Voltlog #87 - Assembling The T12 Soldering Station Kit

[@fredblogs7819]

Those T12 tips take a while to 'burn in', you should find the temperature stability settle somewhat after a few hours use. The other menu options can be accessed by powering on with the control button pressed. The knife-edge tip supplied in the kit is also a near useless shape for general soldering work, there are much more sensible shaped tips available.

[@voltlog]

thank you for these tips, really helpful!

[@nikkolp640]

Many thanks. Solved a big headache which was lasting for almost 2 weeks. (Your great tips are still helping after almost 4 years.)

[@basicbodyhealth]

To access the Parameters P01 to P09 push and Hold in the rotary Switch then turn on the Solder station when you release the Rotary switch the station enters the programming mode.

[@nikoskalousis3523]

Thanks!

[@AdamWelchUK]

A nice project but you'll need another soldering iron to build it! I have the same stand which came with my 936 clone/variant. I don't have the same issue as with this handle so presumably the 936 handle is a bit shorter. I personally prefer the 936 handle with the smaller replacement tips that don't replace the heating element. I'd consider connecting the handle earth pin on the pcb directly to mains earth. It removes any doubt of its connection that way. Thanks for the video.

[@voltlog]

I thought about the way I should connect that earth.. in the end there are multiple ways to do it, I went with the easiest solution.. the tip should only have ESD protection so relying on the connection I made is not that critical.. the worst that could happen is a zapped IC :-) at least in my case.

[@samdeur]

My compliments sir this is the best vid about the T12. I was looking around for other vids on the T12 but this is the only one worth watching that I could find for now 21 march 2018..

[@voltlog]

thank you!

[@cheetahkid]

I am doing mine up too, just waiting for PSU and case separately, been testing with my Lab Power Supply, all seem good (I did make mistake as playing up on the temperature display which turns out the red and black is reversed on the soldering iron and now got that correctly). I didn't get the instruction, I have to search on the internet, as mine is little different to yours, you can check on my website step by step.

[@JackZimmermann]

Very nice to see that you take care and connect a good earth connection. Interesting build.

[@voltlog]

thank you!

[@LEO-xo9cz]

What power supply is required to power it. If I were to buy the front board separately. I have an ATX that puts out 12V 20A. Would it work?

[@Sylvan_dB]

I know your post is old, but... 24vdc to get the full power. Power = Volt * Volt / Resistance. The resistance is the heater in the tip and is about 8 ohms. If you use 12v instead of 24v you will get 1/4 the power -- you'll have an 18 watt iron instead of a 70 watt. You could add a voltage boost DC to DC converter of at least 100 watts and 8 amps. It will draw 6 to 8 amps at 12v and convert to 3 to 4 amps at 24 volt to power the soldering iron.

[@CanaleYouTubeGeneralista]

@@Sylvan_dB Hi, is a 24v 8.5A power supply still ok ? With 8.5 Amperes is there a risk of damaging the controller ?

[@Sylvan_dB]

@@CanaleKZbinGeneralista That should be fine, but probably more expensive than you need. As long as the volts are okay, the equipment will only draw the amps it needs. (think of it as volts are like pressure, amps are how fast it is flowing thru the orifice in the equipment - at the specified pressure, you get the desired flow thru that orifice no matter if you have the entire grid behind you.)

[@njfulwider5]

Great Video! But I am looking at the link with the wiring diagram, on the face picture you might have the blue and black wire opposite each other. Looking at the board I have and the negative(black) and positive(red) is on the middle 2, the top to is (G)"(Blue)" and Earth"(green)", the very btm is SW(B white). I am trying to wire mine up and I ran across yours. Great Instruction!!

[@RoloisRight]

Thanks for the follow-up comparison. I think both are great (more powerful) alternatives to 936 units. The kit is cheaper (if you provide your own power supply and make your own enclosure), but requires a little bit of knowledge and access to a soldering iron so it's not beginner friendly. I hope the new STM32 unit becomes more popular and available on banggood or aliexpress. It's more money, but a better value. I think it can become the preferred choice for beginners if it's easier to buy.

[@voltlog]

yes, I also like the STM32 unit.. it's just nicer overall.

