrawberry6861]

and the usb c ports are soldered to the board, not an easy replacement compared to a daughterboard type design

[@ArdiansyahRans]

agreed on the connector, xt60 is cheap and easy to get, for iron tip, isn't it better with c210/c245 tip?

[@jededo3]

Rotary knob should be mount on some small board with connector not direct soldered cable (it looks like prototype)

[@vinny9152]

Although it is very clear that the video presenter said that the rating is his own personal rating of the product, he still comes across as affiliated with iFixit, so there is a significant conflict of interest. He should not have mentioned any rating at all. He should've left the findings to our own interpretation and let the product speak for itself.

[@alin116]

@@vinny9152 This is the iFix it channel and the guy works for iFix it. What did you expect him to say?

[@TheMilanMovies]

As a field mechanic that works in an industrial environment I would love to see a rubber sleeve or a rugged version of this. We currently use soldering irons that work on lighter fluid which isn’t always ideal.

[@iFixitYourself]

TheMilanMovies, this is an excellent suggestion! Would you mind elaborating on what requirements a rugged device would need to meet for your specific work environment beyond drops and scrapes?

[@TheMilanMovies]

@@iFixitYourself sure! Here are a couple of things that come to mind: - Rubber sleeve or casing, which has to be easy to clean (removable would be nice) - Covered charging port against dust and debris - Magnetic strap attachment for mounting to metallic surfaces - Carrying case which has a solution for storing the soldering iron, even when it’s hot To give you an example: I use a multimeter from Fluke on a daily basis (model 117 to be exact). This has both the rubber sleeve/case and a strap attachment with a magnet and are life savers. If you have any further questions, let me know! 😋

[@Dion_P]

This proofs that Right to Repair does not have to be ugly! 💪

[@HardDiskSpeaker]

It's beautiful device! I was using TS101 and USB-PD power bank similar to this device. Only problem was there was not a clean way to safely put it my bag until It cools down. Magnetic heat resistant cap is great idea.

[@georgeh6856]

Yes, but what happens when you need to solder something back onto the circuit board of the soldering iron to make it work again? Kind of like on "Cheers" when they got a new VCR which came with a videotape telling how to hook it up.

[@Zomboy4313]

That’s like watching a KZbin video how to fix the phone you broke, but you’re watching it on the broken phone, just use another device, there’s no real way to stop that

[@MaxPowerElectric]

It's like reading a self-help book on how to be an adult but you're already an adult... Actually, it's not like that at all now that I think about it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[@dreadswizzard9142]

If this is anything like the Pinecil or ts100 you can run it off a standard PD 3.0 charger rated at a compatible wattage. I often run my pinecil off my laptop charger which is 65 watts.

[@georgeh6856]

@@dreadswizzard9142 Thanks for the info. I was making a joke.

[@johnshaw5978]

@@georgeh6856 If you have a portable soldering station but no bench model, get serious. Adults bite the bullet with at least one of each. Or phone a friend!

[@camcassidy4309]

So many of those drivers are gonna get tossed and dug out of the trash after realizing lol

[@joebazooks]

beautiful. prefect example of practicing what you preach. love it.

[@minikretz1]

This proves all the negative comments on the last video were unwarranted. Great works ifixit and thanks for fighting for us!

[@scottrandolph2994]

Well done! Congrats on making such a quality, repairable tool!

[@brewedawakening6577]

Clicked the link and got a price sticker shock!. I have a soldering station for $249, a beast of a soldering station.. But yeah if you want something you can take anywhere, this your answer.

[@UriahStuff]

Awesome design, I have one issue though. What if the battery expands? How would you remove it?

[@StefiStarlite]

I'd argue this would be closer to an 8/10 considering if any of the USB-C ports go bad you're stuck buying a new main board for USD 50. Was the fabrication cost that much more reasonable than implementing modular ports?

[@AndrewPL5]

So what you just said means it’s still 100% repairable…so it makes no sense why you would give an 8. It’s a repairability score, not an affordability score LMAO

[@johnshaw5978]

Learn some basic soldering skills if you wanna repair stuff. It's part of doing repair work. What I object to is glue-filled devices that just render gadgets NON-REPAIRABLE.

