Soldering stations are mainly used in professional environments, although anyone can purchase them. This is quite powerful equipment that is suitable for many different operations, including the restoration of complex equipment. The station can include not only a standard soldering iron, but also a hot air dryer.
In addition, any station has a so-called control module and galvanic isolation from the network. The presence of galvanic isolation minimizes possible negative consequences from soldering (black smoke or electric shock).
The soldering station is also distinguished from ordinary soldering irons by its temperature stability during operation, which is critical when soldering printed circuit boards.
Contact and non-contact
Now soldering stations are presented in a significant variety.
They can be divided into groups according to several parameters. For example, they are contact and non-contact. A contact station is an ordinary soldering iron that has direct contact with the surface when soldering, equipped with an electronic control and temperature control unit. That is, this is the most standard variety, which is suitable even for beginners.
Contact stations, in turn, can be divided into two subtypes depending on the solder used. Some models use only lead-containing solders, while others also use lead-free solders.
In the latest modifications, the heating element has a power of up to 160 watts. In this case, increased power is absolutely necessary, because the melting temperature of lead-free solders is quite high.
As for contactless stations, they can be used, among other things, for operations with microcircuits. A non-contact soldering unit can be hot-air, infrared or combined, and each of these three types has its own principle of operation.
Operation of stations
Choosing the best soldering station is also not easy because at the moment a huge variety of different types of equipment has been created for the technical part of the soldering device. Therefore, before you buy this or that soldering station, you need to carefully study the technical features of this device and the scope of its use.
The fact is that those who like to do everything on their own usually buy a classic soldering iron, which can “kill” the part being repaired, because it will simply overheat or, conversely, will not receive the required amount of heat. This is probably why those who consider themselves more than just amateurs prefer to take devices with a control unit, which greatly simplifies and facilitates the work due to the ability to change the temperature and voltage.
What are the consequences of choosing the wrong technology? If the temperature is very high, overheating of the microcircuits cannot be avoided. The problem can be solved very simply - by purchasing a new microcircuit, which is not always cheap.
When working with refractory solder, the soldering iron tip easily collapses from high temperature, and the part responsible for heating simply fails. The result is disgusting soldering quality and overheating of the board tracks. And this is just the smallest thing that can happen due to the wrong selection of a soldering station.
Infrared devices and hair dryers
Hot air stations (sometimes simply called hair dryers) work like this.
First, a strong air flow generated by the compressor, passing through the heating coil, acquires the desired temperature, and then a stream of hot air is directed to the soldering area. The hot air station makes it possible to solder in hard-to-reach areas with simultaneous heating of several surfaces at once. Any hot air installation has a power that is sufficient for soldering with any type of solder, both with and without lead.
Hot air soldering has wide application, for example, in the field of repairing household electrical appliances and mobile phones. However, it is almost impossible to install and dismantle microcircuits (even in BGA format) with thermal air installations - this is a serious limitation.
Infrared-type stations must have a heating element in the form of an infrared emitter made of ceramic or quartz. And thanks to this, infrared installations have some advantages over their thermal air counterparts:
- soldering of complex-profile components is possible;
- there is no need to look for a nozzle for a hot air gun for a specific microcircuit;
- During soldering, no radio components are blown away by heated air flows from the printed circuit board;
- The soldering area heats up very evenly.
Infrared stations are not cheap and are considered equipment for true professionals. Beginners in soldering and radio electronics for the most part do not use such devices.
A few words should be said about combined soldering stations. They are called that because they combine several types of equipment in their design, for example, a soldering iron and a hair dryer.
Infrared ACHI IR-6500
This is a universal semi-automatic station, which is commonly called a repair complex. It easily synchronizes with a PC and is equipped with a ceramic emitter.
It can be used for both lead-free and lead soldering. With it, any dismantling takes only a few minutes, and its maximum temperature is +400 oC.
The station has the ability to not only set 8 different temperature rise positions, but also the same number of temperature hold positions. Moreover, the repair complex is capable of storing 10 groups of different temperature profiles.
The ACHI IR-6500 is considered to be the best infrared soldering station for home that can be used at the entry level for large circuit board refurbishment. Let's talk about more professional devices.
Analog and digital
It is also possible to classify soldering stations depending on the temperature stabilization mechanism and the operating principle of the control units. Based on these parameters, the following types of modern soldering stations are distinguished:
- analog;
- digital.
For analog models, the heating element is turned on until the soldering iron warms up to a certain temperature, then the power stops. When the temperature drops to a preset level, the heating element turns on again and continues heating.
The advantages of analogue stations include their affordable cost. A disadvantage of such models is considered to be low accuracy of operation, which sometimes leads to overheating of the soldering tip and radio components.
A digital soldering station is characterized by the fact that the heater is controlled and controlled using a PID controller. And this regulator, in turn, is controlled by a program embedded in the microcontroller. In general, the digital temperature stabilization method is much more accurate than the analog method.
Soldering station Lukey 936+
This is an analog, inexpensive soldering station that is suitable for both home use and as a starter for those who want to learn how to solder. The installation is quite small and easy.
The set includes one soldering iron with a ceramic tip. The station does not have a hot air gun. Some use her as a little assistant when visiting a client’s home.
It is antistatic and has a soldering iron voltage of 24V. This is quite enough to protect electronic components and boards. The soldering iron has the best tip for a soldering station of this level. It will last a long time and will not let you down in terms of quality. To work with ordinary elements, it is recommended to purchase this one.
Assembly and dismantling
It is also possible to divide all soldering stations into assembly and desoldering stations.