[@Rick-yf1lt]

if u push the control nob while powering up the unit it will go into the program mode will p00 to p11 settings and if u connect a wire from the DC-- to the Earth u will get a more stable temp

[@cri8tor]

I'm building a soldering station using a Hakko OLED and I'm using the same power supply that is used in this video. There is column of connection spots for the plug and power. From top to bottom: 24V+, P+,P-,E,S and N. At the bottom of the column, there is a big hole and a small hole. Both appear to be marked GND and they're both connected. By your comment, I can solder the DC negative to the big hole and the ground (earth) to the small hole, which would give me a more stable temp. Does that sound correct? Cheers

[@newvaper3794]

hi VoltLog...i have an old chinese hakko soldering iron....i purchased just the temperature board controller...can you tell me where the heating element, thermocouple and esd pinouts on the control board with a picture...thanks....keep safe.

[@asulliv1954]

I bought this kit from E-Bay that didn't have power supply and had different wiring diagram and I followed yours and keep getting 500 and discovered my aviation plug inserts at 9 o'clock position and top pin is #5 black -#1 green #2 red #3 white #4 blue then when you get to tip black & red are labeled so you can't follow numbers cause 2-3-4-5 are labeled different so for that I followed your picture hope it's right can't test until I get power,I hope they shipping it separate and didn't cheat me!Thank You P.S are you suppose to solder the back of aviation pin to board?

[@Darryl603]

Will the Hakko FX-951 iron work with this station? Thanks for the video...

[@voltlog]

I don't know if the FX-951 socket is the same, maybe you could rewire it, but it should work with any T12 or T15 tip.

[@TheOzthewiz]

After a couple of years of non use, cannot select parameters other than P10, P11. Any ideas what's going on? Thanks!

[@Dennis-mq6or]

Loosen the temp control potentiometer mounting nut and the 5-pin soldering iron connector and readjust your circuit board so it is straight then retighten them... Then your 7 segment display will be straight. You did not need to increase the thickness of the wires between the circuit board and the soldering connector because of two reasons: 1) Such a short length of that size wire would have very close to ZERO resistance, and would not affect the operation of the iron. 2) The bulk of the interconnect resistance between the soldering iron handle and the controller socket is in the connecting cable itself, which uses smaller gauge wires.

[@0M42]

Hi, Will the warm-up time be faster if we increase the voltage of the smps source inside the soldering iron?

[@vanduyloannguyen6313]

Where we can by them guy. Thanks

[@whitevamp1051]

those holes in the pcb for the handle, are not to solder the wires to, they are to act as sort of a strain relief, feed the wire through it, then solder the wires to the pads.

[@scsswyatt]

24AWG is fine for up to about a foot of wire at 24 volts at 4 amps, so the 18AWG wire isn't needed. Also do you know what wire to use for the AC input, I don't think 24AWG is right but thats what it seemed as if you used, what should I use?

[@rodneyjaygarrett]

Voltlog, I bought this and assembled it . I am having trouble getting it to stay on set point.after letting it set for a while it drops down to 200 deg. I shack the handle and all it does the numbers bounce around 200 deg. so if i set it to 270 degrees and press the button on rotary encoder and when the last zero of my set point i get a period ther. I thought it was to show the setpoint . I use the iron , lay the iron down for 15 minutes and it has reverted back to 200 with 2 period 1 period on the 7 and after 3rd zero. I am thinking this is the cooldown temp setting. I lift the handle nothing happens, so i shake the handle and the temperature does increase for me to solder.when its bouncing around I mean bouncing numbers higher and lower than the set point. The only way i can get it to solder is manually turn the encoder to my setpoint then i push the button and i get a period after the last number. Is there an online manual That has the different parameters in that i can try and go through maybe some parameter is way out causing the thing to be goofy. Any advice i would greatly appreciate. Thank you A I can wait till you load a new video. rodney in USA

[@gregjohnson5194]

