Affordable Surface Mount Soldering Iron Kit for Beginners?

[rs14smith]

Hey all,

Can anyone recommend a decent affordable ($50-$100) surface mount soldering iron kit for someone who is just beginning working with small surface mount parts?

I found this on Amazon and the reviews look decent but just wanted to see what others recommended, and if there may be any cheaper kits: Click Here

Also what other materials would you recommend to ease the process with soldering surface mount parts and what's a good affordable online source to buy them?

 

[colin55]

You just need a 25 watt to 50 watt adjustable soldering iron.

 

[Ian Rogers]

And a good pair of glasses or magnifying glass......

 

[Sceadwian]

I've seen many videos and many users here as already stated do just fine with a soldering iron. I think the most important thing you could buy besides the iron is liquid solder flux, preferably a no-wash kind, it can't be stated enough that the key to any kind of soldering is keeping the joint clean and well fluxed oxides are the enemy. This might not seem to be the case but as long as you don't glob the solder on and you keep things well fluxed SMD components tend to solder themselves because of the surface tension of liquid solder and it's tendency to wick towards metal rather than.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NN7UGWYmBY

The above YouTube link is a very informative video

I can personally vouch for the warning against using too fine a tip, I've had many problems with my iron because the tip I bought for it is too fine.

One method not covered in the video is using solder paste, which is flux and granulated solder applied as a paste, you use a cardboard stencil to apply it and then just drag solder it or reflow with a hot air tool. Solder paste is however expensive and has a limited shelf life.

 

[kubeek]

I can dig up a schematic for a soldering iron I made for myself and which i am using for more than 4 year, if you want. I maybe even have the original board design, but it should be doable on a stripboard too.
You will also need a 24V >48W transformer.

 

[rs14smith]

I actually found a great article here for some inexpensive tools you can buy for those interested: https://store.curiousinventor.com/guides/Surface_Mount_Soldering/Tools/

 

[Sceadwian]

rs14, that's the same website that made the video that I posted. The items that they recommend can be bought cheaper elsewhere. Their kits are reasonably priced, but only for someone that has nothing to work with, and the good kits are more expensive than the OP's original post, still worth looking at, but on a shoestring budget you have to be careful what you buy.

 

[rs14smith]

rs14, that's the same website that made the video that I posted. The items that they recommend can be bought cheaper elsewhere. Their kits are reasonably priced, but only for someone that has nothing to work with, and the good kits are more expensive than the OP's original post, still worth looking at, but on a shoestring budget you have to be careful what you buy.

Yeah I thought so since the tools looked very similar to the video. Do you think the soldering iron I linked to in the first post is a decent investment iron to start with since I could also use it for other projects other than surface mounts? Or have you can around any cheaper buys that can accomplish the same goal?

 

[Sceadwian]

Funny, I never followed your first link!

I'd have bought the same unit if at the time I was looking it wasn't 125 dollars more than the price you listed.

Be wary of quality, this is obviously a Chinese product. Amazon's return policies are often generous, but test the hell out of the unit when you get it. My Iron station alone cost that much but that was 5 years ago, the hot air gun can be REALLY useful for bulk desoldering and many other tasks as it's temperature controlled (heat shrink tubing, board pre-heating for hand soldering, plastic forming etc.. etc..)

 

[rs14smith]

Funny, I never followed your first link!

I'd have bought the same unit if at the time I was looking it wasn't 125 dollars more than the price you listed.

Be wary of quality, this is obviously a Chinese product. Amazon's return policies are often generous, but test the hell out of the unit when you get it. My Iron station alone cost that much but that was 5 years ago, the hot air gun can be REALLY useful for bulk desoldering and many other tasks as it's temperature controlled (heat shrink tubing, board pre-heating for hand soldering, plastic forming etc.. etc..)

haha awesome. I may invest in that one then. It seems to have decent reviews too unlike some I have ran across which have no reviews at all.
Thanks

 

[Sceadwian]

Keep in mind the air flow from the hot air tool is going to be low, if you want power heating I'd recommend buying a 20 dollar WATTAGE CONTROLLED heat gun from a hardware store as well, The heat gun can provide bulk pre-heating which decreases the load on the iron/relfow nozzel drastically.

