Metcal

> They use a high mghz signal to measure the tip temperature using impedance measurements IIRC. Then they control the tip temperature using a feedback control loop. That's not how Metcal fixed temp induction soldering irons work. They don't have a control loop, which is what makes them so much better than other soldering irons. They exploit the Curie temperature [1] of some alloys, in which the metal loses its inductive properties when it hits a certain temperature. A Metcal power supply pumps a simple 13.56 Mhz signal into the tip which heats it up and when it reaches its Curie temperature, it just stops heating. Since the signal is constant, whenever the temperature of the tip drops it just heats back up without any PID loop. The downside is that you have to switch tips (alloys) with a pair of pliers to change temperatures, but the upside is that there is no control loop delay. It's also why their station are so reliable. There's basically no "modern" electronics in them and the worst you have to do to fix them is replace an electrolytic capacitor. I've got a power supply manufactured in the late 90s that's still as good as new and like you said, going back to a Hakko or any other soldering iron is downright painful. (Side note to anyone who cares: when the patents expired, a couple of Metcal engineers left to form Thermaltronics, which sells cheaper stations and Metcal-compatible tips) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature

Hardware development has gotten much more efficient in the last 20 years across the board - both electronics and mechanics - but salaries haven't kept up. On the electronics side, better modules like RPi's compute module, open source footprint libraries, and reference designs have significantly sped up development since I started twenty years ago. What used to take weeks or months in Altium can now be measured in days, especially if companies publish their reference designs in the application format instead of PDF. The turn around time and cost on PCBs have also dropped precipitously, to speak nothing of the turn key assembly that the fabs offer. Pretty much the only thing that has stayed the same is that MetCal induction soldering irons are still the best. On the mechanics side, it's hard to appreciate just how much better vendors' CAD libraries have become, to the point where you can drag and drop Misumi/Mcmaster/etc parts from a Solidworks extension onto your assembly like it was Gary's Mod. 3D printing alone has made everything more efficient during development and has enabled many interesting production designs from rocket nozzles to turbojet engines.

> incredibly dumb Metcal The amount of technology in a Metcal to make it work as well as it does, justifying its $1,000 sticker price back when I did that kind of stuff, makes it far from dumb! The rest of the market has caught up, but back when it was released, Metcals were highly sought after! It does this induction heating thing with the Curie point which makes for a very good soldering iron.

I have the exact same question, I don't get it. A reasonably recent ESD soldering iron like a Hakko or a Metcal has never (outside of stupidly small pitched chips) caused me to think "this sucks, I need something better...if only it was webscale."

If you want to get into soldering, do yourself a favor and invest in a good station, iron, and tips. If you want to de-solder, good quality soldering wick is also really important (I use chemtronics). I was lucky enough to snag an old Metcal from work for free, and it's fantastic. The way they work is really cool too: it sends a high power RF signal (i.e. AC voltage) to the coil in the tip. Because of the skin effect and curie point, it will heat up until the point where the coil loses it's magnetism, resulting in a self-regulating tip temperature that doesn't need a thermo couple! [1] It responds very quickly to thermal loads, too. It's an expensive system to be sure, but totally worth it especially if you can find it used. They're also great about support even for older units, and you can get the entire schematics online if you need to make any repairs. 1. https://www.metcal.com/hand-soldering/how-smartheat-technolo...

I love my metcal. It was so expensive I had to buy it from a surplus store. there is no substitute. Also use a lot of Weller, but I have had them for a very long time.

Couple of interesting points and takeaways from a dabbler and tinkerer of 40+ years: Weller soldering station - I got gifted a professional, but dead, one of these in my youth, after the chap witnessed me heating an iron over an open flame to desolder components. Then he showed me how to repair it. I've been brand loyal ever since. That old iron sits in pride of place on a shelf in my office, but I later went and bought a new Weller, with digital control, and dual outputs to run two heads simultaneously at different temperatures, and also has a temperature lock on each output. A range of tips and a comfort grip handle makes all the difference in the world. Weller also make a good line of electronic work hand tools that are worth investing in. I also like the Weller irons because they can shut off automatically if you don't touch them, then heat right back up super fast when you need them. How many people have gotten called away, accidentally left their iron on, and come back two days later to an odd smell. If you can afford/justify a Metcal soldering station, get one of those instead. But don't waste your money on a Metcal if you aren't serious about your hobby. I am not serious enough to have a Metcal, but I very much like them and have used them. That said, if you just want to get started, get a Pinecil iron. You won't go wrong with it for 90% of what you want to do. You can have mine when you can pry it from my cold dead hands brought on by a lead solder induced coma. Get…

