4 ms·

While soldering is not that hard, different tasks require different tools. Most of them can be from very cheap to very expensive. As a beginner I'd recommend th

While soldering is not that hard, different tasks require different tools. Most of them can be from very cheap to very expensive. As a beginner I'd recommend the following: A small USB-C soldering iron supported by IronOS[1], e.g. Pinecil vor TS100 A solid stand with brass wool A KU soldering tip (looks a bit like a knife) for good heat transfer, too small tips are not good Thin (<=0.5mm) solder wire No clean flux (not a pen) Isopropyl alcohol Solder fume extractor (DIY is OK, if you're building it right) is good for your health Solder mat (blue silicone) Multimeter (not too cheap, around 20 bucks) Self closing tweezers Normal tweezers A wirecutter (blue 5 bucks from ali express) Manual Desoldering pump (engineer ss03 or a clone for cheaper) Most important is cleaning (alcohol, then flux) and heat transfer (tin your tip, your pads or your wire before putting things together to ensure good heat transfer). Cleanup nicely and tin your tip after soldering to prevent corrosion. Optional but helpful for more professional tasks: Hot air station Auto Desoldering pump (ZD-8965) Adjustable power supply (fnirsi usbc, 30 bucks) Oscilloscope (mini beginner with display Cost around 30 bucks) Capton tape Solid Copper wire 1: https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS

sandreas 23d ago
Oh I forgot... a big magnifier glass (8x to 15x) with an LED light is way cheaper than a microscope and very helpful for small parts soldering (SMD) :-)
- radicalbyte 22d ago
  I have a $40 head-mounted thing with integrated light and it's awesome for modern boards.
- Retr0id 22d ago
  A cheap clip-on macro lens for a phone camera is also good for inspecting things, without the cost+space of a proper microscope.
  - analog31 22d ago
    True but you can do actual work under a stereoscopic microscope. It has a vaunted place on my workbench. Disclosure: Old person. ;-)
    - SAI_Peregrinus 22d ago
      I've got one as well, and I'll say it's extremely nice for removing splinters. I do a bit of woodworking, so it ends up being unexpectedly dual-purpose.
      - analog31 21d ago
        Indeed, I'm the designated family surgeon. I've removed more splinters from people than I can count.
- mianos 21d ago
  I have a microscope, but once you get used to using hot air, you don't need it for soldering, just inspection.
whycome 22d ago
This is just a great starter list. Thank you
scarecrowbob 22d ago
Nice list. Maybe a bit over the top for a lot of situations. I assume folks would acquire these things over a long period of time depending on their projects or what they are repairing. I have a 2-ch function generator coming because after 20 years of bodging stuff together and fixing minor things, I am tired of using the super cheapo one I got back in the day. It takes a while to amass all that crap, but it's fun. A couple other thoughts: used hemostats are super helpful for a lot of things. for a lot of years I avoided getting any kind of "3rd hand" because I would use combinations of hemostats. Or jigs- I have a very old piece of wood that has hole drilled for m and f XLR and 1/4 audio connectors with notes about which pin is which. Making tools like that is quite satisfying. I really enjoy having a stack of stainless steel condiment cups to put screw in- I stack them up during a disassembly and then unstack them as I reassemble. Also I will say that while I thought building one of those cheap-o oscilloscope kits was a pretty fun practice and I can recommend that, I don't fine them easy enough to use for beginners... the 2-ch Rigol scope I got was not super expensive and felt like the cheapest thing I'd be recommending to folks. Finally, I have had a lot of mixed successes with desoldering pumps. It took me a long time to figure out that I can only get desoldering braid to work if I put liquid flux on it, but that made it a lot cleaner for me than the solder suckers.
- jonah 21d ago
  "stack them up during a disassembly and then unstack them as I reassemble." I love this! Automatically sequences the fasteners. Another option is a piece of corrugated cardboard. Poke the screws into cardboard in the pattern they are in the device you're disassembling.
Retr0id 22d ago
> A wirecutter Yes, but buy several. Maybe it's only because I buy cheap crap ones in the first place, but I treat them as consumables.
- boothby 22d ago
  What are you using them for that consumes them?
  - Retr0id 22d ago
    Cutting wires, mostly.
    - probablybayesed 21d ago
      Interesting, I want to hear the full story.
      - analog31 21d ago
        I use the cheap cutters such as Hakko 170's. They're sharp and convenient but essentially consumable. They're made from a relatively soft steel, and wear out, usually because you cut things that aren't copper. Some components have tinned steel leads. If you dig through someone's old tool box, you'll find a pair of wire cutters with a half-moon nick in each blade from trying to cut something hard. Naturally my use of wire cutters is declining, due to surface mount, but some of my boards still have larger through-hole parts, and I make custom cables for this and that during prototyping.
  - rzzzt 21d ago
    If the sharp end chips, you can't get close enough to the things you want to clip.
- ansgri 21d ago
  Get two: typical electronics flush cutters, and mini side cutters from hardware store. Use the latter in most cases, the former only where precision is really needed.
SAI_Peregrinus 22d ago
I will say it's important that the soldering iron be temperature controlled. It's especially nice if it's one with the temperature sensing integrated into the tip in a cartridge (like the ones you suggested). Also, 63/37 tin/lead "eutectic" solder is the easiest to use. Wash your hands after using it, or wear gloves. 60/40 solder is almost as easy, and cheaper. Lead-free is more difficult, especially for learning. Learn with lead solder, then switch to lead-free.
- eternityforest 21d ago
  I think there's no real need to learn with leaded anymore now that we have temp controlled irons and better fluxes and such. Wearing gloves and washing your hands five million times is more annoying than just using lead free. And even with perfect precautions, the flux expands and makes it spit tiny little balls, which then contaminates your whole work area with a somewhat fine dust.
  - kube-system 21d ago
    Flux can be hazardous too, even if your solder is lead-free. But in a non-occupational exposure setting you're not likely to have issues if you solder occasionally even with lead solder and don't take any precautions.
  - skhr0680 21d ago
    > Wearing gloves and washing your hands five million times is more annoying than just using lead free. RoHS was more about removing lead from electronics as a whole than health risk to an individual from soldering. To put it into perspective, if you lived in a city before the 1990s, you've already inhaled more lead than you ever will from soldering.
