[Coco] Run of RGB2VGA boards

[John B]

I have a Yihua 852D+ that looks very similar to yours.  I mainly use the
hot air portion of it.  My primary iron is a Weller WESD51.  Its a pretty
good iron for my purposes.  It hasn't seen anywhere near 200,000 joints
though.  You definitely got your moneys worth out of that station.

On Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 1:50 PM, Zippster <zippster278 at gmail.com> wrote:

> John,
>
> I use one of these Chinese built rework stations…
>
> <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnalRXeW81U0RKY2c <
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnalRXeW81U0RKY2c>>
>
> They were ~$100 when I bought this one two years or so ago.  I’ve been
> through a few
> soldering wands and many tips since then, probably something over 200,000
> solder joints,
> but it’s still working great (yes, it’s a rare day I don’t solder
> something).
>
> I see similar models on ebay now for $60 or so including shipping.
>
> <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=852d&ssPageName=GSTL <
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=852d&ssPageName=GSTL>>
>
> Tips and spare wands are available cheaply on eBay from these suppliers as
> well.
> I think they are a great value.
>
> - Ed
>
>
>
> > On Sep 15, 2015, at 8:41 AM, John B <trymyz at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Ed,
> >
> > What soldering iron do you use?
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 9:15 AM, Zippster <zippster278 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I usually use a tip like this one for drag soldering.  <
> >> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnRmFEQURPLXV4emc <
> >> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnRmFEQURPLXV4emc>>
> >> I’ve seen ones in this shape that have the concave surface, I haven’t
> used
> >> used them, but they look like they’d
> >> work well except they might have a tendency to carry too much solder.
> >>
> >> I use Amtech 4300 flux in the 10cc syringes. It’s great for SMDs, and
> >> somewhat tacky which helps hold small parts
> >> in place when positioning them.  Fantastic for cleaning up through-hole
> >> solder joints as well.
> >>
> >> I tried the hot-air method when I first started trying SMT.  It worked
> ok,
> >> but you often have to clean things up with
> >> a soldering iron afterward.  Also, there's the inconvenience and mess of
> >> using soldering paste (which expires and
> >> becomes unusable).  After I found I could do everything with an iron,
> >> there was no contest.  I want nothing to
> >> do with hot-air except for removing SMD ICs and shrink tubing (which it
> is
> >> perfect for).
> >>
> >> I find that now I use only two types of tips for all my SMT and
> >> through-hole soldering, the type linked above,
> >> and a chisel tip like this <
> >> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnVmROZmE3dnlnXzA <
> >> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1sgl615FlGnVmROZmE3dnlnXzA>>
> >> Surprisingly, I don’t like the traditional conical type for anything
> >> anymore, the chisel tip gives me more control.
> >>
> >> SMT soldering is different than through-hole, which is what I was used
> to
> >> as well before getting into it.
> >> Mastering it basically boils down to being able to control that surface
> >> tension, or capillary action as Mark puts it,
> >> which is done through a combination of temperature, flux, shape of the
> tip
> >> and how you move it.
> >>
> >> It’s definitely worth learning, it will improve your through-hole
> >> soldering skills as well.
> >> You can do everything but BGAs with a temp controlled iron, good flux,
> and
> >> the right tip (and any needed
> >> magnification).
> >>
> >> - Ed
> >>
>
>
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