Julian's Postbag: #84 - Kits and USB Modular Lights

[@dsmiffyrc]

I have been using the usb soldering iron in my field kit for some time now and I am very impressed with its performance. The 25 sec shutdown is great for preserving the power in your bank.

[@joshuabest100]

havent even watched the video yet and already know its going to be good

[@joshuabest100]

and first muahaha

[@Anvilshock]

And replying to yourself. Woohoo.

[@73moreno]

RC MAD .

[@alaskanhybridgaming]

Reported for spam. Mwahahaha.

[@anthonyrumball2374]

RC MAD

[@_who_cares_1123]

I'm allways happy when you upload a video :D

[@JerryEricsson]

Greetings and salutations from the very windy Mohave Desert in Arizona! I purchased one of those soldering irons the exact model, and I loved it for a long time, of course I am not set up like you with a nice desk to work at, I spend most of my days in a recliner, and therein lay the problem I ran into with that unit. You see, I used to leave it plugged into a very large multi-USB power deal on the floor, and just plug in the cord when I wanted to use it. This worked great for a few months, till one day the tip fell down into the works of the recliner, and shorted out against the steel parts of the chair. I could smell something very hot, and began feeling around, when I hit the cord, (couldn't see the end yet) it melted right into my finger. Man I have been burned by exhaust pipes of generators that have been running in the desert for days on end, and it was not as hot as that blasted wire! This happened over six months ago and I still have the burn scar on my fingers!. Yes, the iron still works, but she has been retired in favor of a nice little blue 110 volt with adjustable heat that I picked up from a chip china sales place. The USB iron is in my kit and if I need to just solder one or two connections she comes out, but I am much more careful with that exposed 5 volt plug, and it was a bad way to learn that my huge USB Power unit is not fused at all, it is still pumping out 5 volts on six USB ports charging all my USB device atop the TV stand here in our Class A Motor Home parked in Golden Shores Arizona.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Many good old bigclive item in this edition.

[@AdamWelchUK]

I took delivery of that USB soldering iron today. Haven't had chance to try it yet but I think it might have it's uses. Cheers for another interesting post bag.

[@codebeat4192]

I got two of these soldering irons, they are pretty good however, one starts to malfunction. Iron led stays on all the time and doesn't heat up or stays on all of the time and can damage/wear out the tip very quickly or cause corrosion around the tip connector (because of heat). Also figure out that the tip can get too hot (burns your solder). I fix this one by removing the circuit (keep the led) and connects the tip to usb directly and works great! I think this is actually better and never gets too hot. You can use the stereo plug as switch by pulling it out with your thumb (just one 'click' so it is still locked in the socket) to turn it off. Put it back to turn it on again. I think that's the idea of the stereo jack connector, you can use it as a switch and it avoids your cable can be twisted and also it is easy to replace. Neat. Tip: Buy some extra tips as backup, if you use it frequently like I do.

[@pfeerick]

lol... love the lighting fixture... and nice to see you finally got one of these variable usb loads... they work very nicely indeed... and the thumbscrew on the pot is a nice touch (no fiddly screwdriver thingy needed)! ;)

[@Phantom0309]

wonderfully camp as always, love the USB light sticks

[@lfpi07]

Love these Postbag videos!

[@tracyguilbeau]

17:58 Not medusa, 'it's the flying spaghetti monster. I have been illuminated by his noodly appendages.

[@TheDutyPaid]

For any bench soldering a temperature controlled high wattage soldering station is a must.

[@danielb7390]

I have one of those USB iron. It's very nice to do small stuff without getting the big one out of the closet!

[@AndrewGillard]

Word of warning for those USB soldering irons (though they really are handy for portable use, and are surprisingly effective) - the tip will get to over 700°C because it's a small tip with no temperature regulation and a fair bit of power going into it. That's fine for soldering random wires, resistors, and probably through-hole ICs as long as you don't leave the iron on the leads for ages, but that sort of temperature will quickly fry surface mount ICs so you have to be very careful with them. I have one of the soldering iron tip thermometers that Big Clive has; when I used it to measure a USB soldering iron, it quickly flew right past its 600°C upper limit :)

[@ZillionPrey]

Andrew Gillard never happend to me, using it as my main soldering iron

[@AndrewGillard]

DerpyDoom Then you've either been lucky or careful - or not doing stuff with sensitive surface-mount chips. Big Clive verified what I said about the temperature of these irons, and there's no getting away from the fact that that temperature level is just bad news if you aren't careful with it. But like I say, I still like these irons - they just have to be used with that knowledge in mind.

[@GadgetAddict]

I've got a couple of those USB soldering irons. They're impressive but honestly not that practical because they're so temperamental when running from powerbanks, especially if you try to run the iron for a long time. I love the spider light creation you've made lol

[@FishKungfu]

Cool stuff! That Medusa light sculpture was kind of cyberpunk.

