New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The part that really gets me is that it wasn't cheap. At $180, they could have at least put a better motor in it.

[Agent24]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The pump assembly might not be as leak-free as the real Hakko too...

That said, if it sucks solder OK most of the time, it might just be a blockage problem. Silly question but do you make sure to keep the suction on long enough to suck the solder all the way though the tip and into the collection chamber?

I am still biased towards thinking it's just trashy though, too. China is an expert at taking good designs, ripping them off, and making garbage out of them.

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

Yeah, it's definitely the motor. Even with the collection chamber removed, it still bogs down. I verified that there were no clogs anywhere. The motor will stop completely sometimes.

[keeney123]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

I bought that model last month, use it about 4 times so far.
I took it apart when I received it to verify that the Line, Neutral, and GND, and the rest of the unit are put it together.
The first thing I notice is that the nylon standoff that hold the PCBA on the rear panel were all broken so the board was just sitting inside.
I notified them but did not get the response.
I replaced the standoff with better version.
The units works well for me, and the heater assembly also looks good.
Here are the pictures:
http://s807.photobucket.com/user/bud...?sort=3&page=1

BudM you should tell him where you got the better stand offs.

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

Budm has a rework station, I have a vacuum desoldering gun.

[Agent24]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

Yeah, it's definitely the motor. Even with the collection chamber removed, it still bogs down. I verified that there were no clogs anywhere. The motor will stop completely sometimes.

Bugger...

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The seller has a 30 day return policy, so I think I'm good. If I get a refund I'll buy the Hakko. I can say this much though, in the short period of time this thing did work I was able to get way more work done. Whatever it costs to get a good one of these, it is definitely worth the investment.

[tom66]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

Don't you have some kind of mandatory warranty, 90 odd days in the US for parts/labour? (It's 2 years in the EU but I bought mine direct from China, sigh.)

Or you could file a complaint with your credit card company?

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

I looked but I didn't see anything on it.

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

China would be out of the manufacturing business if we had a mandatory 2 year warranty.

[keeney123]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The best station I found for desoldering was a Pace. We used it in production environment with four technicians. I work at this company for three and one half years and this Pace desoldering machine did not fail once. One just had to clean the glass tube with a brush put it back together and on one would go. It was a foot actuated vacuum connected to a air line with at least 90 lbs psi. When the petal was pressed the air pressure passing an orifice created the the vacuum. So the only moving part was the foot valve. There also had a heat control station for the desoldering wand. So your desolder tool does not have a separate heat control station?

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

No, it's all in the gun. Pump, motor, control circuits, all in the gun. It's a really nice design, stolen from Hakko of course. They just didn't steal the Hakko quality.

[Agent24]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

No surprise there, Pace are one of the big players in soldering equipment.

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The only thing I don't like about Hakko is their trademark color scheme. They look like kids toys.

[tom66]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

Hakko offer many products in light grey/black versions too. Harder to get hold of though.

[lookimback]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

That would be much nicer. Blue and yellow just don't look good together.

[Agent24]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The only thing I don't like about Hakko is their trademark color scheme. They look like kids toys.

It's certainly unmistakeable! - I don't mind it too much though, it could be worse.

The colours are OK on their professional series, but I think the FX-888 is awful due to the shape. If anything looked like a kid's toy it would be the FX-888, based on shape alone. The colours do not help.

I much prefer the shape of the 936. Nice clean edges, everything straight\flat. 90 or 45 degree angles. Black is always best for plastic in my opinion because most everything else fades or goes that horrible yellow...

[stj]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

the 888 was made in blue/yellow, silver, and blood-red among other colours.
i wish my chinese base looked like someone had been killed over it instead of being bright blue!

[retiredcaps]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The seller has a 30 day return policy, so I think I'm good.

Did you buy this from an USA seller or China seller? If the latter, shipping the unit back to China might cost you quite a bid especially if you need a tracking number and signature to show it arrived back to the seller. Otherwise, the seller can claim they never received it.

[retiredcaps]

Re: New tool, Aoyue 8800! Desoldering just got easy!

The colours are OK on their professional series, but I think the FX-888 is awful due to the shape. If anything looked like a kid's toy it would be the FX-888, based on shape alone. The colours do not help.

I might be the only one here who likes the FX-888 blue/yellow color scheme and the shape doesn't bother me at all.

It goes well with my yellow/grey multimeters.

I was going to buy a clone, but Dave's (eevblog) teardown convinced me otherwise to spend a few more $$$ for quality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtlN0b-gkic