Soldering iron with power adjustment. Five Ways to Adjust Soldering Iron Temperature Adjustable Soldering Iron with Ceramic Heater

Price: $9.99

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Good evening, friends. Today I will tell blog readers about my soldering iron for every day. If you are interested, welcome to cat.

About a year ago I began to be interested in soldering electronics and other “wiring”. During the rush, a simple “Soviet” soldering iron was purchased at a construction store near the house. It took a long time to heat up, took a long time to cool down, tried to float around with its copper sting, and in the end it just made a “goat” for me by cutting off the machine gun. After this, the hero of today's review was ordered. 60 W soldering iron with temperature control, replaceable tips and ceramic heating element.

Contents of delivery.

The packaging was not preserved due to the date of the order. The package was outrageously simple: the soldering iron itself, a set of tips and a stand, which is not shown in the photo (a simple piece of thin metal with cutouts).

The sting is from the kit.

For now, let's put the soldering iron aside and look at the tips. The kit included 5 tips and one was on the soldering iron. The tips are fireproof; there is NO NEED to trim them with a file. Periodically you need to clean off carbon deposits and that’s all. I usually do this with baking soda and a dish sponge; perhaps there are more convenient options, but this is what I’m used to. My set included several interchangeable tips of different shapes, tailored for different tasks. Considering that I solder exclusively small wires and various modules, I always use a standard tip, but the presence of different ones is nice.

Photo of complete tips.

Appearance of the soldering iron, general impressions.

The wire for the soldering iron is standard; I got it with a Euro plug and without a switch. The length of the wire is 140 cm. I'm thinking about replacing it with a longer one with a switch. But overall the length and quality of the wire is quite normal. At the entrance to the soldering iron body, the wire is protected by a crushable insert, which prevents it from breaking off at the base. A wire with the outer insulation removed is visible through the protection, but only the outer insulation. As a result: I have no complaints about the wire.

Soldering iron body and wire attachment point.

Let's move on to the soldering iron body. The case is made of strong blue plastic :) with a thick rubber pad where the soldering iron is held. It helps quite well when working with a soldering iron for a long time and protects against temperatures that are uncomfortable for the hand. Almost at the entrance of the wire there is a “twist” for changing the temperature of the soldering iron. It is marked from 200 to 450 degrees, but we’ll talk about that later.

Fastening the tip, heating element, disassembling the soldering iron.

The tip is attached using a protective casing, which is tightened with a special fastening “nut”. By unscrewing it we can observe the tip of the heating element.

The heating element, as I understand it, is a nichrome wire hidden in ceramics. The only drawback of this type of heating elements is that they can break if you drop the soldering iron on a hard surface. Although I have fallen more than once, no problems have been noticed.

Tip prepared for replacement.

In addition, you can remove the plastic nut, remove the tip and its holding elements and disassemble the soldering iron into a negligee.

To do this we proceed as follows:

1) Remove the tip and its fastening.
2) Unscrew the plastic nut at the end of the housing near the tip.
3) Take out the temperature regulator (use pliers to pull it up).
4) Carefully pull out the board with the soldered heating element.
5) Profit. We admire it.

I didn’t particularly understand the circuit, but the tuning resistor and the good quality of the board caught my eye. By the way, if desired, the soldering iron can be modified, moved to another case and some flaws can be corrected.

I was pleasantly pleased with the fastening of the wire through the protrusion on the board.

By the way, the drawback: the metal thing is held in place with play. Because of this, when assembled, the metal part of the soldering iron plays a little when you apply force to it. The play is not strong, but there is about 4-5 millimeters at the tip of the sting. I plan to strengthen this place with high-temperature sealant.

This element is a little loose.

Heating speed, impression in operation.

Before the solder melts, my soldering iron heats up in about 20-25 seconds. As for temperatures, I tried to measure the temperature of the tip with the thermocouple of my multimeter (model “from a construction store” for 200 rubles). In the minimum position, the soldering iron gradually heated up to 450 degrees if left undisturbed and settled down a little. In the maximum position it went beyond 1000 degrees. Measurements are very approximate. Please don't take it seriously.

