+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Info on Hakko 808 De-Soldering Tool also included... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 10:53:32 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] GOOD PRICE on HAKKO 936-9 T/C Soldering Stn! GM Folks: I'm writing this post in the hope that it may help some builders to locate soldering/desoldering devices which will make life a lot easier for them. I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST, of any kind, in ANY of the vendors or manufacturers mentioned herein. ________________ I was doing a bit of 'surfing' this morning and came across what appears to be an EXCELLENT price on the HAKKO 936-9 Temperature-Controlled Soldering Station. http://ie2000.com/wizzk.html $89.95 !!!! Normal pricing for this device is c. $110-$120 US. For technical info on this station, see: http://www.hakko.com/itnl/products/936.html I've been using the HAKKO 936-8 (previous version) since Jan 1999 and can't say enough good things about it. You can find information on tips available for this soldering station at: http://www.kiesub.com/hakkotips.htm 936 Tips Kiesub also has the 936-9 on sale, but for $99.95. Time Motion Tools (www.timemotion.com) seems to have one of the most extensive selections of Hakko (and MANY other brands) soldering tips. Both original equipment manufacture and second-sourced from Plato. Unfortunately, Time Motion's web site does not lend itself to finding information very well... esp. if you wanted to look at the selection of tips all in one place. However, you CAN order a TM catalog from their web site, and it lists (in a couple different sections) all of their stock of soldering iron/station tips. Worth looking at regardless of what brand of iron you use. _________________ Neat DE-Soldering Tool On the recommendation of Gary Surrency (Elecraft Tech Support), I purchased a HAKKO 808 hand-held desoldering tool KIT. The kit includes a carrying case, spare pre- and final filters, nozzle clean-out tool, etc. WOW am I impressed! I'm pretty hard to impress... guess I've been burned too often over the years... maybe I'm just too much of a cynic.. take your pick... but the 808 really lives up to its press. At $200, the Hakko 808 is NOT something you'd buy if you did little PC board re-working, but if you make a lot of mods, FIX a lot of rigs, or (like me) make a LOT of mistakes, the 808 can be a real lifesaver. As soon as I received the desoldering GUN (yeah, it looks pretty much like a soldering gun), I just _had_ to try it out. I had a couple 'Elecraft-donated' plated-thru PC boards left over from my Soldering Tips article, so I set about filling the plated-thru holes with wire, components and solder. I even filled a couple holes with wires that just barely fit into the holes (attempting to create a worst-case desoldering situation). I then warmed up the 808 and attempted to not only desolder each device, but to also see what the PC board lands looked like when I was done. Most previous desoldering devices I'd used left a moderate amount of solder and flux in and around the 'cleaned' hole. I was amazed to find that the 808 heated each solder joint almost instantly (within 1 second usually) and a quick(!) flick of the trigger on the gun, to start the (built-in) vacuum pump, not only fully evacuated the hole, but more often then not, resulted in the component voluntarily falling out onto my desktop! Additionally, there was NO residual solder left in the hole and virtually no residual ANYTHING remaining on/around the hole. It almost appeared that the pad had never been soldered to. The temperature of the desoldering tip is temp-controlled and adjustable, depending upon the type of desoldering job you have at hand. http://www.eskc.com/new/specials/#HAKKO 808-Kit Specs, but not the best $$$. NOTE: "808-Kit" IS part of the URL, but the link doesn't seem to think so. http://www.kiesub.com/hakko808.htm $189.95, best $$$ I've found so far HOWEVER, if you live near a Fry's Electronics, you may still be able to find the 808 for $179.95...! _____________ I hope this helps someone out... maybe not everyone though... just food for thought. 73 - Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 13:08:16 -0400 From: w2qu at juno.com Subject: Re: [Elecraft] GOOD PRICE on HAKKO 936-9 T/C Soldering Stn! Tom, The Hakko soldering stations are very nice. The $89.00 price tag for the 936-9 is pretty much the normal going price though. Their model 936-12 sells for about $100.00 and is identical to the 936-9 except that it is ESD safe. I bought mine from Contact East last month and am very pleased with it. Like it as much as the Weller stations I've used for years. 