Prototype: TS80 USB-C soldering iron - A TS100 Successor?

TS80P: www.banggood.c...
Electric Screwdriver: www.banggood.c...
60W USB PD Power Bank www.banggood.c...
Banana ruler: / 981924976650407936
Power Patreon: / marcoreps
New station: www.welectron....
e-Design have sent me their latest development: A TS80 prototype! The name suggests a step back in size, power, price?? but how does it actually perform? I am taking it apart and putting it through its 'paces' to find out why in the world they decided to make it USB-powered.

[@KingJellyfishII]

The bit about the headphone jack was, well, absolutely hilarious.

[@kingmekrillinme4831]

^^^ yussss ^^^^

[@KingJellyfishII]

@Jerre Bruins wow that's cool haha

[@randymcmillan3382]

Hilarious

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

I couldn't possibly Liszt all of the things I love about this video

[@donh01965]

clever!

[@cls9474]

do you already have it on your chopin liszt :)

[@Jeff-Russ]

I can't Hendel this right now.

[@iwantitpaintedblack]

a German Electronics version of AvE and ThisOldTony channels

[@tunahankaratay1523]

Yeah, I'm sure Mendel's sohn will like that too!

[@loteknomad5032]

Informative and highly entertaining as always. :) Your blend of humor and attention to detail are delightful. Thank you for your ongoing work in creating these videos!

[@henryatkinson1479]

I knew I would enjoy this from the moment I saw the use of a saw to open the box.

[@floorpizza8074]

Yet again another fantastic video, Marco, thank you. I just love your channel. Anxiously awaiting the release of the TS80!

[@MrPDawes]

Perfect, yet another great video with a nice mix of humor and technical commentary.

[@alcurrie7620]

Never have I seen a product review of such quality. You Crack me up. Your energy is infections.

[@XavierBergeron]

I barely have any knowledge when it comes to electronics (but I do have a lot of interest) and your channel quickly became one of my top 5 favourites. Good humor, good editing, cool projects and projects. You have it all!

[@BrunoPOWEEER]

Where so you get these ideas from? Your videos are always super informative and hilarious mate hahahahaha you crack me up!! I have the TS100, can’t wait to get my hands on the TS80 (TS200) loved the improvements ohhhh yeaaahhh =]

[@TheZombieSaints]

I've only just found your channel, cant believe i hadn't found it sooner! Love the humour as well as the content. keep em coming :)

[@UnexpectedMaker]

I've been on the fence about the TS100 for ages... never enough compelling reasons to buy, but the TS80 tips me over the fence completely... I can't wait for it to ship so I can get one! Thanks for the great review.

[@KS1776]

I saw your teaser comment on ave so happy to see the vid!

[@jeffescortlx]

Anyone else waiting for this same manufacturer to make one with a traditional bench cradle/holder with a nice silicone flexible wire and integrated power supply?

[@acoustic61]

I've been saying that since the TS100 craze started. A bench model should have been the next product. One that heats as fast as JBC but costs less than $100 US.

[@streaky81]

Nope, USB powered hot air ;) Seriously though these guys always do something a bit *weird* - to make a bench top soldering iron they'd have to get their stuff together a bit. Less weirdness and yes.

[@jeffescortlx]

Yep they could build a version to compete with a hakko FX-951 but it would have a cool display and open software while costing 1/3. I could totally see myself putting aside my Hakko and Weller station if these guys would just make a bench top model.

[@streaky81]

There's definitely a market for competition with the big boys who have got very lazy. If anybody can do it it's these chaps, I'd just like to see them make a few more devices and sort out their processes before trying to do something a bit more serious. Solder sucker would be nice, just saying.

[@acoustic61]

jeffescortlx which irons do you have now? I have Weller EC1002. But it's slow, only 40 Watts and over 20 years old. I also have a new in box FX-888D I bought on sale last year. But may sell it and get the new Pace ADS200. I want quicker thermal recovery cartridge tips. BTW TS100 tips are like $10 and up. TS80 tips will probably cost more. Most Pace tips are $11-13.

[@BergRD]

Production value is superb! Each video getting better and better.. Thanks again Marco!

[@reps]

Thank you!

[@proluxelectronics7419]

My Stupid dog only finds Tantalum's....

[@brk932]

pre-exploded ones?!

[@web1bastler]

Still better than the ChongX's my cats keep digging up

[@Darieee]

Man this is the coolest comment thread!