Controller parameter setting mode: (The default has been set, no special requirements, please do not set up a random) Press and hold the encoder button does not move → start → enter the parameter settings mode: There are 12 menus available for setup,P00,P01,P02,P03,P04,P05,P06,P07,P08,P09,P10,P11.The digital display menu is 1.5 seconds,and then automatically displays the corresponding parameters of this menu,at the same time rotate left encoder is reduced,right is increase,Press it and automatically save the currently set parameters.And then display the next menu for 1.5 seconds, and then display the corresponding parameters of this menu, and so on. When all parameters are set to automatically enter the normal heating mode. Because each set a parameter to save once, so you can shut down at any time without having to set all the parameters (such as you just want to set P01, set P01 after you can shut down and then boot into normal mode) Menu item: P00: restore the default parameters (0 or 1, the default value of 0,0 for not recovering, 1 for the recovery) P01: Operational amplifier gain (200 to 350 times, step 1, default 230) P02: Operational amplifier offset voltage (0 ~ 250mV, step 2, the default value of 100, refers to the tip to keep the room temperature operational amplifier inherent output voltage, according to my measurement this voltage varies greatly with temperature, different magnification Not the same, the higher the magnification, if you do not measure, please keep the default value) P03: thermocouple ℃ / mV data (30 ~ 50, step 1, the default value of 41, refers to the thermocouple need to temperature how much voltage was increased by 1mV, according to the type of thermocouple self-calculation, if you do not understand, please keep Defaults) P04: temperature adjustment step (0,1,2,5,10 degrees optional, 0 can lock the soldering iron temperature) P05: sleep time (how long don’t not move into sleep) (0 ~ 60 minutes, step 1, 0 is to forbidden the sleep function) P06: Shutdown time (0 ~ 180 minutes, 0 ~ 30 step 1,30 ~ 180 step 10, 0 is forbidden shutdown function) P07: temperature correction (+20 degrees, step 1) (due to NTC resistance in the chassis, the soldering station heat will lead to the detection of NTC temperature higher than room temperature, resulting in high temperature compensation of the thermocouple, soldering iron temperature is not accurate,or other causes the temperature is not accurate.If you set the other parameters are correct value but the temperature is still high or low, you can use this parameter correction.For example, to detect the displayed soldering iron temperature is 20 degrees higher than the actual value of this parameter Set to 20) P08: wake mode (0,1, 0 in the shutdown mode can be rotated the encoder and also can shake the handle to wake up, 1 can only rotate the encoder wake up (Note: press the encoder can not wake up, can only rotate) ) P09: temperature increase mode to increase the temperature to adjustable (20 degrees to 100 degrees adjustable, adjust the pace of 10 degrees) P10: temperature to increase the duration to adjustable (adjustment range of 10 seconds to 250 seconds, adjust the step 5 seconds) P11: Parameter setting mode Auto save parameter and return to heating mode Function to active time adjustable (range 4 seconds to 60 seconds)

[@educationaltechnology8363]

hi I have a kesger T12 2 in 1 soldering station hot air and iron and they charge 90USD for the psu unit can I find a cheaper clone?

[@allanpham684]

my soldering iron shows up disconnected (500 degree constant temperature) and glows red hot and I need to turn it off before further damage. I don't know what to do

[@AhmadLafi-TheFirst]

Great review! One question I have if there is a way to start iron in 000 state after power on? So it will remain cold until pushing the encoder?

[@voltlog]

I am not aware of that function.

[@TheOsx86]

hi, what are the advantages of the STM32 controller board over this board (STC15)?

[@pawelwojcik7550]

Just tried to build T12 kit from bangood, unfortunately in my set there is no thermal control at all, I also use same power supply as on your film above, when I set 20C temp then is no heating, when I set 25C I've got above 220C, I checked that by themperature sensor connected to multimeter. I've noticed on your PCB controller, at the back on the right hand side there is some capacitor, could you tell me what is the value of it? In my kit there is no capacitor in that place, but only empty mounting pads for smd soldering. I've seen some information on the web if power suply would be higher than 19V then some resistor 101 sould be removed from the back, but I have no resistor, and my pcb looks like yours, also from bangood. I also use same power suply as yours. I appreciate any advice in this case.

[@voltlog]

that capacitor looks like a bypass cap, I don't think that's the issue. Check the wiring, check the tip is well connected inside the handle and also check the ADJ pot on the front panel. Start with 100 degrees C, I'm not sure it can regulate below that temp.

[@cheetahkid]

best check the wire if they looks correct, I found mine the red and black (heater) was reversed, so double check.