73, Dave W2QU ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 13:08:36 -0700 From: Louis Hlousek Subject: Re: [Elecraft] GOOD PRICE on HAKKO 936-9 T/C Soldering Stn! I have a Hakko 926 temp controlled station that I bough for $85 five years ago. This is an older model that I believe is no longer available. It has been VY FB. I can't say enough good things about it either but I will say that it heats up and stabilizes quickly and puts out a lot of power when needed. I've accidentally left it on for long periods of time (days on end) and the tips have never eroded. It has a very flexible silicone insulated cord running from the base to the iron and a wide selection of tips is available. A local electronics dealer here in Reno carries the tips and parts. Lou W7DZN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 06:59:50 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] Counterpoint re. T/C soldering station Hi folks: It has been pointed out to me that some might infer from my previous posting regarding the Hakko Temp-Controlled Soldering Station, that I was implying that you HAD to have a temperature-controlled soldering station in order to build an Elecraft kit. This could not be further from the truth. One, with no more care than that required when using a T/C station, can easily construct an Elecraft kit... and just about any other kit for that matter. I was only attempting to make known the availability of the Hakko station as a pretty decent price. 73 - Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 03:41:26 -0500 From: "Dale C. Gorsuch" Subject: [Elecraft] Hakko 808-KIT Based on N0SS, Tom Hammond's message to the Elecraft reflector on June 22, 2001, I purchased a Hakko desoldering tool, P/N 808-kit. Being a practicing electronic engineer for 45 years, I've unsoldered my share of pc board connections. In the process, I've tried all kinds of tools and gadgets. Some worked. Most, however, removed the part by destroying the board. This unit really works. The first test for me was to unsolder a 14 pin dip from an old, zapped pc serial card. The IC fell out and the board was pristine (almost). This was without destroying the IC! I would not recommend this as a normal procedure. I would ALWAYS destroy the IC in the removal process to avoid any posibility of damage to the board. ICs are relatively cheap, pc boards are not. This tool should be on every tinkering ham's workbench. It is certainly worth the price in my opinion. Usual disclaimers apply. Thanks Tom for the heads up. Dale K5AKW since 1954 K2 1207 & 2052 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 10:22:46 -0400 From: Tim ORourke Subject: [Elecraft] De-Soldering Station Hakko 808 Use, and it works FB, highly recommend it. I believe it is on sale at Rat Shack now. The first time you remove an IC you will never regret the purchase. Tim O'Rourke KG4CHX +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 09:48:27 -0500 From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] Long tip for Hakko 808 Desoldering Gun Greetings folks: A month or so ago, I mentioned that I had run into a problem with my Hakko 80 Desolderig Gun wherein I was unable to access pads (to be Desoldered with my Hakko 808 Desoldering Gun) on my KSB2 PC board due to interference from other nearby resistors and capacitors. At that time, I threatened to obtain a longer tip for the device in an effort to rectify this problem. I found that Hakko offers a nice, long (0.434" / 11mm), and very slender (.090" / 2.1mm OD, .040" / 1.0 mm ID) tip specifically for use in highly 'populated' PC boards. This tip bears Hakko part no. A1394 ($13). I ordered one of these tips from Electronics Supply Co, Kansas City MO (http://www.eskc.com/). Turns out that the tip is merely GREAT for all types of desoldering. I've not had to return to the short, stubby, conical tip which came with the 808. The tip has enough mass, and the 808 more than ample heating ability, to allow me to desolder anything I've attacked so far... usually with a single pass. When I ordered my new tip, ESKC had only one more tip in their inventory. That tip went to John Ellis, NP2B. If there's anyone else with a Hakko 808 gun who might be in the market for this long tip, ESKC now tells me that they have nine (9) more tips now in stock. Just thought I'd mention it for the benefit of enyone who might be interested. I have NO association with HAKKO or Electronics Supply Company KC. 73 - Tom Hammond N0SS +++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 17:29:30 -0700 