Conclusion on temperatures: I can definitely say that there is no maintaining the temperature at a given level. I don’t yet have enough hands and, perhaps, technical capabilities for large measurements.

Conclusion on temperatures (on fingers): at a minimum, the solder does not stick and you can leave the soldering iron on the stand for several minutes without fear that the handle will melt. At maximum, you can burn the Earth or compress the heat shrink simply by holding it near the tip.

The temperature possibilities are enough for me. But maintaining the set temperature is a little lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

The soldering iron is excellent in my opinion. It’s definitely worth the money, especially considering that for this price you can only buy a “Soviet” one from us. I’m glad that there are replaceable tips; for me it’s easier to change a tip every 4 months than to sharpen a copper one a couple of times a week. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of disassembly. The soldering iron can be used for both small soldering and bulk soldering.

Pros:

Relative cheapness;
+ presence of temperature control;
+ simple design and elementary disassembly;
+ replaceable inexpensive tips;
+ large selection of replacement tips;

Very good for simple work.

Minuses:

The sting dangles a little;
- there is no switch, you have to unplug it from the socket;
- there is no maintaining the set temperature, for this price IMHO it is forgivable: D;

Finally, a photo surrounded by workmates.

Soldering iron with a thyristor power regulator built into the handle.

There is no temperature sensor, and, accordingly, there is no regulator feedback, so this regulator is not a thermostat. However, the ability to adjust the power allows you to control the temperature of the tip and avoid overheating, thereby maintaining the required soldering temperature. Limiting power also helps extend the life of the heater and tip, reducing fading of the protective chrome coating.
Power cable with Euro plug, i.e. there is a possibility of grounding.

The main advantage of the soldering iron is the compatibility of the design of the heating element and tip (tip) with the design of soldering irons used in the most popular soldering stations. These are 900M series tips, or as they are also called differently - HAKKO type tips.
It is the prevalence of these soldering tips that is an undeniable advantage. You can always purchase a tip of the required configuration, and for those who have a soldering station with an already formed set of tips, this soldering iron will be a good addition to the station when soldering work away from the workplace.
Just like in soldering stations, the procedure for changing the soldering tip takes just a few seconds.
Tips 900M - chrome-plated, durable, with factory tinning of the tip. Chrome-plated tips do not require sharpening, and if the operating rules are followed, they have a long service life.

The ergonomic handle makes work comfortable.
Initially, in the factory configuration, the soldering iron is equipped with a conical tip with a tip with a diameter of 0.8 mm (i.e., a 0.8 mm cone).

Characteristics:
- supply voltage: 230V, 50Hz
- power: 60 W
- temperature adjustment range: 200°C - 450°C
- power regulator: yes
- quick-change blades: yes
- tip type: 900M
- grounding plug: yes

Completeness:
- soldering iron with an installed tip - 1 pc.
- stand - 1 piece

I have already reviewed a similar device. Another review about a soldering iron with temperature control, but with full thermal stabilization.
We look at the form in which it was sent, sometimes it’s useful.


Inside is a box wrapped in two layers of polyethylene foam.

Box with a plastic window.


On the back of the package there is a tick indicating the model of the soldering iron.
The soldering iron is available in 2 versions: models 936d and 936D.
Moreover, 936d is general, and 936D is precise. In the review, the usual model is CXG 936d, with a small letter d (220V).


Inside the box, the soldering iron is securely fixed in a plastic blister.


Everything else was placed on the reverse side.

Package Included:
- Soldering iron,
- instructions (in Chinese!),
- stand for soldering iron,
- warranty card.

Instructions in Chinese on two A4 pages.


You can watch the full version.
In general, it is very difficult to catch anything useful in the instructions. Therefore, we look at what is written on the store page. The rest is intuitive and from pictures.


Translated and compiled with instructions.