[@sansmojo]

​@johnshaw5978 for real, what is with all of the comments complaining about easily replaceable parts? You're buying a soldering iron, ffs. Presumably you know how to solder, or will learn how if you're going to use the thing. The only complaint I could understand is that you'd need another soldering iron, but that's pretty unfair to expect it to be able to solder itself. I have no use for a soldering iron like this and won't be buying it, but these comments are, well, very ironic.

[@unicodefox]

@@sansmojoNot everyone is comfortable de & resoldering tiny SMT USB connectors where it’s all to easy to just rip the traces clean off the board

[@JudgeRightly]

Problem, @johnshaw5978: what if this is the only soldering iron someone owns? They can't very well solder/desolder the very tool they're using while in use...

[@brssnkl]

It's great the see you put the afford into your own products to make them more reparable. I still don't like that the iron doesn't have any controls without the battery pack. It feels close to Airpods only having certain settings on iOS. (Not as bad since can be adjusted on a PC but still not great) Can a third party make a USB-C cable that can control the temperature without a battery pack? Is the Web page or WebSerial the only way? Did you publish the API?

[@dingus-dingus]

The leadless SN100C solder alloy doesn't get enough love. People need to give it a try to see the shiny surface in leadless solder as well.

[@Amarand]

Is the soldering iron tip one piece or was there some additional assembly you could have done here?

[@jacobr7693]

Can u use any 100w power bank/USB-C PD charger with this soldering iron?

[@QsTechService1]

Cool ..what would be awesome include the schematic in the packaging material

[@Senshikaji]

What normally fails on a soldering iron is the element; a very cheap component. Unfortunately in this design it's built into an expensive tip unit. Still a good design but unless the tip unit dismantles I'd only give this a 9 out of 10.......

[@No-mq5lw]

On newer soldering irons, the heating performance and fine temp control is tied to the fact that everything from the tip to heating element are one. Issue here is that the tip here uses a completely different style than the TS100, making replacements more expensive than necessary, if they were available.

[@rzdakira]

What a coincidence! I was in the market for a portable soldering iron

[@williamsanborn9195]

What would have been nice in this video would have been if you said what size torx driver is needed to disassemble the power supply.

[@ejwerme]

It appears that "the one that comes in the box" is an adequate answer. But put it somewhere you can find it again. 🙂

[@cringemaki]

Are you planning on releasing a standard soldering station? You know, like others off-the-shelf? It'd be cool to have one of those made by you, something that DOES NOT require a battery pack.

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

I would love to buy one but the price is outrageous. Especially for Canadians.

[@dalmirnogueira]

How do you adjust the temperature without the power station?

[@No-mq5lw]

Web interface

[@Radiusxe]

Works without battery?

[@shadowking7386]

i was hoping to see this on the teardown table

[@Abhishek_GS]

Great design ❤iFIXIT

[@mitchib1440]

Leading by example! It's a little expensive but it certainly looks like the one I want :)

[@thewavyshopofficial]

i would not get this one there is so meany others that are cheaper and don't use a propriety tip

[@mitchib1440]

@@thewavyshopofficial And trust that my safety is in good hands when I use something from mainland China with badly translated instruction manuals and no customer service? Yeah, hard pass.

[@thewavyshopofficial]

@@mitchib1440 well everything is from there one way or another but like everything do your research I paid only $60 for my iron

[@nimoy007]

​@@mitchib1440 You can get cheap and well built, you just need to look.

[@TheOfficialStal]

@@mitchib1440 It's also made in mainland China. There's nothing inherently safer about this and yes it's a little overpriced for what it is.

[@rfitzgerald2004]

I really want one of these but I don't do soldering often enough to justify the cost at this stage. I'm holding out for hopefully a Black Friday deal? 😉

[@The-four-o-five]

What about board schematics?

[@iFixitYourself]

You'll find documentation here: www.ifixit.com/Device/FixHub_Portable_Soldering_Station

[@SixSilverStones]

Whoever had the idea to make the temp 420 and the battery 69% in the first scene is a genius

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

Explain please.

