Portable Soldering Iron

[awol]

Here's one for the soldering people/diy battery builders.

I was watching a video on soldering xt90 connectors and the guy happened to pickup a soldering iron called a TS100 and mentioned it far beat's conventional irons because it uses a new 'direct tip' technology. After watching a few video's on it I found out it heats up in seconds and can also be powered by lipo batteries which makes it really portable and I can solder up all dangerous things battery related or car related outside.
So I found a cheaper version called an SH72 which works in the same way but without the fancy oled display, don't know if it's as good as the TS100 though.

49.37￡ 35% OFF|Original Ts100 65w Mini Electric Soldering Iron Station Adjustable Temperature Digital Display With Solder Tip 24v Power Supply - Electric Soldering Irons - AliExpress

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www.aliexpress.com

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www.aliexpress.com

I've bought a few things from NovelLife on ALiExpress and alway's get really quick delivery.

This was the guy I was watching about it.

TS100 Soldering Iron Review - The Best Iron For The Price?

The TS100 soldering iron is one of the best soldering irons for the price thanks to cartridge tip technology, features, power & portability.

www.rchelicopterfun.com

To find out how quick this get's up to max 430deg temp I hooked up a watt meter and it took 30 seconds until power was down to 0.25a which holds it at the set temp.



The only problem for me being pretty novice is you can set the temperature from 200-430 deg so how do I know what temp to set for whatever I'm soldering?

 

[Benjahmin]

I've been using one of these for years. Can't set the temperature though, just turn it on and use it, but then I'm not doing delicate electronics.

https://cpc.farnell.com/weller/wsta-6/self-igniting-junior-pyropen/dp/WL00150?mckv=sdwdOmD4s_dc|pcrid|224654335881|kword||match||plid||slid||product|WL00150|pgrid|50784539401|ptaid|pla-895121923085|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8r4BRCzARIsAA21i_Aru1AneoK1oNulVgLD2vzP1PJ6-FfRVoXnOJvwzuAJNAYFlr8609kaAl7vEALw_wcB

 

[vfr400]

The only problem for me being pretty novice is you can set the temperature from 200-430 deg so how do I know what temp to set for whatever I'm soldering?[/SIZE]

For 40/60 tin lead solder, 270deg for small and normal joints. For big joints, like battery connections, turn it up another 100deg to store a bit of extra heat in the tip.

Lead-free solder requires higher temperatures, but IMHO is best avoided

 

[awol]

First job outside with the portable soldering iron was to seperate a good lipo cell from a dead one. One thing I learned was it's not quite hot enough for desoldering the 10swg wire and I ended up cutting that off. This dead cell was puffed up earlier and before I throw the dead cell in the bin I checked the mv and it is showing -11.6 and increasing. How can it be minus and how do I ensure it's absolutely dead and safe to throw in the bin.

 

[vfr400]

Your pointer is set to 200M resistance. Woops!

 

[awol]

Your pointer is set to 200M resistance. Woops!

Thankyou for that, I really do need a course in electronics, I thought all that section on the meter was DC volts from 600vdc down to millivolts and the resistance was the k section below it.

 

[Nealh]

Nope, only the first three are DC volts 600, 200 & 20v.

 

[soundwave]

Primus PSI3380 Psi 3380 Portable Soldering Iron Kit

Primus PSI3380 Psi 3380 Portable Soldering Iron Kit

www.ffx.co.uk

that thing you are using is for tiny pcb work and you should spot weld batts anyway as the less heat the better for the cells

 

[awol]

View attachment 37439

Primus PSI3380 Psi 3380 Portable Soldering Iron Kit

Primus PSI3380 Psi 3380 Portable Soldering Iron Kit

www.ffx.co.uk

that thing you are using is for tiny pcb work and you should spot weld batts anyway as the less heat the better for the cells

The tip in that picture reminded me of an old rusty solder iron I had in the garage and was going to throw it years ago, it's 65w. I de-rusted it and cleaned the tip after watching videos online and it works spot on so I can use it in the future with that thick wire.

 

[RobN]

Aldi are doing a portable butane soldering iron at the moment. £12.99 i think.

 

[Nealh]

I have a butane portable one but soon when back to an electric one.

 

[jokskot]

Nope, only the first three are DC volts 600, 200 & 20v.

Are you sure?

 

[vfr400]

Aldi are doing a portable butane soldering iron at the moment. £12.99 i think.

I have a butane portable one but soon when back to an electric one.

The cheap butane ones are not very stable. They're OK for emergencies, but the gas regulation is poor The more expensive ones work much better.

 

[PP100]

I bought a cheap soldering iron years back (for a possible computer repair) but never used it or ever actually soldered. My late Dad used to solder occasionally at home (He was a BR Locomotive Fitter).
Is it easy to do? Feels it would be a gamble to try it on a serious repair without practice , but what can I practice on?

 

[RossG]

Thankyou for that, I really do need a course in electronics, I thought all that section on the meter was DC volts from 600vdc down to millivolts and the resistance was the k section below it.

There are five voltage ranges to select on that multimeter, 200mv - 600v. You have it set on 200mv in your photo, note the indent on the switch pointing to the millivolts scale.

 

[awol]

I bought a cheap soldering iron years back (for a possible computer repair) but never used it or ever actually soldered. My late Dad used to solder occasionally at home (He was a BR Locomotive Fitter).
Is it easy to do? Feels it would be a gamble to try it on a serious repair without practice , but what can I practice on?

Practise on any old bits of wire, tinning the ends and soldering them together, and practise tinning the ends of any old dead 18650 cells. I watched this the other day and found it helpful.

 

[DougDo]

My electric soldering gun is also cheap but works well for me. I bought it from imeshbean.com. Its temperature range is 200-450°C, and power is 60W.