  - oasisaimlessly 21d ago
    Strong disagree. Leaded solder is still a ton easier to rework thanks to its lower eutectic melting point.
colechristensen 22d ago
>Capton tape Kapton tape
eternityforest 21d ago
C245 clones seem to be the new current standard tip format, they're pretty nice. Not supported by any open third party firmware usually, but that's fine with me. One thing to watch out for is tip grounding, some cheap irons leak a few volts at micro to milliamp level power, relative to ground, which could matter if you solder very sensitive things that are grounded, which you probably don't. DIY fume extractors are hard to do, you need powerful fans unless you have an arm to put the extractor right above the iron. Also remember that when it's just sitting in the stand, it will still smoke for a few seconds, so the extractor must cover that too. Those thin wispy activated carbon pads probably aren't doing much, you need actual particulate filtering like a HEPA or similar, but almost anything is better than having the smoke directly in your face with no fans.
- butvacuum 21d ago
  and breathing flux is a far larger concern than leaded solder. Physically getting them somewhere (eating while soldering, not washing hands, etc) is still a problem.
  - nromiun 21d ago
    Both lead and lead free solder use the same chemical flux in their core. So you have the same problem with leaded flux cored solder. With the additional problem of lead.
  - JohnFen 20d ago
    This. Just to expand on what you said a bit (since this is aimed at soldering newbies)... The fumes from leaded solder don't themselves contain lead. The iron isn't hot enough to vaporize the metal itself. The fumes are from the flux, and breathing those can be problematic. The immediate health risk in using leaded solder is all about touch and ingestion. Handling the solder gets lead on your fingers. That in and of itself is not a health risk unless you have a wound. But then if you touch food or mucous membranes (pick your nose, put your finger in your mouth, rub your eyes, etc.), you can get lead in your system. Not much, but once there, it doesn't leave, so accumulates over time. You can mitigate those risks by wearing gloves, washing your hands immediately after you're done, and being rigorous about not eating or drinking at the bench and not touching other parts of your body. Non of that helps with the environmental problems of using lead, of course.
XorNot 21d ago
Get your self a microscope stand, digital from AliExpress. The 7" screen ones are quite cheap and being able to see up close what you're doing makes all the difference in the world.
eimrine 21d ago
Most of those is not a must. For me one of the most important thing is Rose alloy and some copper braid for desoldering. Also rosin is one of the best flux available because of guaranteed no corrosion. Also it is best to have not only copper soldering tip for good heat transfer but iron soldering tip as well because it will not get bent when agressively digging some crap.
- awakeasleep 21d ago
  The fume extractor is completely superfluous to the hobbyist. Its important to people with occupational exposure but as a hobbyist i cant imagine ever soldering enough to get good if i had to set up a fume extractor every time.
  - loufe 21d ago
    Exactly, I solder outside or under the range hood which in confident is enough for a rare job I do
  - edoceo 21d ago
    I do exhaust box fan in the window.
  - unrented7977 20d ago
    You pull it from the edge of the bench to where you're working and press the switch at the same time. It's not rocket surgery
  - cinntaile 20d ago
    You have very simple fume extractors. I don't get why it would not be worth it just because you rarely do it. It's like wearing a respirator mask when using a grinder. Or ear muffs when drilling or sawing.
  - mittensc 20d ago
    just use a computer fan next to whatever you are soldering, easy 5-10$ why breathe in the fumes or have them get into your eyes?
dotancohen 21d ago
Also, make sure your solder is high quality. I've ordered solder from AliExpress - both leaded and unleaded - and they were terrible.
- sandreas 21d ago
  Any recommendations?
  - dotancohen 21d ago
    I bought solder locally and it was fine. I don't do much work, so it's lasted until now. But the solder did cost twice as much.
robk 21d ago
If you have the budget the Hakko desoldering gun is a huge huge improvement over desoldering by hand w copper. I've gone from hating it to desoldering junk to harvest parts because it's so easy.
- sandreas 21d ago
  I don't fully agree. Hakko is high quality, quiet, but also VERY expensive (300+ bucks) and the gun contains the vacuum pump which makes it HEAVY and not easy to work with for longer than a few minutes. The ZD-8965 is cheaper (not as high quality but good enough and only around 100 bucks), has a separated station with a very light gun, that is pretty easy to work with and it is significantly smaller more silent than other ZD-* models. Another advantage is that the gun can be replaced for around 25 bucks, so if you ever drop it or it gets leaky, you don't have to invest another 100 bucks. I used it for desoldering / mill maxing multiple Logitech G515 keyboards with 88 switches (264 solder joints) and I worked through a whole keyboard with one go - no cleaning, no clog, no overheat.
