I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

Each to their own, but the WLC100 is ok...

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

I have one, good for general stuff. Temperature control isn't really
good, looks like just a triac control to the heating element. As a
result its easy to burn thru tips. If I had to do it again I'd go with
WES51 or the WESD51.
Or a Hakko
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Soldering-Station-Safe-Digital/dp/B000AS3MMU

Cheers

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:04:50 -0500, "Martin Riddle"
wrote:



"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

I have one, good for general stuff. Temperature control isn't really
good, looks like just a triac control to the heating element. As a
result its easy to burn thru tips. If I had to do it again I'd go with
WES51 or the WESD51.
Or a Hakko
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Soldering-Station-Safe-Digital/dp/B000AS3MMU

Cheers



WES51 looks AOK, ordered, Thanks!

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:34:41 -0700, Jim Thompson wrote:

I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

Fix it! That's what I did when mine fell apart, and I couldn't be
happier.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:34:41 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson


I splurged on an Edsyn 951SX about ten years ago, and running it
8/5/365 I've gone through two tips in all that time.

It is a real workhorse.

Jim

"RST Engineering" wrote in message news
On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:34:41 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson


I splurged on an Edsyn 951SX about ten years ago, and running it
8/5/365 I've gone through two tips in all that time.

It is a real workhorse.

Jim

Wow!!! Ten years ago, and they are still on the market.

Not a bad price scale either. If I was looking, I'd buy one.

Bill

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much advantage
over the standard X25.

On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:48:12 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much advantage
over the standard X25.


The Metcals are the best irons. The SP200 system is about $290. They
warm up in seconds and have impressive heat control.

John

"John Larkin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:48:12 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much
advantage
over the standard X25.


The Metcals are the best irons. The SP200 system is about $290. They
warm up in seconds and have impressive heat control.

John


He said "cheapy replacement", the Antex irons are cheap as chips and last
for years.

On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:18:49 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"John Larkin" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:48:12 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much
advantage
over the standard X25.


The Metcals are the best irons. The SP200 system is about $290. They
warm up in seconds and have impressive heat control.

John


He said "cheapy replacement", the Antex irons are cheap as chips and last
for years.


Sorry, I don't do cheapy. Some of us can afford ten cents a day to
have the best soldering gear.

John

On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:52:22 -0800, John Larkin
wrote:

On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:18:49 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"John Larkin" wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:48:12 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much
advantage
over the standard X25.


The Metcals are the best irons. The SP200 system is about $290. They
warm up in seconds and have impressive heat control.

John


He said "cheapy replacement", the Antex irons are cheap as chips and last
for years.


Sorry, I don't do cheapy. Some of us can afford ten cents a day to
have the best soldering gear.

John

When I got out the Weller, it was the first time in more than a year
;-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article , John Larkin wrote:
On Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:48:12 -0000, "ian field"
wrote:


"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much advantage
over the standard X25.


The Metcals are the best irons. The SP200 system is about $290. They
warm up in seconds and have impressive heat control.


For the price it sounds good. Looks like it has a small handle, but my Weller may be smaller,
and its 80 WATTS.

greg

"ian field" wrote in message
...

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the asylum -
they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop gap,
and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much
advantage over the standard X25.

Interesting - Antex used to be rubbish many years ago, Wellers were far
better.

Ian

"Ian" wrote in message
...

"ian field" wrote in message
...

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Since Weller became Cooper Tools, the bean counters took over the
asylum - they cut corners on manufacturing and reliability went down the
gurgler.

When my last Weller fell to bits I bought an Antex 25W iron as a stop
gap, and have been using Antex ever since.

I did treat myself to a 50W Antex TC iron but TBH I don't see much
advantage over the standard X25.

Interesting - Antex used to be rubbish many years ago, Wellers were far
better.

Yes I remember when Weller irons were worth having (a very long time ago).

A company I worked for bought out a competitor and dumped all the stuff they
didn't want in a spare loading bay with a sign; "help yourself". - I grabbed
a large box of Weller irons that had been taken apart and not put back
together.

That collection lasted me many years, but as the spares got older and
scruffier it got harder to maintain a reliable iron - so I bought a brand
new one.

By this time Weller had become Cooper Tools and quality had gone down the
gurgler. In the new iron, the thermostat went S/C in less than 2 weeks -
Cooper Tools sent me a replacement FOC - which lasted almost a month before
going S/C and burning out the element.

After buying a new element, I decided not to let that happen again, so I
modified an old stat with an opto-interrupter to detect the position of the
curie-magnet pushrod. With suitable circuitry to control a triac in the base
unit I got a few more years out of it before the cheaper plating on the tip
caused a tip to burst with copper oxide inside the element tube - making it
impossible to remove without destroying the element.

The only problems I've had with Antex irons is the very fine element wire
can be susceptible if your local supply has bad spikes - but it wasn't just
irons suffering damage until I installed spike suppressors.
110V versions would probably be much more robust in this regard.

The other problem is they can snap if dropped, but the only time I've had
that happen, the lead was coiled up around the handle.

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

Hi Jim,

I too, have an aged WTCP that has been repaired several times. The heater
and thermal switch have both been changed over the years. Still use it for
the heavy stuff with 600 to 800F tips.

When we started to do some SMT work, I bought a cheapie (it was $100 at the
time) JF96ESD through Ameritronics
http://www.ameritronics.com/digital_...s_ESD_safe.htm

Nice thing is that it is variable temperature. We were making the change
from Tin/Lead solder to Lead Free and I wanted to be able to experiment with
different working temperatures. Mostly this is used by itself but for larger
work that involves ground planes, we have a zephytronics hot air fountain
(130-150C) for pre-heating.

Only problem I've had with the JF96 is that the cord between the base and
handle developed an open circuit. Found where the open was and spliced it
back together. Been working for about 3 years since without any further
problems.

Sort of funny working days with an esd safe SMT iron and at nights, doing
artwork with an arc welder and OxAcet torch.

Jim Thompson wrote:
I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson
My all-time favorite is a Weller EC1302B iron, next choice is the EC1201
for the larger stuff. There are several stations that will run these
irons. You can still get cord sets, temp sensors and heating elements
as replaceable parts for the irons. The tips are ingeniously simple and
quite durable. I don't like their platings as much for lead-free, they
need a lot of re-tinning.

But, these are getting quite obsolete, too, so I am moving over to the
Weller WSL box and the WMP micro pencil. The tips are reasonable, the
heat flow is pretty awesome, I go from 0.4 mm lead pitch micro soldering
to fooling with wide ground planes and such with the same iron.

I demand a digital temp readout, so cheapy stations are not useful to
me. You can get good stuff on eBay with a little patience.

Jon

In article , To-Email-Use-
says...

I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.

I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.

What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...

Weller WLC100 Soldering Station

...Jim Thompson

http://tinyurl.com/yz8clzm

I've got the 15845 TL and love it. Even got to crank it up to max to
solder two heat sink posts to a board today.

On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:34:41 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

:I have an absolutely ancient Weller WTCPN soldering station that is
:disintegrating... it's probably at least 33 years old.
:
:I don't have any need for surface mount sophistication.
:
:What are people's thoughts on a cheapy replacement such as...
:
: Weller WLC100 Soldering Station
:
: ...Jim Thompson


Since the WTCPT has served so well for so long, why change? When my 30 yr old
WTCPT faded and died a couple of years back I just went out and bought a new
one. Value for money is still quite good imo. Failing that, I would recommend
Hakko.