Modern replacement nozzles and tips for soldering irons are represented by a wide variety of products for performing different types of work on the installation and dismantling of electronic components of any complexity. Proper use of such accessories helps expand the functionality and scope of application of existing equipment and tools. As a result, the decision to purchase nozzles, tips and tips for a soldering iron (mains, gas, etc.) becomes an alternative to purchasing separate units for various purposes.
The corresponding products are:
- sharp , flat and oblique incisors;
- round thin , blunt and inclined stings;
- long straight and inclined cones;
- nozzles for thermoelements , etc.
A long-lasting tip (tip) for a soldering iron is characterized by reliability, low inertia and constant parameters, as well as temperature retention. Other aspects include compatibility with other types of equipment, ease of tinning and resistance to scale formation. The correct approach to deciding whether to buy a tip for a soldering iron for microcircuits ensures that you get the use of indispensable assistants for high-precision soldering of a wide range of parts.
Features of handling and recommendations for use
Whether it is a tip or nozzle for a pulse soldering iron, a cartridge tip or another corresponding specialized product, the service life is determined by the consumables used ( solder , flux ) and the operating temperature. A feature of replaceable solutions is the absence of the need and inadmissibility of additional sharpening and shaping.
In order for the T-shaped nozzle or soldering iron tip used to carry out specified technological and production tasks to serve for a long time, you should:
- avoid overheating and standing idle in heated conditions;
- use only high-quality consumables ;
- regularly clean used nozzles for a gas soldering iron, etc.;
- Do not use excessive force when working.
Soldering iron tip.
I’m not sure that this “small” review will be of interest to all readers of mysku.ru, but I hope that it will be read by experienced radio amateurs who started with the most famous Soviet soldering iron EPSN-40.
This one with a blue handle (70s, early 80s of the last century). Before that there were EPSN-40 with a wooden handle, I don’t have one like that. Those who have used them probably know the peculiarities of these soldering irons. If, a couple of days after the start of operation, the owner forgot to remove the tip and clean off the copper scale, the soldering iron became “disposable.” When the “non-replaceable” tip dissolved and ground down to zero, the soldering iron had to be simply thrown away. If the tip was pulled out regularly, then after a while it decreased in diameter so much that it no longer held in the soldering iron. Here is another EPSN, with an orange handle, produced a little later - the mid and late 80s. here the sting is already “irreplaceable”.
I assume that I’m not the only “conservative”, and many radio amateurs are still somewhat distrustful of newfangled soldering irons in the tips of which copper (mass) is exactly the size of a gulkin’s nose. And as soon as these modern soldering irons are not modified, the thermocouple right at the tip of the tip and the power pumps in 250 Watts (JBC470) and the PID algorithm with prediction, but this is not the same feeling, not a “warm lamp”. Why is this happening. Yes, because physics cannot be fooled by any watts.
What can you see in a copper bar cut into pieces? Good stings, heavy. In the store at the link there are three diameters of stings. Diameter matches. With two types of tip sharpening. For modern simple Chinese soldering irons with an external nichrome heater with a power of 30, 40, 60 and 100 W. Copper rods are actually sold anyway, in the form of the actual rod. And cheaper. But if you buy in Moscow, then these are some kind of semi-wholesale companies with warehouses in the Moscow region. I ordered a sting (why - this is a little lower), several days passed and I decided to add the track to tracking. I see that the delivery is to PickPoint. Yes, I didn’t ask for a postomat (and in vain, they arrived in 5 days). And then I decided to see what kind of store it was on Ali that sold such wonderful copper tips. Overall, I was impressed and thought I'd share it because it's really funny. The store is called DDK Ekb Store. This is a Russian store located in Yekaterinburg. Opened in February 2021. And now - a surprise. Click on the “All Products” button. The store sells EXACTLY ten products. Of which 6 products are tips for (retro) soldering irons, and another 4 items are fiberglass washers. AND THAT'S ALL! And they are not afraid of either the Chinese at the Ali site or theirs
prices And if you look through the search, it turns out that there are no competitors. neither on the washers nor on the stings. This is not point 18. I just wish this Russian store success and prosperity! Here are the stings from the package.
The second photo also shows non-burning stings. I bought it in this store, three diameters, just try it and compare it with the classic copper ones. The soldering irons these tips are suitable for are something like this.
There are a lot of different ones on Ali. With different power. But they are all made using “standard” Chinese nichrome heaters, as in the pictures below.
I bought these tips for this soldering iron:
This is a Chinese analogue of EPSN-40 with a 60-watt heater and thermal stabilization in a transparent handle. Such soldering irons have been sold on Ali for a long time and are clones of soldering irons CT-96, CT-2092 (tips 907H), CT-95, CN-2090 with copper rod tips. Reviews on Muska: link 1 - copper rod, link 2 - tips 907H I note that all sellers of this soldering iron have old photos on their page, in fact, a new version is coming, where the LED is located between the tip and the temperature control knob. Next to the photo is a Chinese 30-watt soldering iron, which, by the way, is sold under the name “Tundra” in a Russian store on the Aliexpress site. PCB version of my soldering iron:
The heating element from this soldering iron with a built-in thermocouple is also shown here. This heater can be purchased separately, and the price is simply ridiculous (but only from this seller). The scheme, as far as I understand, has not changed from the previous version.
