what kind of soldering iron to buy

[Dylan]

i was wondering what would be a good soldering iron to buy, im just learning how to solder im 18 years old ive been teaching myself how to do automotive repairs for about a year and everytime something comes up where i have to solder i dont attempt it because im not sure what i should buy plus i wasnt sure if it was hard. i would like to finally learn how to do it so please any suggestions or tips are a huge help

Topic

[ratdude747]

For me, any iron 40W and up is fine. For general automotive, I wouldn’t go any lower than 30W.

My current one is a Weller W60-P I inherited… which for the electronics work I do as a second hobby (and my college major), is great but for automotive is probably overkill.

Before that, I used an Xytronic 258, a 30W adjustable iron, grounded. I still have it as a spare. For doing wires and light PCB work (like resoldering a relay module) it’s a great choice… mine only cost $20 at a local electronics shop and the tips are decent if not high quality (replacebale too with many sizes/shapes available). For your use, I think the standard chisel tip would be good. I would avoid any conical tips (they don’t transfer heat well and are 99% useless).

—-

(Electrical geekery ahead)

The issue with guns introducing current is NOT related to grounding per se (in the sense of grounded outlets and grounded soldering gun plugs). It’s actually in how the gun works:

What a soldering gun does is take 120V line voltage and uses a transformer to step it down to a very very low voltage which results in a high current. The high current flows through the gun’s tip , which heats it to a a high temperature.

The problem is that this current doesn’t like going through the relatively high resistance of the soldering tip and will leak out through any path to ground it comes in contact with. Since it’s a very low voltage, usually it is no problem but in sensitive circuits, this can cause issues.

The even bigger problem is that when you let off the trigger, thanks to the same physics that make spark coils work (a transformer is essentially two of such coils linked together through a common core), an EMF pulse is sent through the soldering tip to anything it is in contact with. Generally speaking, anything that can be harmed by static can also be harmed by such a pulse, which could indeed fry it.

“Cold heat” irons and arc welders do the same thing constantly, which also makes them unsuitable for anything where digital electronics is near by. Actually, IIRC, realfixesrealfast did a series which involved an ECU that may have been zapped in this way by an arc welder during body work.

[twiggy]

[quote=”ratdude747″ post=35255]For me, any iron 40W and up is fine. For general automotive, I wouldn’t go any lower than 30W.

My current one is a Weller W60-P I inherited… which for the electronics work I do as a second hobby (and my college major), is great but for automotive is probably overkill.

Before that, I used an Xytronic 258, a 30W adjustable iron, grounded. I still have it as a spare. For doing wires and light PCB work (like resoldering a relay module) it’s a great choice… mine only cost $20 at a local electronics shop and the tips are decent if not high quality (replacebale too with many sizes/shapes available). For your use, I think the standard chisel tip would be good. I would avoid any conical tips (they don’t transfer heat well and are 99% useless).

—-

(Electrical geekery ahead)

The issue with guns introducing current is NOT related to grounding per se (in the sense of grounded outlets and grounded soldering gun plugs). It’s actually in how the gun works:

What a soldering gun does is take 120V line voltage and uses a transformer to step it down to a very very low voltage which results in a high current. The high current flows through the gun’s tip , which heats it to a a high temperature.

The problem is that this current doesn’t like going through the relatively high resistance of the soldering tip and will leak out through any path to ground it comes in contact with. Since it’s a very low voltage, usually it is no problem but in sensitive circuits, this can cause issues.

The even bigger problem is that when you let off the trigger, thanks to the same physics that make spark coils work (a transformer is essentially two of such coils linked together through a common core), an EMF pulse is sent through the soldering tip to anything it is in contact with. Generally speaking, anything that can be harmed by static can also be harmed by such a pulse, which could indeed fry it.

“Cold heat” irons and arc welders do the same thing constantly, which also makes them unsuitable for anything where digital electronics is near by. Actually, IIRC, realfixesrealfast did a series which involved an ECU that may have been zapped in this way by an arc welder during body work.[/quote]

This not true and ive never had this happen in my entire 26 years of working in the electronics field.

But i do agree on the welding.

[Zod]

W7VHY ex KD7WHQ.. Aquired my grandfather’s call when the repeater group dumped it..

[thomas dudman]

I’ve had mine for over ten years……craftsman dual heat 230/150watts model 113.540460
2.8 amps.A little pricey around 65 bucks at the time,but if it breaks they will replace it no charge.

[ratdude747]

The cold heat issue is confirmed, as it works on the same principal as an arc welder. I know people who have killed motherboards and the like using them for digital repairs.

The soldering gun stuff was stuff experts told me over the past few years… For me, a gun is overkill for digital repairs anyway so I figured better safe than sorry.

[Author]

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