Post by sub on Apr 26, 2019 19:31:42 GMT 12
What would be the best type of soldering iron to use for hifi equipment repairs? Am impressed by the type I have seen used in a couple of YouTube vids re speaker repairs - see screen shot - up load picBut I cannot find one that looks like that advertised on line in NZ. There are many hundreds listed on TradeMe, but which one to buy?
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Post by colinf on Apr 26, 2019 19:47:16 GMT 12
That depends on what you’re soldering. I use 3 irons. One with a tiny tip for surface mount parts and adjustable temperature so I can lower it under 300c. Another temperature adjustable iron for through-hole parts, set to about 340c (but whatever temp works best without frying the component!). The last iron is a 60w one with a 3mm tip for speaker wires etc, that need a lot of heating without increasing the temperature too much. Actually 4 irons, I have a gas one as well that I use if it’s inconvenient to use a powered one. For general use though I’d just use a temp adjustable one that you can get a good supply of spare tips for. You’ll be replacing them occasionally. I got my main iron from Jaycar after my Weller decided to pack it in after 20 years!
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 26, 2019 21:24:14 GMT 12
Yup, colinf I think has the broad experience. That one in your pic sub, looks like a Weller soldering 'gun', see -https://toolsguardian.com/soldering-gun-vs-soldering-iron/ I started off with just a Jaycar 30W soldering iron, but cheap ones fail eventually & yes, get a brand with replaceable tips - I ended up with a Japanese(?) Goot brand. For SS and/or PCB work, you want a smallish tip. For valve amp hard-wiring work, a medium or larger 'wedge/chisel' tip perhaps. Learn how to preserve your tips, for long life - get a metal sponge to clean. If you want to build amp chassis or make heavyish metal/wire connections, you'll need a higher wattage (2nd) iron, say 60-80w. Lately I've been using a ($15) s/h Weller 60W temp controlled (but not temp adjustable) 'soldering station' unit, which is v nice with readily available tips, good enough for me (but a bit cranky because of its age). Good tips BTW, if properly cared for, last a long time.
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Post by sub on Apr 30, 2019 12:56:22 GMT 12
My first job will be desoldering and then soldering back on, speaker wires. Firstly for some bass speakers and then down the track, some replacement tweeters. Colin’s uses 60W irons for that job. I have been looking on line, and this one attracts me - The price is reasonable, and while 100W is higher than 60W that Colin recommends, it doesn’t seem too powerful, and power being controlled by the trigger seems a good compromise. Similar new ones on TM are $79 and upward. There is a nice 2nd hand Weller on TM at moment, but bidding already at $25. Two temperature controlled 48W soldering irons at Jaycar are priced at $72 and $119, while the Groot soldering station is priced at $356!
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Post by Owen Y on Apr 30, 2019 16:04:13 GMT 12
Hi sub, I have no experience with those 'guns' but i would say that anything >60W is too hot for electronic work, unless it is temperature adjustable. I have never used a temperature adjustable 'station', they are costly but pro techs would find these invaluable I'm sure. For most amateur electronics hobbyists, 99% of your work would be done with no more than a 30W iron IMHE. Then, you might want a 60-90W iron for occasional heavy wire or chassis soldering work. That Fuller gun, is probably more for trades or light industrial work. colinf may comment more informatively.
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Post by Graham on Apr 30, 2019 16:48:20 GMT 12
I have a 60 watt for things like speaker wires and a 25 watt for electronic and/or fine work. Both bought from Jaycar and they are 'conventional' irons, not gun type.
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Post by sub on Apr 30, 2019 17:54:21 GMT 12
Ok, thanks for the input, Graham and Owen. Will check out jaycar again, and limit myself too 60W or less.
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Post by colinf on Apr 30, 2019 19:17:31 GMT 12
Goot 85w iron at Jaycar, cat. no. TS1430 for $95.90. Although soldering guns nice and powerful I find them a bit awkward to use on speaker cables as you have to press the trigger to control the temperature, which can make your hand shake. I prefer normal irons and hold them like a large pen. I suspect soldering guns are designed more for chassis work.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by colinf on May 1, 2019 0:22:06 GMT 12
For speaker connections it’s better to have a nice grunty iron used swiftly than a lower powered iron for a longer time. With a low powered iron, what happens is that the tip cools down while heating the joint, below the temp at which solder melts and it takes much longer for a small element to heat it back up to soldering temperature. By which time the heat will have transferred right through the connector and into places you don’t want it to be! Also don’t be tempted to turn up the temperature setting on a small temperature controlled iron as when the joint does eventually get hot, it’s much harder to control where the heat has transferred to, and plastic formers might melt, or damage insulation. A powerful iron used briefly melts the solder onto the joint pronto so you can successfully solder it before too much heat transfers up the wire or into the plastic etc.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by Owen Y on May 1, 2019 7:25:24 GMT 12
Tis true too, what colinf says. Struggling with an underpowered iron is risky & frustrating. Get in lots of practice first on an old circuit board or old appliance. (I remember getting my son to desolder everything from a PCB once!) Tweeters - sorry, did I miss something, did you determine that they were faulty?