[@gregjohnson5194]

Controller parameter setting mode: (The default has been set, no special requirements, please do not set up a random) Press and hold the encoder button does not move → start → enter the parameter settings mode: There are 12 menus available for setup,P00,P01,P02,P03,P04,P05,P06,P07,P08,P09,P10,P11.The digital display menu is 1.5 seconds,and then automatically displays the corresponding parameters of this menu,at the same time rotate left encoder is reduced,right is increase,Press it and automatically save the currently set parameters.And then display the next menu for 1.5 seconds, and then display the corresponding parameters of this menu, and so on. When all parameters are set to automatically enter the normal heating mode. Because each set a parameter to save once, so you can shut down at any time without having to set all the parameters (such as you just want to set P01, set P01 after you can shut down and then boot into normal mode) Menu item: P00: restore the default parameters (0 or 1, the default value of 0,0 for not recovering, 1 for the recovery) P01: Operational amplifier gain (200 to 350 times, step 1, default 230) P02: Operational amplifier offset voltage (0 ~ 250mV, step 2, the default value of 100, refers to the tip to keep the room temperature operational amplifier inherent output voltage, according to my measurement this voltage varies greatly with temperature, different magnification Not the same, the higher the magnification, if you do not measure, please keep the default value) P03: thermocouple ℃ / mV data (30 ~ 50, step 1, the default value of 41, refers to the thermocouple need to temperature how much voltage was increased by 1mV, according to the type of thermocouple self-calculation, if you do not understand, please keep Defaults) P04: temperature adjustment step (0,1,2,5,10 degrees optional, 0 can lock the soldering iron temperature) P05: sleep time (how long don’t not move into sleep) (0 ~ 60 minutes, step 1, 0 is to forbidden the sleep function) P06: Shutdown time (0 ~ 180 minutes, 0 ~ 30 step 1,30 ~ 180 step 10, 0 is forbidden shutdown function) P07: temperature correction (+20 degrees, step 1) (due to NTC resistance in the chassis, the soldering station heat will lead to the detection of NTC temperature higher than room temperature, resulting in high temperature compensation of the thermocouple, soldering iron temperature is not accurate,or other causes the temperature is not accurate.If you set the other parameters are correct value but the temperature is still high or low, you can use this parameter correction.For example, to detect the displayed soldering iron temperature is 20 degrees higher than the actual value of this parameter Set to 20) P08: wake mode (0,1, 0 in the shutdown mode can be rotated the encoder and also can shake the handle to wake up, 1 can only rotate the encoder wake up (Note: press the encoder can not wake up, can only rotate) ) P09: temperature increase mode to increase the temperature to adjustable (20 degrees to 100 degrees adjustable, adjust the pace of 10 degrees) P10: temperature to increase the duration to adjustable (adjustment range of 10 seconds to 250 seconds, adjust the step 5 seconds) P11: Parameter setting mode Auto save parameter and return to heating mode Function to active time adjustable (range 4 seconds to 60 seconds)

[@karlmorrison2713]

Did you ever look at the other OLED? the non hakko one?

[@voltlog]

nope

[@chrisleech1565]

After four years DIY electronics and suddenly I find your channel; I subbed right off of course. I just bought a slew of various items at the Banggood 11th anniversary and one was the simple Hakko T12 kit with just the front panel PCB, handle and tip. also bought the TS100 stm32 logic controlled iron. ( Another story) I had three questions after watching your much appreciated contribution >>How is temp sensing done? >>Might the 24V/50W PSU from my Yihua soldering station be up to the task? and finally >> Had you drawn a conclusion about 26AWG supply wires ?

[@voltlog]

if you have thicker cables, just use thicker; T12 tips have built-in thermocouples; you need 24V 4A PSU for this to work at full power.

[@archimedesmp]

I just sourced the required parts. Looking forward to "bootstrapping" my soldering equipment at the local hacker space; that is, after delivery in a month. Your explanation was useful, now I know what to look out for :) [ESD is especially good to know - I would have done the isolation + earth anyway ;)]

[@voltlog]

Good luck, it should be a fun project to put together.

[@alnoorratansi9364]

Great Tutorial, Did you find that the temperature display jumping around,+ - 10 degrees

[@nomadic_rider42]

Nice kit. I believe those vias on the handle PCB are for routing wires through them and then solder to pads. This is typically done to prevent mechanical damage to the pads when cable is pulled too much.

