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Soldering Iron Wattage?

ejecta

ejecta

Member
Hi All,

I've had a soldering iron for yonks, it was passed on to me about 6 years ago and it's now dead as a door nail, so I need a new one.

Problem: No idea what wattage it was.

I'm looking to do minor electrical work on PCBs & standard wire joining.

Question: What sort of wattage should I be looking at? Does a 25 Watt Iron have enough juice? Or should I be looking at 40,60 or 80?

Thanks!
 
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Generally, people just getting into soldering go for irons without enough wattage. They've heard that too much wattage can damage components.

So . . . they get an iron that isn't hot enough, and in order to make a solder joint they have to hold the iron on the work so incredibly long that it DOES damage the component, AND it damages the solder pad.

Get an adjustable iron that allows 35-50 watt range (or a corresponding temperature range).

Also, get an old-fashioned soldering gun that puts out 100-200 watts. You'll use it often.

Fred
 
I bought that 40 watt adjustable Weller WLC-100 soldering station a month ago.
$42....HCM Electronics (on-line mail order).
Works great!!

Steve
 
Soldering Irons are a key peice of kit.
After years of repeatedly buying cheap low wattage junk,I've finally bought a decent 40watt GOOT unit,and I can tell you the extra $20 is well worth it.
Quick,efficient soldering,low solder wastage,no PCB damage,much less swearing!:D
 
Fred Longworth said:
Also, get an old-fashioned soldering gun that puts out 100-200 watts. You'll use it often.

Fred
Click to expand...

Yes, the ol' soldering gun is handy for heavy-duty chores... soldering cable, soldering or desoldering at terminal lugs, soldering grounds, stuff like that.

But, as Fred says, invest in a decent variable-wattage iron... I have a cheap Xytronic that's not bad; there's a cheap Weller that looks decent.

This is the Xytronic I have (I think)
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/IR-258/16-30W-VARI-TEMP-SOLDERING-IRON/-/1.html

This is the Weller station I was thinking of
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=372-120
(Weller makes some much nicer ones, too, but they are more costly)
 
Welp, I've decided to go for a 40W job being that the consesus is that 25W won't cut the mustard.

However, being that I'm between jobs at the moment I'm going to go for the 'ole generic Dick Smith model, it's $13 from Dick Smith Electronics (Australia's Tandy/RadioShack), however it's 40W constant as opposed to being variable is the only drawback.
 
Using too low wattage iron not only results in poor soldering jobs, but has more chance of overheating the component and pad. Why? Because as you try to solder with the too low wattage iron you hold it on contact for a long time trying to get the solder to melt well. A sufficiently hot iron will allow you to solder well and quickly.

You need more than one iron.

A 30-35 w iron for most small components, resistors, caps, transistors, leads of IC's, etc. And a 40 w is not too large. I would rather a 40 w than a 25 w any day of the week.

But you also need a large gun type iron, 100 w or more, for soldering heavy leads. A/C cords, large gauge speaker wire, etc. Trying to solder large connections with a 30 w iron is just an exercise in futility.

A dish with a wet sponge is a necessity. Clean the tip often. Don't hesitate to take the iron over to the bench grinder, grind a new, fresh point on the tip and re-tin.
 
Paul C said:
A dish with a wet sponge is a necessity. Clean the tip often. Don't hesitate to take the iron over to the bench grinder, grind a new, fresh point on the tip and re-tin.
Click to expand...

I find using damp denim is alot better than those heat resistant sponges, both in terms of cleaning ease & longetivity of the tip.

I guess it's up to individual preference though.
 
Ya blue jeens are great, When I was working in the tv shop in houston I would use my pants leg to whipe my soldering tip off, the wife would get p*** off at me for it lol.
 
Endspec said:
Ya blue jeens are great, When I was working in the tv shop in houston I would use my pants leg to whipe my soldering tip off, the wife would get p*** off at me for it lol.
Click to expand...

That's why I buy off cut denim for 10c/square metre, makes a huge amount of solder 'dabbers'.
 
That MCM probably works OK, but IMHO the Weller WLC100 offers a few advantages, albeit at a higher price. For the Weller, the handle will be lighter and smaller, the controller will be on the station, also should help the controller last longer. Tips are also readily available. The biggie for me is having a REAL place to set the hot iron while you're in the middle of lengthy complicated work.

To clean tips, I quit using damp sponges or cloth...I use one of those copper kitchen utensil cleaning pads "Chore-Boy" or something like that. (I believe this is the same stuff the crackheads use for their pipes).
 
Windwalker said:
Anyone tried one of these from MCM
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-8715

It's variable 25-60W but the controller is built into the handle instead of a station

price is good at 16.95
Click to expand...

Now that is a nice pen, I'm gonna have to get one for the field. Also with a small stand. I currently use a 60W weller (the one GE gives us) but it gets fricken redhot.

I was going to get a nice new Weller for home because i left my Ungar on all night and killed the tip/element. Lucked out on the bay for parts. Most of the new Wellers have a 90 minute auto shutoff feature.
 
roggom said:
Now that is a nice pen, I'm gonna have to get one for the field. Also with a small stand. I currently use a 60W weller (the one GE gives us) but it gets fricken redhot.
Click to expand...

well report back here if you do and let us know what you think

I've got a stand as well
 
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