[@gezatoth711]

Hello Julian. Can you measure the output voltage for the two SOT89 linear regulator at 13:00 when a 5v power bank connected?

[@Terrorist939]

I'm so going to get that soldering iron. That can come really handy when I'm out of the city in the middle of nowhere and something such as the Alternator on my car breaks down.

[@Laziter73]

Big Clive tested the soldering iron some time back. He was so impressed by it, that I ordered one. I'm quite happy with it, it's great for SMD soldering. Only downside is that new tips are hard to come by and they cost as much as the entire thing itself.

[@maicod]

better get a few complete irons as a spare then :)

[@MaxintRD]

@Julian: [pauzed watching] it's not a screw-on cap! Just pull harder! The ceramic heating element is very brittle. Without the screw the tip will wobble and you may quite soon have destroyed the iron. Trust me, been there, done that... (and then bought a new one because actually it is a handy little device). [continued viewing] Ah, luckily you already discovered that yourself... :-) Btw. the copper shavings I bought stick to a magnet. Seems like its not solid copper and perhaps the sharpness makes it easy to damage any iron-tip coating. #Medusa: +1

[@fuzzyBSc]

Maxint R&D Yup. I did the same with my first USB iron. it took me ages to figure out why it wasn't working. Mine wouldn't go at all without the ring.

[@chartle1]

I've been sort of looking at doing the same thing. I have a bunch of those little USB lights but what you need is a usb extension thats like on a flex thingie like those USB fans.

[@LemoUtan]

Great - the no nonsense knife is back.

[@robertcartier5088]

To prevent accidental powering up when you bump the touch switch, find a suitably large non-conductive washer or nut and glue it around the metal touch point... Then, only a deliberate action will turn on the iron. (Don't have a jar of nuts and bolts handy? A raised ring around the touch button can be fabricated from pretty much any non-conductive material. A thin piece of zip tie on its side, arranged in a ring + Krazy Glue. Done!)

[@atbglenn]

Julian, just for your information I have the same USB load tester. The transistor attached to the heatsink has no heatsink compound on it. I added some and now the transistor runs much cooler. I'm not the only one who noticed this.

[@verargertesspielen4629]

Best thumbnail I've ever seen!

[@bluedeath996]

I really like my Seeed mini iron. I know it's not exactly an eBay cheapy, but I think the power it delivers, along with the high quality replaceable tips makes it worth it.

[@NoName-bt3oy]

So are there some kit build vids coming? Have been a little quiet lately.

[@makimcleary393]

I recently bought the same soldering iron but mine gets so hot it glows red. And it also has a shock sensor to turn it on when you pick it up. Maybe yours is less sensitive. Very interesting product and really useful indeed.

[@heartlessalice5801]

There are cicada in the south of France (witch is a really hot region ) and yes they are really noisy, but it's a lovely noise :)

[@lanceemil3208]

Fun stuff, buddy - thanks for the reviews!

[@fibrodad1354]

thanx, just ordered 20 usb night lights and some IS kits. and 4 usb soldering irions for the car and caravan lol....

[@MrBrymstond]

I think the plastic handle sits on the stand or it will heat the stand instead of getting up to temp.

[@maicod]

It also switches on by rocking it a bit but I disabled both and added a power switch in the wire

[@majdinj]

@Julian Ilett I was thinking to buy the same USB soldering iron. From quick calculation, It seems a 6W soldering iron, not bad for small soldering job that needs to be done away from electricity socket (by using USB power bank). For the tip problem not taking the solder, try some tip refresher or sal ammoniac brick.

[@JulianIlett]

See my latest video for my thoughts on the USB soldering iron - it's far from perfect.

[@majdinj]

Oh really thanks. I really appreciate it ^_^

[@AndrewGillard]

majdinj As a portable iron, it's really pretty good. Given the alternatives, I'd choose my USB iron over anything else *when away from my bench/desk*. At my desk I'll always use my proper "cheap Chinese" soldering station, with a proper temperature-controlled tip, reasonable-quality tips, and tips with a reasonable thermal mass. But the portable options are limited and tend to be pretty awful, so this one is quite nice by comparison ;)

[@AndrewGillard]

simontay1984 It's only 8W, but the tip has a very low thermal mass so it'll heat up to a very high temperature (700°C!) very quickly despite that lack of power, but it'll then lose that heat as soon as you touch it to anything. It'll never compare to proper bench irons, but it's among the better options for portable irons.

[@james10739]

You are a mad man Julian

[@reggiebacci]

TIP122 is a darlington pair. I love them. Base current internally limited. They're quite good if you wanna switch high(ish) currents from a micro-controller or whatever and dont wanna spring for a MOSFET. Ten-a-penny by comparison. Last time i looked you could get half a truck-load on ebay for a quid.