- enthdegree 21d ago
  How did you learn to use one? As someone who has only touched one once, heat guns kind of scare me mostly because the airflow is invisible. I have destroyed things with it and almost burned myself. It's hard for me to gauge if you have too much or too little heat on something. Too far away it's doing nothing and too close you're frying a piece, and there is no indication where on that range you are without some learned intuition.
  - sokoloff 21d ago
    The Hakko desoldering gun he’s talking about is the FR-301 (or close equivalent), which is a soldering iron with a hollow tip that the gun has a vacuum pump that can suck solder out through the hollow tip. It’s not a hot air soldering station. After decades of using copper braid, I recently splurged for the 301 and wish I’d done it sooner. My teen kid could effortlessly desolder the button on his worn out gaming mouse with it after 30 seconds of training (me demoing how to use it). You can buy the Japanese version, desolder 1 resistor, and solder in two replacements to adapt it from Japanese 100VAC to US 120VAC and save about $100, plus it will remind you how awful desoldering with braid is by comparison. It takes 30 very unhurried minutes at most to do the mod.
le-mark 21d ago
> Oscilloscope (mini beginner with display Cost around 30 bucks) Any recommendations for this?
- sandreas 21d ago
  FNIRSI 2C53T for more serious work ZEEWEII DSO154Pro to go as cheap as possible for something that is roughly useful
  - xandrius 21d ago
    And in between? Also what would I really need it for? I mainly do ESP circuits and stuff like that, would I ever need anything other than a multimeter if your opinion?
    - ansgri 21d ago
      I have a FNIRSI 1013D, it has a large display and actually decent, if primitive, touch screen controls. You even can export waveforms in a proprietary but reverse-engineered format. Pleasant device overall, it’s both portable and ok for desktop use. If you’re doing mostly digital circuits, I’d consider a very basic scope for dealing with power supplies and PWMs (but skip the cheapest single channel ones, you’ll want the second channel very soon), and consider getting a separate logic analyzer that can decode common protocols on several channels. You won’t need that if you just work with popular modules though.
    - wildzzz 20d ago
      Unless you're actually designing new circuits versus just connecting modules together, you probably don't need an oscilloscope. Maybe if you're debugging some faulty module but you're more likely to just buy a new one. A multimeter is an absolute must though, especially if anything in your design is adjustable/tuneable in any way.
    - sandreas 20d ago
      As already been said, an Oscilloscope is for more professional work. As an example you can take a look at the iPod Remote Protocol (https://tinymicros.com/wiki/Apple_iPod_Remote_Protocol https://tinymicros.com/wiki/Apple_iPod_Remote_Protocol) or watch Jeff Geerlings video about the device (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBT0N67YFA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBT0N67YFA) In general you probably don't ever need one, if you're not too serious into electronics - that is why I put one in the "more advanced" listing.
enthdegree 21d ago
I also recently had to decide what soldering iron to get and I found this video extremely informative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXGb5q1OTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXGb5q1OTA I got an SL108 I'm really happy using with my 67W Anker brick (far more convenient than the FX 951 station I had to store + set up every time). I think I could do some precision work with my SL108 but if it became regular or a new project involved it I'd get something smaller, like the TS101 or similar, I guess.
genxy 21d ago
The second most important thing is a microscope so you can see and analyze your work!
- elcritch 20d ago
  They’re really not too expensive on Amazon either. Even for soldering larger 0.1” headers a microscope lets you inspect the joints for cold joints or micro cracks. Those will happen, especially when starting out!
ridgeguy 21d ago
Yes, and the one thing I'd add is practice. And more practice.Take an occasional macro video so you can remember how that perfect joint felt when you did it. Source: decades-old Lockheed certification for rework on Trident C4 & D5 SLBM G&C boards.
allenbina 20d ago
I prefer solder wick over the pump most of the time. Plus it’s cheap.
- sandreas 20d ago
  Yeah I forgot solder wick. It's better to have both. However, if you'd always used cheap pumps you'd maybe like to try the Engineer SS03. It's a whole different ballpark, although it is pretty expensive. The clones are not as good, but way better than the normal 2$ ones.
abeyer 20d ago
Mostly a good complete list... One thing I'd take issue with though is no clean flux for hand soldering. "No clean" formulations are almost universally designed for reflow oven temperature profiles and may not actually meet their specifications for electrical/chemical safety to leave on the board without cleaning when hand soldered. They are also commonly _more_ difficult to clean if you want/need to. Given that non-no clean formulations are likely both easier to clean and more reliable over time when hand soldered, they're my preference for rework.
- sandreas 20d ago
  Did not know that. Thank you.
deleted 20d ago
[deleted]

sandreas 23d ago

Oh I forgot... a big magnifier glass (8x to 15x) with an LED light is way cheaper than a microscope and very helpful for small parts soldering (SMD) :-)

radicalbyte 22d ago
I have a $40 head-mounted thing with integrated light and it's awesome for modern boards.
Retr0id 22d ago
A cheap clip-on macro lens for a phone camera is also good for inspecting things, without the cost+space of a proper microscope.
- analog31 22d ago
  True but you can do actual work under a stereoscopic microscope. It has a vaunted place on my workbench. Disclosure: Old person. ;-)
  - SAI_Peregrinus 22d ago
    I've got one as well, and I'll say it's extremely nice for removing splinters. I do a bit of woodworking, so it ends up being unexpectedly dual-purpose.
    - analog31 21d ago
      Indeed, I'm the designated family surgeon. I've removed more splinters from people than I can count.
mianos 21d ago
I have a microscope, but once you get used to using hot air, you don't need it for soldering, just inspection.

whycome 22d ago

This is just a great starter list. Thank you

scarecrowbob 22d ago

Nice list. Maybe a bit over the top for a lot of situations. I assume folks would acquire these things over a long period of time depending on their projects or what they are repairing. I have a 2-ch function generator coming because after 20 years of bodging stuff together and fixing minor things, I am tired of using the super cheapo one I got back in the day. It takes a while to amass all that crap, but it's fun. A couple other thoughts: used hemostats are super helpful for a lot of things. for a lot of years I avoided getting any kind of "3rd hand" because I would use combinations of hemostats. Or jigs- I have a very old piece of wood that has hole drilled for m and f XLR and 1/4 audio connectors with notes about which pin is which. Making tools like that is quite satisfying. I really enjoy having a stack of stainless steel condiment cups to put screw in- I stack them up during a disassembly and then unstack them as I reassemble. Also I will say that while I thought building one of those cheap-o oscilloscope kits was a pretty fun practice and I can recommend that, I don't fine them easy enough to use for beginners... the 2-ch Rigol scope I got was not super expensive and felt like the cheapest thing I'd be recommending to folks. Finally, I have had a lot of mixed successes with desoldering pumps. It took me a long time to figure out that I can only get desoldering braid to work if I put liquid flux on it, but that made it a lot cleaner for me than the solder suckers.

jonah 21d ago
"stack them up during a disassembly and then unstack them as I reassemble." I love this! Automatically sequences the fasteners. Another option is a piece of corrugated cardboard. Poke the screws into cardboard in the pattern they are in the device you're disassembling.

Retr0id 22d ago

> A wirecutter Yes, but buy several. Maybe it's only because I buy cheap crap ones in the first place, but I treat them as consumables.

boothby 22d ago
What are you using them for that consumes them?
- Retr0id 22d ago
  Cutting wires, mostly.
  - probablybayesed 21d ago
    Interesting, I want to hear the full story.
    - analog31 21d ago
      I use the cheap cutters such as Hakko 170's. They're sharp and convenient but essentially consumable. They're made from a relatively soft steel, and wear out, usually because you cut things that aren't copper. Some components have tinned steel leads. If you dig through someone's old tool box, you'll find a pair of wire cutters with a half-moon nick in each blade from trying to cut something hard. Naturally my use of wire cutters is declining, due to surface mount, but some of my boards still have larger through-hole parts, and I make custom cables for this and that during prototyping.
- rzzzt 21d ago
  If the sharp end chips, you can't get close enough to the things you want to clip.
ansgri 21d ago
Get two: typical electronics flush cutters, and mini side cutters from hardware store. Use the latter in most cases, the former only where precision is really needed.

SAI_Peregrinus 22d ago

I will say it's important that the soldering iron be temperature controlled. It's especially nice if it's one with the temperature sensing integrated into the tip in a cartridge (like the ones you suggested). Also, 63/37 tin/lead "eutectic" solder is the easiest to use. Wash your hands after using it, or wear gloves. 60/40 solder is almost as easy, and cheaper. Lead-free is more difficult, especially for learning. Learn with lead solder, then switch to lead-free.

eternityforest 21d ago
I think there's no real need to learn with leaded anymore now that we have temp controlled irons and better fluxes and such. Wearing gloves and washing your hands five million times is more annoying than just using lead free. And even with perfect precautions, the flux expands and makes it spit tiny little balls, which then contaminates your whole work area with a somewhat fine dust.
- kube-system 21d ago
  Flux can be hazardous too, even if your solder is lead-free. But in a non-occupational exposure setting you're not likely to have issues if you solder occasionally even with lead solder and don't take any precautions.
- skhr0680 21d ago
  > Wearing gloves and washing your hands five million times is more annoying than just using lead free. RoHS was more about removing lead from electronics as a whole than health risk to an individual from soldering. To put it into perspective, if you lived in a city before the 1990s, you've already inhaled more lead than you ever will from soldering.
- oasisaimlessly 21d ago
  Strong disagree. Leaded solder is still a ton easier to rework thanks to its lower eutectic melting point.

colechristensen 22d ago

>Capton tape Kapton tape

eternityforest 21d ago

C245 clones seem to be the new current standard tip format, they're pretty nice. Not supported by any open third party firmware usually, but that's fine with me. One thing to watch out for is tip grounding, some cheap irons leak a few volts at micro to milliamp level power, relative to ground, which could matter if you solder very sensitive things that are grounded, which you probably don't. DIY fume extractors are hard to do, you need powerful fans unless you have an arm to put the extractor right above the iron. Also remember that when it's just sitting in the stand, it will still smoke for a few seconds, so the extractor must cover that too. Those thin wispy activated carbon pads probably aren't doing much, you need actual particulate filtering like a HEPA or similar, but almost anything is better than having the smoke directly in your face with no fans.

