new design lab in London - equipment to choose

I looked at them but I don't like the 3/4 turn voltage adjust knobs. Is it easy to change the pot for a 10 turn pot? I also like to be able to put wires under screw posts.

I bought this one a while ago:

but I started using it after I replaced the pot and outputs terminals. Before that I mostly used a power supply I build in school 20 years ago.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

people's preferences are?

so kit is for me to use only.

arms 3 foot long to reach up to scopes etc. Hence small equipment is easier to reach.(I am 5 foot 5). Also at my age, eyes need glasses so clear visibility is useful.

The nice thing about the Mantis is the huge working distance and the ease of moving it around. You can probe and solder under it easily. And take nice photos through the viewer.

John

Thanks. Ed

They sell Thunderbolts on Ebay all the time. Unfortunately they all come out of China or Hong Kong (OK, technically China). I managed to get some that were NOS.

Check out the program "Lady Heather" if you want to fiddle with these.

[Lady Heather was in a few CSI episodes as the dominatrix.]

people's preferences are?

Integration) so kit is for me to use only.

arms 3 foot long to reach up to scopes etc. Hence small equipment is easier to reach.(I am 5 foot 5). Also at my age, eyes need glasses so clear visibility is useful.

Or you could use the budget version, which is easily portable and toy quality, but does the job.

RL

I second the two-iron, two tip technique. Think of it as your first step towards ambidextery...

Mine are all second hand - people junk them for one reason or another, often in working order. I think I must have picked up a pair of digital display versions from your dumpster.....handy for the third work station.

RL

people's preferences are?

Integration) so kit is for me to use only.

arms 3 foot long to reach up to scopes etc. Hence small equipment is easier to reach.(I am 5 foot 5). Also at my age, eyes need glasses so clear visibility is useful.

That's what I use, except mine is older, maybe 0.3MPixels and no goose neck stand. Does the job, but now that you posted this link I go an idea. Somewhere I have an old goose neck from a microphone. Dang, I should not have thrown out that old goose neck halogen lamp. Hurumph!

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

people's preferences are?

Integration) so kit is for me to use only.

arms 3 foot long to reach up to scopes etc. Hence small equipment is easier to reach.(I am 5 foot 5). Also at my age, eyes need glasses so clear visibility is useful.

$24.85 (US), with free shipping.

--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense.

people's preferences are?

Integration) so kit is for me to use only.

have arms 3 foot long to reach up to scopes etc. Hence small equipment is easier to reach.(I am 5 foot 5). Also at my age, eyes need glasses so clear visibility is useful.

That's the kind I have. Works fine except for one thing: Even when tightening it to where you think it'll break off any second, the swivel stuff of the stand tends to sag.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

So do I.

-- "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." (Richard Feynman)

The one on my bench has been in daily use for over 5 years.

--
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence 
over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."
                                       (Richard Feynman)

5-10 years is about the time I saw them last. Eventually the display keeps cutting out. They still regulate but you can't see to where. On their inside the ones I took apart were surprisingly elaborate, alumina hybrids and all that, things I'd never have done on such a low cost product. Also, to me a good solder station is supposed to last one engineering career and then some.

So I bought stations with the plain old potmeter. Who needs this digital stuff anyhow? It's like with digital television. Now it cuts out all the time and the news didn't get any better. In fact, they got worse, recession talk, financial meltdown talk, whole countries on the brink of bankruptcy. This, and the value of the US Dollar, was better with analog TV :-))

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

I use the two-iron technique also. Great for handling all kinds of components, such as surface mount electrolytics and inductors, high wattage resistors, transistors, as well as ordinary smd stuff.

Mike

Yeah, it may be a small part, but a big ground plane..... You size the tip to raise joint temperatures uniformly.

RL

I guess it depends on what the display is actually measuring. These ones are user directed; set-point and tip.

What about the 'time-out' versions that actually seem to wait for you to pick the iron up, before deciding to turn off? Some missing line of code, somewhere, or a misdirected latch line.....and totally infuriating.

RL

But the analog ones do the same, for less money and more reliably. You set the temp with the potmeter, LED comes on. When LED starts to blink temp is reached. The blinking style also shows the usual regulator over/undershoot during heavy duty solder marathons.

That auto-shutoff works nicely although I am an electricity-frugal guy so mine never comes on. Don't know what could be infuriating about it. I bet it has prevented many fires by now. It is amazing how many people either forget or neglect to turn off the solder iron when they leave the lab. It's similar to self-extinguishing cigarettes.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

All good replies, thank you. noted re soldering irons that will switch off after a time, very useful! Lyn