[@spitefulwar]

@@web1bastler all my antfarm manages to dig up are shot SMD resistors... :(

[@edwinpap1516]

@@spitefulwar wanna trade for my antfarm, I only get carbon film resistors

[@SchizoidPersonoid]

"I prefer the shortest finger to tip distance" I'm always burning myself because I want to grab lower than I'm supposed to.

[@Couchmaster888]

Thank you so much for both the excellent review AND the humor!

[@iosonogerva1989]

They could have used USB-C power delivery part of the USB standard instead of the proprietary Qualcomm QuickCharge. You can get USB-PD 20V 60W laptop charger really cheaply and the prices will keep dropping because a lot of laptop manufacturer are transitioning to it. Maybe, if the QuickCharge handshake is made in software in the STM32, it can be modified to use the USB-PD.

[@Schniels65]

It also works with Huawei Quick Charge which is also 9v 2a

[@hotmailcompany52]

Maybe it'll be supported during release or come out as an update

[@TheEchelon]

@@hotmailcompany52 Release? This vid/comment is over a year old. They already released the product some time ago mate...

[@hotmailcompany52]

@@TheEchelon savage

[@MiggyManMike]

I think my main issue with using type c usb is the mechanical stresses on the connector for something you're going to be holding in your hand and it really wouldn't have been hard to have a barrel jack but supply it with a type-c adaptor you could run inline for a bit more versatility.

[@warlockd]

They have higher end spec USB-C connectors, but my concern is the large amount of out-of-spec cables out there. When 20 volts becomes a thing, we are going to see house fires:P

[@MiggyManMike]

Then problem for me is more the shape of the connector, flat connectors like usb connectors are much weaker in one direction than the other and rarely that hard to break as a result, barrel connectors are notably stronger. But the fire thing is definitely a consideration :D

[@nikilragav]

They should keep both usb c and barrel

[@ElectraFlarefire]

With the abuse that I've put my USB-C cable through on my laptop(A GPD pocket that gets thrown into bags and knocked about) and friends have with their phones so long as they use a good socket, I expect it to hold up at least as well as a barrel jack. I'd be much more worried about the cables, I've damaged a few Chinese ones but a genuine apple one has held up well.

[@dasstackenblochen9250]

TS80 with a barrel connector for 20V would be a huge winner going by this video.

[@2vgod460]

Your a funny man mate!! Like your attitude a humour while content creating!! Bravo lad bravo

[@joseCalderon1976]

I have the TS100. It's awesome! Subscribed.

[@TheGFS]

Nice ! I have the TS100 and really like it , will be ordering the TS80 also :)

[@tabdougherty8549]

OOHHHHH MAN The sequel was as good as the premiere LOL Now that is entertainment for electronic devices! I really enjoy your work !!

[@Inspironator]

Another awesome review. When you get all these toys free, I am so jealous. I don't have the budget to keep up with this technology so I may have to leapfrog... Looking forward to the next soldering iron video!

[@ruevs]

20V 5A USB C is available. The current MacBook Pro chargers provide it.

[@Wren6991]

Not QC3 compatible unfortunately. Check Louis Rossmann's video on this iron

[@MarkDenovich]

I completely agree with wanting the distance between tip and fingers to be as short as possible. I was planning to build my own iron using the Weller tips, until I found a Metcal for cheap. The ergonomics are superb.

[@tenlittleindians]

Mark Denovich I agree a short distance is preferred. Have a look at the tips used in the Iso-Tip cordless irons. I have a 40 year old model that's hard to beat. I'd love to see a modern version of my red Iso-Tip iron.

[@alext5310]

*AT LEAST IT HAS A HEADPHONE JACK*

[@MCsCreations]

Wow... Beautiful and really useful soldering iron! Loved that! 😀

[@JackZimmermann]

Very cool! Love the TS100, but a more portable USB-C version would be a nice addition.

[@tomkenney5365]

I made a silicone power cord for my TS100 from a tattoo gun power cord. Flexible, solder resistant, it almost makes the TS100 feel cordless. I have an Aoyue 968A+ but the TS100 has pretty much replaced it.

[@onlyrgu]

When you commented at Ave's Video, I taught you are going to hack TS100 to work at USB Voltages!!

[@FabAlb166]

I really Look forward to that. Exactly what i would love to have. You have to be careful though with comparing quickcharge with powerdelivery. They are compleatly different: Qualcomm quickcharge negoshiates over the usb2.0 D+ and D- pins while PD has 2 dedicated pins on the usb C port called CC1 and CC2. Quickcharge just tries to set a output voltage over a slow digital handshake (takes around 2 secounds) while PowerDelivery has a real communicationsystem, so the device knows which voltages and currents can be achieved and then decides on what to choose.

