I want to jump on the mod wagon. I love tools and DIY but I’ve never done much with electronics. Help me out with a $100 kit Santa can afford that’ll put me in the game.
I’ve looked at the Weller, Hakku variable stations that seem like maybe overkill. Would I be relatively happy with like one of the Weller Pro fixed wattage models and wish the rest on tips, solders, wick, and ??? Is this even possible for $100 ? Other avenues? Am I dreaming by trying to get by without a full-blown rework station, I have no idea.
I already have a nice Fluke, Dremel kit, and plenty of BFH’s, lol
There also is a soldering station form Hobbyking that is pretty popular, as it is temperature controlled. So you won’t kill your circuit with too much heat.
Yihua 936 110V
(if you leave the page open for some time they will show you a “one time offer” for 17$ something. Shipping is extra.
Same thing as above, open it and make sure it is properly grounded. Has a transformer, no loose wires etc…
I use 2 of the 230V ones myself and they are reliable up to now. Parts are very cheap as this is sort of the bog standard (Hakko 936) clone.
Speeking of wich, Hakko stations are very reasonble priced in the US, so if you can afford one, get one. Just make sure it’s a genuine one.
They will last a long time and you’ll avoid a lot of disapointments.
I love you budget guys, someday I’ll learn to ignore Amazon reviews. Searching the site for “Stahl” gave me all kinds of good info. I was looking at fancier equipment than you veterans use.
I also recommend the Hobbyking Yihua station. I have 2 of them that are still going strong with over a year of daily use, and the ability to use Hakko tips is a huge plus. At around $23 shipped it is a no brainer. I never imagined it would last this long, but I'm still using it today after hundreds of hours.
I also have a Hakko station, and while the iron itself and holder are a bit nicer, I wouldn't say that it is worth the extra money, especially if you are just starting out.
Don't skimp and buy no name solder. I made that mistake when I first started out and didn't realize how much better good solder is. Get some MG Chemicals or Kester 63/37 alloy solder and make your life easier. I have a few rolls of Chinese "63/37" solder, and I'll tell you right now that it is not 63/37--it is more like high melting point plastic than anything else.
I would also suggest to get some good pliers if you don’t have em alreday.
I use Knipex pliers but they are pretty expensive in the US. So just get reliable long nose, and snap ring / bent nose pliers.
They will serve you well for most tasks.
You should get some needle nose pliers too. There are some sets available at Aliexpress or Banggood, but it’s a shoot in the dark in terms of quality.
Tweezers are also recommended for soldering and disassembly of flashlights.
A 3. hand is needed for soldering. There is always a place to get them cheep.
-small vice of some sort, I use the smallest type of machine vice, just loose on the table.
-I don't have a soldering station, I use a Antex 18W soldering iron with narrow round tip for almost everything. I recently bought an extra 25W Antex for when more heat is needed. Cheap chinese irons make way less heat at the tip for the same wattage.
-I use the cheap chinese soldering wire. It works fine, but after RMM's tip above, I'll buy some Kester solder, see if I'll get hooked on that.
-a set of small key files
-sand paper 150/400/800/1000 grit
-cheap set of mini pliers, including a long-nose needle plier of which I filed the tips even thinner to fit the various rings
-luxury: a proper stereo microscope. For really fine work, like hot dedoming. It gives so much more control over what you are doing!!
-helping hand (I removed the magnifier)
-a block of massive iron, sanded and polished dead flat on top. I use it as an underground for small sanding jobs, like flattening led-boards.
-mini screwdriver set
-power supply, with a few sets of thick leads
-I have some bigger electric tools too: drill press, disc sander, hobby band saw.
Ah, power supply, I’m thinking that’s handy for all kinds of tinker. Battery carriers, and probably a hobby charger in my future.
Yihua 936 machine looks good, I like the small footprint, and for $20 I won’t even bother Santa, I’ll just go ahead and buy it and start practicing.
Can’t wait to start hot-rodding the gorgeous Solarforce M1, M3, M6, M8, and Skylines I have and don’t use, anemic SRK’s, triple-up my EDC’s, get crazy on that milk crate full of Mags and Streamlights, go bright or go in the scrap pile.
I use reading glasses from a drug store for all soldering and other fine work, even though I am short sighted. There are also magnifying glasses and more complicated devices that clip onto glasses, though I haven’t been using them. For a very close view I use the plastic lens from a junked zoomy.
For light, the floor lamp isn’t always enough, so I use an SS-902 pivot headed zoomy set on the table or an “UltraFire” IPX7 (from the Deal Alert thread) with a rubbery diffuser from Fasttech hung from above.
I use a small 12 watt soldering iron, from Fry’s Electronics, most of the time and occasionally an old 35 W. iron or a propane torch set very low. I use old files to shape the tips of the irons. I have a role of Archer rosin core 60/40 solder that I have been using since around 1980.
I have a cheap multimeter with leads I ordered separately and cut shorter to reduce the resistance. I have to solder the leads back together once in a while and sometimes the connection board back onto the main circuit board when it comes loose. I use shrinking tube on the leads.
Most of the wire I use to connect drivers to stars is from Mountain Electronics. The wire I have from Fasttech is not quite as flexible, so I use it as test wire with small copper alligator clips. I also have two heavier gauge pairs of test leads. I have a 18640 battery holder for test power, because magnets on batteries tended to come off while I was using them. My magnets are from old Sonicare tooth brush heads. I have others on order and some put away with my model airplane stuff.
For tweezers, I use a pair of watch maker’s forceps from my college exobiology class. They are very nice and stand heat without softening. I have good needle nose pliers and cheap ones that I can file easily to fit notches and holes in pills.
I have about a dozen files from jeweler’s size to 12 inch (an inch is 2.45 cm.) fine tooth mill files. I save old ones to work on things like fiber glass and solder. I have a file cleaning brush but usually don’t need it. I wash the files with detergent after heavy use and squirt WD40 or other oil on them.
I have a stack of sandpaper from 36 grade aluminum oxide to ultra fine diamond, but I usually only use 400 grade wet or dry silicon carbide paper for flashlights. The files make smooth surfaces if used right.
I have a wire stripper and a large perpendicular cutter. I need a small diagonal cutter, as the edges of the perpendicular cutter are rough from heavy use on larger things.
When I started working on 1 x AAA size lights, I put away my vernier calipers and got out my digital ones. My vernier ones are not well made and I can’t read the vernier without reading glasses since I lost my accommodation. I have a micrometer that I am not using.
I don’t use X-Acto or other disposable blade knives, and razor blades only rarely. I use my pocket knife (presently a Pakistani two blader) or a small kitchen knife, sharpening them as needed.
I have a small table vise but don’t use it a lot. I mostly use an old helping hand set with no magnifying glass. I don’t know how long I have had it. My oldest tool is a smaller hand vise that I inherited from my grandfather who died around 1960.
Make sure you get some tip tinner! That was a mistake I made at first.
Here is a 3 in 1 Yihua 853D station that combines an iron, reflow heat gun and power supply. I don’t have it, but thinking about one for my Christmas present…lol
I don’t think it has been recommended above,
consider getting a sliding caliper, some use digital ones.
I like the old type with a vernier scale, it’s just as accurate, doesn’t need a battery and lasts forever.
Just make sure it has a metric scale, as you’ll need that on flashlights.
I have the least expesvie Mahr (25€) but I guess any cheap will do. Might want to get something in between.
