Soldering tools

[Iggy]

Any recommendations on a start up set for a newbie?
Soldering, desoldering pump, basic components, meters?

Good quality stuff? If you avoid the a questionable quality Chinese crap on eBay, you can still find basic Weller soldering stations fairly cheap.
Remember you don't really want to pump at lot of heat into what you are working on, so you don't need too much wattage (although what is right is a matter of taste).
I like adjustable soldering iron, since all the old high lead solders melt really easy, while the newer stuff is a bitch.

And I'm not sure I've ever been satisfied with the desoldering pumps I've bought.
Anyone want to weigh in on that? I'd like a recommendation myself.

[Iggy]

True story. I was modifying a 1084 back in the day when they were new - I was putting a touch-screen overlay on it. It involved some internal surgery, mostly to put a secondary power supply inside for the overlay.

So, I'm sitting at my kitchen table, and I reach over the open monitor to grab a tool. And my bare arm touches the tops of some of the big cap cans.

The jolt caused my arm to swing back so violently that it lifted me out of the chair and back. I woke up looking up at the ceiling, and counted myself very, very lucky.

So yes, learn from my experience.

Hmm, I had something similar happen once with the starter capacitor of a florescent  light ballast. Sucks doesn't it? Hard to believe that crap holds a charge that long.
Stings a mite. I understand under the wrong circumstances it can kill you.
Laid me out and left my arm tingling, and I've been able to pull active Taser leads out of my chest without dropping.

So, word of warning, be careful even if it's unplugged.

Oh, and on mixing solders, it's funny, that is how I've made it easier to remove some lead free mounted components in the past.
Now that I need a new iron, I'll have to look at the items you guys mentioned.

And I like solder braid too (except when it sticks to something,and it's a PITA to use it on through holes).

[Iggy]

I use a Weller soldering station.. I only use Weller and have been using them for 20+ years with out fail.

Model # is WES51

https://youtu.be/idqV8RmiPQc

That is me

That was my recommendation too, but then I haven't had to replace it for years so I don't know if what these guys are saying about declining quality is true or not.

Then again, there something to be said for the longevity I have gotten out of past equipment.

[Iggy]

I have seen that there are advanced suckers around, like soldering irons with tubed tip, that both melts the solder and sucks it up. Whenver I struggle with desoldering components, I wish I had one

I still haven't figured out how you are supposed to operate the bulb part, but then I always wish I had an extra arm or two to work with stuff anyway. Gator clips and other devices only go so far.

And on that whole smt thing, I thought Majista was a magician with that flux it up, apply a crap load of solder, then reheat it all to tap off the excess method.
But I had a friend who works on the Coco3 fpga project solder a Yamaha V9990 VDP to an adapter board so that I could experiment with it, and that is how he did it (the leads are too fine on many smt parts to do it any other way).

BTW - You guys DO realize less and less people do the kind of sh*t we're talking about, don't you?
Solder components to boards when you can buy boards already populated? :laugh1:

Ah heck, we're still having fun a couple of decades or more into this, who are we harming, eh?

Beside, I HAD to build my first computer's, there WEREN'T any common commercially available systems at first.

I wish I'd kept more of those systems.

Who would ever have thought that a SWTPC system or the MP/M system I was given would be worth several thousand?

Makes Amiga 1200 and 4000 model's current going prices look reasonable.

And Jen's new A1200 boards could be a good investment for my retirement.
'Say dude, whatcha take for ALL of those?'