Materials needed for modding drivers?

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I’m looking to start modding drivers. I don’t really have anything, except a cheap soldering iron that takes 15 minutes to heat up, and barely melts solder.

But I’m thinking about getting this soldering station and these replaceable tips . But what’s the difference between the above soldering gun and say this much cheaper one. I was thinking about getting the cheaper one now that I read the reviews, being that the first one I mentioned had some quality control issues, while the cheap one didn’t.

But I don’t really know anything past there. What kind of solder I get? What type of wire should I get also(modding xmls)? I also hope this can become the “Materials to get started modding” thread, so others like me can just go here instead of making a new thread and waiting for replies.

What materials are needed for modding drivers?

Also, is any solder with lead in it fine, due to it being dense, and therefore good at conduction?

Are there any tutorials? I understand it pretty well, it’s fairly easy. But I’ve heard of using “boosters” or something like that, and would like to know if there’s a place to learn about more advanced things to do with drivers/flashlight electronics. If there is none of that, got any tips/pointers for a first time modder?

I swear there was a list to good drivers, but I can’t find it, anyone have it?

2

Lots of questions, but I’ll try to cover them all.

Honestly, the difference between them is minimal at best, and truthfully, they’re both going to be junk. Don’t expect them to heat up much faster than what you have and don’t expect them to maintain constant temperature. These are bottom of the barrel soldering irons. If you’re trying to keep this extremely budget, then, I suppose they will melt solder - but if you plan on enjoying this hobby, spend an order of magnitude more on a soldering station.

For solder, I suggest 0.015” 63/37 (Tin/Lead) Solder with either RMA (Rosin Medium Activated) or No-Clean flux core. This is a very thin wire, and it will make it easier to work on the smaller SMT components.
http://www.amazon.com/Amico-0-3mm-Rosin-Solder-Soldering/dp/B008DEYEAW/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1344311840&sr=1-8&keywords=63+37+solder

For Wire, Get some 20 or 22 AWG Wire with either PTFE (Teflon) or Silicone Insulation. For flashlights, I prefer Silicone - it’s VERY flexible, and nearly impossible to melt. PTFE is also nearly impossible to melt, but it’s not nearly as flexible. Good silicone wire can be had from HobbyKing for very little money…

The conduction of lead is actually not that great. Copper, Aluminum, Gold and Silver all have much better electrical and heat conduction values than lead. A mixture of 63 percent Tin and 37 Percent Lead is commonly used because it has excellent wetting properties, is not brittle, and it’s eutectic - which means that this mixture creates the lowest melting point of any possible mixture of tin and lead.

There is so much information available here. I suggest read, then read more, then read some more. A good place to start would be searching “AMC7135” and read everything you can about that. Drivers based upon the AMC7135 are probably the most commonly modified, and because of this, there are tons of examples and discussions.

This is one list I’m aware of:
http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/research/driverlist.php
Here’s another:
http://flashlightwiki.com/Popular_drivers

Good luck Modding!

3

Thanks for the indepth answers PilotPTK! You’re soldering station and solder answers were most useful. What would be a good soldering station under $50?

4

If you’re trying to stay under $50, I would look for a used Metcal, Weller, Pace, OKI, or ERSA soldering station. Soldering irons/stations are just one of those things where “You get what you pay for”. Even my home soldering station was $350, and the ones I use at work are quite a bit more than that. For someone who wants to spend the money and get a GOOD soldering station that will last them forever, I always and forever will suggest Metcal. I’ve used them ALL and Metcal is the best - hands down.

These are the ones we use at work:
http://www.okinternational.com/product_soldering/mx500ts

This is the one I have at home:
http://www.okinternational.com/product_soldering/sp200

And actually - both of those statements are lies. Both home and work, we have the generation before those models - but very little changed.

In one of the labs, we have this Ersa:

And it’s not bad. I don’t like it as much as I like the Metcal’s, but it’s alright.

PPtk

5

There are some good primers online too. Google Soldering Tips

Here is one for starters

I don’t have a technicians solder station, just a decent Weller 25 Watt plug in iron similar to the first one on that page. Avoid one of those guns at all costs. They are junk, at least all the ones I have seen are. The 60 Watt iron in your OP is way too much for fine electronics work. 15-25 Watts should be more than enough. Simple irons like these are horses for courses. They are cheap enough to get a couple.

