In article ,
Robin .@. wrote:
Can anyone recommend a soldering iron that, er, works.

I have a small customer computer cable that I need to solder to an RS232
DE-9. (i.e. 4 small wires onto a mounting block.)

I've got a Antex 16-18w iron that I got from Maplin a couple of years
back, but rarely used. It doesn't even melt the flippin solder when I
try to tin the tip.

I'm surprised at that. Are you leaving it long enough to heat up? Have you
removed the bit to make sure it's not got crud insulating it? Is the
spring clip that grips it in place still present and positioned where it
does the job? Because it should cope with even lead free solder.

So, any recommendations for a decent iron?

Nowt wrong with Antex - it's my make of choice. But like any iron you need
one specified for the type of work you're doing. And the type of bit
fitted influences this as larger ones act as a heat store for the larger
jobs the iron is capable of. Your iron is for normal PCB work.

If you do decide on a new one the definitive type for all electronics will
be a temperature controlled 50 watt low voltage type. They were once
expensive, but can be bought on Ebay etc for about 30 quid these days.

--
*If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Dave Plowman London SW
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