[@SixSilverStones]

@@Digikidthevoiceofreason They are joke numbers

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

@@SixSilverStones ok. Explain the joke then please.

[@SergeiK-h6q]

What happened when I plug my phone to the USB-C in this unit and turn on all away?

[@iFixitYourself]

It'll charge your phone! :D

[@PaulReitmeier]

love it!!

[@Luzgar]

That's all great, but what about the ethical sourcing of components and the software side of repairability ?

[@Luzgar]

Wouldn't it be even more reparable with less fancy electronics inside ?

[@PreposterousPixel]

What the chips on the board aren’t user serviceable? What am I suppose to do when I spear one of the chips with the iron but manage to keep the board in tact :o

[@YSPACElabs]

Almost all ICs are available as SMD only, and in order to make something like this where it needs to be small and relatively cheap, a PCB is needed. It's still repairable if they list the parts they used, but you need a hot air station and some SMD soldering experience.

[@thereverant5203]

Hey iFixIt, any specific reason why you didn't use plain 18650 cells for the battery but you used a battery pack instead?

[@QuickishFM]

Not 100% sure of ifixits intention here but i've been in this field for a short while. You can't just replace "one" 18650 of a battery pack, well you can but you *shouldn't* . That's because there'll be uneven wear on the batteries if you do, causing unbalanced voltage and current (as I understand it) when discharging and recharging. As current goes through the batteries to charge them, some will charge more than others if they aren't all evenly used. While BMS's usually take care of unbalanced cells, they do this by discharging the higher ones down and that causes heat, and will do every time you charge it. Using it also means that the same current going through will wear down an older, degraded cell faster than the newer ones - causing more wear. I'm not 100% sure but I think this causes a feedback loop and makes the batteries worse here. The idea is that for batteries in both parallel and series configurations (i'm pretty sure iFixit is using 3S2P here) is that they should be all from the same batch. I think shrink wrapping them is a good idea because it means you can't accidentally lose track which ones you replaced. Also makes it easier to handle. So yeah I don't necessarily blame them for this choice, but I think there's a bigger issue here which is the choice of connector. You can easily buy batteries of pretty much any configuration (1S3P, 3S1P, 2S3P, etc etc) with XT60/DC5525 connectors, or flying leads that you can attach an XT60/DC5525 or any other connector to. Then they'll all be from the same batch AND you don't have to go through iFixit to replace the batteries. This is more than just finding a cheaper alternative; there may be a time that iFixit will stop selling the batteries altogether. (Also as I understand, it's rare for just one 18650 to go bad in a pack, for exactly the same reason - unless there's a factory defect, all batteries in the pack will be evenly used. So there won't be a need to replace just one anyway)

[@manny655321]

I rarely solder but I am gonna buy one of these just because I think the design is a work of art

[@chrisberdin]

of course 10 out of 10 😄

[@_LLiinn]

its even got a headphone jack!

I didn't expect this from you guys at all. How can you give it a 10/10 repairability score with soldered-on USB-C ports? This is such a bummer. They're inevitably going to become faulty after normal wear and tear, and you didn't make them modular or into daugher board so they could be easily swapped out? This seems so weird coming from you guys...

[@iFixitYourself]

Hi NickMaga! We didn't give it a 10/10, it was said in jest! If you listen again, we also said how we're not able to score the device for a number of reasons. You're absolutely right about the USB-C ports though. This is valuable feedback for our engineers, thank you!

@@iFixitYourself yes, i was wrong saying you stated that it was a 10/10, but at the same time it seems a little cheesy to keep that in the video, even tho it was a personal opinion. Thanks for the answer! Love your mission guys

[@米齁凜]

Damn, those easily removable clips and without the use of GLUES are really something that some company have to learn from

[@Adri_BlackBeast]

10 out of 10 when you scratch the housing when removing the support? A little humility is missing here...

