hakko 808 pissing me off

[Uranium-235]

so, I've had it with this thing. I spent $170 on it a few months ago and the tip keeps getting clogged up. Not only that, but cause I use so much flux, the flux hardens on the filter and I have to re soften it up, and they only included like 3 filters. the plunger no longer fits through the tip for some reason. it cleans out the shaft just fine, but I can never get it through the tip, and now the actually BROKE OFF in the tip

I remember using a desoldering tool back when I was in 8th grade working for side cash for an oil electronics company. Looked old, and had the gun separate from the pump, but man did it suck (in a good way).

any one know a good heavy desolering station for, I don't know, $10? haha, no really like ~$200? hopefully less

[yyonline]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

The 808 does clog occasionally. When it happens to me, I usually find that I've sucked up something that isn't solder, so it never melts. I haven't found a convenient way to de-clog the tips. It's happened twice in at least a year of use. Unfortunately, the tips are a bit pricey so it's a pain when it does happen.

As for the filters getting clogged with flux... The filters are consumable items, and it's pretty cheap to buy replacements. That said, I haven't found a need to use much flux with the 808 for through hole desoldering. I just add a bit of solder with a soldering iron, and then vacuum it away with the 808. Aside from the small amount of flux deposited by adding solder, no additional flux has been used or needed, really.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I've used it less than 8 months and so far it clogs after a few uses when I start using it

I do that, I use 60/40 resin core and soften each joint up /w flux, and on some joints I still have such trouble. like on this HP asus board today, 'twas terrible.

[stretch0069]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

i have some Pace tip cleaners that i used to use. you can google to find cleaners.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

What exactly is oil electronics?
.

[gerg]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I have an xytronic lf-7000 and it will occasionally clog i just use a thin piece of copper wire and work it through sometimes i pull the tip out when it's hot using a vice grips and push it through from the back. I haven't had to replace a tip yet from a clog

[yyonline]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

How long are you giving it to reach full temperature before you start using it? It seems to take about 5 minutes to fully warm up. If I try to use it before then, it will clog as some of the internal parts aren't hot enough to melt solder. Of course, in those cases, it unclogs as soon as it warms up.

Also check the metal plate inside the plastic vacuum chamber. Solder sticks to that plate and blocks the flow of the vacuum, and it isn't always obvious due to the metal plate and solder being the same color.

Again, I've never had to add flux to anything with the 808. If you're having trouble with Asus boards, which can be copper heavy and often have small through holes, I'd check the temperature adjustment dial. For multilayer boards, I have it turned up about 4/5ths of the way. Even then, some particularly copper heavy areas of the board can take about 5 seconds of good contact to melt the solder. It also helps to make sure that your leaded solder is actually mixing with the solder on the board, as opposed to just laying on top of it. A good trick I use sometimes - put a bit of solder on the center of the 808 tip, then bring that to the board. The solder on the tip will aid in heat transfer to the solder joint on the board.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

What exactly is oil electronics?
.

heh bad description. they make these large tubes filled with electronics for sensing oil in the ground when they drill

yes I make sure the solder gets fully in the joint, and for the last few weeks ive had it turned up all the way

I gripped the plunger in some heavy pliers and forced it down heavy on the tip, twisting and turning it, with no success, till it finally broke

I CONSTANTLY checked that metal catch, and so far have replaced it once, other then that I scrape the solder off it. I put a little alcohol on the filter to soften it up. Before I sucked, i put the tip right to my ear and could hear a little bit of vacuum, but this last day it was getting worse and worse till I broke the damn plunger off in the tip after taking the tip off, and putting the plunger in those heavy pliers and beating the damn thing on my desk as hard as I could without the plunger getting hardly a millimeter inside the tip

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

Sounds like a lump of debris has soldered itself to the inside wall of the tip.
.
Might try to make a tip de-clogger like this.
[Pardon quickie drawing, don't feel like drawing today...]
.
Hardest part will be finding something with the right threads and adapting it to a piece of metal tubing or a long pipe nipple.
.
Make one.
Heat the tip up nice and toasty.
Then hit it with compressed air to blast the junk out.
[Be careful where you point it.]
.
.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

that is, fascinating, good idea

hey-what about like a 0.8mm drill bit? (the hole is 1mm)

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

That might work you can keep it on center.
If the debris is/are harder than the metal of the tip the bit might 'drift' and you'd end up hogging out the tip instead.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I dunno what it's called...
The back side of the tip looks to butt up against a tube.
You might try radiusing the inside edge of that tube so it doesn't act as a catch-edge and block the 'chunks'.

Probably use something like a tiny dremel type diamond-bit 'spike' as in the pic for something like that. [Turn with fingers, not power tool...]
.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I always keep some of these handy for misc odd jobs.

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-piec...set-40547.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/50-piec...set-36252.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piec...set-31502.html

.

Sometimes I buy this [it goes on sale cheap] just for the accessories that come with it [includes a set of 20 diamond burr bits] for my Dremel and then I give away the POS 'gutless wonder' grinder itself. [It does work, it's just gutless.]
http://www.harborfreight.com/80-piec...kit-97626.html
The 20 diamond burr set is not shown in the photo but it's listed and included in the box.

Last I looked at one [the tool kit] the diamond burr set was the same one as in the first link.
So, for $2 more you get all those other dremel compatible goodies and a wimpy dremel to give to someone you don't like all that much.
.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I already have a dremil, and its a niice one, one of the more expensive ones

last night I got a 1/32 drill bit that came in a kit of 10 for $10 but damnit I need an adapter to get this little fcker to fit, and I have yet to come across one for less then like $8.

right now, I can get a new hakko tip (preferrably one larger then 1mm) for $15 so i'm not sure how much more I want to put into something that might not even work to begin with :/

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

Look in photo of POS dremel-like gutless wonder tool.
Look just under buffer wheels.
Those 3 brass things are Collets that fit dremel and one will hold a 1/32 drill bit quite well.
-
Like I said. The value isn't in the tool itself it's in all the goodies packaged with it.
.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

thats what its called! yeah thats what I have 2 of and both are too big, but it seems like a normal part, I might be able to find at lowes or ace

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

That kit has the collet you are looking for + a 20pc set of diamond burrs + all those grinder wheels sanding pads and other parts ,,, for $10.
And you are looking to pay $8 for just the collet?
.

[Uranium-235]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I already have a slew of that stuff with my current dremil, I don't need more crap right now. not only that but the closest harbor freight is pretty far away

[PCBONEZ]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

I figured tehas would have one of them on every corner.

[Agent24]

Re: hakko 808 pissing me off

Just reading a website about desoldering, and I noticed this:

"The vacuum should be kept on until after the desoldering tip is removed from the lead. This gives the molten solder time to get up to the collection chamber. If that time is not provided, the solder will end up in the heater, clogging it up and aggravating the operator"

(http://www.qsl.net/n9zia/desolder.html)