A station is no doubt better but I can’t justify the cost for something I only use occasionally, and I have learned to make my iron work for me. Mostly it gets used soldering cables and leads for my and my churches sound systems. 35 years as a musician and repairing leads makes a lot of experience soldering. Of course, nothing like a full time techie would have. I have found with leads and cables at least, a slightly hotter iron is better than one that isn’t hot enough. You just have to work faster not to overheat things.

A good tip is to practice. Don’t be afraid to heat up your iron and practice on junk circuits, components and bits of wire. It is a good way to get a feel for how soldering works.

The next tip is keep your job and tools clean. Especially your iron tip. If things get dirty you won’t have a good time with it. A paper kitchen towel, folded into a pad a moistened with tap water works fine for tip cleaning. You can buy abrasive paper, brilo pads and small wire brushes for cleaning copper parts. Bakers soldering fluid for big jobs. It is acid based so not for delicate electronics. Get a few sizes of resin cored solder, it makes things easy when you have the right stuff.

If you miss the flow and the joint doesn’t take, clean everything before you try again. The resin will deposit on the job and tip and have to be removed to get a good joint.

Make sure you apply enough heat to the job to make the solder flow nicely, but no more than you need. Thats where the practice is important. You develop a feel for that.

Wear safety glasses if you don’t wear specs. Hot solder spatter in your eyes is NOT fun, or flying bits of wire from your side cutters.

On that subject, I almost rate a decent pair of cutters higher than a good iron. A quality pair will last a lifetime, cheap ones will notch up and not cut well. My all time favourites were a pair of E.A. Berg’s I picked up secondhand. Old school made in Sweden. They have been cutting guitar strings for more than 20 years without a notch in sight. I don’t know of any better quality made today, Knipex may be close but aren’t cheap new. Anyone have a favourite brand?

You might get lucky scouting secondhand shops for irons and stations, I have seen them quite often. Another option is a good portable butane gas powered iron. I have a couple that travel with me in my repair kit. They are variable temp and come in very handy, but you have to be aware of the heat exhaust.

Don’t breathe the flux fumes, they are not good for you.

Have fun, enjoy your new hobby. :slight_smile:

6

Hi, Sintro! Since this is a “Budget” forum after all, there MUST be a less expensive alternative to a decent starter Soldering Stations — With all due respect to PilotPTK who obviously really knows what he’s doing!

Anyway, I came up with this site as a place recommending lower cost stations between $40 and $99, so have a look Here , and scroll down to the user comments where there are many links to a number of alternatives. Have fun!

Edit: I just saw one of the links at the above site has a used MetCal for $30 Here . Maybe PilotPTK can take a look and see if that is a decent model.

7

If that Metcal is really $30, you better buy it before I do :slight_smile: That is an excellent model.

Even this is an amazing deal at the bid price, and still a good deal at the Buy-It-Now price
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metcal-PS2E-01-Soldering-Station-/261077742539

You don’t find these for under a hundred bucks any more… Too many people realized the awesomeness of the Metcal’s - And they almost NEVER wear out - Used ones from 15 years ago still work just fine.

PPtk

8

By the way, to reinforce what I say about Metcal… here’s one users opinion on that site that is linked in darklion’s post… Once you’ve used a Metcal, I don’t joke, you’ll grumble under your breath every time you’re forced to use an inferior iron.

Danuuc says:
February 7, 2012 at 9:53 pm

METCAL METCAL METCAL!
I’ve been spoiled recently. My company was phasing out some older Metcal stations and I grabbed a couple. If you’ve never used an RF soldering iron, they are a tremendous advantage over conventional irons.

It uses the skin Effect of a 13Mhz RF signal from a constant current power supply. This means the heat is generated on the surface of the tip delivering tremendous power when needed at amazing accuracy. This design also means there is no internal thermo couple of heating element to fail as in other brands. Since this design uses skin effect in the tip cartridge to Generate the heat the physics of the system achieve a +/- 1.1 degree temperature stability and there is no calibration required. Tip cartridges swap easily without the use of tools.

And because the tool delivers the RF power focused to the tip, the grip is closer to the point giving you greater control over your work. These stations can be found for as low as $30 used. On eBay they’ll typically be around $60 with a set of tips.

9

Wow, for $30 I would buy one if it worked here, but isn’t that just the shipping cost? I can’t see another price listed though.

10

Another Metcal “Review” on that site. It’s no joke, and it’s not just me - Metcal is the only way to go.

