SparkFun Forums

[FESCSteve]

We are about to purchase a few hot air stations and to avoid the expense of a Hakko are looking at this model. Lots of questions:

Can anyone commnet on the quality of the unit?

Do the tips have good plating on them?

Does it holt temperature well?

Is airflow adequate for reflow?

Is it as quiet as a Hakko?

Keep in mind that these will be used in a production evironment for potentially hours a day.

Thanks in advance. I'll probably order a test unit (depending on the feedback) before ordering several more.

Steve

[FESCSteve]

I'm answering my own questions here, but...

Received the rework station today. Seems to be of decent quality for the price. First thing I noticed was that I had to turn the heat to almost 100% to get solder paste to reflow (63/37, RMA). Had to turn the airflow down very low with the small tip. But it does work well so far.

I'll get into it more tomorrow developing a SMT ceramic chip cap reflow process. Then producion will start and well see how it holds up to hours of use per day

Steve

PS - I may buy one of these for my own use if it holds up well.

[Nutter]

Definitely keep us posted - I'm interested to hear how you find it after a bit more use!

[FESCSteve]

I need to correct my last post - the temperature is more than adequate - the knob does not seem to be linear in that at about 75% - 100% there is a large temperature range. So temperature is not a problem with this one.

Used it a good deal Friday working out temperature and airflow settings for various tasks. Even on a very thick 16 layer board reflow was not a problem and component removal was also very quick.

At $199 is a good deal. I'll probably order a few more from them.

The pump is quit and has more than enough airflow and it seems to pump out enough heat to do the job. Only time will tell if it stands the rigors of a production environment.

Steve

[andrey]

avoid the expense of a Hakko

just keep this in mind: you're "avoiding the expense" because you're buying a Chinese knock-off of the real Hakko station. Hakko did the R&D, testing, etc and their station will cost accordingly. The Chinese companies in question simply made a knock-off. Now, this may or may not bite you later in terms of reliability or poor performance but, ethically speaking, you should think about whether you're doing the right thing when you buy one of these products. And shame on Spark Fun for selling them. If you can't afford the real thing (and I don't blame you, they are expensive), then buy a used one on eBay.

please see my other post too:
http://www.sparkfun.com/cgi-bin/phpbb/v ... php?t=2674

[FESCSteve]

Yes, I am always mindful of off brand products. That is the reason I purchased only one when I need 3-4.

I can't say for sure the idea of using hot air to reflow solder was Hakko's original idea, but you are right that the shape of the unit was obviously derrived from a Hakko design. Were I going to design my own hot air station I would have done a few things differently and perhaps this manufacturer should have too.

I guess if I had to fault this company it would be on originality.

I wonder where the Hakko stations are manufactured? Considering they have many offices in China and Indonesia, one could probably guess I suppose the shame should be on Hakko for charging so much for something that probably costs a few dollars to build. Perhaps it is built in Japan though, but I tend to doubt it.

Rergarding the unit's operation - the heater controller looks to have a safety over-temp shutoff. If you get the airflow too low or the airflow blocked and the temp overshoots, the heater will shut off and the airflow will cool it down. Simply shut if off, remove the blockage or increase the airflow, switch it back on and it's back to work. A very welcome feature on such an inexpensive unit.

Steve