Model: CXG 936d.
Heating speed: 350°C/8s.
Digital display.
Power: 60 W.
Compatibility: Hakko 900M series.
Ceramic heater A1326 (220V 60W).
Operating temperature: 80 ~ 450°C.
Tip grounding resistance:< 2Ω.
Voltage at the tip of a grounded soldering iron:<2 мВ

On the back of the instructions there is information on the tips.

The soldering iron came with a non-European plug. There are no options to choose from on the store page.


You can use one of these:


Or remake the fork (preferable), whichever is more convenient for you.
I turn to the external examination.


There are soft rubber bands at the grip and cable entry points.


Network cable one and a half meters long. This is usually included with wall/table lamps.
The brand and model number are indicated on the tail of the soldering iron.


Similar branding on the metal nose.


Switch like lamps (2A, 250V). By the way, it's very convenient.


Looks like a regular soldering iron.

I weighed it just in case.


When turned on, the smart circuit connects the soldering iron to full power (this lasts a fraction of a second), gradually reducing the power during the heating process. 150W - these are the numbers shown by the wattmeter at the moment of switching on (not 60W at all, as on the store page). Photo of what I caught.


It heats up to a temperature of 300˚C in 20 seconds. At this temperature it consumes 12-17W (if you don’t solder anything).
I checked the thermal stabilization. He heated the soldering iron to 300˚C and in steady state (12-17W) dipped the tip of the tip into a glass of water. Power increased to 35W. Those. the scheme is working
Remembers the last set temperature. When turned on, it immediately warms up to this temperature. If you set the remote control to 80˚C, it will be a kind of standby mode. It only takes a couple of seconds for the circuit to warm up the soldering iron from room temperature and go into standby mode.
Immediately after turning on (or changing the temperature), the soldering iron displays the set temperature for some time. After a few (4) seconds, it begins to show the current (real) temperature of the tip.
Unfortunately, the soldering iron does not have a heating element operation indicator. Power consumption from the network can only be determined using a wattmeter.


At this temperature, it is not capable of causing any significant damage, while consuming only 1.3 W from the network.


There are only two buttons on the remote control. When you press the yellow button, the readings increase, and when you press the gray button, they decrease. The readings change in increments of 1°C.


Let's move on to the analysis.
There are no difficulties. Everything is like everyone else.


This is a soldering iron with a ceramic heating element. Nichrome heaters look a little different; their top joint is covered with cement. Ceramic ones usually have a step like this (although they have learned to fake steps) and a groove (they haven’t faked it yet).


The diameter of the heating element is 3.9 mm.


The inner diameter of the tip is 4.2 mm.
Fully compatible with the Hakko 900M series standard.

External diameter 6.6mm.


I'll come back to the sting a little later. I'll look into it further.


Now you can remove the control board. The network cable is two-wire. Clamped well.


The third wire (separate) goes from the crocodile to the body.


There are four leads to the heating element.


Heating element with thermocouple.


The power seems to be 60W.
It was difficult to find the markings. Engraving on ceramics. Rubbed with the back of a pencil:
CXG 1324 GB
There are doubts about the last two letters.


I turn to the temperature control unit.
You can consider the main elements in more detail. On the first picture
optocoupler MOC3020.

Next is the microcontroller and op-amp LM358,


Triac BT134(-600E).


There should be a slightly different brand of capacitor here. A cheaper option has been installed.


Very, very similar to the Tomizawa soldering iron I reviewed 4-5 months ago. Circuit design one to one. Only this one has full thermal stabilization.
Back to the stings. I'll take a closer look.
I checked it with a magnet.
Magnetic throughout the body.

I washed it down to see what it was made of.


There is a steel glass inside; there is not much copper, but there is some. I'll check later to see how it works.
I measured the length of the protruding part of the heating element. 23.5mm.

The depth of the internal cavity of the tip is 25.5 mm.


2mm of void is a lot. In this situation, problems will arise during soldering.
But there is a reserve.


