[Elecraft] soldering tip temperature sensor/calibration

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

No. I've never calibrated a soldering iron, using instead how it solders =
as
the main gauge. That includes Wellers as well as my Hakko.=20

Frankly, the exact temperature of the soldering iron isn't really all =
that
important. The problems occur when an uncontrolled iron is allowed to =
sit
and build up really high temperatures that upon contact vaporizes the =
flux,
can cause the solder to boil and which, of course, can instantly de-bond
traces from the board...along with over-heating the components being
soldered.

With a temperature-controlled iron the opposite is more often the case =
in
the hands of a builder new to such irons. They set the temp too low, =
which
causes the iron to need to be held on the joint too long, which =
overheats
things just the same and may cause the solder to fail to flow properly =
(e.g.
"cold solder joints").=20

A "dwell time" on a joint for good flow of solder of 1 to 3 seconds is =
the
goal. IF that's what you have, the temperature is great - whatever it =
is.
And a good temperature-controlled iron will guarantee that it will stay
there without being too hot the next time you touch it to a joint or =
getting
too cold if you solder a whole row of joints at once. Especially a =
really
good one like the Hakko that can kick on the heating element and pour in =
the
calories to keep the tip temp from sagging in heavy use.

Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----
Just got my Hakko soldering station and found that to calibrate it you =
would
need a tip temperature sensor (the cheapest of which I can find is =
$200).
My guess is that they come course calibrated from the factory.  Just =
asking
advice from others who have this, have you had any problems with =
under/over
temperature on this soldering station out of the box?

dt
.