[@WereCatf]

I've been eyeing the TS100 myself, but, based on this video, the TS80 seems like such a good upgrade that I think I'll just wait for it. I do very much like the design and I have no issue with the USB type-C connector.

[@BergRD]

Pulling out the AvE opening? :) Well done!

[@jonjohnson102]

BergRD looking for this comment :)

[@MrFrambooise]

you sneaky bastard! you said what I wanted to hear, that my ts100 is still a valuable option. good job!

[@i_Hally]

Love your videos! Can't wait to buy this!

[@i_Hally]

LabCat Nahh I like the idea of a gas/butane/propane free portable iron. Would make my job easier and tinkering at home on my tiny desk. A quick look on the Weller site didn't show anything comparable?

[@i_Hally]

LabCat just bought one! Woo

[@MrAlexhasker]

I like the idea of it being able to run on generic battery sources - the silicon flexi cable is a must

[@ruftime]

Thank you for the laughs:-) Love my modded ts100, but this looks sweet. Bummer, they just missed Father’s Day, and my birthday is too far away!

[@Markfps]

Jesus... Marco, your videos are getting incredibly funny, keep it going!

[@skogpekka]

Good man. Good amount of factual content. Informative video. Cool snail. Three thumbs up! ^^

[@sallerc]

Love the banana ruler :D

[@MiguelAlvarezAdams]

That banana must bring you some memories when you was gay, doesnt it?

[@laptop006]

When I built a USB-C soldering iron on a lark last year I was able to get a bit over 30W out of it, and if this one is made to work down to 9v you could do PWM tricks to allow it to sink whatever power is available from the source.

[@miked5487]

This is awesome. Nice review mate

[@rOSScOGITANS]

your videos are food for brain, my compliments

[@robk5969]

Looking forward to seeing if we can use a 3.5mm jack extension lead with this to make what you hold lighter

[@dkhallal]

You sir are hilarious, and a great video producer! Subbed.

[@bluesonkel]

ich mag deine videos sehr ! toller schnitt, super sounddesign und immer ein bisschen Witz mit dabei! nach deinem TS100 video habe ich mir auch direkt einen gekauft :D ich verstehe nicht wie ich jahre lang ohne dieses wunder auskam! sorry 4 my bed enlish ;)

[@TheSuckerOfTheWorld]

I almost couldn't read your comment, so schlecht ist dein Englisch :)

[@reps]

Danke, das hört man gerne :)

[@SuperBrainAK]

OK thats cool! type-C directly on it! very nice as the barrel jack would come out after a bit, though you can use usb to power the TS-100 with a quick charge trigger board but it would have to be 12v and over a type-A to barrel jack cable so not really fully in spec.

[@BuonMercatoTest]

Perhaps my absolute favorite youtubes. But don’t tell Reps.

[@reps]

I can keep a secret

[@JoranGroothengel]

Hmmm, I was going to pull the trigger on a TS100 when I moved out, but I guess I might just wait and see what price will be connected to the TS80. Metal construction is worth the wait, and the fact that it looks like something you could use to disassemble a Dalek doesn't hurt either.

[@John_Smith__]

Another totally Awsome video and review! Great video Marco! :) I think the tip of the new TS80 seems scarily enough with those 5$ USB solder irons ... it looks actually exactly like those. The first time I saw one of those I ordered one and was surprised to see those little tips do actually work! It seems to me the heating element is confined/packed into the tip part and hence it does provide for more efficient soldering with less power. I do not know if Marco made a review of one of those cheap USb solders ... but it would be interesting to mention anyway ... I know bigclivedotcom did one review of those ...

[@MrGarkin]

that was a nice ASMR session

[@bearded1derr]

i clicked this video for a simple review...now my jaw is on the floor...next level shiznit

[@jamisusijarvi646]

I have TS100 and not totally happy but this TS80 seems very good especially when we just get those 20vdc QC3 supplys.

[@FIXDIY]

Awesome explain my dude

[@AmeryaD]

Das Video wurde mir gerade empfohlen, ich liebe deinen trockenen deutschen Humor, super Inhalt! Weiter so, ein Abbo mehr hast du ;)

[@dragonhunter2475]

for everyone who will buy this i can only recommend getting the kit with the usb cable it is a super flexible silicone 1m type c cable

[@OhaaG]

hi marco, richtig gute videos!

[@MaxReckless99]

amazing video as usual

[@Orbis92]

Thanks for the amazing video (as usual) :D I decided to finally buy a TS100 yesterday, mostly because I got my notebook (and power brick) with me nearly all the time, but an USB C version is even better, since I want to buy a good, fast charging battery bank for a long time now.

