22G, plain and simple doesn't work very well, regardless of what Evolv says is minimum
Edit: in TC mode
Edit: in TC mode
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I bought a $20 Weller (40w) and it works great. I've never had any issue using a 40w on 18g wire. Maybe use some flux? Check the tip? Is the tip tinned properly?
Use isopropyl alcohol on the hot glue to remove it. Be generous with it and it will come out easily. I use a q-tip drenched with alcohol and soak the contact point between the glue and material.
I plan on using 20g for the power and ground.
KTM, where did you get the $20 Weller (40w) from. I seem to have permanently misplaced my iron.
Think of it like this, one of the major 'fixes' Evolv made to the DNA40 was to use gold tinning of the contact holes, they also strongly suggest to use 18G for battery and 510 connections, That must be due to the need for as robust a power connection as possible, YMMV
I'm pretty sure it was defective. It came with three pre-tinned tips that looked great... it seems as though the iron was getting hot in every single place aside from the tips. This was a home depot special.
Thanks for the tips on the hot glue; I have very little experience with that junk. Off to grab some isopropyl alcohol!
Hey Tony, Good morning / evening depending on which side of the ocean you are on.
You know I still have a hard time grasping the distances we chat over like it was a call to your neighbor.I used a 35 watt for everything (well almost). If you tin the tip of the iron and use a good flux all should be good.
Now showing my age is there any potential problem when soldering using lead based solder on something that was soldered with non-lead solder.
All I know about solder is that there is some strange alchemy going on when you mix tin and lead and both melt at a temperature lower that either of the components. Is there any mysterious alchemy that occurs when you mix conventional (old time) solder with leadless solder - that you know off.
As difficult as it is keeping track or where people live I never expected to need to go back to school to learn chemistry to again feel comfortable soldering two wires and I have in the past been to NASA and US military soldering schools but I don't have a clue what to expect when soldering tin/lead solder to the version that does not contain lead
As far as I know, there is no problem with that as long as you don't solder over a previous lead free solder joint. The rohs compliant solder takes a higher temperature to melt so you risk not bonding properly both components. If it's a clean solder spot, no problem.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
Thanks Tony,
By the way what is the Heisenberg (I think that is what you called it) juice you make?
Oh that one is from a producer called copsa from Denmark. Heisenberg is a cloud chaser flavor intended for 100% VG. Instead of using the suggested ratio, I double up the quantity (increase dilution) (so I can vape it all day long) and mix it up to 55% VG and 45% pg.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
KTM, where did you get the $20 Weller (40w) from. I seem to have permanently misplaced my iron.
I got this from Home Depot (ok, $24 but it's a kit with extra tips). The tips need extra care tinning though. My old Ungar tips never needed this much attention
. The ceramic inside the handle broke so I figured I'd replace it with a new one (it was 20+ yrs old). I guess I'll have to order some 18g silicone wires now
. I'm pretty sure it was defective. It came with three pre-tinned tips that looked great... it seems as though the iron was getting hot in every single place aside from the tips. This was a home depot special.
Thanks for the tips on the hot glue; I have very little experience with that junk. Off to grab some isopropyl alcohol!
Heh. My new one is from Home Depot too. I've used it to rebuild a couple of Hana clones and it worked great. Can you return it for another one?
I really like Hexacon soldering irons. I was introduced to them while working at Martin Marietta (pre Lockheed merger). Expense wasn't an issue but reliability was. They had used other brands but none lasted or performed quite as good. It's the green one below, model 23A 50 watts. The American Beauty to the right of it is 150 watts! My nostalgic favorite is my dad's Wen Model 199 "Quick-Heat" soldering gun- way older than me and works as good as the day it was made. I see these on eBay to this day, and they haven't been made for a long time.
ETA sorry for going off topic, just that I'm into tools.
ETA sorry for going off topic, just that I'm into tools.
This is what I use most of the time...
sometimes though... I just use one of these...
of course, it's nice to have at least 1 butane iron/torch for emergency field work (which I don't have to do any more).
sometimes though... I just use one of these...
of course, it's nice to have at least 1 butane iron/torch for emergency field work (which I don't have to do any more).
The x-tronic looks nice. Although I have a bunch of soldering irons that I've accumulated over the years (from 8 to 250w), I can't really justify buying something like that for the amount of soldering I do nowadays.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
Regards
Tony
Sent from my keyboard through my phone or something like that.
I'm a tool ..... too
. I used to go to the track years ago and did all the work myself so I needed good tools. I don't trust mechanics, especially when I'm doing 120mph on the track. Then I started racing enduros (dirt bikes) so my tool collection came in handy. I've rebuilt a few engines and weekly maintenance and having the right tools make a world of difference. My Ungar soldering iron still works but the metal shaft moves when I touch it to anything because of the broken ceramic inside. I decided to get a new one since I'll be making a few DNA40 boxes and needed a smaller tip for the circuit board. Weller used to be much better quality but the one I got seems only ok and the tips aren't very good. It makes it harder for beginner solder-ers to solder.
I picked up a drill press a few months ago when I started modding vaping boxes (Hana clone boxes). I've been eyeing a drill press for years but just got by with my cordless drill (Bosch LiIon). I just picked up a Harbor Freight 90a 115v welder to play around with last week just because it was on sale for $82. I've already upgraded the tip and ground clamp (known issues). I have mostly Snap-On tools but now I balance what I actually use the tool for vs cost.
KTM,
At work and once I bought a Weller soldering station. And like your experience I always found the Ungar tips needed less attention - defies reason considering the Weller soldering station was temperature controlled. Hmmm... just dawned on me that TP seems to be a problem for soldering irons and TP mode Mods.
At work and once I bought a Weller soldering station. And like your experience I always found the Ungar tips needed less attention - defies reason considering the Weller soldering station was temperature controlled. Hmmm... just dawned on me that TP seems to be a problem for soldering irons and TP mode Mods.
I own a machine shop (tool and die shop, actually) Plus, I build race cars. Tools be plentiful around me
edit: but only one working soldering iron, and it's probably 40 years old!
edit: but only one working soldering iron, and it's probably 40 years old!
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BNEAT,
You really know how to hurt a one time builder of anything and everything. When I was younger my father owned a Machine Shop. Tools galore and a machine to do anything I could dream of.
The "Old Man" would let me do anything that came to mind... well until I made a double sided knife out of a 12" flat file that I used his diamond tool grinder to form the blade. It seems that good quality flat files are a pit ruff on diamond wheels. He got so made when he saw what I was doing he through a chuck key at me from across the shop just missing my head and stuck in the wall about two feet away. Some people just can't take a joke it was only a $1000 dollar wheel -
PS - The knife came out spectacular until the cops caught me with it and confiscated it.
KTM,
At work and once I bought a Weller soldering station. And like your experience I always found the Ungar tips needed less attention - defies reason considering the Weller soldering station was temperature controlled. Hmmm... just dawned on me that TP seems to be a problem for soldering irons and TP mode Mods.
I think the material or coating on the Ungar tips made the difference. I'm constantly cleaning the Weller tips when I'm soldering but only once in a while with the Ungar. I heard Weller bought Ungar years ago.
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