Introduction

Xiaobian is engaged in equipment R&D and design in a Japanese enterprise. As an electrical engineer, from software programming to electronic equipment welding, it can be said that it is a job. After the design of a new machine and equipment is completed, the assembly of the electrical part will always encounter wiring work. Whether it is the installation of the servo motor, the connection of the PLC terminal block, the wiring of the solenoid valve or sensor, or the production of the circuit control base plate, it needs a basic and necessary tool, which is the electric soldering iron. It is believed that many technical homestead men will have such a tool in their hands, because they need it to weld electrical components during the disassembly and repair of digital technology products. So how does the electric soldering iron work and use?

First of all, I would like to thank Lei Feng.com for giving me this valuable evaluation opportunity. This TS100 mini electric soldering iron is different from the traditional soldering iron we use at ordinary times. It has many advantages, such as small size, easy to carry, easy disassembly and assembly, high-energy heating, digital intelligent temperature regulation, solid welding spots and so on. Next, I would like to evaluate the performance of this product with Xiaobian.

Open box display

The exterior of the product is packed in a cardboard box. The upper cover of the box is slightly squeezed and deformed due to the external placement of the power adapter and connecting wire, which makes the appearance somewhat shabby; Although the technical otaku who use electric soldering iron will not care much about these, it is still recommended that the entire product be packaged in a beautiful gift box, so that users can't put it down at the first sight of the product.

The packaging of the main body of the electric soldering iron is much better. It is sealed with a black push-pull packaging box. The surface of the box is printed with a product logo, and the label on the back describes the product model TS100. The editor has prepared some simple and common electronic components such as capacitors, resistors, resistors, and light-emitting diodes for later testing the soldering performance of the soldering iron.

Open the box and you can see this mini electric soldering iron. The first impression is that this product is really mini and delicate when you are used to the traditional big soldering iron. Moreover, the split design of the handle body and the heating end is very scientific. In addition to the products, the box also contains a plastic bag for accessories (a hexagonal L-shaped wrench, two spare screws) and the instruction manual.

The user manual gives a detailed description of the interface keys, use methods, precautions and common problems of the soldering iron. The editor recommends that you read carefully before use to avoid unnecessary misoperation and scald risk during use.

Although it is a small electric welding tool, the main parameters of this product are summarized as follows in order to facilitate people to know more about this product:

The electric soldering iron adopts a black handle body, which shows a low-key sense of technology in the visual effect; The surface texture is also very good, so it will not slip off easily during use; In terms of performance, the TS100 is characterized by rapid temperature rise and convenient temperature adjustment. Because of its 65W rated power, it only takes 10 seconds for the TS100 to rise from 30 degrees to 300 degrees when it is powered on, and the temperature value will be displayed on the display screen of the handle at a glance. Now let's have a look at the details of the product.

Detail display

There are two physical keys on the handle of the electric soldering iron, which are called A and B from left to right. The function of key A is to click after the electric soldering iron is connected to the power supply to realize the function similar to the switch, and the soldering iron starts to heat up; Long press the A key, the temperature value on the display will flash. You can increase the temperature value through the B key, and decrease the temperature value through the A key. The standard amount of each increase or decrease is 10 degrees. Users can adjust it appropriately according to the melting point of the solder wire they use, which is very convenient.

This screen is the OLED display screen mentioned earlier by Xiao Bian. Users can learn the working status of the electric soldering iron and the real-time temperature value through the above logo display. Because the above value always flickers incompletely under the lens during photography, Xiao Bian will not show you specific display examples here. The display font color is white LED.

The front heating rod of the electric soldering iron is designed in a standard way. The length of the heating rod is only a small part of the tip and backward extension, and the heat is quickly transferred to the external metal surface through heat conduction; The thin metal at the tail connected to the handle does not belong to the heating area. The temperature of this part is not very high, which also prevents scalding during use.

The tail of the handle is a USB and power input jack. Maybe many kids will wonder what the USB jack is for? We can download the latest firmware for the soldering iron on the Internet, press and hold the A key while connecting the TS100 to the computer with a USB cable, enter the DFU mode, copy the downloaded firmware file to the virtual disk, and then complete the firmware upgrade operation.

The power input socket of the soldering iron is connected through a wide volt DC power supply. Even if the working environment is changed, the structure is convenient to carry because the electric soldering iron is very small and can be separated from the power adapter.

There is a model identification TS100 on the lower left corner of the electric soldering iron, and the working voltage of the product on the handle surface is also described in silver gray font DC12~24V.

Xiao Bian always needs to take apart new products for in-depth research, and just to show you the internal circuit board structure of this electric soldering iron. In brief, there is a temperature control relay similar to SSR on the circuit board, which can realize instantaneous power on and off of the heating rod, and keep its temperature value constant according to PID control; The other main part is the conversion of digital quantity and analog quantity of the display screen, which converts the temperature value into the final number for users to read and change.

Comparative display

Next, I make a comparison between the TS100 electric soldering iron and the traditional electric soldering iron. Of course, the purpose of the comparison is not to emphasize who is good and who is bad. After all, the prices of the two products are different, and users have different habits from the perspective of use; Through comparison, I want you to know more about the outstanding features of TS100.