[@iFixitYourself]

The 10/10 was meant tongue in cheek! We even mentioned in the video that we're not able to score the device for various reasons, not least because it would be meaningless to score our own product. As for the scratch, this would be far easier to understand if viewers thought about the challenges of filming. In that shot, that was the third attempt at removing the bracket while facing away from the power station and trying to situate the shot while looking at a monitor. It is by no means a comfortable angle to perform that operation but it's something that happens often while filming. The result was that there was a slip and we scratched the housing. With that minor scratch, we had two options: 1. Carry on filming. The point that it is removable gets across and obviously more care should be taken not to scrape metal against finish. 2. We could pull a unit from our very limited stock forcing an unlucky customer to have to wait even longer for their pre-order. We felt the former was the lesser evil. We are extremely proud of our team and the years of development they put into this device. From schematics, to replacement parts, to a functionally unique device that we love using, we're proud of what we made and, more importantly, how we made it.

[@ShowXTech]

Still wondering how much cheaper the station could be if wouldn't have a battery

[@sansmojo]

Put down the Ts and back away slowly. Don't you think you've hurt them enough already?

[@ranjitmandal1612]

Very good 7/10

[@EnnTomi1]

would love to support you guys, but i am not 300$ dollars ready to support you guys. man why, there is nothing innovate there, pinecil has been out for years, and so is power bank, why combine them makes it 300$??

[@staple132]

Was actually hoping I could grab it for around 100$, but the 250 just forced me to immediately close my browser tab. 😒

[@EnnTomi1]

@@staple132 its almost 500$AUD, like wtf, a good powerbank + a PD soldering iron wont even cost more than 100$. this is just crazy

[@nimoy007]

I saw the release of this soldering station, and immediately thought of the Pinecil, and it just so happened that the 100W out battery bank I had my eye on went on a major sale... so I bought the Pinecil and battery bank! Thanks, ifixit!

[@vinny9152]

It's the classic "slap our sticker on it" move by a business. It's just repairable enough to maintain their repairability ethos while giving themselves a pat on the back and a gold star. iFixit is a business, not a non-profit, not a not-for-profit, and certainly not a charity. They want to make money and preferably from your wallet...

[@Digikidthevoiceofreason]

Agreed. It’s way too expensive.

[@beybarro]

Couldn't the knob resistor be connected with a connector instead of direct soldering onto the little PCB? If it fails, will you sold the knob and cables separately, then need a soldering iron to... Repair the soldering iron? XD Or will it be sold with the tiny PCB and you'll have to swap the screen?

[@QuickishFM]

was probably a cost saving measure for them not to use a connector. Though it's not like a USB port, and it's not a thick board, desoldering and resoldering the wires on the PCB (that connect to the knob thingy) is probably one of the easier repairs that involve soldering. Though it's a bit ironic that you can't repair that because you won't be able to use the iron to actually fix it xD Would be great if the iron could be powered using USB PD and sets itself to some de-facto temperature like 340C, so it can still be useful enough in a pinch if you don't have the soldering station.

[@somarpr]

A Shame that cannot be shipped to my location, there should be a safe way to ship anywhere by a safety oriented shipping company.

[@RetroJack]

I think I'll stick to my Pinecil and a battery bank.

[@goldenstrawberry6861]

the first electronic device you've made? didnt yall make a power brick? or was that just a white label thing?

[@cooper1095]

i also remember the time they made a flash light but that was years ago

[@No-mq5lw]

10/10 repairability with proprietary tips and proprietary cable? And you can't change the temp with the iron separate from the base unit without an entire web interface?

[@Iridium_Pixel]

I call it repairable.

[@137cloud]

Someone somewhere is already copying this.

[@enginoral2133]

Bravoo🎉

[@thinkseal]

9.5/10 the USB-C ports were not modular

[@tizod]

I agree with many comments below, but with this price you should include some desolder devices in the kit. For me, desolder is harder than soldering so I can hack alot of solder methods. But desolder without damage is real artwork.

[@Pumpkinwaffle]

A solid effort in the right direction, but as anything repairable it can always be improved. A daughterboard for affordable replacement of the USB C ports would have been nice. My opinion regarding the product itself: I would have been sold if the iron wasn't dependent on the power supply to set its temperature. Would have doubled as nice external battery with replaceable power cells, instead of throwing away the housing and PCB. You end up with a less versatile iron, and power bank that isn't really one. I think this could have been two solid separate products, as it stands they feel forced together.

