The Raspberry Pi Thread [4]

alphanumeric said:

I can't see it being an issue? They aren't going to melt or anything. I think that is a "works best at" thing? Assuming they fit in your iron.

Yeah, I am also looking at the length and diameter of the tip. Will let you know how it goes.

badrobot said:

Yeah. There is a one liner script to install drivers for the DAC I linked.
Anyway, I think I am gonna pass with the DAC and think about the Beat.
I have one more question with regards to my soldering iron. Since it's a cheap one and needs a tip replacement, it's hard to find the right tip for it so I may end up buying a new and better one. My question is, if I have a 45 watts iron, is it okay to use a 30 watts tip? What will be the cons if ever? I only use my iron for simple soldering tasks.
Thanks alpha for all your help above.

First of all, a 45 watt iron is a bit much for circuit boards so be careful if you use it for that purpose since too much heat will lift the traces on the board.

Without knowing the exact iron we're talking about it's not really possible to give a direct answer. If the iron is a soldering station type with a power unit and such then putting a 30 Watt tip in it may actually alter the wattage of the iron and would make it so that you could have different tips for different soldering jobs.

However, if it is a simple iron where the cord goes directly from the iron into the wall socket, I believe using a 30 Watt tip in a 45 Watt iron will not change the wattage of the iron and the con is that the 30 Watt tip will probably not last long in that iron as it wasn't designed for that much heat.

strollin said:

First of all, a 45 watt iron is a bit much for circuit boards so be careful if you use it for that purpose since too much heat will lift the traces on the board.

Without knowing the exact iron we're talking about it's not really possible to give a direct answer. If the iron is a soldering station type with a power unit and such then putting a 30 Watt tip in it may actually alter the wattage of the iron and would make it so that you could have different tips for different soldering jobs.

However, if it is a simple iron where the cord goes directly from the iron into the wall socket, I believe using a 30 Watt tip in a 45 Watt iron will not change the wattage of the iron and the con is that the 30 Watt tip will probably not last long in that iron as it wasn't designed for that much heat.

Yeah, it's just a regular iron on a handle. Anyway, I just wanted to see if I can prolong it's life by replacing the tip. Otherwise, I can buy a new and better one. Thanks!

I use a Weller WP35, 35watt. It says right on it, "use original Weller tips only" , but of course it would. I have spare tips for it, it came with multiple tips.

mine is a 25W..
I just soldered on the Pimoroni "On OFF Shim" onto my Pi Zero running the Phat Dac

works as they said it would

Video of the phat dac using a small battery powered speaker.
Pimoroni Phat Dac - YouTube

I have a Weller soldering station that is 40+ years old. Still works great. Recently had to replace the barrel part that actually holds the tip. Otherwise I've only ever replaced tips and the little sponge.

Been wanting to get a station with an adjustable iron for a while. Always find something else to spend the money on. We had a really nice setup at work. Pace soldering station. I think it was called a Rework station or something similar. Adjustable temps for the iron, and an adjustable solder sucker with a vacuum pump. A plugin to a motor to use a dremel like tool for cutting grinding. Electric heat wire strippers, and a bunch of other attachments I don't remember. One of the first courses I went on after being hired was a course on how to use it without damaging what your working on. How "not" to lift the tracks off of the circuit board etc. Which is surprisingly easy to do when your removing components during repair.

@jack, that's pretty cool. Spot for wiring up your own button too. Is that the same button they on the pHat Beat. I find those a little hard to use with my nubby fingers.

I ended up getting a new iron with adjustable temperature. It comes with 5 tips and it has a built in switch and an LED task lighting. I ordered it last night and will be delivered today. I also got a Tip Tinner.