Hakko soldering iron questions/problems?

[jlara]

Hello friends at Adafruit!

I am writing about a problem I'm having with my new Hakko FX-888 (936 upgrade) (FX-888)

It worked beautifully out of the box...I usually set it 350-375 and it
did a beautiful job, really nice. In the last week though I'm guessing
it's not getting up to temp, the solder is not flowing properly. I
don't have a tip measurement device, so I'm at a loss as to how to
recalibrate it, if that's the problem. I'm noticing that the light
cycles on/off to hold temperature while the iron is in the stand ...
the light comes on for maybe a 1/4 second, then it's off, and the
cycle repeats every second or second-and-a-half. Is that normal?

The iron actually hasn't gotten more than 2 or 3 hours ON time since I
got it since I've been off on soft projects...but I went back to the
bench earlier this week and noticed the iron was behaving differently.

I checked the tip of course, and it's clean and shiny.

Any help you can offer?
John

[adafruit]

we'll get this fixed! ok does it heat up at all? does the wet sponge make a hiss when you wipe the tip onto it?

[jlara]

Thanks for the quick response!

Yes, the iron sizzles when it hits the moist sponge. I

I have a cheap infrared non-contact thermometer and it reads about 130 C on the heating shaft, though I doubt that is very accurate and certainly not a reflection of temperature at the tip. Mind you I have the Hakko dial set to 350-375 C. Last week at those temps the solder would immediately flow if touched ot the tip directly and flow on PC joints well after just a second or two of heating. Now the solder doesn't seem to melt as fast when I touch the tip and I'm getting "blobby" cold joints when soldering PC board connections.

John

[adafruit]

make sure your tip is secured (of course wait till its cold)
bump it up a bit - make sure you're looking at C and F properly for leadfree you may want as high as 750 F

[jlara]

I see the problem now. I had some lead-free solder around that got mixed in with the regular solder. I bumped up the temp and the lead-free is flowing OK now.

I gotta say I still like the lead solder better...what an old-timer i am.

Many thanks for your help - sorry it ended up something so obvious.

John

[adafruit]

most people like lead more, but in europe you cant buy it. the hakkos are excellent for lead free, many cheaper irons simply cant keep up with the higher temp

[jlara]

I'm noticing that I seem to be developing a thin gray sheen over the tip. I brightened it with some fine sandpaper when it was cold, but it grays over very fast once it warms up. Once it's gray I notice serious problems heating the joins...while solder will flow if applied right to the tip.

What am I doing wrong here? Is there not enough flux in the solder (should I get some flux and apply alone) or am I doing something else wrong? The solder is pretty old, perhaps the flux is inactive from age? Should I not mix lead and lead-free solder?

Thanks!
John

[adafruit_support_bill]

Don't use sandpaper. Keep it tinned with solder and clean it while it is hot with either a damp sponge, or (my preference) a brass 'sponge'. Just stab it a couple times after every few joints to scrub off the oxidation. If it gets really bad, there are tip-tinning/cleaning pastes as well.

[jlara]

Ah tinning powder - I'll take a look at RadioShack. I use the brass sponge that comes with the Hakko, but it wasn;t keeping the oxides off. With a very fine sandpaper, have I ruined the tip already? It was more of just a polishing to take off the oxides.

j

[adafruit_support_bill]

Most tips are plated, and an abrasive will eventually wear through. If you used fine sandpaper and didn't get too agressive, it is probably still OK.

[colonelmustard]

Hi jlara and team Ada,

I am an FX-888 owner as well... slightly off topic but I wanted to confirm whether your FX-888s were indeed made in Japan. I purchased one from a legitimate Hakko dealer chain-store and mine is made in Malaysia. I bought it under the impression that it was made in Japan but unfortunately it wasn't, nor did it even say on the box . My unit has not been too consistent temperature wise so I wonder if these problems are due to the origin of manufacture. I'm considering returning this and getting a Weller instead...

[jlara]

Interesting idea...I looked at the botton of the unit and it doesn't indicate a country of manufacture origin so I can't tell. I already cut the box up and it went out with the recyclables last week.

Perhaps our friends at Adafruit can tell us...I bought the unit from Adafruit in the last month or so.

John

[adafruit]

Interesting idea...I looked at the botton of the unit and it doesn't indicate a country of manufacture origin so I can't tell. I already cut the box up and it went out with the recyclables last week.

Perhaps our friends at Adafruit can tell us...I bought the unit from Adafruit in the last month or so.

John

previous models were made in japan, the current models we get direct from hakko are made in malaysia.

cheers,
adafruit

[jlara]

Say, is ADAFRUIT carrying the replacement tips yet? If not, what is the model number that matches the tip supplied with the iron, I'd like to get another tip.

Thanks!
John

[adafruit]

Not yet, we havent gotten a response from Hakko yet. With all the troubles in Japan, there may be a few delays until they get back to us. We'll post as soon as we carry tips!