Best soldering iron

[minecraftylogan]

Hi I was wondering what is a good soldering iron and viewfinder or something to see up close to the switch I am planning on using hwfly on a v2 patched switch!

 

[Blavla]

Hi I was wondering what is a good soldering iron and viewfinder or something to see up close to the switch I am planning on using hwfly on a v2 patched switch!

I love my TS100 and have a few bits for it, Does the job perfectly. For v2 you need only a solder iron and solder,nothing else. Some flux would be good

 

[Deleted member 301661]

Good is depending on what you want to solder.
For thick Ground (Gnd) spots its best to have a thickter tip just small enough to not touch other tracks and components, with higher power.
for slim parts you generally don't need much power and you need a small tip.
for all solder irons you want one that's has the option te set the temperature, 5 degrees off isn't that much a problem, but you don't want it much worse.
brand come and go, weller used to be great years ago, now i don't like thier tips for they corrode too fast.
dry cleaner is better for the tip use a brass sponge.
For desoldering, you can try a hand pump, but i never liked it.
Better go for a desolder station with a compressor built in, desoldering needs a little higher temperature.

 

[TheNintendoEnthusiast]

I am also searching for a good soldering setup. I was looking at the YIHUA brand on Amazon and that looks good.

 

[Hayato213]

It come down to your soldering skill, if you can't solder a expensive soldering iron is no use to you. Definitely need a microscope if you want to micro solder well.

 

[SodaSoba]

Plenty of hako clones from china are decent, I use a pinecil with a usbC adapter

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Hi I was wondering what is a good soldering iron and viewfinder or something to see up close to the switch I am planning on using hwfly on a v2 patched switch!

I have a Hakko FX-888D. It's very good, it's their entry level model. There are a lot of clones, they seem to work fine too. But make sure you use original tips even if you buy a clone.

But some people recommend a higher end Hakko model (the FX-951), which is using the "new generation" design which embeds the heater in the tip itself. It makes the tips cost more to replace, but also means it heats up much faster & the temperature control is more precise. I think this is probably the better one to get now. You can get decent clones of it. Louis Rossmann argues that they shouldn't even continue to sell irons with the "old style" of heater because this newer type (which has still been around for a long while now) is just technically superior.
My FX-888D still works just fine though, heats up fast, melts solder quickly and does everything I need it to, so I'm not sure how much the "superiority" of the FX-951 actually matters.

FX-951 costs a lot more than FX-888D to buy original. But the clone FX-951 cost less than the original FX-888D. Louis Rossmann argues that a clone FX-951 is a better buy than an original FX-888D, not sure if I trust clones to last though. I don't have any experience with the FX-951, but if you can afford it, it seems the obvious choice.

 

[jkyoho]

Not best but I just saw EEVblog review a PD powered T12 iron few days ago. Go take a look.
You might need extra precise tip for small SMD soldering.

 

[l7777]

Another vote for a TS100 or Pinecil style iron. I have used mine for an OLED and V2. On the other end of the spectrum I've also used it for some heavy 8 AWG power wire in a UPS project and some heavy ground and power planes in a switching power supply. With a 24 volt supply the iron is plenty powerful registering ~74 watts while heating up.

 

[minecraftylogan]

thankyou everyone for your suggestions! This community is really amazing!!

 

[CMDreamer]

The best is the one you prefer, and allow you to do the job. Each one of us will recommend what work for us, but that doesn't mean it will work for you without any doubt.

Brands come and go, as well as quality products.

The most important thing is that you need to know how to solder already, because there are lots of people asking for help because they ruined their console because they applied too much heat into a very small pad or track, or because they shorted some components on the board or ruined those FPC connectors while trying to solder something nearby.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[evil_santa]

Sugon A9 whit T210 handle and you are prepared for all solder Jobs.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EyqwJw1

 

[Hassal]

If you're looking for recommendations I strongly you sub to SDG Electronics youtube channel. He offers lots of extensive reviews and soldering tips.

 

[izy]

ts100 was great when i started, its outdated now but not without a worthy cheap replacement

https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/

Pinecil v2

 

[jakl_53]

Everyone is talking irons. I thought all of the switch modchips were tiny tiny soldering. Wouldn't some type of microscope be beneficial?

 

[izy]

they are but I just did them by eyesight but without contacts/glasses my long distance sight sucks but i have very good close up

 

[k0walski]

Speaking about the best... Weller T0053402670. Good... Weller WE 1010 (T0053298699), Ersa RDS80...

 

[Blavla]

Everyone is talking irons. I thought all of the switch modchips were tiny tiny soldering. Wouldn't some type of microscope be beneficial?

They are tiny but doable. OLED is not doable without a microscope . Not with my eyes at least

 

[david_enoh]

Hi all, fairly new to soldering. What is the recommended temperature and what gun/tip should I use for oled modding?

 

[Ahvarok]

Hi all, fairly new to soldering. What is the recommended temperature and what gun/tip should I use for oled modding?

Something between 330C and 380C for soldering iron, it depends of many factors
You need to understand your tools to take the most advantage of it.


Personally, i use almost always 360C for anything related to switch, and about the tips is the same, is all about comfort and practice, almost all tips that are not BIG are suitable if you are used to it, i've seen people who uses a full Knife to solder oled.
I use a JBC style station with a C245-935 tip, a Conical Bent, for me is the best, for me.

And of course, a good flux and a good solder wire, you maybe have no idea of easier and clean everything gets once you got quality supplies. try Chipquik/MG Chemicals/Stirri(Amtech) for flux and Kester 63/37 (44 or 245) /AIM/Multicore, for Solder Wire, the diference is noticeable and if you are gonna do it for clients is almost mandatory to make a clean and profesional job.

But yes, always use flux, dont be afraid, never is too much flux. Never use too much heat (420 seems to much) cause you can desolder component you dont want to. And above anything else, PRACTICE ON SPARE BOARDS, NEVER ON WORKING BOARDS.