If you are going to do electronics soldering a lot, I would personally recommend to stump up for one of the RF soldering systems (Thermaltronics or Metcal) as absolutely soon as you can possibly afford them. The difference to your soldering is night and day. I cry for all the time I wasted soldering before I got a Metcal system. Given that he is recommending Wellers that are in the same price range there is no reason not to step up to the RF systems if you can.

100% agree with this. Metcal is life changing.

The Aoyue hotair station I have has a soldering iron which is a clone of a hakko 936. Uses the same tips even. I almost exclusively use my Metcals now...the Aoyue has a tip for inserting heat set brass inserts to 3d prints nowadays, I don't use it to solder much. Sidenote: My hotair station is almost 8 years old...still works fine. So for the money it was worth it for sure.

It's not the thermostat but the power output that matters and a slightly more expensive soldering iron will generally have a slightly better power supply. For example, the best soldering iron I've ever used is the Metcal fixed temperature inductive soldering station which require changing out the tip alloy to change the temperature (and I've never had to change tips for temp, only shape).

> having a cheap, but not-great equipment is a good stepping stone. I don't agree for something like this. The problem is that beginners often don't understand how to deal with the limitations of equipment--all they understand is that something is wonky and they don't know how to fix it. In addition, bad equipment can make your initial impressions so painful that they prevent you from going further. Oscilloscopes, cheap soldering tools, etc. all have this effect. It's not unique to electrical engineering though--super cheap guitars are painful to play while something just $150 more is dramatically easier to deal with. Where cheap equipment shines is when a beginner has been at it long enough and becomes "dangerous". They know just enough to do things but not enough to avoid things that will destroy their equipment. That's when the $20 "whatever" is a blessing because you'll get annoyed but you won't be distraught if you blow it up. Even as someone experienced, I semi-regularly destroy a $10 logic analyzer because the circuit I was analyzing wasn't doing what I thought it was (of course, this is mostly laziness--since the analyzer is merely $10 I don't take the time to double check things that I would if I were to put my Agilent analyzer on it) > Besides, beginners won't have the skill to fully use fully-featured pro-level-gear. Quite often, pro gear is better for beginners. For a beginner, an "Auto Scale" button on their scope that does the right thing is a godsend…

Strong agree; 7/10 is a ludicrous score for a device that takes a heat gun and a proprietary screwdriver to open. It is my opinion that iFixit is starting to turn from being actually hacker friendly into something of a mouthpiece for too-little-too-late corporate-sponsored initiatives designed to curb right-to-repair efforts. The money coming into their business from corporate programs is evident, and it's evident they are strongly perusing that market. I'm not convinced it's going to be a win for consumers though. I found the recent release of their soldering station at $300 to be particularly distasteful. If you want to spend that kind of money on soldering tools, go for Metcal. Otherwise a Pinecil and a USB-C power bank give you exactly the same quality and control for 1/4 the price. The electro-release adhesive is cool as hell though; no denying that.

The only argument I have would be the soldering irons. You really want a Metcal or Thermaltronics station. They're just so much better that it's ridiculous. Yes, they are expensive. However, you will have them forever . And you will never have to worry about too much heat, too little heat, or calibration ever again. Your soldering will be so dramatically better that you will wonder how you ever did without them.

Basic pick-and-place machines run about $2k. Reflow ovens cost about $200. Those are a must if you want to produce hundreds of populated PCBs at home. For one-off projects you can do most anything easily by hand with a high end auto-heating soldering station like a Metcal and microscope for under $500. My wife and I build and modify our own electronics for lots of random things. The equipment lives in the shed next to the laser cutter, 3D printer, and woodworking tools. I am kind of surprised most tech professionals -don't- have basic electronics dev gear at home given how accessible it is these days. Go learn to make a thing! You will feel more pride in it than a few more hours of doom scrolling.

Metcal fixed temperature soldering irons use RF induction instead of resistive heating elements so they don't struggle with large copper pours like that. The soldering irons you're thinking of have very poor thermal recovery compared to a proper Metcal.