[@voltlog]

I think you are right with the holes.. sometimes I miss these simple things :-)

[@nomadic_rider42]

VoltLog, that happens. Nevertheless your channel is great. I really hope you will reach your 10th goal soon.

[@bermit8091]

The power supply LED is blinking. What is the cause of that?

[@samdeur]

Watched this a couple of times just because i like watching you build. Really funny 16:17 Where you say with a real cool voice.. "So i turned the power off" " Just in case something goes horribly wrong" hahahaha

[@voltlog]

yeah, you can never know when the magic smoke wants to escape :-)

[@samdeur]

hahha good one..

[@repair5782]

Can i use this hakko T12 kit, in combination with HAKKO 907 ESD solder iron

[@karlmorrison2713]

Hey man. What thickness for the cables used everywhere (for safety)?

[@voltlog]

20AWG should be fine.

[@karlmorrison2713]

Thanks man! This AWG and SWG stuff has been driving me crazy!

[@enlightendbel]

I used a 19.5V laptop power supply (from HP) instead of the 24V power supply and it works great.

[@voltlog]

great!

[@indrasutarman]

Great video (8/2020)... Pinout the GX12 conector a bit different for handle t12 from KSGER.. if u want to use KSGER handle, just match the pinout n everthing will work great.... Warm regards from indonesia

[@MrBrymstond]

We can't order from the other site from the US?

[@voltlog]

what other site? all links should point to Banggood which ships worldwide.

[@cheetahkid]

they sell them on ebay too. As I got them from.

[@samdeur]

btw the only reason why i was afraid of getting this , is because of the transformer.. i have seen a couple of tear downs where the transformer was dodgy like "DiodeGoneWild" always says hahah.. i wonder if it's possible to make a direct heating soldering iron with a meanwell power supply that is grounded avoiding the use of cheap power supply all together without having to pay a premium on a Hakko FX-951 because that one is way out of my budget.. i just bought a TS100 btw.. but that is also a nightmare got the a so called floating psu "GST90A24-P1M” so now i need to exchange it for one in the GSM90A line from Mean Well.. Never knew you could buy a power supply with a third earth pin that is not grounded.. but floating.. or that’s what people tell me on EEVblog forum.

[@voltlog]

yes, place any PSU you like inside this soldering iron and it will work, just make sure it can output 24V 4A min. And yes I've seen quite a few cheap power supplies where the earth pin was just floating.

[@samdeur]

looks like the LRS100 from Meanwell needs sum kind of fuse on the live wiring.. never done that .. don't even know what he's talking about and how to start doing something like that.. haha www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/ts100-doesn_t-function-properly-when-earthed/msg1536596/#msg1536596

[@samdeur]

would you ever consider doing sum commission work? say building a T12 type iron with a Meanwell LRS100 Series SMPS. enclosed in a nice case with

[@voltlog]

Because I am really busy with my day job I cannot consider building something like that.

[@samdeur]

to bad.. but i understand. it would have bin nice. i have yet to see such a practical project on youtube.. i mean something that would bring good quality affordable direct heating soldering to the masses.. who knows perhaps one day ..

[@OxygeenFR]

Are the tips hot swappable like a real Hakko FX951 station ?

[@voltlog]

technically you can do it, practically, you need some kind of tool or gloves not to get burned.

[@OxygeenFR]

Alright, by the way, how good the DIY model is compared to a real hakko station ?

[@voltlog]

The main difference is the quality of the T12 tip, if you get a genuine one, it's as good. Also newer controllers might have better firmware. Consider this video is 1 year old and the modules maybe shown an extra few months old.

[@ni7mo]

hello great demonstration, thumps up. You are the first guy on the net where I see, who use the earth pin of the handle :). I have the same kit like yours which I also order on bangood andI thought same way like you that the earth from the handle, need to be connected to the main earth of the power-supply. I put it on the aluminum case of the station (the case has also connection to the earth). The problem is after that, the temperature on controller begins to jump up and down, in big steps and really fast. If I disconnect the wire from earth, the controller works fine with right temperature. Now Iconnected the earth pin to the ground of the power-supply, with resistor of 1Mohm between both. The controller still works fine, but that is not solution. If you or somebody else have a solution of my problem, I would be really thankful.

