3 ms·

Been super eager to get one of these after reading the announcement last time on HN. Placed an order right away! $25 for a TS-100/80 like features with a RISC-V

Been super eager to get one of these after reading the announcement last time on HN. Placed an order right away! $25 for a TS-100/80 like features with a RISC-V processor?! Sign me up! To be honest, I have no clue why I need a RISC-V chip on my soldering iron...but seems like it'll be worth the $40 (with shipping) worth of entertainment. Edit: Seems like this batch has a GPIO + JTag breakout board!

dogma1138 6y ago
If it’s for actual use and not hacking it would wait... $25 for a high powered device that one holds in their hand and has a heating element would have me worried.
- mouldysammich 6y ago
  Soldering irons generally are not expensive. Antex which is a fairly reputable soldering iron brand (as far as i understand) sell them as low as 10$ on amazon
  - spongeb00b 6y ago
    Antex irons don't seem to get enough love in my opinion. They are (at least partially, I think) made in the UK and I've always preferred them as the handle/body is much thinner than many of the other available irons which I find a lot easier to use.
    - dogma1138 6y ago
      Antex have switched their production to China a while back, including their precision and soldering stations line. They are cheap but with the exception of a few product aren't that good of a value for money for what you get. Their soldering stations are rather anemic and getting bits is rather hard (they also have a very limited line of bits to begin with). Their gas powered portable soldering irons are quite good they don't overheat, have decent control and are well built but their electric ones are simply a miss these days.
  - dogma1138 6y ago
    Dumb AC soldering irons don't have to be (unless you really care about temperature accuracy and ESD), portable gas soldering irons are also essentially glorified lighters. However when you get into a DC soldering irons you do start getting into complexity that isn't as cheap to do safely.
    - rektide 6y ago
      I'm skeptical of your skepticism. Monitoring temperature & adjusting current are tasks humanity has, in my view, gotten quite good at & made quite routine, safely & cheaply.

dogma1138 6y ago

If it’s for actual use and not hacking it would wait... $25 for a high powered device that one holds in their hand and has a heating element would have me worried.

mouldysammich 6y ago
Soldering irons generally are not expensive. Antex which is a fairly reputable soldering iron brand (as far as i understand) sell them as low as 10$ on amazon
- spongeb00b 6y ago
  Antex irons don't seem to get enough love in my opinion. They are (at least partially, I think) made in the UK and I've always preferred them as the handle/body is much thinner than many of the other available irons which I find a lot easier to use.
  - dogma1138 6y ago
    Antex have switched their production to China a while back, including their precision and soldering stations line. They are cheap but with the exception of a few product aren't that good of a value for money for what you get. Their soldering stations are rather anemic and getting bits is rather hard (they also have a very limited line of bits to begin with). Their gas powered portable soldering irons are quite good they don't overheat, have decent control and are well built but their electric ones are simply a miss these days.
- dogma1138 6y ago
  Dumb AC soldering irons don't have to be (unless you really care about temperature accuracy and ESD), portable gas soldering irons are also essentially glorified lighters. However when you get into a DC soldering irons you do start getting into complexity that isn't as cheap to do safely.
  - rektide 6y ago
    I'm skeptical of your skepticism. Monitoring temperature & adjusting current are tasks humanity has, in my view, gotten quite good at & made quite routine, safely & cheaply.