But the reason is in this tube. Protrudes 18mm. It needs to be moved by 2. It is pressed in.

I had to work with a hammer. Naturally, you need to work carefully, without fanaticism. We managed to move it in by 1mm. Riveted it to 0.5mm. I left half a millimeter for thermal expansion.
In this regard, everything is fine now.
Let's move on to testing.
I worked with a soldering iron for an hour.
The sting came off well. Didn't find any problems.


By the way, the standard size is also indicated.


All that remains is to check how accurately it maintains the temperature. I will use a device with access to a computer. It's easier.
In order not to spoil the thermocouple, I measured the temperature not at the very tip, where there is no solder.
Consistently adjusted the temperature to round values ​​by pressing the button on the remote control:
80˚С→100˚С→150˚С→200˚С→250˚С→300˚С→350˚С →400˚С.

At the usual operating temperatures, the soldering iron clearly did not hold up. I remembered about the trimmer. There is a photo at the beginning of the review. I turned it clockwise for 2 hours.
Now I'm happy with everything.
After I went through this whole procedure, I figured out the software calibration.
After turning on the switch, you need to press both buttons at the same time, the soldering iron will go into calibration mode. The screen will display the current correction value (mine was -032). Using the buttons you can make either a positive or negative correction, up to ±050 degrees in each direction.
Additionally.
To switch temperature display modes between °C/°F, you need to plug in the soldering iron by first holding down both buttons (do not confuse the procedure). The default mode is °C.
ALL settings are remembered when turned off.
And finally about the stand. She was also included.


I don't know what it's made of, but it's absolutely not magnetic.


It's time to take stock.
Pros:
+ Fast heating.
+ Ceramic heating element.
+ Compatible with Hakko 900M series blades.
+ Temperature adjustment.
+ Thermal stabilization.
+ Digital display.
+ Flexible long cord.
+ Possibility of selecting temperatures in a wide range (from 80°C to 450°C) in increments of 1°C
+ Possibility of calibration without disassembly.
Minuses:
- NOT our power plug.
- I had to modify it a little.
That's basically it. What I wrote should be enough for a correct conclusion. If something is unclear, ask questions. Perhaps I missed some points.
I hope it helped at least someone.
Good luck!

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

Main types of soldering irons

Soldering refers to a very common type of technological operations that are performed both in production and at home, when it is necessary to obtain a permanent connection of two parts, possibly made of different materials. The main tool for this operation is a soldering iron, of which there are quite a few types and types.

When purchasing soldering irons, they are chosen, first of all, depending on the frequency and type of work for which they plan to use these tools.

Electric soldering irons

The most common type of soldering iron is an electric one with a heater, which is often called EPSN. Such a soldering iron is connected to the mains, a transformer or a battery, after which its tip heats up. The heating process takes a fairly noticeable period of time and the soldering process itself takes a relatively long time. Quite often, such soldering irons have a ceramic heating element.

The soldering process occurs much faster if you use pulse soldering irons. Its sting heats up instantly using electric current after pressing the corresponding button. It also stings instantly and cools down, unlike EPSN. This property of a pulse soldering iron indicates the safety and ease of use. Such soldering irons are used primarily in radio electronics.

But electric soldering irons are cheaper, and you can find them much more often in everyday life, despite the fact that they require additional soldering equipment. For example, you will probably need a special stand for a soldering iron: the hot tip of the device cannot be placed on any surface, since there is a high probability of their mutual damage. Suction is also often used when soldering to remove excess solder. There are a number of other auxiliary devices. Professionals who frequently use a soldering iron prefer to always have on hand a set of different soldering iron attachments to perform different types of work. For your convenience, you can choose a soldering kit that already includes all the necessary components.

Electric soldering irons differ primarily in power, as well as in the type and thinness of the tip. Soldering irons with a power of 80 to 100 or even 200 W are used for soldering large parts, sheets of metal, and wires with a wide cross-section.