[@alejandroalzatesanchez]

Look apple no glue!

[@mahdyfouad]

i fix it 10/10 with love

[@SalzmanSoftware]

The dealbreaker for me is that it doesn’t come with a wall power adapter in the box, only a cable. :(

[@d-zone]

It'd be 10/10 if it didn't have a proprietary connector and "battery pack" also, if the individual parts weren't so expensive compared to the (high) price of the actuall device.

[@AlexeyShulga]

Battery is replacable, but proprietary. Why not using stack of standard cells? Also why mixing torx and philips?

[@zyou2618]

USB C ports are soldered would be hard to replace the part that used all the time because of the bending and pulling the cord

[@kingech_B15]

The cable should have been braided.

[@jakubblo]

Hi

[@Ktmzqw]

Hello.

[@PreposterousPixel]

O/

[@BrokenLaptop_]

hello

[@theacer7864]

Eyyyy

[@Crawick]

Welcome

[@uuuuuusssseeerrrrrrr]

soldered on usbc port not very repairable

[@lucaciprian8923]

10/10, seriously? Unusual connector for the soldering tip, torx screws to access another proprietary connector on the battery pack and USB C connectors soldered on the motherboard that are not easy to replace. At least design things based on the criticisms you have always made to the big manufacturers... not to mention that for $250 there's no power charger nor power cable.

[@Maulana_rhodes]

Is this guy indian

[@Bogomil76]

10 out of 10? No crank it up to 11

[@Deathscythe91]

yeah thats wayyyyy to overpriced for a solder iron..... can get high quality solder iron for like 50-100$ very very very few are going to waste 250 on this

[@RowingFrontal5]

The soldering iron is priced at 80 USD

[@No-mq5lw]

​@@RowingFrontal5 But it's functionally unusable without the base station. You can only change temp with the base station or a web interface.

[@RowingFrontal5]

@@No-mq5lw that doesn’t mean it’s functionally unusable?

[@No-mq5lw]

@@RowingFrontal5 I cannot express in words how inconvenient using a web interface to change the temp is, but that one anti feature alone is not very subtly nudging you towards buying the full set.

[@RowingFrontal5]

@@No-mq5lwok well there’s a clear difference than being annoying for you and not being a functioning product lmao

[@Emth_]

why are the screws to open the unit torx, whilst the rest of them are philips? not worthy of a 10/10 just because of that

[@raikyoto2778]

Tampering proof, harder for kids to get into. Anything really can open a Phillips but much harder to open a Torx. Torx lasts longer as well, so opening and closing the structure should last longer. Philips is cheaper and more worldwide so could be a cost effective measure depending on the volume of units made.

[@Emth_]

@@raikyoto2778 "tamper proof" is literally anti repair. if youre worried about your kids messing with it, put it on a high shelf. this product has more than enough margins to spend a little bit on making sure all the screws are good ones.

[@mitchc2531]

my guess would be compliance requirements from a regulatory institution.

[@Emth_]

@@mitchc2531 maybe the torx to make it less easy for children to tinker and find their way in, but then why arent all the screws torx?

[@realavx]

$300

[@Airbrushkid]

$300.00

[@stargasior]

The full kit is $300, but the iron itself sells for $250. Still pricy, though.

[@mitchc2531]

$300 is full soldering toolkit with accessories. $250 for Iron and power station. $79.95 for just the iron

[@RowingFrontal5]

@@stargasiorthe iron itself is 80 USD

[@stevekay6895]

BLM propaganda in the instruction manual...Classy.

[@aliabdallah102]

Rigged review

[@duckgoose6234]

You just lost me. You should leave politics out of your show

[@cezariusus7595]

They want to "fix" society 😂

[@Neojhun]

Not relevant to this video.

[@RowingFrontal5]

Wut

[@QuickishFM]

what politics? did i miss something?

[@Werdna12345]

That screwdriver 🪛 is going to be thrown away accidentally so many times. Needs to be in a more visible spot or have a tab that pokes up say pull me.

[@mitchc2531]

In the video there was a card in the box that said it was there