butvacuum 21d ago
and breathing flux is a far larger concern than leaded solder. Physically getting them somewhere (eating while soldering, not washing hands, etc) is still a problem.
- nromiun 21d ago
  Both lead and lead free solder use the same chemical flux in their core. So you have the same problem with leaded flux cored solder. With the additional problem of lead.
- JohnFen 20d ago
  This. Just to expand on what you said a bit (since this is aimed at soldering newbies)... The fumes from leaded solder don't themselves contain lead. The iron isn't hot enough to vaporize the metal itself. The fumes are from the flux, and breathing those can be problematic. The immediate health risk in using leaded solder is all about touch and ingestion. Handling the solder gets lead on your fingers. That in and of itself is not a health risk unless you have a wound. But then if you touch food or mucous membranes (pick your nose, put your finger in your mouth, rub your eyes, etc.), you can get lead in your system. Not much, but once there, it doesn't leave, so accumulates over time. You can mitigate those risks by wearing gloves, washing your hands immediately after you're done, and being rigorous about not eating or drinking at the bench and not touching other parts of your body. Non of that helps with the environmental problems of using lead, of course.

XorNot 21d ago

Get your self a microscope stand, digital from AliExpress. The 7" screen ones are quite cheap and being able to see up close what you're doing makes all the difference in the world.

eimrine 21d ago

Most of those is not a must. For me one of the most important thing is Rose alloy and some copper braid for desoldering. Also rosin is one of the best flux available because of guaranteed no corrosion. Also it is best to have not only copper soldering tip for good heat transfer but iron soldering tip as well because it will not get bent when agressively digging some crap.

awakeasleep 21d ago
The fume extractor is completely superfluous to the hobbyist. Its important to people with occupational exposure but as a hobbyist i cant imagine ever soldering enough to get good if i had to set up a fume extractor every time.
- loufe 21d ago
  Exactly, I solder outside or under the range hood which in confident is enough for a rare job I do
- edoceo 21d ago
  I do exhaust box fan in the window.
- unrented7977 20d ago
  You pull it from the edge of the bench to where you're working and press the switch at the same time. It's not rocket surgery
- cinntaile 20d ago
  You have very simple fume extractors. I don't get why it would not be worth it just because you rarely do it. It's like wearing a respirator mask when using a grinder. Or ear muffs when drilling or sawing.
- mittensc 20d ago
  just use a computer fan next to whatever you are soldering, easy 5-10$ why breathe in the fumes or have them get into your eyes?

dotancohen 21d ago

Also, make sure your solder is high quality. I've ordered solder from AliExpress - both leaded and unleaded - and they were terrible.

sandreas 21d ago
Any recommendations?
- dotancohen 21d ago
  I bought solder locally and it was fine. I don't do much work, so it's lasted until now. But the solder did cost twice as much.

robk 21d ago

If you have the budget the Hakko desoldering gun is a huge huge improvement over desoldering by hand w copper. I've gone from hating it to desoldering junk to harvest parts because it's so easy.

sandreas 21d ago
I don't fully agree. Hakko is high quality, quiet, but also VERY expensive (300+ bucks) and the gun contains the vacuum pump which makes it HEAVY and not easy to work with for longer than a few minutes. The ZD-8965 is cheaper (not as high quality but good enough and only around 100 bucks), has a separated station with a very light gun, that is pretty easy to work with and it is significantly smaller more silent than other ZD-* models. Another advantage is that the gun can be replaced for around 25 bucks, so if you ever drop it or it gets leaky, you don't have to invest another 100 bucks. I used it for desoldering / mill maxing multiple Logitech G515 keyboards with 88 switches (264 solder joints) and I worked through a whole keyboard with one go - no cleaning, no clog, no overheat.
enthdegree 21d ago
How did you learn to use one? As someone who has only touched one once, heat guns kind of scare me mostly because the airflow is invisible. I have destroyed things with it and almost burned myself. It's hard for me to gauge if you have too much or too little heat on something. Too far away it's doing nothing and too close you're frying a piece, and there is no indication where on that range you are without some learned intuition.
- sokoloff 21d ago
  The Hakko desoldering gun he’s talking about is the FR-301 (or close equivalent), which is a soldering iron with a hollow tip that the gun has a vacuum pump that can suck solder out through the hollow tip. It’s not a hot air soldering station. After decades of using copper braid, I recently splurged for the 301 and wish I’d done it sooner. My teen kid could effortlessly desolder the button on his worn out gaming mouse with it after 30 seconds of training (me demoing how to use it). You can buy the Japanese version, desolder 1 resistor, and solder in two replacements to adapt it from Japanese 100VAC to US 120VAC and save about $100, plus it will remind you how awful desoldering with braid is by comparison. It takes 30 very unhurried minutes at most to do the mod.