In radio electronics, when soldering equipment, soldering irons with a power of 40-80 W are mainly used. You should be very careful when using soldering irons with lower power, since in this case there is a high probability of overheating of the soldering area, which can completely damage both the electrical appliance and the equipment.

Soldering iron tips can have a wide variety of shapes for different types of work. The tip of the tip, which is precisely involved in the soldering process, can be in the form of a cone, spatula, needle, or screwdriver. A soldering iron tip with a main rod diameter of 5 mm is considered thin.

Gas soldering irons

There is another separate type of soldering iron that runs on gas. It is used mainly when it is not possible to use electricity. This soldering iron combines a tip and a gas cylinder in one body. When you press the button, gas is supplied from the cylinder, the built-in piezo-type ignition device at this moment gives a spark that ignites the gas.

If soldering work is carried out frequently and requires special precision, it may be worth considering a type of tool such as soldering stations.

A soldering station is essentially the same as a regular electric soldering iron, but additionally equipped with the ability to regulate the heating temperature of the tip using a regulator (temperature-controlled soldering iron). Soldering stations are also protected against overloads and static. Such electrical appliances are capable of maintaining a set temperature themselves. An integral part of the station can also be such soldering equipment as a stand for a soldering iron, a bath for a cleaning sponge, a hot air gun and a number of the like.

Soldering stations are much more expensive than other types of soldering irons. But in many cases their purchase is worth it.

In this review, we will consider one of the most inexpensive Chinese soldering irons with temperature control and replaceable tips: model 907 (GJ907), 60 W. I’ll say right away that this soldering iron has nothing to do with the Hakko 907 soldering irons for soldering stations. Usually on AliExpress, eBay, Bangood and other Chinese trading platforms this product is called something like " 907 60W soldered iron Adjustable 200-450C"The cost of a soldering iron at the moment (June 2015) is about $10.

Specifications of GJ907 soldering iron:

• Power: 60W
• Temperature: 200...450°C
• Input voltage: 220...240V
• Insulation resistance: 100MΩ
• Length: 240mm

The soldering iron is supplied in a transparent package with some information in Chinese.

The soldering iron tip can be grounded if necessary. And it is necessary! Because There is no decoupling from the mains voltage and interference can kill field-effect transistors, microcircuits and other sensitive elements when soldering. According to reviews on the Internet, such cases have happened. For grounding, a wire with a clamp comes out of the soldering iron.

Power plug as seen in the photo- the most common one, no adapters are needed.

The soldering iron is equipped with a temperature regulator, which is adjustable from 200 to 450 ° C. If the LED is on, then the soldering iron is heating up. Once the desired temperature is reached, the LED goes out. Judging by the diagram, it is thermocouple feedback that is used here, and not stupid power adjustment, which is an undoubted advantage of an inexpensive soldering iron.

The soldering iron tip is removable and non-burnable.

The tip is not compatible with the 900s. For comparison, in the photo below: the tip is 900 at the top, 907 at the bottom. They are different in both length and diameter.

Dimensions of 907 tips:

• External diameter: 7.5 mm
• Inner diameter: 6mm
• Depth: 35 mm
• Length: ~ 56 mm (depending on tip shape)

Dimensions 900 tips:

• External diameter: 5.4 mm
• Inner diameter: 4.2mm
• Depth: 24.5 mm
• Length: ~42 mm (depending on the shape of the sting)

But 907 tips for it are also freely sold on AliExpress. Search for soldering iron tips GJ907 on AliExpress.

According to the manufacturer and many online resources, the GJ907 has a ceramic heater. In the photo below you can see a step, which, according to some radio amateurs, indicates that this is real ceramics. There is a lot of debate on the Internet about what type of heater this soldering iron has: ceramic or nichrome in a ceramic tube. We'll find out later.

The heater itself is labeled 907H 220V 60W and is freely sold on AliExpress for about $2.

