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mbirth ,

Have they not heard of the TS100 or the Pinecil?

Both run an open-source firmware and work with any USB-C PD battery pack and still allow you to configure the temperature.

Ghostalmedia OP ,
@Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world avatar

Considering that they sell one of those, I’m going to assume they’ve heard of it. ;)

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

It’s very likely existing smart soldering pens were the inspiration.

iFixit even mentions they didn’t include a screen like the Pinecil because most people don’t actually mess with the settings that much when they are on the go.

mbirth ,

What they probably meant is they didn’t include a screen because this way they can sell their overpriced battery pack.

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

It’s definitely priced significantly higher than a similar setup from Pine64.

…but it also has some significant advantages and features the Pinecil does indeed lack.

I definitely think the Pinecil is aimed more at hobbyists and this iFixit iron is aimed at people who solder all the time, in other words, not hobbyists.

mbirth ,

Since the Pinecil is running IronOS, it’s just a matter of time for it to also get the fall detection. And apart from the LED ring gimmick, I don’t see any huge advantages over IronOS.

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

I personally see the PD for USB-C being 100W is a significant advantage as the Pinecil tops at 60W from USB-C and you have to search for a traditional barrel-plug power cord to get it to max out at 88W.

100W through USB-C and not even having a different power option seems pretty useful to me. *shrugs

JiveTurkey ,

I regularly power both my ts100 and Pinecil with a Milwaukee M18 battery and the barrel connector this is super convenient. The display is also convenient. The fact that you need the battery to set the temp seems numb and completely negates the USBC convenience because it means you can’t use any old USBC power source and still change the temperature. The 100w is also pointless because the other two options already heat incredibly fast and have a higher max temperature.

pipe01 ,

Apparently you can connect the thing to a PC and change the temperature that way

Ilovethebomb ,

What’s wrong with buttons on the device?

Ilovethebomb ,

Since the Pinecil is running IronOS

What a sentence. I really don’t like the idea of having to do a firmware update on my soldering iron.

Does it have Bluetooth and a companion app as well?

Kethal , (edited )

I’m pretty sure you meant this as a joke, and I laughed at the thought of someone making something as stupid as an app for a soldering iron. But then I thought I’d check. Ugh.

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.eduardo…

Ilovethebomb ,

Oh, I was dead serious. You can get battery drills that come with a fucking app now, I’m not surprised at all it’s the same with solder irons.

Power and temp up and down is just too simple, I guess.

ebc ,

Owner of 2 pinecils here, there are buttons and a display that shows the current temperature and other stuff. I only just learned that there’s an app, it works more than fine on its own, out of the box.

I got that specific iron because I needed to power it from 12v, and it works very well on the USB PD power supply I already have for my laptop.

sneakyninjapants ,

having to do a firmware update on my soldering iron

You don’t. It works perfectly fine OOTB. Can’t speak for the Pinecil v2 with Bluetooth and the companion app but I have v1 and the software been stable and bug-free enough I’ve never even given a thought to updating the firmware on it

potustheplant ,

You do realize that the ifixit solderimg iron also has firmware and that you need to connect it to a computer or their very expensive battery pack to adjust its settings, right?

Ilovethebomb ,

Yep. I don’t think I’ll be buying one of those, either.

simplejack ,
@simplejack@lemmy.world avatar

My guess is that the motivation was user feedback and keeping things simple so they’re easier to repair.

mox ,

Have they not heard of the TS100 or the Pinecil?

Of course they have.

An iFixit co-founder has been responding to questions over on Hacker News:

news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41521919

NuXCOM_90Percent ,

It very much sounds like ifixit are actively asking influencers/reviewers to compare it to at least one of those in the videos.

Voyajer ,
@Voyajer@lemmy.world avatar

Which is a little odd to me, since I don’t think it compares favorably vs either. Maybe against the ts80p because it’s significantly lower wattage and more expensive than the other two.

ggtdbz ,

The TS80P is lower wattage, technically, but the heating element is right up at the very tip, instead of having a heating element inside the handle with a long metal piece transmitting the heat. It gets hot way faster than you’d expect, it doesn’t feel like 30W at all.

It punches way, way above its weight. Unless you’re soldering pipes, comparing the wattage to traditional irons is misleading. Love that tiny thing.

Only problem is that this design necessitates proprietary tips that are relatively expensive. Not a fan of that, coming from the no name Global South Especiale 2$ firestarter irons that are the norm where I am. Not the end of the world, but worth keeping in mind.

The one I bought came with a USB-C cable that couldn’t handle the current though. That was the only real red flag. Shame too, that cable seemed like it was silicone coated and would have been ideal.

Voyajer ,
@Voyajer@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah I have a ts80p but it struggles with what I usually solder so I’ve replaced it with a pinecilV2 for mobile soldering which I’ve been happier with.

