Support Forum

Hi,

On the Assembly Video for the ADC Pi Plus board what wattage soldering iron are you using?

Better still, make and model number ?

Thanks,

Ian Davidson

We use Metcal SP200 soldering stations for all of our soldering work. They are a 35W iron but the tips are swappable and the temperature is defined by the model of the tip in the iron so if you are soldering tiny surface mount parts you can put a fine low power tip in the handle or if you are soldering large cables or connectors you can use a higher temperature large chisel bit.

The SP200 has been discontinued but the closest equivalent would probably be the Metcal PS-900 which costs around £180. You can often find the SP200 irons on eBay for not too much money and replacement tips are around £15 to £20 each.

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for that info. I paid less that £20 for my last soldering iron! You get what you pay for.

Ian

Hi Andrew,

Thank you very much for your reply.

A few weeks ago I decided I needed a new soldering iron and spent £16 on a We**er iron from homebase. When I switched it on a blue noxious smoke came out from the material between the coil and tip. After a couple of minutes I switched it off. I later got a full refund.

After receiveing your email last Saturday I ordered a PS-900, it arrived yesterday and your differential pi board arrived today. This evening I assembled the connectors to the board, all works sweet as. No blue smoke. It took me a bit longer than your video but the result was excellent - I could not have done this with my old iron.

Just please don't tell the wife how much it cost - thanks

Ian

The Metcal iron should serve you well for many years to come. I started off with cheap Antex irons which I used for years before getting a Metcal iron off eBay. Since then my collection of Metcal irons has grown and I would never go back to using cheap irons again.

The main thing I like about them is the way you can switch it on and 5 seconds later it is ready to use.