There are 4 wires coming out of the heater: two wires for the temperature sensor and two wires for the heating element. On the one hand, the presence of a temperature sensor is a plus, but on the other hand, the fact that it is located in the heater itself is a minus, because There will be inertia and a delay in the activation of heating. The resistance of the heating element is 890 Ohms (two white wires). Thermal sensor resistance at room temperature (red and blue wires): ~4 Ohms.
The voltage on the heating element is 220V.

Control board. Operator IC2: HA17358 (LM358). A MAC97A8 triac is used to control the heating element (PDF)

The circuit is in many ways similar to the CT-96 soldering iron circuit:

As you probably already saw in the photo, this soldering iron has two trimmers VT1 and VT2. One sets the upper temperature range, the second sets the lower one.

As can be seen from the diagram, there are no scarce parts, SMD is also not used, and in case of failure, the burnt-out part can be replaced. In general, in terms of maintainability, the soldering iron is also quite good, because... and something can be replaced in the board, and the heater itself and the tips are freely sold on AliExpress.

Ceramic or nichrome?

Advantages of a ceramic heating element:
- fast heating
- durability
Flaws:
- fragile (and more often cracks from uneven heating and unoriginal tips than from mechanical influences)

Advantages of a nichrome heating element:
- cheapness
- not afraid of bumps or falls
Flaws:
- not very durable
- takes longer to heat up

But if we objectively compare it for use in amateur radio practice or for domestic use, then of course a nichrome heating element will not heat up, say, 10 times longer than a ceramic one, and in practice you will not notice much of a difference in the heating rate. As for the service life, this is also a controversial issue, because in my opinion, this is relevant for repair shops, where they operate a soldering iron for several hours a day. And for an ordinary radio amateur, when used for one hour a day, a cheap soldering iron will most likely experience some other breakdown than the nichrome heater filament burning out. Therefore, if you are a radio amateur, then in any case the nichrome will not burn out in 1-2 years of use.

So what type of heating element is used in this soldering iron?

The photo speaks for itself. Those. It's a nichrome heater stuffed into a ceramic tube. In essence, we have a nichrome spiral, to which is added one of the disadvantages of ceramics - fragility. As you can see, the presence of a step at the end of the heater does not at all mean that this is ceramic!

Well, what else did you want for ten bucks?

Parameter measurements

So, let's measure the power consumption of the soldering iron.

As you can see, an honest 60 watts.

When the set temperature is reached, the heating is turned off, the LED goes out and the soldering iron consumes 600 mW.

The soldering iron tip was connected to a temperature meter (with a K-type sensor). Additionally, the readings were also checked using a thermocouple from a multimeter - no large deviations were found over the entire temperature range.

When set to 200 °C (lowest value) - the actual temperature of the tip of the soldering iron was 250°C! Those. as much as 50°C more. I tried to set the lower threshold using adjusters, but the best I could achieve was 235°C, the temperature stubbornly refuses to go below this value.

When the value was set to 450°C, the actual temperature of the tip was about 415°C, i.e. the soldering iron did not reach 35°C. But such high temperatures are, in principle, not necessary, because the sting will burn all the time. If you wish, you can play with the trimmer.

Temperature rise time from a cold soldering iron to the set temperature of 200 °C (real 230-250°C) was just under a minute. At the same time, the inertia of the tip is about 3 seconds, i.e. From the moment the heating is turned on, until the temperature changes on the tip, about 3 seconds pass. The temperature meter itself reacts to temperature changes almost instantly.

conclusions

Minuses:
- pseudoceramic heater
- temperature indicators do not correspond to actual tip temperature readings
- in my opinion, the handle is not very comfortable (maybe a matter of habit, especially after working with a soldering station)
- according to reports from some users who have a similar soldering iron, it is not very reliable

Pros:
- honest 60 watts
- low cost
- ability to adjust temperature
- replacement tips, freely sold on AliExpress
- the ability to replace the heater in case of failure (also freely sold on AliExpress)

Is it worth buying or not? If you are very limited in money, you can take a risk, but it’s still better to pay an extra $20-30 and take something more reliable.