[@voltlog]

For ESD purpose only, having the handle connected through 1M resistor is fine. That is the way ESD straps work, they have a 1 to 10Meg resistor between the strap and the earth point.

[@ni7mo]

VoltLog but for example when the handle touched a high voltage part(usually not possible). In this case the ground(minus of dc supply) has no connection to the earth. Thats why I'm worried.

[@karlmorrison2713]

Also which insulation paper?

[@voltlog]

I used regular paper, nothing special but you can use the special type if you would like to.., kapton also works..

[@karlmorrison2713]

спасибо!

[@folxsgalaxy993]

Did You tested Quicko soldering station?

[@voltlog]

Nope

[@folxsgalaxy993]

VoltLog Mybe this is The topic for next video? Continuation of T12 soldering iron review

[@Sandokans]

Please tell me. If i use mac mini laptop 85w 19v and 4.6 Amp, Power source îs good enough!? I d'ont have Power source like yours..

[@cri8tor]

The 19v will probably be enough voltage and I'm pretty sure the 4.6 amp is more than enough. It's been over a year since you asked the question, but would like to know if you already built the station? Cheers

[@Sandokans]

@@cri8tor Thanks. Yes i allready build it and used laptop Power suplly. Work great.

[@rodneyjaygarrett]

I found all the "P" settings starting with p1. Turn the unit off, turn the unit back on while pressing in on the encoder button. I went thru them all, not knowing what to do ( I am a electronic newbie) . My main goal was to restore P09 which is factory restore settings but when it came to that parameter it said P99. My problem with this unit is after I set the iron down it drops to 200 degrees and the only way i can get it hot again is to reset the temperature with the rotary encoder. Overall this is not functional enough to use.

[@voltlog]

P09 should be the menu to restore factory settings, check if that restores your parameters to some other values than what you currently have. If that doesn't solve the problem than it might be a hardware issue.

[@fredlllll]

man i should get my ass going and start my own electronics channel XD

[@voltlog]

I think it's the second time you're saying this :-) get to work buddy!

[@fredlllll]

if only my workshop wouldnt be in an unheated basement =/ gotta wait till it gets warmer

[@johnwattie1786]

*If your complaining about be cold come to Australia. We have had 43 Degree Celsius days!!*

[@fredlllll]

well its winter here on the other hemisphere. in summer the temperature is perfect down there for working :D

[@cheetahkid]

Oh yes, I forgot to add, your shut down when it is not in used, after 3 minutes it will shutdown and it is fixed, cannot be change, other model maybe different perhaps 10 minutes.

[@camarol88]

Minut 2.59: I think you are referring to the Transformer, not to a transistor.

[@squalazzo]

hi! I'm using that 24V PSU to do an all-in-one box with your recommended 60w dummy load, and a RD-Tech DPS5015 power supply... my planning is going well, take a look here for the actual status (i plan to move the dummy load panel on the front and of course the psu panel, too, plus the banana sockets for both and maybe an usb double port, too): imgur.com/a/ZNBpQ question is: my project box is made of plastic, and that 24W psu has NO earth connection... how to be safe, where to connect the earth from the socket i'll put on the back??? Thanks in advance...

[@voltlog]

Your project looks interesting, I see many people these days building a PSU + Dummy Load combo. The idea for earthing metal enclosure is to protect the user if the live wire accidentally touches the metal enclosure. Any current will go to ground instead of to the user touching the metal case. In the case of a plastic enclosure you don't really need an earth connection, however you might attach it to an earth point on your AC-DC power supply if it has one.

[@squalazzo]

i've the same dc2412 ac-dc you used in your video, and can't see a point anywhere where to attach the earth... could you please take a look at yours? thanks in advance :)

[@voltlog]

no point for gnd on that psu module.

[@therider3939]

In mine apears error not 500 maybe its a mistake

[@pawety]

when the double-sided tape dry paper will fall on the radiator and it will be beautiful fireplace ;)

[@voltlog]

forgot to mention, the paper I used should be fire retardant, it's designed for advertising prints or invitations, something like that and I remember being told it's fire retardant when I originally purchased it. The double sided tape is good quality, I don't think it will come off any time soon and the radiator only reaches about 45 degrees C. In conclusion - no risk.

