joessportster Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 my next project sometime in the future is going to be a diy kit (im thinking welbourne labs) and i was wanting to know what is a good soldering station to get for electronics, also a good meter for measurments???????? thanks Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Weller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Buy a used Metcal on ebay. I bought one about a year ago and it is *so* much better then my old Weller it is hard to explain to someone that hasn't used one. Up to temperature in a couple of seconds, has amazing heat transfer into the joint...etc..etc. I've literally held RCA chassis ground rings in my hand and soldered them together. The Metcal puts the heat into the joint so quickly you get great solder joints before the ring even gets warm to hold it. For electronic components that means less chance of damaging a component from too much heat. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 I have had this xytronic 137 esd for about 6-7 years now. It is perfect! - about $100 - MY soldering skills went up about 4 fold after getting this! Check it out - http://www.howardelectronics.com/xytronic/137ESD.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsp1068 Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Weller-Fluke Have used both for over 20 yrs. with excellent results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted December 30, 2006 Author Share Posted December 30, 2006 seems soldering stations are like audio gear everyone has there favorites and reasons why [] Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Basboell Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I prefer the primitive Antex with or without a vario transformer. Like some of the others they can deliver a lot of heat without raising the temperature, which I find is a problem with the thermostat controlled systems at least from my experience. They are very cheap too. If you are building hardwired tube amplifiers, then chose a big tip, buy a little collection of different tips. Søren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Weller entry level to mid priced completely suck today way over rated. Weller is not the company it once was. I've been using Hakko in place of 2 Weller's I won and IMHO there is no comparison the Hakko brand is hands down better then entry level Weller. The think with buying these less main stream brands that should be considered is local availability of replacement tips. Buy plenty of spare and types along with your new station. I few of each type you think you we use should last a hobbyist many, many years. When talking Multimeters a Fluke is hard to beat and nearly indestructible. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 I use a Hakko 936. Works fine for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted December 31, 2006 Author Share Posted December 31, 2006 thanks guys i beleive i will look for a hakko as i know craig uses his daily Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 thanks guys i beleive i will look for a hakko as i know craig uses his daily Joe As a matter of fact its on for about 12 hours a day, most days. The tips on a Weller would go to hell in a hand basket about once a week under those conditions. On the Hakko I change them about once every three months!! I'm totally impressed with the great value they are. I believe someone here suggested it last year I just can't remember who... Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Yeah, I bought one about a year ago. Damn thing's still in the box...NIB/NOS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Here's where I got mine: http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/0460-0004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Here's where I got mine: http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/0460-0004/ Me Too !! click to the link below for best deal on one for a hobbyist. http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/0460-0004/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott0527 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Weller entry level to mid priced completely suck today way over rated. Weller is not the company it once was. I've been using Hakko in place of 2 Weller's I won and IMHO there is no comparison the Hakko brand is hands down better then entry level Weller. When talking Multimeters a Fluke is hard to beat and nearly indestructible. Craig Weller is part of the Cooper Tools group. Cooper is awesome at taking a grand old brand name, cheapening it up and selling zillions of them at Home Depot and anywhere else they can go. Crescent Wrenches, Plumb Hammers, Wiss Snips, etc. Those used to be great tools. Junk now. Weller is sort of the same from what I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhendrix Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Craig, Thanks for the link. What extra tips do you recommend adding to the initial purchase? How do you select the tip and temp for various applications? What type solder and flux do you recommend? What do you recommend for solder removal? What do you use for heat sinks (shunts)? Thanks for your help!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 For just building a couple of hundred crossovers or equivalent per year, this unit with a couple of extra tips will keep you going for years. http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/1980-0373/ Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriton Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Uh, my humble recommendation is the circuit specialists unit that I picked up a while back - cheap and well built, been using it rather extensively, I don't do several hundred crossovers a year, but for my use it is above average. http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307 K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Does anyone know of any tube rectified soldering stations? [A] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 Craig, Thanks for the link. What extra tips do you recommend adding to the initial purchase? How do you select the tip and temp for various applications? What type solder and flux do you recommend? What do you recommend for solder removal? What do you use for heat sinks (shunts)? Thanks for your help!!! craig i second this question joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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