[@paranoiia8]

Any chance to see/hear that cikada module? It would be cool to check if its good because I really would get one of it would sound nice

[@HDThorUs]

Such a beauty in the end ;)

[@ZillionPrey]

I also have the usb soldering iron which is my main soldering iron. Works quite good!

[@FrazerSmithsChannel]

Hurrah! the return of the box-cutter

[@superriff]

LEDusa looks wicked

[@kamil004]

Julian i have this soldering iron USB, good stuff but i removed time switch because this is very annoying, and connect heater wires directly to USB (without mosfet inside). Works perfectly with 6-7V and about ~1.5 - 2A. for big wires/pads soldering.

[@danielthechskid]

A word of warning on the flexible USB light, they overheat. I have one plugged in to the front USB port of my cable set-top box as a night light and the plastic diffuser discolored yellow from the heat.

[@JulianIlett]

Yeah, they do get quite hot

[@martinhoward9812]

Hi Julian, you could get a pack of 3 soldering tips from Maplin, don't know if they still do them. cheers

[@jfghvljgvktgvlkhvgyv]

Can you test if the electronic load has feedback to maintain a constant current over a changing input voltage? I don't see why it would drop out at 3.7 V, surely it would make it down to 3 V if it really is a battery tester.

[@maxximumb]

It looks like your Medusa Modular USB Lighting System(TM) needs the addition of Dynamic Modular Lighting Supports(TM), well a couple of strategically placed elastic bands.

[@JulianIlett]

+Maxx B yeah, it is a bit wobbly :)

[@JerryEricsson]

Been looking at one of those load testers myself since I saw Big Clive play with one on his channel.

[@andrewwatts1997]

" yeah, so that's my nice, clean tip " Oh Jullian ;)

[@Durrdalus]

I mostly mess with small stuff(LED's, arduino, ...) so the usb iron has become my primary iron, hot glued stuff on a power bank to make a portable soldering station. The only annoying thing is that if the jack comes out less than a millimeter it gets disconnected from power. Spare tips (all same shape) are buck-ish but after 10 months of use I haven't need to change it yet!

[@MobiusHorizons]

(just a guess) The jack for the iron is probably stereo to provide a ground that connects to the usb plug housing in addition to the ground for power. This way it can ground the tip. I guess a simple continuity test would tell. I'd love to know if you do the test.

[@tad2021]

The lamp looks like something from IKEA. Should call it the Mëdüsøs

[@iceberg789]

Cicada songs are very effective in inducing a good night's sleep.

[@Anvilshock]

Enjoy Japanese summer nights much?

[@iceberg789]

lol.

[@kose2ik]

This USB 15W Discharge TIP122 is reused part ? What mean "MAR 608" ? (first is year 1996, 1986, ....? )

[@ShaneMatthews27]

The reason the soldering iron has that button like that is so you can keep your finger on it while you're working and then remove it when you're done.

[@rescuebox7]

What does Medusa draw?

[@williamsquires3070]

Sadly, that last bit reminds me of the public service commercials on TV that warned people not to plug too many devices into a single outlet, or it would smoke and catch fire.

[@kardeef33317]

Bigclive did the usb soldering iron,the nut holds tge tip on and the clear plastic cap pulls off.

[@magnets1000]

I've had one of those USB irons since big Clive did his video. they are OK for small components but my element wore out after about 10 uses, now it draws 700ma and can hardly flow solder. still waiting for my replacement tip (£1.20)

[@shiladityaray3137]

What happens with all of those bubble wrap??

[@frostfirei]

The load, with the fan, is the one I bought.

[@zeelog]

Like the Medusa - will make a geeky worklamp !

[@smileypete4625]

A trace of plumbers flux like Frys Powerflow will make solder fairly leap onto most things. Must wipe it off asap as it's corrosive but a one off shouldn't hurt. Good for hard to solder stuff like batt contact springs, best use with an old eroded bit to avoid eating away a decent one :/

[@andymouse]

the hole in the sponge is for those little pots for tinning but they aint cheap

[@maicod]

now your neighbours can enjoy you singing on their FM radio ;-)

[@varunvrao123]

Hey Julian, I was wondering if it is safe to buy stuff from the icstation website. great video keep up the great work

[@STRATOS13PAO]

would like to see a battery bank showdown with features like variable output voltage if you would be into that, i wanna buy a battery bank with such feature but idk what to buy and if it they will be any good, awesome postbag episode btw, really like the ones with lots of stuff

[@MDM20000]

When the chip said tip I died😂 after him saying tip before like twenty times

[@attpureownpk]

also get this stuff "tip tinner R & R Lotion" it is magic and makes tips last pretty much forever.