[@tjackman]

Cool PFP

[@venugopalganesh2974]

Great video! Buddy!

[@lostfound8112]

cool vid lol. waiting for my delivery this week.

[@philoso377]

Love to watch all your video. Beside your pet I thought you’d bring along a non contact volt detector to show us the fence in the field is life, charged with high voltage. :)

[@leotg3713]

You probably should calibrate your TS100, that 30° difference is definitely enough to show that kind of performance difference.

[@igorzkoppt]

I tried on mine - it didn't do anything pretty much. And it's less accurate if the power supply is a bit weak.

[@xaytana]

Usb and power in one makes sense, makes the device slimmer. I'm sure with a custom battery pack with a type c connector, you can get fairly good performance out of it. I'm curious what the open source community will do with this one. I'm also hoping for a wider variety of tips, but also in a shorter variety; I'd rather have the tip right after the conical piece with the holes, not sure what the technical name for it is. Another thing I'm curious about, though it has no practicality, is using an audio extension cable. I remember Ben Heck making a 'Solder Gauntlet' where the iron's tip was on the finger tip of a glove, basically so you have a free hand; using audio jacks, audio cables, and some 3d prints, this could vastly improve the idea of hands free soldering.

[@howax]

thanks also for this guide - my display getting darker and darker. i have seen, the oled inside gets dry and transparent at the edge-corners inside

[@topQuark12]

I hope they implement PD2.0 with the type-c connector, that way they can have up to 100w to heat up the iron. I regularly power my ts100 with a PD adapter and type-c laptop charger. Super convenient.

[@BillAnt]

At 8:00 the heating comparison of the two models might be skewed due to the angle of the heating element touching he board. Even being a slight angle off, it will not conduct the heat as well as the other tip making full parallel contact with the board. Just sayin'

[@avejst]

Wow, interesting new product... Thanks for sharing 😀👍

[@Movikun]

Hey, 20V usb-c power supplies are available, for example the Macbook Pro 15' power supply outputs 20.4V/4.3A

[@Arnthorg]

they just had to violate the standard, (even if only by .4V)

[@officer_baitlyn]

i think by the end of the cable the voltage should be lower than 20v under load ( depending on what thickness of wire they use ) its common to slightly over deliver to compensate for voltage loss in cables ( at least in chinesium products )

[@KeenanTims]

The tolerance is 5% (+/- 1V), so it's well within spec.

[@thingyee1118]

The USB makes it great for quick in the field soldering using a USB power bank

[@BillAnt]

Great, they've finally shortened the tip shaft, I'm pretty sure it was pretty high on the improvement list. I didn't like the long TS100, when doing micro soldering the tip has to be as close to the hand as possible. This one fits my needs perfectly. :)

[@namAehT]

I was under the impression that they were using the Qualcomm Quickcharge standard rather than USB PD. I bought a PD buddy off Tindie so I can power it off my beefy laptop/phone charger or my beefy power bank.

[@WarChest]

I’m happy to see they’re iterating in a positive direction. I am however, absolutely thrilled with my TS100 and will keep it as long as it continues to work. :)

[@TheRelaf]

U could do a comparison where both soldering irons were at real 300c

[@azsufi]

Nice video and nice soldering iron.... you got one new subscriber.....

[@okamichi_factory]

“Banana for scale..” 😂 had me dying lmaooo

[@thespectator2976]

you videos is just fantastic m8 :)

[@isaackarjala7916]

That outro is gold

[@ats1995]

20 degrees difference? The clip you showed looked more like 30 degrees difference. In any case I'd really prefer a rerun of that test. Otherwise awesome video!

[@DKFPV]

ats1995 also ts80 has a different tip and he is holding the ts80 right against the board while ts100 narrow tip barely touched it. That's why ts100 melts the solder faster but doesn't tin the pad

[@Rhynri]

@@DKFPV You could also calibrate the TS100 to get the temp accurate if you wanted.

[@010falcon]

ats1995 still the power draw explains it 30C dont make such a huge power diffrence

[@EnnTomi1]

getting mine in 1week cant wait .

[@lionevil1976]

Best video of the day. Love the dog

[@Arek_R.]

Good that they made it metal. My both TS100's plastic cases break very easily, dozen of cracks all around...

[@reps]

Wow what are you doing to them?

[@bardenegri21]

Mine too and I just keep it in a drawer, it's the stock gray case. It cracked mostly around the end near the screw

[@Sharkaat84]

Your soldering skills must be BONKERS. :D

[@tythagoras5787]

My TS100 has seen fairly heavy use and the case is almost as nice as the day I opened the package. Maybe a QC issue, assuming you aren't doing odd things to it.