. This scheme works strangely and it seems to me that it is not at all the way its developer intended. But it works, it regulates and stabilizes the temperature. When turned on, at first the heater (LED) lights up constantly, but when approaching the set temperature, the LED starts blinking at a frequency of about 5 hertz, after which it turns off completely. Yes, there seems to be nothing to blink in this scheme. In addition, for some reason it seems to me that this circuit should not be turned on at all during the negative half-cycle of the network. And she turns on. In general, after looking at the pictures from the oscilloscope, I decided for myself that I don’t want to deal with this, and the circuit behaves this way because there is a sensitive (all-quadrant) triac. And this circuit simply works on interference in the UE circuit. If anyone is curious, I provide pictures (the beginning of heating and beyond).
The feeling of soldering with a massive copper tip is indescribable. About the same as in childhood: the grass was greener, the sun was yellower, the sky was bluer, and the scarce doctor’s sausage was tastier. By the way, this, of course, seems unusual in the era of soldering stations, but it is precisely such soldering irons with a massive tip that can actually be used with a simple thyristor power regulator. After a few rations, the sting simply does not have time to cool down. And here is a famous soldering iron with a blue handle and 900M tips. and a thyristor regulator built into the handle, which was inspected ten times on Muska - the product is practically unsuitable for use without modifications. Yes, and about the purchased sting rods with a non-burning coating (pictured at the beginning of the review). They have the same weight as copper.
Oddly enough, you can use it after all sorts of Hakko. The tinning did not deteriorate after a couple of hours of normal operation, but it is not recommended to overheat; it was barely tinned later.
Not a cat
A soldering iron with a transparent handle is good, but too big. It turned out that the heater with a thermocouple can be installed perfectly without any modifications in any Chinese soldering iron with a power of 25...30 W. All that remains is to replace the cord with a multi-core one and solder the thermostat circuit (you can use it in a housing from an AC-DC adapter). Moreover, the native heater from 30 W soldering irons is designed for 4 mm tips, and the heater (905 on the bag) fits 5.0 mm tips perfectly.
For the modification, a soldering iron with a wooden handle was chosen (I just like it). The same Russian store Sima-land. With delivery in 5 days to the nearest PickPoint post office (they don’t even ask, they look at the address themselves). The soldering iron is the cheapest (almost) and has a collapsible handle that is convenient for reworking (wooden thread ).
By the way, the first 30-watt version of the Tundra (in the photo above with a lilac handle) also has a collapsible handle. The circuit is the most common on the LM358 op-amp. I don’t like thyristors, so I made the switch using a field-effect transistor IRF740/840.. The dimensions of this soldering iron are slightly smaller than the “monster” with a transparent handle and are quite comparable to modern common options.
Result:
There is an adapter installed on the soldering iron connector that allows you to connect it to a regular dimmer (and this combination also works great). I would like to draw the readers' attention to the fact that the photograph contains real blue electrical tape. Yes, exactly the one from the USSR! Not some modern Chinese analogue from Auchan.
Additional Information
About the mass of copper in a soldering iron. In my collection there is a soldering iron(s) from the times of the Soviet Union with the name PVN-40-36. With a power source voltage of 36 V. The same soldering iron with a 27 V power supply and the name “marine” was found on sites like “Bag”. Produced by the Zelenodolsk enterprise ERA.
That was the design! Entrails.
An internal copper rod was screwed into a massive brass bushing, onto which the heater was wound. The sting is quite long with a diameter of 5 mm. The weight of this design is 33 grams.
According to the passport, the warm-up time is 8 minutes!
Such a soldering iron did not need a thyristor power regulator or a thermal stabilization circuit. It didn't overheat anyway. Temperature, with a 36 V power supply, is about 280...290 degrees. I modified such soldering irons by slightly shortening them and inserting a Chinese thermocouple inside.
The time between turning on the heater when powered from a soldering station is tens of seconds. The photo shows another option for modifying such a soldering iron. You can replace the heater with a heater version from Ali for soldering irons with 907 tips (it is larger in diameter than heaters for Hakko 900M).
Since the diameters of the brass bushing and the heater do not match, I simply filled the excess space with thermal paste. The design, oddly enough, turned out to be “collapsible”. If the thermal paste is “heated”, it allows you to pull out the heater.
Additional Information
The third “not a cat” I, of course, understand that the number of soldering irons in the household does not automatically mean the ability to use them, but just for information, I’ll show you my collection. So that readers have no doubts. that the author had the opportunity to compare “Chinese EPSN” with modern fashionable designs.
In the discussion below are photographs of soldering irons from my collection. A slightly more complete set of photographs can be viewed on the blog at the link: “Soldering iron gallery”
Reliable solutions from trusted manufacturers
We offer a selection of attachments and heaters to suit any occasion. Among such a variety of products, you will certainly select options for the required conditions and purposes of use. Reasonable prices for soldering iron tips for microcircuits and SMD components are perfectly combined with the performance properties and characteristics of the products presented.
To buy a tip for a pulse soldering iron gun or induction hand tool, place your order online or contact our employees.