[@EyesOnReality]

Nice USB soldering iron. Hope to see you using it in future videos and do let us know how well it holds up over time. BTW, you'll drive yourself crazy with the loose the iron tip cleaning scouring pad flopping around loose where you may like better if you put in a larger or second such Scouring pad in to firm it up, protruding out the holder hole. Wow, with 84 and counting post bags, you'll soon need a warehouse to store it all in. Haahaa.

[@GreenAppelPie]

Get a tin of tinning paste, works awesome.

[@stevesm2010]

Tinning Paste? You mean Flux?

[@cebruthius]

cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/000/168/medium800/manufacturing_paste.jpg?1396760920

[@stevesm2010]

Oh! Solder Paste, I see. Thanks.

[@PhattyMo]

Not sure if tip tinner is the same as solder paste...I seem to recall that tinner contains Sal-ammoniac (ammonium chloride). www.amazon.com/WELLER-0051303199-SOLDERING-TINNER-ACTIVATOR/dp/B005T9CVN6

[@pietzeekoe]

That's pretty effective marketing from ICStation. seems like a nice site to get some inspiration for a project.

[@imaginarymask]

its like an led chandelier! very cool

[@fallstar3183]

I bought that usb hub for a project, opened it up to find that the usb 3.0 pads were not connected :/

[@jjlange91]

A little bit of research suggests that the M5350B device may be a JC5350 5V linear regulator. (file.yizimg.com/4677/2016923-113131470.pdf)

[@1st_ProCactus]

Would it be best to tin the tip with lead free ? edit: I should watch the entire video before commenting on anything :\

[@jcm4377]

As a word of advise you better put back the threaded metal cap that stayed inside the plastic tip protector and remove the same by forcing it up. otherwise your new and excellent soldering iron may not work.

[@robfenwitch7403]

'suite' seems to mean kit in Chinese listings...

[@reeseyme9613]

i got exactly the same usb soldering iron from banggoods. funny how they advertised it by connecting it to a single laptop usb, laptop usb typically give out 500mA. i was scratching my head, then i notice the package printed like 7 or 8W.

[@MrPhil6697]

the threaded part in the cap stays on the iron as it holds in the element! !

[@mrb632]

Really like the USB hub.

[@maletil]

Yep, we have cicadas on summer at Spain They're so noisy.

[@weirdscix]

Strangely enough I ordered one of those USB variable load testers after seeing one in a video of Clives

[@eindeend]

Did the exact same thin, these videos are the best advertisments there are

[@GadgetReviewVideos]

You don't need to be in the hot countries for that cicada, most states in the US on the east cost will have them. I have them every summer on Ohio, and had them in Pennsylvania in the burbs north of Philadelphia growing up.

[@SidneyCritic]

With that many kits we will expect a vid/day - yay, 321 more vids this year -. That USB iron warm up time is brilliant, shame about the tip. How many amps for Medusa.

[@tonysansom]

Medusa is cool. Looks like something H. R. Geiger dreamt up.

[@elesjuan]

Ugh. Who in God's name would want to build a device to emulate the sound of a cicada?! If there was one creature I wish we could eradicate from the planet, it's the cicada! I live in the US Midwest and those things during the summer / fall... There's BILLIONS OF THEM! The migraine you get from those things is mind numbing!

[@michaelhawthorne8696]

Isn't numbing your mind a cure for migraine? lol

[@xerejuneseve6333]

18:00 an alien probe.

[@tracyguilbeau]

Reading that made me pucker my butt hole.

[@kg2nc]

I was thinking the same thing about the ugly solder job.

[@guyh3403]

Why did I even try to scroll the page you were viewing? tsk tsk tsk Silly me...

[@dirk4926]

I have a similar though smaller modular led light like Medusa

[@8bits59]

"that turny knob thing."

[@kirkb4989]

Julian- STAB the wire sponge several times, don't wipe it.

[@dustinsmith8341]

It kind of blows my mind when people mention they dont have certain kinds of bugs in their area. We have multiple kinds of cicada around here. We have some that come out every year and some that come out once every 13 years(not a typo). It's kind of like fireflies. If you've never seen a firefly before and you visit somewhere that has them its a huge WTF moment.

[@JulianIlett]

Just slugs and snails here - they like the rain.

[@szabolcsmate5254]

That USB 3.0 is probably 2.0 only. I bought one, wouldn't do 3.0, took it apart and turned out the 3.0 specific contacts were not even wired. :(

[@spikeydapikey1483]

Medusa rocks!

[@Popart-xh2fd]

16:29 I have one of those, it broke my WD Live media player... So don't connect it to any USB socket!

[@humaxf1]

Do you have a link for the flexible LED please? Thanks

[@JulianIlett]

I've just updated the description :)

[@humaxf1]

Julian Ilett thanks :)

[@DogWifHatBoy]

I like your voice!

[@douro20]

They sell those flexible LED lights for $1 each where I live...

[@andymouse]

medusa! hell bud great idea