First, let's take a look at the handles of the two soldering irons. The FX-600 electric soldering iron in the small editor's hand is adjusted by a knob, and the temperature range is 200~500 degrees; Compared with the upper limit of 400 ℃ of TS100, it is higher, but there is no specific temperature display, and the adjusted temperature range of 50 ℃ is not as precise as TS100. The working status is only judged by a blue LED indicator.

The handle is connected to the power line, and the FX-600 integration is directly connected to the 220V power supply for use; In contrast, the TS100's DC power supply and the ability to plug and unplug adapter wiring at will are more convenient, convenient to store and carry.

Some of the soldering iron heating blocks are made of the same material. The FX-600 is much thicker than the TS100, and the low-temperature reserved area is also less than the TS100. However, during the use, it is found that the range of tip tin melting is still larger in FX.

There are some differences between the two heating block metal joints. The TS100 adopts an integrated way, while the FX-600 can separate the external metal from the internal heating block by unscrewing the nut, which can be seen in detail in the following disassembly comparison; That is to say, if the external metal part needs to be replaced (some users are accustomed to using the metal head with the tip bevel), FX is relatively easier.

In terms of the handle feel and holding method of the two handles, it still depends on everyone's use habits. Xiao Bian is used to the thick soldering iron handle, and suddenly replaced it with the thin handle of the TS100, which is really awkward, but the flexibility must be much better than the TS100, In particular, it is more flexible to weld some dead corners of circuit boards or small electronic components.

Compared with the internal control circuit boards of two electric soldering irons, it can be seen that the TS100 is more orderly and advanced. There are two exposed flying wires on the circuit board of the FX-600, but the temperature control principles of the two are basically the same. Here you can see the difference between the heating block and the external metal mentioned above.

Welding display

After introducing the appearance details and use method of this electric soldering iron, we will formally use it. Xiao Bian will weld some electronic components to the substrate, and show us in detail from the shape of the solder joint, the fusion details of the solder disk, and the ease of operation of the electric soldering iron.

The use method of electric soldering iron is generally that the right hand holds the soldering iron at a 45 degree angle, and the left hand holds the solder wire to preheat the solder disk slightly before contacting the solder wire with the tip of the electric soldering iron. After the solder shape on the pin of the component to be welded is triangular, the soldering iron is quickly removed to prevent damage to the solder disk due to prolonged contact time.

Of course, everyone uses electric soldering iron in different ways. Xiao Bian thinks that as long as it does not burn the skin and can weld the welding devices well, the solder joints are beautiful and firm, there is no need to follow the standards. For example, a small editor has to weld a large number of circuit boards every day. Sometimes, he has to do it quickly for the sake of work progress.

The blue tool in the figure is a tin suction gun, which is used to remove the solders that have been welded. First, melt a little solder at the tip of the electric soldering iron, then melt the solder joints that need to be removed, and at the same time, use a tin suction gun to suck them out. Here, I need to explain to you that the use environment of the electric soldering iron should not be a layer of cotton cloth at the bottom like that of the small knitting iron. It is necessary to use it because of the need to take photos. For normal operation, a layer of metal plate or glass plate should be laid at the bottom to prevent molten solder from splashing. It should also be noted that the smoke removal device should be used, because the smoke from solder melting is relatively harmful to human body.

When the circuit board is turned over after welding, it can be seen that the capacitor is in good contact with the substrate surface, without large gaps; Many small partners will slip during the welding process when welding pin components such as resistors and capacitors. When they turn over after welding, there is a large gap between the components and the substrate. I suggest you use one hand to hold the components while welding, and then stick a little solder on the soldering iron, One of the pins is slightly welded for fixation, so that the above situation will not occur.

It took me more than half an hour to weld more than 300 points. The figure shows a relay base. The thickness of solder wire shall be determined according to the actual use situation. When the distance between solder joints is close and the components are small, thin solder wire shall be used; On the contrary, if the solder joint is large and the demand for solder melting is large, the thick solder wire can be used.

You can see the display of solder joints after the small braid welding is completed. Although it is not perfect, the amount of tin melting and forming between each solder joint are good, and there is no tin leakage or lack of tin. From the welding time of more than half an hour, the performance of TS100 is quite good, the temperature has been very stable, and the oxidation degree of the tip of the soldering iron is not very serious during standby.

summary

Through the actual use of these days, Xiao Bian thinks that the performance of the TS100 mini soldering iron is amazing, and now he is used to holding the thin handle for welding. In general, because of its flexibility and stability, it has indeed improved work efficiency to a certain extent. However, the product itself has some room for improvement, such as the connection problem of the power adapter at the end of the soldering iron. It is inevitable that the product will be torn during use. If the plug is pulled out carelessly, there will be hidden dangers. It is suggested to add a locking mechanism to make the use safer; Secondly, the accessories are lack of the support of the electric soldering iron. If the soldering iron is idle during the welding process, the power can not be cut off back and forth. It should be equipped with a support structure.

I have written so much about this evaluation article for you. Maybe there will be something incomplete or incorrect in the article. Please make more comments and corrections. Finally, I would like to thank Lei Feng.com for giving me this valuable evaluation opportunity. I wish all the staff healthy and happy forever.