Soldering Station recommendations sought

[David]

I'd like to get a soldering station for Christmas and need some recommendations.

I only want to buy one and would rather pay a bit more now for quality kit than end up burning money on a succession of sub-par tools but having said that, I'd like to keep below £60.

Being a bit of a novice solderer, I'm a bit clueless but I'm guessing I want a temperature controlled one. The kind of work it'll be asked to do is PCBs such as the MKARS80 or Elecraft KX1 all the way up to connectors such as PL-259s.

Update: I've been recommended the following iron:

http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strP ... 0&P_ID=828 (http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=180&P_ID=828)

[K7KBN]

David - that station might be fine for working on PCBs and light-to-medium duty soldering jobs. For PL-259s, however, you won't be happy with it at all.

The reason is [i]thermal mass[i]. Simply put, the body of the connector has a lot more mass than the tip of the iron. When you touch the iron to the connector, the tip's temperature gets pulled down until it reaches thermal equilibrium with the connector. This means you have to hold the iron against the connector until the WHOLE CONNECTOR is heated. This is what makes for bad PL-259 jobs. The coax gets so hot that the whole thing melts.

So you need a higher-wattage iron (definitely NOT a gun) with a massive tip -- at least twice the mass, and more is better. Delivering the heat this way guarantees that the iron's tip will hardly notice the cold connector, and the soldering job is done in just a couple seconds.

Here's a good choice: http://www.antonline.com/p_SPG80L-GP_334173.htm. It's primarily designed for folks who do stained glass lead work, so the tip has a good amount of mass, and the iron is small enough to let you handle it well. And as a bonus, the tip is just about the perfect size for fitting in the groove of the PL-259.

It goes without saying that you should use the best quality PL-259s available. They will have silver-plated bodies, and will be made by Amphenol (their part number is 83-1SP). Don't get the bright, shiny 259s. These are nickel plated, and you have to wire-brush the plating off to expose the brass base metal. Brass solders well; nickel doesn't.

Finally: practice. Or, since you're in the UK: practise. :D

[M0HAK]

I don't think you can do everything you need with just one iron.

For electronic work something with a thermostatic control and the finest tip you can get hold of will pay dividends. Try a look at http://www.esr.co.uk/electronics/produc ... dering.htm (http://www.esr.co.uk/electronics/products/frame_tools-soldering.htm).

I've got the VTSS20 (mine was from Maplin) and it's a great little iron. There's a couple of other alternatives on that page as well.

I agree with getting something with a bit more oomph for soldering PL-259s and such like. You should be able to get that and a cheap non-thermostatic 100W iron (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-100- ... B000O54PTI (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-100-Watt-Soldering-Iron/dp/B000O54PTI) is less than £7!) within your budget.

When you're there, get some tip cleaner and a desoldering pump as well, and then practice, practice, practice.

My other top tip is to get a small vice (I've got one that clamps to the desktop) for holding whatever you're soldering. That way you only need three hands instead of 4 or 5.

Andy
2E0XAC

[5B4AJB]

Maplin was doing one for about 100 Pounds which had a temperature controlled iron, a multimeter and a 5-12V powersupply all in one box. It was rather big, but very convenient for a beginner - can't find it on the web-pages now unfortunately, but it did solder PL259's nicely.

A small blowtorch might be more useful for PL259's especially if you're up on the roof while soldering...

[K7KBN]

A small blowtorch might be more useful for PL259's especially if you're up on the roof while soldering...

Rather than a blowtorch with an exposed flame, I often use a Weller butane iron. The flame is not exposed, and it heats a pretty massive tip. It isn't really fun to use while hanging off a tower in the rain, but with the right connector, IT CAN BE DONE! By a 64-year old with a bad heart!

Hardest part of that was keeping the rainwater away from the work area and sealing it up tightly. Must have worked, because it's been almost 3 years now and no hiccups from the antenna.