>> Even if you you don't go all the way to a metcal-level iron, do be
>> sure that you get an iron that is actually TEMPERATURE controlled, and
>> not just "variable wattage." =A0Even the first level of that step (say,
>> an old Weller magentically-controlled iron) makes a big difference...

> The Metcal stations presumably use octarine instead of magenta :)

And OFC and more :-).

BUT what needs to be realised is that Metcal (whose irons I have never
used) use a fundamentally different approach to heating the tip
compared to almost all the conventional methods.

It's hard to believe that "fundamentally different" is possible in
this context - but they manage.

They feed RF through the tip from a generator in the "stand" and use a
temperature selective mechanism to decide when to absorb it. This
means that the heat source is IN the tip with very very low thermal
path from there to the work. There are detailed explanations on web
but a quick Gargoyling just now failed to find one. Worth looking at
some time. Definitely Octarine.


                            Russell

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