Everywhere I have worked over the years has used Weller soldering irons.
I recently went to buy a new one and saw there was a "new" range, the WHS models. They look neat and cost a bit less. And they are RUBBISH. Just plain simple trashy, not what you would expect from Weller.
I hope somebody at Weller get's shot for putting these on the market, and they go back to making first rate products!
Roger,
Are you sure that is was not someone's knockoff with a similar spelling like 'Weler' or 'Wellar'? I went to the Weller web site and could not find anything on WHS.
Regards, Tim
Probably slow at updating the website.
I have used stations over the years, but after using the one at work, all the other irons feel like holding a baseball bat to solder. A nice thin iron is much better, and that one is also the most powerfull iron I have used for electronic soldering. I may just buy an iron and make another simple temperature controller for it. Its like this....
See if they show made in China. If so junk.
Look on teh bottom. Was this the Weller European design group? Look for EU or Gbmh
gb
All soldering manufacturers are having issues due to Chinese exports.
Hakko (Japan) has at least 4 different knock-offs/cones (Auoye, Madell, Quakko, etc). They MAY look the same -- but feedback due to poor quality has been negative from many circles.
Sorny Roong Industrial Co., Ltd. (SOLOMON) in Taiwan is a large OEM exporter for private brands by Elenco, Tenma, CSI, etc. Negative is that you can no buy replacement heaters in US, only the irons!
Weller "TCP" series still solid station (easy to repair, most reliable temperature controlled station since 1966) -- and I have been fixing them for 35 years -- need parts?
The Weller moved to Mexico; did the RoHS required retooling and introduced new models (and discontinued EC series from 2002 -2004. At the same time. parent company Cooper Tools (Houston) was considering to sell Weller and some other brands to Fluke (they did not come to agreement). In past 12 to 18 months -- Weller seems a bit more focused on business (less distractions).
gb
I never liked Weller. Never could get a tip to last a week. On the other hand, I have a Hexacon I bought in the seventies and it's on its third tip. I'm starting to look for replacements, as I don't expect this one to last out the decade and may need a fourth by 2011.
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One meter, to within 0.0125% accuracy (off by just under .005 inches):
Three feet
Three inches
Three eights of an inch
My Weller TCP PU 3D first went into use on a production line Sep 11, 1986 . I bought it at auction ten years later and use it every day since. I have 2 spare elements and 2 spare switches and dozens of tips , so it should last me out. Dropped it once , requiring TLC to the switch but thats the only problem I've had with it.
Remember never throw away a tip without removing the magnastat - you can always swap it tu a tip with right profile but wrong temp. I don't leave mine switched on all the working day.
-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
It all depends on whether you use genuine Weller tips or not and the solder you use. I have used a WTCP since the 60's and for everyday use a tip would last at least 6mths when using rosin cored activated solder such as Multicore Sav-bit.
Those replacement tips from Vanier were never any good imo - even using Sav-bit.
I used to buy Weller TCP at auctions , recondition and sell on, and I only ever came across open circuit switches. Agreed you have to treat them with respect, ie not clouting them against chassis sides or dropping on the floor. Perhaps if the wrong retention barrels (too much iron) or some other mechanical mismatch was causing the switches to close permanently. The thermal element is in the magnastat, losing magnetism at its formulated temperature. Not many people realise that the closure barrel that holds the tips in place is factored into the magnastat operation.
-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
One silly add on I was going to try years ago, but as the element never blew , was/wasn't this. A proximity detector in the iron holder and if the iron had not been removed for 5 minutes then cut in a diode to the heater line, cancelled immediately if the iron is picked up.
-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
As of the last time I had to use a Weller, I didn't know anyone else made tips for them. The replacements I was installing came out of Weller shrink packaging.
Always had good solder at the places I've worked; for some reason, no one ever cheaped out on solder.
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One meter, to within 0.0125% accuracy (off by just under .005 inches):
Three feet
Three inches
Three eights of an inch
Does anyone still have an Unger? I have one that I've used for 20 or so years. Still have a few of the #111 Iron Clad tips.
-- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida
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In all my years of experience with WTCP the ONLY problem which I came across - and not all that frequently - was the switch mechanism. When this happens it is all too easy to determine and do something about it. I have successfully repaired switch units but only where the spring contacts were the problem.
Nothing else seems to fail at all on the WTCP. Perhaps it has to do with the country of manufacture? All the WTCP"s I have ever used were manufactured in Australia.
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made
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Vanier tips started appearing here around 1980's if I remember correctly.
No attention at all? We were required to check the temperature calibration every 90 days. I did it several times, when the ME office was overworked. There were a couple hundred irons, scattered between manufacturing, test, service and engineering. I checked the tip to ground resistance several times a day on the ions I used. I checked one of the older digital bench meters out of our cal lab, and connected one lead to the bench's ground system, and the other lead to a scrap of unetched PC board so that I could pick up an iron and touch the PC board while glancing at the meter. Anything above three ohms required the tip to be removed and cleaned. If that didn't fix the problem, the iron had to be turned in for repair. I spent about 10 minutes every day maintaining my three Edsyn 'Loner' irons.
-- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida
Sigh.
We were building high end telemetry equipment which demanded high standards, not cheap consumer shit. A failed piece of equipment could cost a lot of lives, or require a round trip from space to the factory along with finding room as payload for a return to orbit. Also, would YOU like to be downrange if one of our missile 'command destruct receivers' failed to destroy an out of control missile?
-- Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to prove it. Member of DAV #85. Michael A. Terrell Central Florida
I admire your optimism, but without enforced standards, what guarantee do you have that your technicians will "do the right thing" consistently?
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