Martin,

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 08:03:25 -0600, Martin McCormick wrote:

> 	Has anyone actually tried one of those relatively new
> battery-powered soldering irons that have recently appeared?  I saw a
> story on them on CNN's "Next" from a report at the Las Vegas Consumer
> Electronics Show.

Yes, I bought one just to see what it was like.  The "tip" is actially a pair of pieces with a gap in the 
middle, and it almost seems to use the target to bridge of the gap.  You often get a small spark as you press 
the button (they tell you that's normal) and this, combined with not-very-small tip size means that I don't 
think it's suitable for electronics.  I certainly won't be using it on anything with semiconductors in it!  

In your case you may find it difficult to position the tip, because the shape of the body of the unit doesn't 
give much clue as to where the tip is, the way a conventional iron (or even a soldering gun) does.

It may be useful for medium-sized joints such as car electrics, and useful to carry in the car for 
emergencies, but otherwise I don't see it being a replacement for a conventional iron.

Cheers,


Howard Winter
St.Albans, England


-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist