shmups.system11.org

Sometimes when I re-charge it, some but not all of the solder will come out and there's enough to pull out all at once manually. If it bunches up too far in I just use some fine tweezers to quickly get it out further but I usually don't have to. I've never had to go further than that. I think the least you can do is mind the length of the nozel if you cut a new piece of silicon.

Well this thread sure got boring fast. Bring back the implication, insinuations, rumours and allegations!

Those hot pants were NOT a mistaken shipment...

I've never had it clog, but it's probably because I make sure to clear it after every other use, give or take. The issue I have with it (and probably all solder suckers like it) is that if you don't clean it that frequently, you are likely to get some solder coming back out of it and onto the PCB, kinda defeating the purpose. So when I push down the plunger, I push it several times to clear out any solder in the way before using it again. I imagine the only way to not have to do that is to have a fancy desoldering station.

That's a scandal and a half. ASDR, any response?

I wasn't aware of this. That's disappointing to hear. Hopefully they can change that because their products really are great. I've become a total Pace fanboy and that's after using other stations from Metcal, JBC, Weller, etc.




I haven't had any major clogging issues with it. It's got an anti-clogging mechanism whereby you can push out any built-up solder. You will occasionally get a clog but I've never not been able to unclog it. Of course you will have to maintain it by emptying out collected solder, reapplying lubrication, replacing the silicone tip, etc. I've put this thing through its paces and I recommend it wholeheartedly. I've desoldered around 1k caps with it among many other components and it still works as good as new. I've never used any of the other desolder plungers so I can't give you a comparison.

Good to hear. I will probably get it. I've also been watching videos on how to desolder with a solder wick and the solder wick seems nearly as easy as a solder pump as long as you add flux to the wick and the solder wick pretty much guarantees that you will have a clean pad (at least for through hole components). Even if you use a solder pump, you might have to touch up with a solder wick. Have you had to use a solder wick in addition to the pump very often?

Yes I would use wick occasionally. Keep in mind that the hand plungers aren't at the level of a desoldering station. You might still run into problems when desoldering ground planes and they can be a pain. I would recommend checking out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8KRPFOD1RE . Even though he's using a desoldering station, a lot of the fundamentals still apply.

This seems the most appropriate thread to ask this, as there appear to be mutliple Hakko FR-301 desoldering gun users:

What tips do you recommend for recapping things like audio/video monitors? The tip mine came with isn't wide enough to remove the capacitors in my Mackie 624mkII and I don't have a caliper to measure them.

1. Is there any disadvantage to getting one as wide as appears possible (N61-10)
https://www.hakko.com/english/products/ ... productNav

2. Are there recommended places (that ship to Canada) to buy these replacement heads?

Thanks!

Not that many people probably care at this point, but I just received my T12 station from Banggood and although it isn't 100% identical to Voutlar's, it looks good enough. All of the solder points are clean and solid, everything on the board looks almost the same as his with very minor differences. My soldering handle feels solid with no rattle. The only thing I don't like is the Chonx capacitors inside. LOL! But, I keep it on a power strip and flip the power switch off when I'm not using it. For the $40 it cost me, no big deal. It works great and the tips all get hotter than Voultar's nips in about 3 seconds.

FWIW my T12 station is also still working fine.

Chonx, lol. One of the first google hits for that brand reads "ChongX Capacitor test - Aliexpress JUNK - Buyer Beware!"