timelessbeing
Member
Last Activity: 01-30-2019, 03:17 AM
Joined: 05-09-2011
Location: BC, Canada
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LCD display price fixing scam
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
Applying solder to an iron and then taking a focused macro shot was trickier than I thought! So here you can see what I mean. The brown crust is flux from the solder I had [I]just[/I] applied, so it can't be helped.
I find that having some solder on the tip makes transferring heat more efficient. It increases contact area with the part being soldered, as well as providing a heat "reservoir" for parts that dissipate more heat into the air. I'll confess there's a little bit too much in the first pic, but when you're de-soldering... -
Re: Choosing a soldering station
I actually have a chisel tip, but the effect is the same. I'll grab a photo for you next time.Leave a comment:
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
Pardon me, balling was the wrong word to use. The tip is perfectly clean. The solder is just being attracted to the hottest part of the tip-- the copper core-- which is thicker further away from the tip. Good for tip life, not so good for wettability. It's not bad at 350degC but it gets worse if you have to turn the heat up....Leave a comment:
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
My only problem with this station is the tip. Solder seems to ball up at the top of the tinned area, instead of at end where you need it.Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
kinda sucks not being able to edit entries...
So I removed all the carbon, thoroughly cleaned the board with solvent, put on several coats of laquer, and surrounded with silicone, plugged it in and ... instant arcing. Bah!
Then I removed ALL the added material down to bare board and leads, plugged it in, and it is completely stable. Nota bene, air is the best dielectric.Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
Ugh! More arcing... this time between the black box and the white connector. This high voltage stuff is tricky.Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
The inverter input should be between 11-12V. Since I am using it in an automotive application, voltage can vary between 11 and 14V. By my calculations, a 5.6Ω ballast resistor should even it out.Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
The glue was barely touched. The short actually carved a path through the PCB.
The inverter was overdriven by 2V or so. Would that have contributed to the arcing?Leave a comment:
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
I gave my new FX-888 a try yesterday...
The station is roughly the size of an old-school pencil sharpener, and feels very sturdy. The stand is anodized aluminum and also feels robust. The hole for the pencil fits snugly and only makes contact with the collar, so no heat is lost. The brass wire tip cleaner is a nice touch. I'm not sure what the rubber scraper is good for yet. The pencil is very well made. It's light and has a comfortable grip that doesn't get hot even at 500°C. The cord is supple so you don't notice it's there, and...Leave a comment:
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
I'm liking the Hakko more and more.
- it comes with a chisel tip (better than conical for heat transfer)
- led that turns green when temp is stabilized. don't need to stinkin readout :P
- compact base station that doesn't look outdated.
and I found a local supplier who would sell it to me for $100. (Interior Electronics)
Picking it up today!Last edited by timelessbeing; 06-01-2011, 04:47 PM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Choosing a soldering station
That was the price from Active electronics (local) which the same as if I got it shipped from Digikey. If anybody knows a good dealer, that helps too.
By the way, the Wellers are 50 Watt and the Hakko is 65W....Last edited by timelessbeing; 05-31-2011, 10:06 PM.Leave a comment:
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Choosing a soldering station
My cheapie pencil iron is really showing its age, and I find it seriously underpowered when working with more massive stuff. I want to replace it with something nice that is pleasant to work with, and lasts a long time.
Here are some products I've been considering:
- Weller WES51, $110 CAD
- Weller WESD51, $140 CAD
- Hakko FX-888, $110 CAD
What is the difference between the analog and digital Weller? Is it just the temperature readout and is that worth the extra $30?
Any feedback would be much appreciated! -
Re: HP1940 backlight
I have a working 19" monitor.
Thanks for your help everyone. Especially retiredcaps.
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Re: HP1940 backlight
Thanks for the link.
So the fuse was dead. You couldn't tell by looking at it. All the components are in now.
I wasn't able to clean much of the charred material off. Hopefully that doesn't create a problem.
Tomorrow is test day.Leave a comment:
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Re: HP1940 backlight
OK, will do. Please pardon my ignorance, but how does the fuse blow anyway? Don't bad solder joints increase impedance and restrict current?...Leave a comment:
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Re: HP1940 backlight
Blimey!
I got my eBay repair kit today (shipped out May 5th) nicely packaged in a static shielded baggy. (Seller was "coreweave" for those wondering). I marked the connectors so I don't mix them up. I'll begin the repair when I get home from work tonight.
I have a couple of questions for you guys. Some of the traces have lifted away from the PCB. My plan is to just reflow the solder, leave as is, test the monitor, and if needed, add some wire segments and clean away excess rosin with isopropyl alcohol since they could...Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
Maybe bathtub silicone would make a good insulator?...Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
Hi folks. Let me show you what NOT to do with high-voltage circuits. (see attached snapshots).
The white connector that you see attached to the outside of the black box goes to the CCFL (don't know exact voltage). It used to be soldered to the inverter board. I moved it to the outside of the box, and connected it to the board using some thick leads I chopped off some components. Then I surrounded the leads with hot glue.
In the 'after' pic you can see a black trail where electricity has arced [I]through[/I] the hot glue. A separation of...Leave a comment:
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Re: HV wire
OK that makes sense now.Leave a comment:
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