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Post by sub on May 1, 2019 9:56:16 GMT 12
Not sure about tweeters, will have capacitors replaced first and see if that remedies the slight harshness in the treble. However, the general consensus on line is that the circa 30 year old T33 tweeters will need replacing due to hardening of the ferro fluid. Replacement caps arrived yesterday.
My first task with a soldering iron will be to desolder wires from the bass speakers - two in each cabinet, so I can take them to Auckland to have donuts replaced.
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Post by Owen Y on May 1, 2019 10:39:39 GMT 12
Perhaps you may be able to leave the wires attached to at least the upper woofer, if the wires have spade connectors at the crossover? (Just send the woofer with wires still attached.) The lower woofer wires look to be sealed in place through the air-tight panel. Incidentally, you may wish to consider soldering all the crossover wires on (to the xover). You will need to practice wire-stripping
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Post by sub on May 1, 2019 16:37:10 GMT 12
Will practice on an old broken amp i have down stairs. Have done wire stripping of sorts - provided the labour supervised by a sparkle wiring my last home that I built myself. Still have a wire stripping tool. See how the practice goes on the old amp before attempting replacing caps on the xover - will probably leave the job to an expert considering how important those devices are.
Thanks all all for the sound advice.
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Pundit
Post by Mike A on May 1, 2019 17:05:28 GMT 12
I'd be happy to do the recap soldering work for you if you want and show you how to do the work on your cables as well.
I'm just outside Kamo/Whangarei so not to far away.
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Post by Owen Y on May 1, 2019 17:05:49 GMT 12
No problem... Another thought is to just cut off the wires at the driver terminals before shipping & ask the repairer to desolder/clean up the terminals for you, ready for you to wire-strip & resolder wires at re-installation. Just an idea.
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Post by sub on May 1, 2019 19:25:39 GMT 12
I'd be happy to do the recap soldering work for you if you want and show you how to do the work on your cables as well. I'm just outside Kamo/Whangarei so not to far away. Thanks Mike, will PM you when i’m ready.
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Post by Owen Y on May 2, 2019 8:22:07 GMT 12
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Pundit
Post by Mike A on May 2, 2019 17:00:06 GMT 12
I'd be happy to do the recap soldering work for you if you want and show you how to do the work on your cables as well. I'm just outside Kamo/Whangarei so not to far away. Thanks Mike, will PM you when i’m ready. No problem, whenever you're ready, I'm home until the middle of July.
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Pundit
Post by garym on May 2, 2019 19:47:38 GMT 12
I've got a nice Oki PS900 for sale. Metcal tech temperature control, spare tips etc. A super iron. But 2nd hand I'd still be looking for something over $400 for it...
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Post by sub on May 2, 2019 20:10:55 GMT 12
I've got a nice Oki PS900 for sale. Metcal tech temperature control, spare tips etc. A super iron. But 2nd hand I'd still be looking for something over $400 for it... Thank you Gary, but this is likely to be a one off job, so $400 is not cost effective right now! Who knows, though - I might get the diy bug!
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Post by sub on May 7, 2019 9:19:56 GMT 12
Thanks for all the advice, guys, which meant I had a little knowledge of what to look for when I went shopping.at Jaycar in Whangarei yesterday. Wanted a 60W iron, plus a work station for holding it with a tip wipe on it. Hmm, no 60W in stock, and found it was cheaper to buy an all in one set up. Got a Duratech of 48V, and the powered work station has a switch to control temperature in three zones - 120C; 120-270C; and 270-480C. Should do most of what I want it for.
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Post by colinf on May 9, 2019 5:16:48 GMT 12
Let us know how you get on!
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by Owen Y on May 9, 2019 17:14:19 GMT 12
Looks more sophisticated than mine! 👍
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Post by Citroen on May 10, 2019 16:56:34 GMT 12
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Post by Owen Y on May 19, 2019 22:20:19 GMT 12
Handy to have a solder-sucker included.
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