To: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= , "Elecraft" From: JIm Wilson Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Absolutely positively the BEST way to strip toroid leads I have searched without success for a supplier of the A1394 tip. Could you= =20 tell us where you found it. Thanks, Jim Wilson At 08:56 AM 6/30/2002, Tom Hammond N=D8SS wrote:... >Finally, I've found that Hakko offers a number of different desoldering=20 >tool tips as well. I really enjoy using their tip #A1394 which has a=20 >really long, slender snoot on it... .434" long and only .090" outside=20 >diameter. I've found this tip to be invaluable when working on some of the= =20 >more 'crowded' PC boards in the K2, especially the KSB2 board, where=20 >components are quite tightly packed. This tip allows me to desolder=20 >bottom-mounted components, going in from the top side of the board,=20 >without overheating adjacent top-mounted components. > >What I'm trying to do here is to urge some builders to invest in a decent= =20 >desoldering gun (or station). It will not be low cost, but if you do much= =20 >PC board building and REWORKING of existing PC boards, you will find that= =20 >it is worth every buck you invested. > >I have NO interest whatsoever in ANY company manufacturing (or=20 >selling) soldering or desoldering equipment, including Hakko. > >73, > >Tom Hammond ++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 22:04:48 -0500 To: JIm Wilson , elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Absolutely positively the BEST way to strip toroid leads At 07:29 PM 7/1/02, you wrote: >I have searched without success for a supplier of the A1394 tip. Could=20 >you tell us where you found it. http://eskc.com/index.php?f=3Dinvout.php&SearchBy=3DAll&SearchFor=3Da1394 Not cheap, but worth every penny. 73, Tom N0SS ++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 01 Jul 2002 22:09:24 -0500 To: Norman W Osborne VE3CJE , elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Solder Station Norman: >I am going to build the K1 but don't have a solder station as of yet. >After looking at all the choices, I am not sure what to buy. >Looking for suggestions and also would like to buy in Canada if >possible. Personally, I'd recommend the Hakko 936-12, currently available from http://www/kiesub/com/hakko936/htm for $89.95, which is a SIGNIFICANTLY lower price than most companies offer it for. Kiesub also has a pretty decent line of Hakko tips as well. I can offer some part #'s if you decide to go that way. 73, Tom Hammond N0SS ++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 09:23:33 -0400 From: Terry Kniffen Subject: [Elecraft] Hakko Line To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Try www.tequipment.net for Hakko, etc pricing. Usual disclaimers apply. 73 Terry KF4FD ++++++++++++++++ To: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: "Steve Lawrence" Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 16:29:25 -0400 Subject: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 De-Soldering Tool -- Great Tool! Elecrafteers and home brewers... What might be the second most important tool on your workbench? Until this week, I was frustrated in the difficulty in de-solding -- not that I make mistakes, but that I make changes.... ;-) De-soldering tools have been mentioned here in the past, but little did I realize how efficient and productive such a tool could be, until an Hakko 808 arrived from: http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko808.html Priced at about $167 (the best price I've seen after some hunting) the tool rapidly vacuum whisks away solder at a press of a trigger. It couldn't be simpler! Also available is a long, narrow nozzle, #A1394, for reaching into crowded PCB spaces. Wielding this tool, modifications can be made without fear. 73, Steve aa8af (Usual disclaimer... No connections with tequipment, just a customer delighted with my Hakko 808!) ++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Steve Lawrence" , "Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 De-Soldering Tool -- Great Tool! Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 16:12:34 -0500 Hi It is also the best way to strip the toroid leads. Just cut the lead abou= t 1 in long, stick the lead up into the nozzle, apply a little solder, wa= it about 5 or 6 seconds and pull the trigger. Perfectly stripped and tine= d leads right up next to the core. Don Brown KD5NDB ++++++++++++++ To: "Don Brown" Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 De-Soldering Tool -- Great for Toroid Leads! From: "Steve Lawrence" Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 21:38:42 -0400 Don, I just tried this with my Hakko 808. This is truly awesome! The result is a perfectly stripped and tinned lead in about 5 seconds. Clean, debris and residue free, the leads come out bright and shiny. The transition between stripped and insulated sections of the wire is a crisp, hard line. While other methods discussed here previously at length work, use of the 808 simply has to be the easiest, cleanest method. I cannot imagine any better results! Excited? No, not me.... ;-) Now if we could come up with a way to WIND them as simple as stripping them! If I only had this when building K2 #2033. But, then there's a KPA/100 awaiting attention... Steve aa8af +++++++++++++++++ Reply-To: From: "J. Edward (Ed) Muns" To: "Elecraft" Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 09:04:09 -0800 Subject: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 Desoldering Tool As a caution for anyone using the Hakko 808, be sure the temperature control is not set too high. Mine came with the control (a small screwdriver adjustment on the handle) set at the maximum temperature. I didn't realize this when I first used it and burned several pads off a KSB2 board, changing crystals. Not only did the pads burn off, but some of the through-hole plating came out as well. Moreover, the leads seemed to be more "stuck" in the holes than they should have been. I discovered the temperature control issue (thanks, Eric) and turned to the MINIMUM setting. Now the tool works beautifully. Not only is there no damage to the board, but the leads end up pretty much loose in the holes to where the component literally falls out of the board. This is a fantastic tool. But, like any tool, you have to use it properly. In over 40 years of desoldering, I've never been able to do such a quick, quality job. The PC board is undamaged and there is not a cloud of solder bits blown all over the board, as some manual solder suckers will produce. Expensive, yes, but cheap compared to ruined boards. 73, Ed - W0YK ++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 21:02:41 -0600 To: "Byron Tatum" , From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Haiko 808 Byron Tatum wrote: >Where is a good supplier to buy this desoldering tool from? Thanks, My suggestion... HAKKO 808 Desoldering Gun http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko808.html http://www.kiesub.com/hakko808.htm 73, Tom N0SS ++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 15:44:35 -0600 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 Desoldering Gun - A couple more hints Hi folks... Tip #1 Having owned my Hakko 808 desoldering gun for about a year now, I've found that it's just about impossible(!) to see into the (once) clear plastic 'catch' tube, which becomes badly clouded by rosin fumes and all sorts of other 'crud' from desoldering. I'd originally tried to (gently) scrape away the solder bits and darkened residue which covered the inside of the tube, but I didn't have much luck at all and I didn't want to exert much force because the LAST thing I wanted to do was to scratch the inside of the tube, thus giving the crud an even better place to attach to. Today I SOLVED my problems completely!!! And it was a LOT easier than I'd have ever thought it would be... I was cleaning some heavy deposits of burnt rosin from the bottom of a PC board I was servicing. I used denatured (wood) alcohol to dissolve the rosin and then wash it (with more alcohol) off the board. I decided to dampen a piece of paper towel and see if there was any chance at all that I could do the same trick with the 808's solder catch tube. WOW! What results. Almost instantly, I was able to clean off ALL of the residue on the inside of the catch tube. It looks like new! I had a couple more stubborn spots, so I left the alcohol-saturated paper towel laying against these two spots for about 20 seconds and then I wiped... off they came, and with no effort whatsoever. I suspect that Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol would work as well, though I have not tried it. Tip #2 The final (ceramic paper) filter at the back of the Hakko 808 catch tube becomes heavily covered with the residue of the rosin which is vaporized as you suck each solder joint clean. After cleaning a few hundred solder joints, this (originally white) filter is not either very dark gray or even black. You would normally throw it away and replace it with another one. However, you can gently rinse it out in denatured alcohol and then in a small amount of CLEAN alcohol, allow it to dry, and then replace it for further use. I suspect there's a