TOP—7. The best soldering stations with a hair dryer. Rating 2022!

FAQ

At the end of the review, I would like to answer problematic questions related to the features of the soldering station.

What is the difference and advantage of a soldering station compared to a soldering iron? The main advantage is versatility and the ability to regulate temperature.

Why do you need a soldering station? It is a convenient and safe tool that allows you to solder sensitive circuits for professional purposes and at home.

What are the advantages of induction soldering stations? The induction station is characterized by greater temperature stability, temperature range and heating speed compared to other types.

Equipment AOYUE 720

• AOYUE 720 main module
• Metal IR gun holder (1 pc.)
• IR gun (1 pc.)
• IR lamp (1 pc.)
• Cooling stand (1 piece)
• Foot switch (1 piece)
• PCB holder (1 piece)
• Soldering iron and soldering iron holder
• Welding safety glasses (1 piece)
• Soldering iron tips LF2B, LFK
• Hex key (1 piece)
• Mechanical vacuum tweezers 939 (1 pc.)
• Tweezers for microcircuits (1 pc.)
• Soldering flux (1 pc.)
• Power cable (1 piece)
• Instructions (1 piece)

ACHI Infrared Soldering Stations

AOYUE 710

Soldering station AOYUE 710 is a comprehensive solution for the restoration of motherboards of mobile phones, computers, telecommunications equipment with BGA, microBGA, QFP, PLSS, SOIC and other components. This soldering station combines the perfection of a professional repair system with the simplicity of a hand tool.

The AOYUE 710 kit includes: infrared soldering station, bottom quartz preheater, cooling stand. The infrared gun is designed to work with double-sided printed circuit boards and mixed type PCBs.

• Possibility of lead - free soldering .
• Infrared soldering technology . Advantages: generation of heating through the concentration of infrared radiation instead of traditional convection heating with a stream of hot air
• an effective solution to the main problem when working with a hot air gun - the possibility of moving components during the process
• uniformity of local infrared heating, which is important when working with BGAs
• preventing components from being accidentally blown off the PCB
• no need to purchase a variety of replacement hair dryer attachments for a specific chip
• ability to work with complex components.

Main technical characteristics

Soldering station power

Soldering station - operating principle and types

Depending on the purpose, the power of this equipment ranges from 24-40 to 100 watts or more. The most common and widely used models have power from 60 to 90 watts.

Replaceable tips

Replaceable tips

The soldering station kit includes 5 types of tips (replaceable tips) of the following types:

• Needle-shaped - a thin tip used for soldering very small radio components;
• Cone-shaped flattened - a standard sting in the form of a cone, flattened at the tip;
• A sting with a tip cut at an angle is a fairly thick sting with a flat tip cut at a slight angle;
• Drop - differs from the previous type in its smaller thickness and small recess into which a drop of solder is placed;
• A sting with a knife-shaped tip located at a slight angle to the axis of the nozzle.

The most popular are the stings of these types, included in the 900 M-T series.

Anti-static electricity

As protection against electrostatic electricity, soldering stations use ESD SAFE , the essence of which is to additionally insulate the heating element with a layer of dielectric and connect the heater to the grounding contact of the power plug.

Tip temperature control (thermostat)

The temperature of the tip is controlled thanks to a thermistor built into it, which sends signals to the control board, which, in turn, based on the settings made by the user, determines the duration of heating of the tip.

Choosing a tip for the station

One of the most important points for a master is the optimal choice of a tip as the main working tool.

Which tip to choose for a soldering station:

1. First of all, it is necessary to evaluate such properties of the tip as thermal conductivity, the ability to accumulate thermal energy, wear resistance and the degree of protection against oxidation during the soldering process.
2. Of no small importance is the material from which the tip for the soldering station is made. The most common tips are made of copper, which conduct heat well.
3. However, such tips are soon susceptible to oxidation, which should be taken into account both when choosing a tip and when choosing a flux. Another possible option is to use a tip made of nickel and silver.
4. The metal mixture coats the common copper conductor to avoid oxidation. Ceramic tips or stings made from combined materials are also often used.

Be sure to evaluate the shape and thickness of the tip, which affects the quality of soldering (especially important for working with microcircuits and circuit boards).

Main selection criteria

When choosing a soldering station, take into account the following main characteristics and features:

• The set includes holders for a hair dryer, soldering iron, thermal tweezers, and for dismantling stations - a vacuum pump and a desoldering pump.
• Power - for most soldering jobs, the optimal choice would be a station with a power of 60 to 90 W.
• Control type – digital stations are the most convenient and reliable.
• Type of soldering iron heating element - of the two types of heating element stations used in soldering irons, ceramic is more durable and reliable.

