Sun Bots

A great soldering iron is key to building great home brew electronics.

Too often we settle for a Radio Shack Special then wonder why we have trouble soldering. To be sure in a pinch on the rade I have used iron from Radio Shack, but they are only good for a short time.

On of the most important features is temperature control and the ability to idle when not in use. With out a good temperature control, either the tips will not be hot enough or too hot and destroy itself.

So lets start at the top. The best iron is JBC - period. I get these used on ebay for just under 200.00 WOW! Well, they will last for ever and always have a good resale value. When you place the handle back in the holder, it detects this an puts the iron into idle mode. When you pull it out, it it up to temperature in 3 seconds - for real. You can leave it on 24/7 (not recommended) and not burn up the tip.

The first JBC I got was a model AD-2200, which was about 15 years old and worn, but it still works fine. The hard part is finding them. If you buy one new, you will be buying a AD 2950 at about 430.00, so I suppose I should stop tormenting you and get real. At least now you know what to ask Santa Claus for.

 Others claim Metcal is the best. I have never used one, so I can't say from personal  experience. They seem to go used on ebay for less than 100.00. Note that with soldering stations,make sure an hand piece is included as well, or at least price what the hand piece and new tip will cost.

For years I used a Weller WTCPT. This is an interesting iron, in that the temperature is controlled by s special kind of magnet that de-magnetizes at a certain temperature. This causes an electrical contact to break, and it starts cooling down. I used this type of iron for many years, and only considered changing when I started doing SMT work.

Ok, so you want to spend less that 50.00 - understandable. Look into the Weller WLC100. Search for reviews, and see what you think. I have not used this iron, but othes seem to like it.

"Adjustable power from 5 to 40 watts, enough variation to actually change the operating characteristics of the iron. Comes complete with lightweight iron and ST3 tip, power base, iron holder and sponge.  Operates on 120 VAC, 50/60 Hz, has two wire cordset and is UL listed.  Also uses full selection of ST series tips"

 Here is one source to buy it.

Be sure to watch the soldering video too.