BearOfaTime ,

Those look pretty cool.

But I’m confused about the marketing around the cpu/ram, etc. Does that really matter for a soldering iron? (Serious question, not being snarky).

I get they’re using that tech to make it adjustible/smart, but it’s a soldering iron, not a pocket computer.

Is there some way those specs genuinely matter? Or is it just to say “we’re using the latest tech to provide controls”?

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Smart soldering irons have been around a while, so yes. It is now like a PC and specs matter a little.

One advantage smart irons have is being able to give you a readout of the exact temp of the tip of your soldering iron, something a traditional iron cannot do.

It also needs chips and sensors to do things like auto-off when it is set down.

So the quality and speed of chips affects performance.

BearOfaTime ,

Sounds like marketing foo.

I have a 10+ year old Weller station with digital temp adjustment, and I don’t recall it having a cpu and ram.

SnotFlickerman , (edited )
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

digital temp adjustment

Digital temp adjustment is different than a sensor that tells you the exact temp at the tip.

Pretty sure any 10+ year old unit is just setting a temp, not telling you the actual temp through a measurement.

avidamoeba , (edited )
@avidamoeba@lemmy.ca avatar

The Weller WESD51 sets the temp at the tip and mine has done that since I bought it in 2016. A look at a datasheet dates it back to 2006 but it could be older. By definition that means it has to know what the tip temp is. As it heats up the digital display tracks the temp going up.

fuckwit_mcbumcrumble ,

If it has digital temperature control then it has something resembling a CPU and memory. If it’s analog then it’s probably just not that accurate and will drift over time without manual calibration.

I have a pinecil and direct heat soldering irons blow away non direct heat irons like your weller (and I think this ifixit one). Once you switch you never want to go back. Which is really disappointing because I don’t think this new ifix it one is.

mayo ,
@mayo@lemmy.world avatar

Both pinecil and weller have room to be good irons. We don’t a winner here. I like my pinecile for how out of the way it is, I don’t use it a lot. It’ll last me a long long time assuming the chips don’t randomly fail one day.

helenslunch ,
@helenslunch@feddit.nl avatar

This

you’ll need to grab the FixHub Power Station, the company’s new 55Wh battery pack.

Why bother with that when I can use my personal power bank that uses standard easily swappable/replaceable 18650 batteries? (remember those?)

Munkisquisher ,

Ts80 that runs on qc3 is also very good. It keeps up with my large soldering station in real world use

anubis119 , (edited )

Tying a rechargeable battery to a single function device seems off-brand for iFixit.

  • edit, I am wrong. I didn’t RTFM. Humble pie is good sometimes.
Ghostalmedia OP ,
@Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world avatar

It’s a multi-use battery.

The battery can be used to charge whatever you want. A phone, laptop, headphones, or anything else with USB. Also, the battery is user replaceable and the product repair diagrams are posted online.

IMHO, it looks like they’re practicing what they preach, and it’s all designed for longevity and right to repair.

anubis119 ,

I edited my original post. Thanks for bringing the pie!

Zak ,
@Zak@lemmy.world avatar

What I want from a battery soldering iron is a field-replaceable 18650 in the handle, not Webserial.

ThePantser , (edited )
@ThePantser@lemmy.world avatar

Build a 18650 battery bank and plug in a pinecil or ts100. A solder iron with a 18650 would be heavy and uncomfortable for soldering.

Zak ,
@Zak@lemmy.world avatar

I would accept a bit of an awkward balance for being self-contained.

Munkisquisher ,

You’d want more than one cell. You’d be pulling 23amps from a 4.2v 18650 to give the same 100w at 20v power as you get from a top usbpd power supply.

There are 18650s that do 30 amps for short bursts, but it would get as hot as the iron and be empty in 5 min

BearOfaTime ,

I haven’t done the math, how much runtime could you get out of a single 18650? They’re pretty stout, but it seems like they’d be a bit underpowered.

Milwaukee 12v batteries are 3 cells (I think they’re a little smaller than 18650), and you can run through a battery pretty quick (I believe they’re 1.5AH). Though I don’t know how efficient their heating design is.

Zak ,
@Zak@lemmy.world avatar

Assuming the M12 CP1.5 battery pack, it’s probably three 18650s. Specifically, it’s probably three LG HB series 18650s, which handle high burst loads well, but hold only 1500 mAh. A single Sony VTC6 holds 2/3 the energy of one of those packs. Wait… why am I speculating? Youtubers tear down power tool battery packs on video all the time, and someone did that one. They’re Samsung 15Ms, which are a little worse than HBs.

Anyway, short runtimes are fine for most field repairs, which is the whole point of something entirely self-contained. Spare batteries can extend it indefinitely, but a battery soldering iron is probably not what I’d pick for extended soldering sessions.

otter ,

Ah any reason why Firefox decided not to include WebSerial?