[@johncook5872]

You have only connected the bottom plate to safety earth, all other case parts are not bonded to safety earth as they have "paint/ anodise" insulation. To be correct you need to wire all panels separately to the earth potential stud

[@voltlog]

I agree, in theory you are right, but in practice there is a good connection made through the screws, holding everything together (front/back panel with top/bottom pieces). So there was no point in running an additional wire. This will probably not be ok with safety standards but not bad for hobby use.

[@chrisleech1565]

Very nice review and video of assbly. You have a very good looking field of view, great black background. I will try to immitate this for my desktop video. I have not found you to date, consider me subbed :-) Banggood had a sale that ended yesterday, and push come to shove I was encouraged to buy the simple front panel solo. Just he logic board and handle with one tip. I will use it to upgrade my horrible Yihua 24V/60W solder stn. and perhaps the PSU from it will be enough. If not than BG is a few clicks away:-). I am so tired of cursing at the Yihua, and its predictable temp overshoot. May I inquire about a few items please. How do these sense Temp. Have you found the way to access the full program menu, and do you think there is sufficient AWG in the cord or is that a problem that must be addressed? Best regards, Chris

[@voltlog]

if you use a proper 24V 4A psu to power this soldering iron you will be impressed, it will be much better than the old Yihua.

[@weirdscix]

I can't believe they sent the display PCB just loose in with other components

[@voltlog]

I am used to things coming from China being packed like this.. so no surprises for me.

[@Gooberslot]

You didn't show any actual soldering. Does this behave like a 70W iron or more like a 20-30W one like a lot of the Chinese ones do?

[@voltlog]

It behaves like a 70W one, clear difference.

[@lusher00]

I bought what looks like the same iron on Amazon for $75 but it can’t hold temp and never stops beeping. I guess you get what you pay for.

[@asulliv1954]

You don't need to drill any holes to install power supply if you purchased a metal box just turn power supply sideways and there's a slot on bottom side walls to slide the power supply into that keeps it off all metal parts and the power supply slides back and forth!

[@cyr2445]

24 v 3a

[@DeeegerD]

I'll stick with my Yihua's ;)

[@voltlog]

T12 tips or older 936 similar type?

[@JUANKERR2000]

Not much good as a first soldering iron!

[@voltlog]

what do you mean?

[@TheAmmoniacal]

He's asking if this is good as a first soldering iron. And yes, sure it is.

[@voltlog]

yes, I think this is a good first soldering iron but be aware you will need an already working soldering iron to complete the assembly of this one.

[@MidnightVisions]

I think your doing an excellent job of product reviews, your saving me a lot of money too! Many items on their own cant match professional equipment, but for small jobs, for students, or those without the financial means to afford professional equipment, what voltlog is doing with these product reviews is helping us make informed decisions on what is out there to buy, and get those devices to work within realistic parameters, instead of manufactures wished specifications is very helpful! Keep up the good work voltlog!

[@JUANKERR2000]

Just think about it!

[@shahnavazansari466]

It's expensive more then original product In this price segment i buy 2 original product

[@franciscorafael7975]

Prefiero el WELLER., lo he usado por,,, AÑOS SIN PROBLEMAS.

[@ManofCulture]

Weller es caro

[@joyler2446]

The l is silent in solder

[@TheOzthewiz]

Only for us Americans!

[@nitinkumar29]

Invest double and get original, original hakko will last forever and will be safe!

[@voltlog]

I wouldn't invest double to get the original hakko, If I were to invest more i would get a weller or a JBC, otherwise these cheaper alternatives come very close to the original hakko so there is no point to invest double.

[@nitinkumar29]

Weller quality is only sinking and it's cost times than Hakko. JBC is even more expensive. I don't understand why you need to pay 2 times of Hakko to get a lower quality low priced model from Weller. See the teardown of original Hakko and these cheap Chinese clones or even low price Weller, and you'll see the quality difference. These kit need time to assembly, not safe, quality is terrible with fake capacitors, IC and lower quality transformer and PCB. In event of any defects, you get warranty and in case of damage, you can sue big companies, which you can't do with Chinese companies which will simply laugh at you.

[@doufasmilz485]

You are robot?

[@voltlog]

correct!

[@doufasmilz485]

VoltLog excuse me

[@camarol88]

Minut 2.59: I think you are referring to the Transformer, not to a transistor.

[@voltlog]

you are right, I meant the transformer.