Properly pre-heated with the hot air gun you can effectively increase the practical on site wattage of both the hot air tool and the iron by well more than a few 100% compared to a static iron or hot air tool from room temperature

Most people have no concept of how much energy it takes to get from room temperature to soldering temperature, and having everything pre-heated to 'very warm' makes everything go faster, as long as it's controlled heating.

 

[rs14smith]

Keep in mind the air flow from the hot air tool is going to be low, if you want power heating I'd recommend buying a 20 dollar WATTAGE CONTROLLED heat gun from a hardware store as well, The heat gun can provide bulk pre-heating which decreases the load on the iron/relfow nozzel drastically.

Properly pre-heated with the hot air gun you can effectively increase the practical on site wattage of both the hot air tool and the iron by well more than a few 100% compared to a static iron or hot air tool from room temperature

Most people have no concept of how much energy it takes to get from room temperature to soldering temperature, and having everything pre-heated to 'very warm' makes everything go faster, as long as it's controlled heating.

So the hot air tool is for just desoldering components or is it for both desoldering components and used to help make the process of soldering components down by pre-heating the components?

I planned to just get a solder wick to help desolder components...at least I think I remember the guy doing that in the video...but I may have to watch again

 

[Sceadwian]

The hotair tool is meant for soldering and desoldering, try to price a unit that's meant for 1000 watts.

A heat gun well used along with a good iron and or hot air rework station works both ways.

 

[edeca]

Also what other materials would you recommend to ease the process with soldering surface mount parts and what's a good affordable online source to buy them?

Just buy a frying pan, seriously. I have used this method very successfully, see my blog: **broken link removed**

If you need to desolder parts you can use a fine soldering iron. Sometimes you destroy them in the process, but if you are careful this can be avoided.

One day I'll upgrade to a hot air solder station, but generally they are most useful for rework (removal and refitting of a single part) not assembly of a whole board.

 

[rs14smith]

Just buy a frying pan, seriously. I have used this method very successfully, see my blog: **broken link removed**

Awesome, I may try that one day

 

[Sceadwian]

rs14, I'd go with the methods described in the video first =) Reflow on a heating plate is only needed if mass production is desired, and if you ever get to that point you should probably be outsourcing to a job shop capable of doing it on good equipment unless you really want to get into the nitty gritty of board production.

 

[rs14smith]

rs14, I'd go with the methods described in the video first =) Reflow on a heating plate is only needed if mass production is desired, and if you ever get to that point you should probably be outsourcing to a job shop capable of doing it on good equipment unless you really want to get into the nitty gritty of board production.

Yeah I was still going to invest in that soldering iron I linked to just to have one. But I like seeing other methods just to know there are others.

 

[Sceadwian]

Keep searching on Google and Youtube, you'll find more =) A toaster oven properly setup can be used as an IR reflow oven, though pre-heating the board again is VERY important.

Just for more useful information I'm posting an image of a generic soldering profile. Notice the pre-heat time vs working time. It's a highly ignored but critically important portion of soldering. pre-heat can make a crap iron work where it alone wouldn't. It's all about controlled application of power.

 

[edeca]

Just for more useful information I'm posting an image of a generic soldering profile. Notice the pre-heat time vs working time. It's a highly ignored but critically important portion of soldering. pre-heat can make a crap iron work where it alone wouldn't. It's all about controlled application of power.

The diagram you posted is for IR reflow, not for use with a soldering iron. Preheat wont "help a crap iron work".

The main purpose of preheat is to avoid damage to the circuit board in a reflow oven as the whole thing is being heated, rather than a single junction. Heat it too quickly and you'll stress it, potentially cracking or delaminating it.

 

[Sceadwian]

Edeca, the iron rs14 wants to purchase is a combination unit with both a soldering iron and a hot air rework tool, the IR reflow profile is just as useful for hot air tools as it is IR.

Pre-heating will help decrease the wattage required from a soldering iron, if a 15-30 watt iron can't get the device to soldering temperature before damaging the component or board due to wattage limitations of the iron pre-heating WILL help, the additional forced air (even at an elevated temperature) will cool the solder to it's solidifying point without thermal shock to the joint if cooler air were used.