Many people, before choosing a soldering station, consult with knowledgeable people: familiar experienced craftsmen or radio amateurs. Those who use such equipment, as a rule, know many subtleties and can give practical recommendations on which model is better to choose for certain purposes, and which one is better not to look at or ask the price at all.

When purchasing and working with this equipment, it is important to remember safety precautions and the need to have minimal soldering skills. All soldering work should be done in a well-ventilated area, out of the reach of small children and pets.

Principles for choosing soldering devices

Modern soldering equipment is designed to perform high-quality connections between elements. And in order for it to cope with this task most effectively, when choosing it, it is necessary to pay attention to the following design and technical features:

• Type of heating element. Today, you can buy two types of soldering devices in stores, depending on the type of heater used in them - ceramic and nichrome. Ceramic heaters require a minimum of heating time, however, they are unstable to uneven heating and can crack. However, if the soldering equipment is equipped with a thermal stabilization system, then such heaters can demonstrate good heat transfer, high power and durability. Compared to them, nichrome heaters do not have such a long service life, so they should be chosen if you plan to use the soldering device infrequently. The main advantage of nichrome heaters is their lower price compared to ceramic ones.
• Range of adjustable temperature conditions.
• Warm-up speed.
• Power. To ensure high-quality operation of soldering equipment, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of its use. More specifically, you need to consider the type of soldering that needs to be done, as well as the components that will be worked with. Based on this, it becomes clear that it is the power that you need to pay attention to first when choosing a station. This should be especially remembered by those buyers who choose equipment for repairing sensitive types of equipment - navigators, tablets, etc.
• Voltage.
• Ergonomic parameters - shape, size and weight.

And also, one should not ignore objective factors that can help in choosing a suitable soldering device:

• Based on current international standards, all work related to the manufacture and repair of electronics must be carried out using lead-free soldering. Therefore, in the selected equipment, the maximum temperature regime should not exceed 250 degrees Celsius.
• Arrangement of microcircuits in a BGA package. At first glance, it may seem that this makes some sense, because this way you can reduce the dimensions of the product. But at the same time, a negative point arises - soldering becomes a more labor-intensive operation due to the inaccessibility of components.

AOYUE 720

Soldering station AOYUE 720 is a comprehensive solution for the restoration of motherboards of mobile phones, computers, telecommunications equipment with BGA, microBGA, QFP, PLSS, SOIC and other components. AOYUE 720 is used for high-quality installation and disassembly of BGAs, uBGAs, SMDs, SMT connections without overheating.

AOYUE 720 is a 3-in-1 multifunctional system that includes an infrared halogen lamp, an infrared preheater and a contact soldering iron.

This soldering station combines the perfection of a professional repair system with the simplicity of a hand tool.

• Possibility of lead - free soldering .
• Infrared soldering technology . Advantages: generation of heating through the concentration of infrared radiation instead of traditional convection heating with a stream of hot air
• an effective solution to the main problem when working with a hot air gun - the possibility of moving components during the process
• uniformity of local infrared heating, which is important when working with BGAs
• preventing components from being accidentally blown off the PCB
• no need to purchase a variety of replacement hair dryer attachments for a specific chip
• ability to work with complex components.

Assembly and dismantling

It is also possible to divide all soldering stations into assembly and desoldering stations.

Assembly stations are any stations that perform soldering of parts. However, not all of them can unsolder any element from the overall structure.

For such purposes, special dismantling stations have been created. Their design includes a compressor that works to suck out solder. That is, the heated solder is removed from the working surface into a special container.

There are also assembly and disassembly installations for soldering that perform both functions at once. They are equipped with both mounting and dismantling soldering irons (by the way, they have different capacities).

Control type

A soldering station is one of the most important devices in electronics manufacturing. This indicates a high degree of need among people involved in this activity. The installation allows you to connect a pair of modules, which make it possible to solder with or without a contact, and you can also replace nozzles and tips.

To choose the right device, it is important to correctly determine the control method:

• digital (certain programs provide control over the heating of the tip, stability and accuracy in operation, rather than analog);
• analog (devices must be under constant monitoring, since high temperatures have a negative effect on the component parts of the device).

There are only two types of device control. The first is digital, with the ability to set certain programs that not only control the stability of the tip heating, but also ensure more accurate performance of the work.

There is also analog control of the soldering station. This is not to say that this option is much worse, but it requires more concentration. This means that you need to constantly monitor the temperature level in the soldering iron tip.

Now that we know how soldering stations differ, it's time to look at the best professional soldering stations and options for your home. Let's start with representatives of classic contact stations.