Maybe you don’t want to buy the Station, or you left it at home. In either event, you can simply plug the iron into your computer and configure it via WebSerial.

You’ll need a browser based on Chrome to pull this trick off, as Mozilla has decided (at least, for now) to not include the capability in Firefox. In testing, it worked perfectly on both my Linux desktop and Chromebook.

Unfortunately, plugging the iron into your phone won’t work, as the mobile version of Chrome does not currently support WebSerial. But given the vertical layout of the interface and the big touch-friendly buttons, I can only assume that iFixit is either banking on this changing soon or has a workaround in mind. Being able to plug the iron into your phone for a quick settings tweak would be incredibly handy, so hopefully it will happen one way or another.

The WebSerial interface not only gives you access to all the same settings as plugging the iron into the Power Station does, but it also serves as the mechanism for updating the firmware on the iron.

JudahBenHur , (edited )

I love my ifixit precision screwdriver, so I’d be a fan and would try this out.

The thing is once I switched to a butane iron (portable, hot in 20 seconds, awesome fire) I don’t have any interest in anything with a wire coming off of the back of it. battery or no, the wire being in the way is ass and is also crap

edit: maybe it doesnt have a wire?

edit 2: maybe I shoulda read the article before typing? 5 second heat-up time, wow… seeing as I am a fucking idiot and am also very tired, can someone who is smart tell me if the iron has a battery itself? the pack is for recharging the small battery in the pen?

golden_calf ,

It does not have an internal battery but can use any battery pack that can do 100W output.

I pre-ordered this for a few reasons. One, my experience with butane irons was very different than yours I guess. I hated how long they took and how finicky they were. Then I had to find a safe place to put it while it cooled. This has a cap that can handle the high temp with no issue.

When I need a portable iron it’s to do small quick soldering with long waits in between. This seems perfect for that.

JudahBenHur ,

fair enough, thanks for the response.

my ‘extra hands’ station w/ the two alligator clips to hold the subject, magnifying glass w/ led also has a holster for a hot iron, so I pop the hot iron in that after soldering.

the wire coming from the iron, whether it goes to a battery pack or the 250 eur smart battery is still the hangup for me. I build large things with nicrocobntrollers in them, so I need to soldier in super awkward places. a wire connecting the iron to anything is a massive liability.

Id be interested to hear how you get on with it though

Tylerdurdon ,

I’ll give it a shot. Seems interesting to have something USB powered that can solder.

Imgonnatrythis ,

Let us know how it works. It sounds pretty cool, but ive been disappointed with battery powered soldering irons.

brian ,

pinecil can be battery powered too and I’ve had a good time with mine. granted the battery is either a laptop power bank or a drill battery, but it’s still portable enough for me

scutiger ,

I’ve been using a Pinecil which is USB-C powered. It heats up in seconds and the temp can be adjusted easily. The big plus to me is how small it is. It’s so much easier to handle than a standard iron, and the tips are push-in and can be locked with a screw so they’re easy to swap.

mox ,

Review:

hackaday.com/…/review-ifixits-fixhub-may-be-the-l…

partial_accumen ,

I always thought the “fix” to a traditional soldiering iron was a hot air pencil.

FartsWithAnAccent ,
@FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io avatar

Give it a replaceable battery and I might consider it.

Ghostalmedia OP ,
@Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world avatar

It has one

FartsWithAnAccent ,
@FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io avatar

[considering intensifies]

heavyboots ,
@heavyboots@lemmy.ml avatar

I wonder if you can run it off any USB C PD that will do 100w+ without buying the battery pack. I know my MBP USB C power supply does at least 100, if not more on MagSafe.

BearOfaTime ,

The article seems to say it can, though they’re promoting their own, of course

avidamoeba , (edited )
@avidamoeba@lemmy.ca avatar

Why this instead of an industry-standard station like an entry level Weller? The Wellers got replacement parts, especially tips which are consumables. I have the pervious 50W model and it has worked well in any job that can be done with that power level.

In my experience with soldering, the quality of the tip is the most important part. Then the quality of the solder and flux. Then having a set of soldering tools like wick, pump, stripper, and most of all - a third hand. Then temp adjustability. I had a digital solder station before I had those tools and I did almost as shitty solder jobs as I did with the basic Weller soldering iron I had before it. Once I got the ability to keep the parts stable so I can hold the solder in one hand and the iron in the other, introduce the solder at the joint and melt it in-place with the iron, like the manuals say, the quality went way up. I could even do some functional SMD work using my phone’s macro cam as a microscope.

mayo ,
@mayo@lemmy.world avatar

I think it’s as much about getting a soldering iron into every home the way that a hammer, multibit screwdriver seem to be. It’s potentially a huge market to tap into. When I was doing this particular shopping I bought a usb-c powered soldering iron with an open source OS.

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