limit to the number of uses one can get from this filter, but it should be good for at least another 5-6 rounds of use. When you rinse the filter out, be careful to only squeeze it between its flat sides, to ensure that it stays together and does not fall apart. BE SURE TO ALLOW THE FILTER TO DRY COMPLETELY before you reinstall it...! You certainly do NOT want liquid alcohol present in the vacuum pump!!! Tip #3 I may have mentioned this one before, but it's worth repeating... The Hakko 808 includes a cross-shaped pre-filter just ahead of the ceramic paper final filter. This cross-shaped filter is nothing more than a piece of aluminum designed to catch (and hold) the majority of the actual solder which is sucked up. After a period of time, and depending upon how heavily soldered the joints you are cleaning are, you will have to eventually remove the solder catch tube and clean the accumulated solder from the pre-filter. It's a snap to get the catch tube out of the gun, and to remove and clean the pre-filter, but it can be a pain to reinstall the pre-filter once it's been reinstalled in the rubber gasket at the back of the catch tube. This is because the four 'fingers' of the 'cross' part of the per-filter will not allow the rubber gasket to compress much at all. This lack of available compression of the rubber gasket can cause the thin sides of the gasket to fold back and bind as you attempt to reinstall it into the catch tube. I tried a number of 'lubricants' on the outside edge of the catch tube, to assist in allowing it to slide in more easily. A very thin coating of silicone grease seemed to work best, but it also tended to cause the gasket to attract dust and dust as well. I finally solder my problem by using a fine-grained metal file to take about two (2) light passes over each of the four 'arms' of the cross portion of the pre-filter. This allowed the pre-filter to be easily (and securely) installed into the gasket, but also allowed the gasket to be reinstalled with NO significant effort whatsoever. If you do file the arms of the pre-filter, start with only a single pass of the file. You can always take more off, but you can't out it back once you've gone too far +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: , =?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Hammond_N=D8SS?= Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 Desoldering Gun - A couple more hints Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 17:02:40 -0600 Hi Been using Hakko solder desoldering guns for 20 years and I have found WD-40 works quite well to clean the glass tube, denatured (wood) alcohol will work also as you have found out. BTY the Hakko is still the best way I have found to strip toroid leads. Just stick it lead into the nozzle add a little solder wait about 20 seconds and pull the trigger. Works every time. Don Brown +++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 12:01:45 -0700 From: Phil Wheeler Organization: Outstanding To: "Tom, W6WW" Cc: - Elecraft Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 on sale Tom, W6WW wrote: >For those on the list that lust after a Hakko 808 desoldering tool, I just >noticed it is on sale at Action Electronics for $199. I still don't know >that I need it - at some point I probably will wish I had bought it. > >http://www.action-electronics.com/hak808.htm > I paid about $175 , here I think: http://www.tequipment.net/Hakko808.html May have to call on the phone to get a price. It's buried in 1-12 pages of Hakko prices there! Phil ++++++++++++++++ From: BobDobson at aol.com Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 15:19:31 EDT Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 on sale To: w7ox at earthlink.net, tom at cwx.com Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net I believe tequipment.net has it for $175 as we speak. The 808 saved my bacon during the K2 A-to-B upgrade. 73, Bob WA4FOM ++++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 15:20:03 -0400 From: Haines Brown To: tom at cwx.com Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 on sale Reply-To: brownh at hartford-hwp.com The Hakko 808 is aways available on eBay for about $175-179 plus postage. I've not seen a used one, though. Haines Brown ++++++++++++++++ From: "Rod N0RC" To: "- Elecraft" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hakko 808 on sale Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 19:13:41 -0600 Tom, et.al., Tequipment.net, http://www.tequipment.net sells the 808 for 175.52 regularly. That's where I got mine, as did a friend, quick service/shipping too. 73 Rod, N0RC ++++++++++++++++