le-mark 21d ago

> Oscilloscope (mini beginner with display Cost around 30 bucks) Any recommendations for this?

sandreas 21d ago
FNIRSI 2C53T for more serious work ZEEWEII DSO154Pro to go as cheap as possible for something that is roughly useful
- xandrius 21d ago
  And in between? Also what would I really need it for? I mainly do ESP circuits and stuff like that, would I ever need anything other than a multimeter if your opinion?
  - ansgri 21d ago
    I have a FNIRSI 1013D, it has a large display and actually decent, if primitive, touch screen controls. You even can export waveforms in a proprietary but reverse-engineered format. Pleasant device overall, it’s both portable and ok for desktop use. If you’re doing mostly digital circuits, I’d consider a very basic scope for dealing with power supplies and PWMs (but skip the cheapest single channel ones, you’ll want the second channel very soon), and consider getting a separate logic analyzer that can decode common protocols on several channels. You won’t need that if you just work with popular modules though.
  - wildzzz 20d ago
    Unless you're actually designing new circuits versus just connecting modules together, you probably don't need an oscilloscope. Maybe if you're debugging some faulty module but you're more likely to just buy a new one. A multimeter is an absolute must though, especially if anything in your design is adjustable/tuneable in any way.
  - sandreas 20d ago
    As already been said, an Oscilloscope is for more professional work. As an example you can take a look at the iPod Remote Protocol (https://tinymicros.com/wiki/Apple_iPod_Remote_Protocol https://tinymicros.com/wiki/Apple_iPod_Remote_Protocol) or watch Jeff Geerlings video about the device (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBT0N67YFA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBT0N67YFA) In general you probably don't ever need one, if you're not too serious into electronics - that is why I put one in the "more advanced" listing.

enthdegree 21d ago

I also recently had to decide what soldering iron to get and I found this video extremely informative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXGb5q1OTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXGb5q1OTA I got an SL108 I'm really happy using with my 67W Anker brick (far more convenient than the FX 951 station I had to store + set up every time). I think I could do some precision work with my SL108 but if it became regular or a new project involved it I'd get something smaller, like the TS101 or similar, I guess.

genxy 21d ago

The second most important thing is a microscope so you can see and analyze your work!

elcritch 20d ago
They’re really not too expensive on Amazon either. Even for soldering larger 0.1” headers a microscope lets you inspect the joints for cold joints or micro cracks. Those will happen, especially when starting out!

ridgeguy 21d ago

Yes, and the one thing I'd add is practice. And more practice.Take an occasional macro video so you can remember how that perfect joint felt when you did it. Source: decades-old Lockheed certification for rework on Trident C4 & D5 SLBM G&C boards.

allenbina 20d ago

I prefer solder wick over the pump most of the time. Plus it’s cheap.

sandreas 20d ago
Yeah I forgot solder wick. It's better to have both. However, if you'd always used cheap pumps you'd maybe like to try the Engineer SS03. It's a whole different ballpark, although it is pretty expensive. The clones are not as good, but way better than the normal 2$ ones.

abeyer 20d ago

Mostly a good complete list... One thing I'd take issue with though is no clean flux for hand soldering. "No clean" formulations are almost universally designed for reflow oven temperature profiles and may not actually meet their specifications for electrical/chemical safety to leave on the board without cleaning when hand soldered. They are also commonly _more_ difficult to clean if you want/need to. Given that non-no clean formulations are likely both easier to clean and more reliable over time when hand soldered, they're my preference for rework.

sandreas 20d ago
Did not know that. Thank you.

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