Why every solder station has wrong tip-temperatures and a thermal lag [Pt.2]

[@jasonlandry7178]

Very informative, I got hooked on this series of videos and hope that you get around to showing your solutions. As a non-engineer hobbiest it was very educational.

[@KainkaLabs]

"Getting around" this problem is only possible in software with a mathematical model of the solder iron. Some manufactuerers do this and reach the set-temperature in the shortest possible time without any overshoot. It´s basic control-loop theory applied here, but you have to know the (thermal) parameters of the solder-iron to model it correctly.

[@davadoff]

@@KainkaLabs Metcal & Weller Magnestat do it without software.

[@janeklof2769]

Many thousand thanks for informative videos about solder stations and especially temperature accuracy of the tips. To me it seems that only Weller, JBC and Hakko have the Direct heated tips - they are necessary for a good solder iron - I think.

[@KainkaLabs]

There still is a big difference between different direct heated tips and the speed with which they reach their set-temperature at the tip of the tip. I am working with JBC solder stations for many years now and the speed by which they heat is incredible and soldering with them is really a joy every day. You probably will find this opinion with every single JBC user :-)

[@davadoff]

@@KainkaLabs 23:08 the JBC is the only tip electrically connected to its thermocouple. The thermocouple is not inside the ceramic heating element like in the Hakko. I believe the smallest, innermost contact of the JBC runs the full length of the cartridge and contacts the back of the tip, on the inside. That junction where they meet forms the thermocouple. Cut open a modern cartridge to verify.

[@davadoff]

26:49 I believe the JBC has a larger thermal mass than the Hakko (more copper around the heating element). It heats up quicker because JBC has 2.5 ohm superior engineered heater compared to 8 ohm Hakko. JBC 23v, Hakko 24v I think.

[@david_pilling]

Very good. Clever use of LTSpice. I use the iron thermometer to set the calibration, so there is no constant temperature error. In other words 300C on the iron controller gives a 300C iron because I've set it that way. There is room for improvement when warming up - the iron is not actually at 300C as soon as the controller says it is.