[@Arek_R.]

*Notorious Meerkat* Nigga I'm profesionally soldering... *Marco Reps* Hmm, using it? And I used it like 20 times maybe, it's actually replacement, first one broke for some reason and had always power on 100% so I got red glowing tip. Both of them are cracking around screws as *NS Gaming* says. Planning to take out electronics, put them into 24V laptop style power pack and connect T12 Hakko iron.

[@PolakeXD]

Sieht ziemlich interessant aus, würde es kaufen, wenn es rauskommt

[@blendpinexus1416]

100W usb-c capable wall chargers and any powerbank with that ability as well will output 20v for the 100w capability due to usb-c's 5a limit

[@fecheverria]

This made me laugh very very much. SUSCRIBED!!. incredible sense of humor!

[@Ghlargh]

I felt the test result where the TS100 only draws 500mA under load seemed off so i tested my TS100. When heating up the TS100 draws nearly 3A at 24V and under load when soldering large thermal sinks i can easily get peaks over 1.5A. I think there is something wrong with your TS100 or with the tip you are using.

[@shayanirenberg3294]

This video was amazing!!!

[@ChunkySteveo]

Brilliant video as always Marco!!! 😂

[@marccretten]

Just stumbled across this channel and had a great laugh. Thumbs up a subscribe and a bell ring!!

[@dimitar4y]

If you're going to be cable tethered, why not made a wrist-strap with the battery, controller, and everything else, to connect to the soldering iron...

[@gbclab]

Great as always!

[@OldSkoolF]

You realize you may possibly be a lunatic.... Love your Video's.... Keep them coming... You remind me of Herr Star.

[@Tappotuoppi]

Oh i have to buy that when it is released

[@nachiketmhatre7411]

2:42 Is this an electronics video or a Wes Anderson film? Bravo. I haven't seen any electronics content shot so beautifully; let alone on KZbin. It's almost like a Cannes regular quit the festival film scene and began making electronics videos instead. The cherry on this cake is the fact that this guy knows how to review electronics thoroughly. Thank you for the wallpaper: imgur.com/a/yqkhQ3h

[@james2396]

Ah, I see what that earlier comment about USB soldering irons was about, nice

[@3lilmonkeys289]

The power plug makes this thing worthless imo but using 3.5mm jacks is genius it gets rid of the problem I have with that damn thing where the hold screw for the tips keeps stripping.

[@danielhenderson7050]

I love watching this stuff

[@mikapirinen2403]

I hope new tip come available for old model.

[@electrodacus]

Not sure 3.5mm audio Jack is a great solution as those connectors are typically rated at 1A max and have a contact resistance in the 50 to 100mOhm range. Say the heat element is 60W at 9V that will be 6.6A and at 100mOhm contact resistance that will be 6.6A x 6.6A x 0.1Ohm = 4.3W dissipated as heat. Yes that is only for a few seconds until it gets to temperature but even with a 25% duty cycle that is still a bit over 1W on the contact and that will not last long until it will fail.

[@reps]

Yeh, I might have to try and measure that ... but the jack is a good one with 2 springy contacts each on the higher current segments. Hey did you see my last fiber laser video? I've tried your idea of controlling the DC-DC converter via trim pin and it almost works!!

[@electrodacus]

I just looked at your last fiber laser video. What do you mean by it almost works ? The only problem I can see is that trim may not go all the way down to zero on that particular module and of course the output capacitors so if you connect a laser diode while the capacitors are already charged there will be a pulse of energy with no current limiting but that will not be a problem if the laser diode is always connected. Not sure why you say that it almost works ? All those cv-cc power supply boards on ebay use this concept of using the feedback pin on a DC-DC IC for both constant voltage and constant current like this $3 one www.ebay.ca/itm/162694980182 this are used for either charging a lithium cell or for driving and LED usually.

[@reps]

I haven't investigated this at all so far, but at certain current settings the electrolytic output capacitors and the DC-DC converter get hot, the assembly draws tens of watts and almost no current flows through the load. It is obviously a problem in my implementation and not doubt about it working in other cases

[@electrodacus]

The problem may be that the trim function allows for just maybe a plus minus 10% variation of the output voltage thus you can not do constant current limiting. You need access to the DC-DC converter feedback pin as that allows you to completely stop the DC-DC converter. The fact that electrolytic capacitors get hot suggest that the output voltage oscillates significantly so output is not stable.