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Post by valhalla on Oct 1, 2023 12:55:57 GMT 1
You do know you can buy cordless soldering irons Aye, I had a look around beforehand, but I just couldn't find the exact thing I was looking-for. The majority of the irons on sale are for M12 series, and I wanted something that would dovetail straight into my set of M18 batteries/charger
The majority of the M18-suitable irons were either a) just like I have made, but with increased postage charges to get them here, or b) a bit unwieldy and/or simplistic for the jobs I need to do.
The beauty of the iron I have built, which really just suits my particular work-pattern, is that the soldering station is compact and easy to position near the job, but the cord to the iron is fairly short, about 1/2meter, and very light. This means it's less likely to snag on anything else, and is easier to handle in tight spaces for long periods of time (i.e. less weight on my arms and wrist). I'm thinking of using this inside vehicles within the workshop itself - harness repairs under the dash, etc. - as well as remotely. The thought of not having a 240v extension lead, trailing socket, etc. etc. tangled-up under my overalls whilst I wriggle into footwells, is a good feeling.
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Post by chippie on Oct 1, 2023 13:02:28 GMT 1
Valhalla, Antex used to do a 12v iron, I recollect from my days with electronics…not sure if they still do or where you could buy one from…not many electronic shops around these days..
Failing that, you could use a small 2-300 watt inverter to run off a car battery powering a 25-40 watt iron..
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Post by OldGit on Oct 2, 2023 15:11:11 GMT 1
I've got one of those Antex 12v soldering irons, much better than the gas ones that run out just before the last joint...
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Post by chippie on Oct 2, 2023 17:04:08 GMT 1
Cant fault them... I have several, 18W, 25W, 40W which I think is adjustable... Plus I have a temperature controlled iron that I bought cheap from Maplins when they were closing down.... All essential for the electronic hobbyist..
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Post by OldGit on Oct 3, 2023 21:56:53 GMT 1
Hat to get my 'big' soldering iron out today, previously used for soldering starter motor brushes onto armatures & the like, it must be ~35 years old and kept firmly out of sight when PAT is around...
The only downside is the 30 mins it takes to heat up - and cool down.
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Post by valhalla on Oct 4, 2023 17:24:12 GMT 1
Hat to get my 'big' soldering iron out today, previously used for soldering starter motor brushes onto armatures & the like, it must be ~35 years old and kept firmly out of sight when PAT is around...
The only downside is the 30 mins it takes to heat up - and cool down.
Blimey, that's a big'un Mister!
What is the power on that thing? It looks even bigger than my large iron - a Weller 240W unit
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Post by chippie on Oct 4, 2023 17:28:48 GMT 1
I’d guess at around 250-300 watts?
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remmington
Apprentice
Owns Spark Eroder
Posts: 4,971
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Post by remmington on Oct 17, 2023 21:47:35 GMT 1
Hat to get my 'big' soldering iron out today, previously used for soldering starter motor brushes onto armatures & the like, it must be ~35 years old and kept firmly out of sight when PAT is around... The only downside is the 30 mins it takes to heat up - and cool down.
Blimey, that's a big'un Mister! What is the power on that thing? It looks even bigger than my large iron - a Weller 240W unit
I think the biggest 240v electric one I got is a 175w Weller At that point I always go over to propane jewelers torch. www.gasproducts.co.uk/sievert-pro-86-jewellers-gas-blow-torch-kit.html?currency=GBP&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4bipBhCyARIsAFsieCyZYHA5hyGOm8c41ZJsZ-WU7okmnOi9ViDNESzyaFar7Pkecxc9zisaArceEALw_wcBI hate little gas powered soldering irons - I bought a few over the years - they just seem to spit and only work flat out. I got an Antex Gascat 120P now - but I only ever use the hot air nozzle on it for heatshrink (it got the best designed heat deflector going built into hot air nozzle) I have seen a 12v battery Milwaukee one - not played with one in real life or used one.
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Post by OldGit on Oct 27, 2023 18:52:36 GMT 1
Finally remembered to look - it is indeed a Weller 175W, although once it's been on for long enough, there's enough heat soak in the oversize tip to do most jobs a bigger iron would be used for.
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Post by valhalla on Oct 27, 2023 20:39:22 GMT 1
Finally remembered to look - it is indeed a Weller 175W, although once it's been on for long enough, there's enough heat soak in the oversize tip to do most jobs a bigger iron would be used for. The tip's worn-away on mine, but this means that it cradles around a large wire quite well. It means I can go in fast and hot with plenty of heat-flow into the wire, without having to pour tonnes of solder into the gap between tip and job. However, yes, I rely a lot on the thermal mass of the tip to get some of the larger work done.
The blade-tip on the project soldering iron above is proving to be a blessing-in-disguise. I thought I would hate it, but I found that with the blade laid along a wire, it does a great job of getting the heat into the job. I had to do a quick-fix on a BMW F30/31 platform rear lamp cluster, having discovered that the connector had melted/corroded around the earth-return (like they do). The project iron was the quickest way to do a bypass of the earth connector-pin, and even did a fair job of soldering that wire down to the earth-plate on cluster - no mean feat.
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remmington
Apprentice
Owns Spark Eroder
Posts: 4,971
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Post by remmington on Nov 23, 2023 22:38:19 GMT 1
Finally remembered to look - it is indeed a Weller 175W, although once it's been on for long enough, there's enough heat soak in the oversize tip to do most jobs a bigger iron would be used for. The tip's worn-away on mine, but this means that it cradles around a large wire quite well. It means I can go in fast and hot with plenty of heat-flow into the wire, without having to pour tonnes of solder into the gap between tip and job. However, yes, I rely a lot on the thermal mass of the tip to get some of the larger work done. The blade-tip on the project soldering iron above is proving to be a blessing-in-disguise. I thought I would hate it, but I found that with the blade laid along a wire, it does a great job of getting the heat into the job. I had to do a quick-fix on a BMW F30/31 platform rear lamp cluster, having discovered that the connector had melted/corroded around the earth-return (like they do). The project iron was the quickest way to do a bypass of the earth connector-pin, and even did a fair job of soldering that wire down to the earth-plate on cluster - no mean feat.
I done hundreds of these rear light cluster BMW earth pin bypass jobs (plus mk2 Renault Clios). Get length of wire strip end - loop it back on itself - load loop with solder (big blob in loop) - allow to cool - the force it on earth plate in cluster with monster 175w soldering iron.
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Post by valhalla on Nov 23, 2023 23:24:37 GMT 1
I don't know why BMW made the contact-pin so small for the earth-return; it's not as if they are wet-behind-the-ears with electrical design? After all, there are basic electrical design manuals that allow you to "build" the conglomerated currents in a device like a rear cluster.
What the design manual does NOT say is : "Make the earth-return pin the same size as each of the supply-side pins - then stick the Lah-Lah Fingers in before calculating the root-mean-square of the currents"
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remmington
Apprentice
Owns Spark Eroder
Posts: 4,971
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Post by remmington on Nov 23, 2023 23:53:08 GMT 1
I don't know why BMW made the contact-pin so small for the earth-return; it's not as if they are wet-behind-the-ears with electrical design? After all, there are basic electrical design manuals that allow you to "build" the conglomerated currents in a device like a rear cluster. What the design manual does NOT say is : "Make the earth-return pin the same size as each of the supply-side pins - then stick the Lah-Lah Fingers in before calculating the root-mean-square of the currents" I pondered over this - why the earth pin is smaller than the supply pins. Based on - you could have the marker lights/brake lights/one indicator and a fog light on at the same time. Should you be turning and braking on a foggy day. The shared earth pin should be bigger....
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