MaximRecoil says:
February 27, 2012 at 8:58 pm
A used Metcal (e.g., MX-500, PS2E-01, RFG-30 [the latter two can usually be found for under $100 used]). Nothing compares to a Metcal no matter how much you spend. After using a Metcal, all other brands are a joke (unless perhaps if they copy Metcal’s RF technology, which was first patented in the 1980s but that may have expired by now).

Years ago I got a job inspecting and soldering circuit boards in a PCB factory, so I learned to solder on a Metcal MX-500. Since I had no prior experience with soldering irons, I didn’t realize it was anything special (yes it was very comfortable to use and worked beautifully, but how was I to know that that didn’t apply to all soldering irons?); not until later when I tried using other brands.

The Weller in the OP’s picture not only has slow heat up and recovery times, but it has the ergonomics of a 2×4. To get an idea of what sort of ergonomics work well for a soldering iron, think of a pen that you write with. It has a slim body and you hold it down near the tip. This allows for fine control over the tool. Now look at that Weller handpiece with its inch-plus diameter grip located halfway up the body. Imagine trying to write with that thing. Then go find a picture of the Metcal’s standard RM3E handpiece and note the differences.

The ergonomical handpiece, short grip-to-tip distance, instantly replaceable tip cartridges, rapid heat-up (room temperature to operating temperature in under 10 seconds) and lightning fast recovery time, and very tightly regulated temperatures all combine to put the RF-based Metcals in a league of their own (which is why they are so popular on factory assembly lines; not just popular with the bean counters, but popular with the workers as well).

I bought my Metcal RFG-30 (with handpiece and stand included) off eBay for under $40 shipped back in 2007. I bought a new tip cartridge for it (it came with a used one, but not the style I prefer), and 5 years later, the tip is still working perfectly. When I worked in the PCB factory we usually replaced the tip cartridges after ~80 hours of use (which is ~2 weeks on a 40-hour-per-week assembly line), because they would start to slow down in terms of recovery time at that point (which is noticeable when you’re soldering at a rate of 1 or 2 joints per second), but 80 hours is a lot of soldering for most home users.

I recommend the STTC-126 tip cartridge. It is what most of us used at the PCB factory for everything from tiny surface mount components to large through-hole terminal blocks, and I use the same tip style at home for everything as well. It is the perfect general purpose tip for PCB work in my opinion.

11

A 60 Watt iron like the OP one is a heavy duty tool for soldering larger items, like car radiators. Not really an electronics tool. A small 25 Watt iron has a much smaller handle and closer to the finer tip. Still ok for general electronics, not so good for digital circuits or surface mounted stuff.

The difference here is huge, a decent 25 Watt iron is anywhere from $12 to $60, stations start at $60 for junk ones to $300 and upwards.

I have a $12 25 Watt cheapie that does everything I need to do so far, but I now you have me looking at some better ones for finer work. :wink:

12

Just found This One at Hobby King. Gets good reviews and its by far the cheapest station I have seen. For $15AUD I’m going to give it a go.

13

Just letting you know, in the discussion of the product, everyone says it’s on backorder. One guy said he waited 6 months on backorder before he finally got one! A guy ordered one on 7/10/2012 and said it was on backorder, so it probably is. It looks like such a great cheap one too.

14

I got a really nice Weller station for @ $50 at my local sears around a year ago.

15

Re: “MetCal for $30”: It sometimes helps if you actually read something before you announce it to the world. :~

16

Hey sintro,

I bought this soldering station a while back and it works great for my mods.

I also got a free multimeter along with a soldering tip cleaner. I just use Radio Shack solder. Again, no issues.

Where are you at in WI?

17

Yes, I might wait till they have them in stock again. I have a simple iron that does all I need for now really, but that station looks sweet.

18

I live over in Menomonee Falls, not very far, only about an hour from you!

19

I use Pace equipment. My shop system is a Pace PRC-2000 (aka PPS 400). It slices, it dices, it makes Julienne fries. But, nicely equipped and new, it will set you back over $6000! I’m a bit of a soldering snob and was certified to work on things like manned space flight systems and things that, if they go wrong, will ruin your (and a whole lot of other people’s) day.

The thing to be aware of with professional soldering systems (particularly Pace) is that parts can be more than hideously expensive from the manufacturer (like some of the specialized tips can set you back well over $200). Ebay can be your friend.

Metcal units are really nice, but I don’t like the idea of having power RF in my hand or potentially coupling into what you are soldering.

(oh, and Erik, I have been out of town for the last couple of weeks, hope to get your goodies in the mail soon)

20

Oh yeah, don’t forget the most important item for modding… beer! And always remember, life’s too short to drink cheap beer.