Assembly stations are any stations that perform soldering of parts. However, not all of them can unsolder any element from the overall structure.
For such purposes, special dismantling stations have been created. Their design includes a compressor that works to suck out solder. That is, the heated solder is removed from the working surface into a special container.
There are also assembly and disassembly installations for soldering that perform both functions at once. They are equipped with both mounting and dismantling soldering irons (by the way, they have different capacities).
Equipment
The best soldering station should have a high-quality and complete set. It’s not enough to just take a soldering station: you need it to have complete parts that will provide not only the required temperature for operation, but will also provide protection from various types of overloads. It is believed that, due to the specific operation of this type of tool, the kit may include from 2 to 5 additional parts:
- Tweezers for small types of work.
- Vacuum tweezers.
- Hairdryer for heating.
- Additional fittings.
- Heat emitter for heating the board when working with a group.
Repair
In addition, in specialized literature and on the Internet there are references to repair soldering stations. They are used to carry out repairs of all kinds of electronic devices or in those industries where it is necessary to independently or simultaneously perform various operations related to soldering.
In other words, a multifunctional repair soldering station is a single installation that combines several tools for different purposes.
Plus, there are 2 in 1 and 3 in 1 soldering stations. 2 in 1 models combine the functions of a hair dryer and a soldering iron. A 3 in 1 soldering station also contains a power supply.
And one more addition. Almost all soldering machines run on electricity. But some are interested in whether there are gas soldering stations. In fact, there is some confusion in terms here.
To perform significant volumes of work on construction sites or in public utilities, powerful devices with stationary gas cylinders are sometimes used to solder thick copper pipes. Of course, they can be called soldering stations, but in fact they are just large and powerful gas burners.
ACHI IR-12000
This unit is suitable only for advanced users. The station immediately comes with a built-in industrial PC. It has the possibility of both infrared and combined heating.
The device has 3 independent heating zones. The upper and preheater are infrared, and the lower is hot air. If we continue to talk about temperature, then the accuracy of its setting is up to 2 degrees, and control is carried out using a retractable panel with a color touch screen. Many are delighted with its high resolution.
The unit has an emergency switch. An automatic shutdown sensor is also located nearby in order to protect the owner from accidents.
It is also considered that this is the best soldering station of its kind - the external temperature sensor allows you to analyze the temperature profile as accurately as possible and control it in real time without delays, which is important when working with complex soldering.
What to look for when selecting and purchasing
The quality of soldering is directly and strictly dependent on the parameters of the soldering equipment and its design features, and all this is extremely important to take into account when purchasing.
Power
First of all, you need to pay attention to the number of functions and modes in which the station operates, as well as the rated power consumed and produced.
To repair printed circuit boards and install elements that are sensitive to static electricity, soldering irons with a power of 24 to 40 watts are used.
To work with power buses and conductors, soldering irons from 40 to 80 watts are needed. Soldering tools of 100 Watts and more are usually used for large-sized structures made of non-ferrous metal, which, in principle, have significant thermal conductivity.
Equipment
The equipment also plays an equally important role here; in particular, you should pay attention to the number of tips in the factory kit. The stings may differ from each other in shape and edge area.
These characteristics are noticeably reflected in the final soldering. The larger the area of the end of the tip, the better the heat transfer.
The presence or absence of an indication of the tip temperature on the screen is also an important parameter. All other things being equal, it is better to choose a model in which such an indication is present.
Even the weight and dimensions of the soldering station are of great importance. After all, sometimes during repairs you have to hold the tool in your hands for several hours.
Also, when choosing a soldering device for yourself, it is worth asking whether it is possible to replace spare parts if they break down and how easy it is to find and buy these spare parts.
Flux selection
It should be added that in the future, for work, the owner of the soldering machine will have to constantly purchase consumables, such as flux. And here, too, it is important to make a wise choice.
The functional purpose of the flux is to prevent oxidation of the surfaces being soldered.
There are a lot of brands of flux in stores, but they are almost always based on the same ingredients. This can be pine or spruce rosin, an alcohol solution of rosin, or a special soldering acid (it is considered the most powerful and active).
MX-5241 – powerful induction device
It should be noted right away that this is the best soldering station for professionals. In the hands of an amateur, it will simply turn into an expensive toy. On all resources this machine is called nothing less than “Repair Station”.
It is ideal in everything except the rather high cost. It has a well-functioning built-in power indicator, ergonomic soldering irons and control using the SmartHeat processor. It recovers very quickly and has excellent ESD protection.
Rules of use and safety precautions
The following list contains standard recommendations from manufacturers:
- Before starting operation, check the serviceability of the device, connecting cables, and integrity of the housings.
- When performing work operations, do not use actions that could damage the station.
- Flammable and explosive objects are removed from the work area and immediate environment.
- Do not touch nozzles or other heated parts.
- Provide ventilation of the room to prevent harm to health from chemical reagents.
- When storing and during breaks in work, use a specialized stand with automatic shut-off.
- For long-term storage, disconnect the equipment from the power supply.
- Do not use a soldering iron in rooms with excessive humidity or with wet hands.
- Prevent children from accessing potentially dangerous equipment.
For your information. The service life of the soldering iron can be extended if you use the minimum heating temperature and maximum fan (compressor) speed.
During operation, you should follow the correct sequence of actions when changing nozzles. Such procedures are performed only after the temperature has dropped to a safe level. If malfunctions are detected, the equipment is immediately disconnected from the 220 V network. Self-repairs should not be done without appropriate qualifications. If necessary, contact experienced specialists to diagnose and replace failed parts.
