Digital clock

[Radio Fixer]

Well Al, I've been using soldering irons for 60 years so not worried about having an accident with a 200W iron.

The bit on the Weller has never needed filing (plated with something) and at only 1cm wide I have had no problems getting it in place on the chassis I work on.

Its the familiar story if you need it you buy the expensive tool. If not you go down market a bit and even look around second hand for Weller stuff, say at swap meets.

cheers Gary

[Mark Hennessy]

BTW., they do have temperature control - its built into the RF characteristics of the tip - the tips are preset for different temperatures - you buy tips based on both their temperature and shape

Yes, they use the Curie effect. There is a video here that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Wmqc9O24w#t=54

Of course, the TCP system also exploits the Curie effect, albeit in a different way.

As did recordable MiniDisc

[Skywave]

. . . only a £600 Metcal will do . . .

How much ? Ouch! There is absolutely no way I would spend even one-quarter of that figure for a new iron - and I'd expect a temperature-controlled iron too at no more than £100. Many years ago, I obtained my Metcal at a bankruptcy auction - cost me £60 - and at the time I thought that that was a lot of money.

If I was a conscientious with my soldering kit as I should be, I would use my Weller TCP for 'everyday' jobs - for which, yes, it is quite adequate - and keep the Metcal for those tasks that the Weller just can't cope with - such as replacing failed electrolytic caps. in PC multi-layer motherboards.

Al.

[Skywave]

The bit on the Weller has never needed filing (plated with something) . . .

The bit for a Weller TCP should never be filed! ISTR that its plating is steel. It's the 'ordinary' unplated copper bits that wear out due to copper migration during the soldering process, which results in the bit needing to be re-formed.

Al.

[Alan Douglas]

the tips are preset for different temperatures - you buy tips based on both their temperature and shape

I would rather buy one tip and select the temperature as required. My ancient Weller EC2001 lets me do that. It has a thermocouple in the tip and reads out temperature on a digital display; turn a switch to read desired temperature which you set with a knob. If I need 850 degrees F for a few seconds, no problem. Other times I keep it around 700. At work I could swap in fine tips for surface-mount parts. Here at home I hope I never see another 0201 resistor.

[Nick]

I hope I never see another 0201 resistor.

If you were soldering 0201 parts by hand, you must have phenomenal eyesight and ridiculously steady hands - they are 0.6mm x 0.3mm (24 thou" x 12 thou") and weigh in at a massive 170 micro-grams - the slightest breath of air and they're all over the place

The smallest I ever do (only with a binocular microscope) is 0402 which is 4 times larger and even that's a major pain...

[Alan Douglas]

There were a couple of them on a board being developed, a transmitter to locate aircraft black boxes. Definitely not a production step, just engineering.