Allison should address his question to automotive radiator repairers where the iron's job has a nice heat-sink effect to keep the tip low enough to curtail destructive temps. I have never seen a technician operate his iron with the tip glowing red FFS,..plus I wouldn't let an iron get that hot, just to answer one of Allison's stupid questions. Let him fuckup his own variable temp iron.
Right, so you've never actually used a variable temp iron, you just watch other technicians? The tip never "glows red", even at the max 480degC on a Hakko. Sometimes you have to turn it up that high temorarily for some rework jobs etc.
Have you figured out yet that 370C, 430C, and 480C are actually standard Weller tip temps?
Right, so you've never actually used a variable temp iron, you just watch other technicians? The tip never "glows red", even at the max 480degC on a Hakko. Sometimes you have to turn it up that high temorarily for some rework jobs etc.
Have you figured out yet that 370C, 430C, and 480C are actually standard Weller tip temps?
Have you done any circuit board work with a variable tip temp iron? If so, are you saying you have operated your iron near or at flat-out temperatures whilst doing your repairs etc?
Yes, for the last 25 years or so, thanks. Care to answer the same question I asked you?
Of course I have, there are occasionas were higher temps are beneficial. If you don't know why, then you really haven't got any experience at all. There are reasons why variable temp irons have the capability to go well over 400C, and there are high temperature tips to suit.
You are the one who made the foolish statement that 370C is too hot, and the only iron that gets to that temp is an "old large Scope iron with the 3.3 volt AC tranny". You still standing by that?
Can you even buy weller irons these days? My first soldering iron (I am a yougen compared to most) was an old weller in a bakelite case. Someone had dropped it at my fathers work and smashed it to bits, so he retreived it an crafted a new case for it out of wood. Worked a treat and lasted for years. I remember learning the hard way once that you can file those tips, took me months to save up for a new tip!
And Jason, I have worked on electronics for many years, and more often than not I had the iron cranked up well over 370degC, and that was on surface mount stuff. Think about those big heatsinks that come built into SMPS sections, and switching fets etc. If you can solder a surface mounted LM1117 without cranking up the temp then you obviously more time than common sense. They design irons to go up to that temp for a very good reason.
A lot people still swear by their fix temp Wellers, but I've never been a big fan for my own use. I've always preferred the flexibility of a variable temp iron, and of course Weller make a full range of those now too (450degC max for those playing along at home).
Fixed temp irons come into their own for production use though, much greater control over your production process. No knobs for the operators to play with.
Lead temp and time heat is applied has always been a parameter I have kept to an absolute minium, as many times we would be out in the scrub at a remote A/G and link site with out of service time and occasionally spares at a premium. We used clip-on heat sinks for some applications, for as night follows day, too much heat or on a lead for too long, would stuff the smaller semiconductors. It's a sense you get after experience, that indicated the less heat you use, the less chance of damage. Using an iron which is so hot, it's tip is glowing was once of the more gross mistakes newbies would make.
When you get as good as me you dont need clip on heatsinks. I have never had a heat damaged component. I choose the temperature according to the soldering I am doing. IT comes with experience. BTW, I have done remote work with little or no spares as well.
Now if you read phils post correctly, you would notice that not once did he mention the fact that he was using the iron at that temp for electronics work.
You also stated " The only irons that will get to that sort of heat is the old large Scope iron with the 3.3 volt AC tranny." which is totally incorrect also. My hakko iron goes up to
480degC, as does many I have worked with over the years. Check out this baby, 200-450degC ->
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and this
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Phils post mentioned a temp of around 370degC would show the iron glowing in the dark. Now I dont know about you, but even a newbie would recognise this temp as being a perfectly fine temp for soldering. Now if you take some time to go visit the weller website, you will see that these newbies are selling standard 370degC tips. They have been round for quite a while now, so i guess this has been a gross mistake for many years now?
You see, from where I am sitting, all of your argument points to you being the newbie.
Beside the point, this really has nothing to do with the question asked in the original post.
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