Soldering iron advice

[Papangelo]

Hi,

I';m just building my first pair of multirotors. One of them is a 350 flame wheel with a power distribution board integrated into the frame. The other is going to have power distribution done with soldered 12 guage wires. Electronics is my thing and I have a 60W temperature controlled soldering iron which nowhere near manly enough for either job.

Maplin have a cheap 100W iron for £15. A 120W non-temp-controlled Weller is about £55. A 175W non-controlled Weller is £70. Going up to a 200W temperature-controlled Weller is £150. This isn';t going to be something I';m going to use every week so I';d like to spend smart.

What would your recommendation be for the number of Watts and temperature controlled or not? Are there any particular irons you woul drecommend please?

Thanks,
Paul.

[Baner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSl1aCh45bo

[DarkButterfly]

I use one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-soldering-HQ-SOLDER-30-HQ/dp/B000SHU4XS

Had it since 2007 when I was building a valve amplifier, its still going strong, the tips can be changed too

[Hozza]

Revs recommended this one to me and I';ve very impressed with it.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/60w-mains-lcd-solder-station-a55kj

[Papangelo]

Thanks for that. The soldering station I have is very similar (I think it has the same soldering iron) but it';s digital.

http://www.atten.com/Soldering%20station/at938d.html

The vendor I got it from has a very limited set of tips available and they';re more aimed at precision work. I';ll take the advice from the video and try to source a thicker tip like the one he has and see if that helps.

All the best,
Paul.

[Hozza]

Thanks for that. The soldering station I have is very similar (I think it has the same soldering iron) but it';s digital.

http://www.atten.com/Soldering%20station/at938d.html

The vendor I got it from has a very limited set of tips available and they';re more aimed at precision work. I';ll take the advice from the video and try to source a thicker tip like the one he has and see if that helps.

All the best,
Paul.

Yep thats the one, in fact one of the pictures shows that band lol they do tips for it.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/replacement-tips-for-60w-professional-lcd-solder-station-a19kk

[Papangelo]

Revs recommended this one to me and I';ve very impressed with it.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/60w-mains-lcd-solder-station-a55kj

That';s exactly the iron I have. Got it in their sale a few years ago. It';s way better than a non-controlled iron but the set of three tips they sell aren';t up to this job. They';re fine for precision electronics, which is my main use, but not for hefty workpieces like 12 guage wire.

Fortunately, searching for tips for the Atten AT938D yields far more results so I';ll go in search.

Thanks.

[miniconverter]

Have two of these. http://cpc.farnell.com/portasol/pro-2-kit/pro-ii-kit/dp/SD00650?CMP=CPC-PLA.  One for work one for home will solder everything you  will ever need for your multi.

Portable so you can take to the field and no need to be near a plug at home or extra leads clustering the work bench.

[ched]

Have two of these. http://cpc.farnell.com/portasol/pro-2-kit/pro-ii-kit/dp/SD00650?CMP=CPC-PLA.  One for work one for home will solder everything you  will ever need for your multi.

Portable so you can take to the field and no need to be near a plug at home or extra leads clustering the work bench.

Plus you can use them to shrink heatshrink with the air blower attachment and you can regulate temp/power. So they are good for high power requirements and delicate work.

[quadfather]

I have a Weller 40W dumb iron for the heavy duty stuff http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NVKIL70

For general purpose soldering I use my trusty old Ersa Tip 260 16W iron.

If I need precision then I fire up the Weller WD-1000.