At 12:13 AM 4/6/2004, Denny Esterline wrote: >I just picked up a second hand Weller WTCPT station off e-bay, and I'm >having some issues with the tip (PTA8). I can't get the very end of it to >tin (the iron plating may be damaged), and it seems to run a lot hotter >than the other irons I've used. If I clean it off and tin it, it'll oxidize >in a matter of seconds. The temperature regulating device appears to be >working, I can here and feel a very light click every few seconds while >it's on. > >Clearly, I'm looking to buy a new tip (maybe several). I was wondering what >tips other people prefer, I'm doing mixed assembly - through hole and SMT, >nothing smaller than SOIC. I was also wondering what temperature tips >others prefer. I can't verify if this tip is running at the spec'd 800F or >not, but it sure seems too hot. That station is an excellent choice for through-hole and hand-wiring work. The tips I'd recommend having on hand are PTA7, PTB7, PTC7. I suspect that you will find the PTB7 the most useful - I do. The last digit on the tip is the rated operating temperature in hundreds of degrees F. The first 2 letters are the series, the 3rd letter is the size. The tip you have is rated at 800F which is great for tinning through solderable enameled wire but not much else. Most electronics work is best done with 700F tips. You can purchase tips at most MRO type electronics supply stores - look for those stores that sell to radio / TV service shops and other electronics professionals (wholesalers). You should also be able to get them via mail order or Internet order from suppliers such as Digi-key, Mouser, Arrow, Pioneer, etc. The WTCPT station is not particularly useful for surface mount work. The problem is that you can't get tips small enough - if they were made smaller than the PTA size, they would not be effective in delivering adequate heat power to the tip. In other words, its a design limitation. Soldering stations for SMT work are readily available - Weller, Hakko, Metcal, Pace all make suitable units. My old favorite used to be a Weller station that was discontinued several years ago but I now use only Metcal stations. Metcal simply blows all other systems that I've tried out of the water - there simply is no comparison. Used stations and tips can be purchased quite reasonably from eBay. STTC125 is an excellent general purpose SMT tip. dwayne -- Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax Celebrating 20 years of Engineering Innovation (1984 - 2004) .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .-. .- `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' `-' Do NOT send unsolicited commercial email to this email address. This message neither grants consent to receive unsolicited commercial email nor is intended to solicit commercial email. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics