[sdiy] Bad Weller soldering iron

[Theo]

For the last 6 months or so my 4 year old Weller WTCP also has problems.
Quite often the tip doesn't heat up after some time of use.
I can't find what's wrong with it :(  ,doesn't seem to be the switch.

Lucky there is a "spare" station on the bench and I use that one more often
now.
Its a Voltcraft LS50, about one year old and working without problems.

Although the Weller WTCP feels better "in the hand",
the Voltcraft isn't bad either.
- 50W rating
- 3 programmable temperature presets, programmed values stay visible in the
display.
- Clear readout of actual temp.
- A power bar shows how hard the heating element is working, useful!
- Temp display in F or C.
- Electronic temp measurement at the tip, stable within 2 degrees.
- Some standby/off timer features, might be handy for some pp.

At roughly half the price of a WTCP the Voltcraft LS50 is a winner in my
book.
Definitely worth looking into.
Though honestly, IF it works I enjoy working with the Weller more, but that
is IF...

In Europe the Voltcraft is available from www.conrad.de  (or www.conrad.nl)


Theo




From: l.a.j.p. vermeulen <l.vermeulen at hccnet.nl>


> I agree, Wellers are bad today, but not obly the irons but also the
compagny
> sucks.
> I have one which is working for now 30 years and my new one is broken for
> the third time in 3 years. Always the "FAMOUS" switch what is broken.
> I send mails to the compagny, but no respond at all.
>
> Bert
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Batz Goodfortune" <batzman at all-electric.com>
> To: "patchell" <patchell at silcom.com>; <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 3:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Perverse Nature of Equipment...
>
>
> > Y-ellow Jim 'n' all.
> >          My heart goes out to you...
> >
> > At 12:31 PM 4/5/03 -0800, patchell wrote:
> >
> > >     I can't believe it...the heating element in my WTCPT Weller Iron
> > >just died...just when I needed it not to fail me.  Doing some last
> > >minute work on stuff I am going to bring to the below meet.  Similar
> > >thing happeded last June...while finishing up the Mikado, my crimping
> > >tool broke.  A new iron should be here on Wed...(fortunatly a
> > >replacement iron is not overly expensive...I could have replaced the
> > >heater for $15, but after looking at this thing, over 20 years old, it
> > >seemed best to replace it, the plastic is cracking, the cord is showing
> > >signs of wear...).
> >
> > I'm glad you could get replacement bits so cheap. That's what I would
have
> > done a few years back when mine gave up the ghost but it wasn't to be
so.
> > It was a Friday morning when it died. I'd planned on doing a lot of
> > soldering over the weekend. I managed to find the only one available in
> the
> > whole frigging town and get them to send it to me by currier.
> >
> > Right from the start I didn't like the design of the new irons. The
pencil
> > was the same but having the holder separate to the transformer was
really
> > annoying. Every time I'd go to pick the iron up I'd drag the base and
all
> > with me and the transformer box it self is shaped stupidly so you
couldn't
> > even glue or strap the base to it. This thing cost me just under 200
clams
> BTW.
> >
> > Maybe a year later I was working one day and it died again. Last time it
> > was the element in the iron that died so naturally that's where I
started.
> > It took me some time to figure it out but eventually I figured I was
> > chasing a red herring and opened up the transformer box.
> >
> > Inside I discovered a transformer which was only a bit over half the
size
> > of the original one. They'd scrimped on the transformer to the point
where
> > it was right on the edge of the current needed to run the iron. So to
safe
> > guard that, they placed this stupid "SOLDERED IN" in-line fuse between
the
> > transformer and the socket. For a start, the only way to get it out is
> with
> > a soldering iron. DER!!!! And of course it was the fuse that was blown.
> >
> > But it was not an ordinary 3AG or whatever. It was some damn cheap-assed
> > proprietary thing and it had no rating stamped on it. The only other
iron
> I
> > had to unsolder it was something a friend dumped on me at some point.
> She'd
> > bought it in Holland so it had the wrong plug. So first I had to modify
> that.
> >
> > After looking at the fuse and all things considered, I just thought.
> > "Bugger this!" And decided to crack out my old transformer. But there
was
> > one more snag waiting me. The cheap plastic proprietary plug on the
thing
> > had broken years ago. I replaced it with the only suitable (current
wise)
> > plug I had at the time. A 4 pin Jones plug. So in essence, what I had to
> do
> > was pull the connecting hardware out of the new one and put it into the
> old
> > one. Which meant even more modifications. Grinding, cutting and shaping.
> >
> > I have to say that the net result is brilliant. The transformer's in the
> > base so the holder is stable. You don't have to fill the sponge with
half
> a
> > liter of water just to keep it wet. And the transformer is pokey enough
to
> > handle the job.
> >
> > But here in lies my beef. Comparing the old one to the new one, they've
> > scrimped so much over the years. The old one was/is ergonomically
designed
> > and had more than enough grunt so as it wouldn't fail. The new ones are
> > right on the edge and really badly designed IMHO. The things are made so
> > cheaply these days that I'm sure I'd never buy another one. Except, what
> > else is there? Some cheap-assed Dick Smith or Tandy crap that's even
> worse?
> > And you can always get Weller tips. Chances are that 2 years down the
line
> > you won't be able to find anything that actually fits a Tandy or Duck
> > Smuth's iron. (Which has been known.) And is there even anything better
> out
> > there?
> >
> > Considering the money I had to pay for the thing. And this was from the
> > distributor here BTW. And their insistence that If I did want just the
> > pencil it would only be 20 or 30 dollars less than the whole thing
anyway.
> > I feel considerably cheated.
> >
> > The old one has this nice big furgie flat pack in it. The new one has a
> > transformer that even dick smith wouldn't put on the shelf. With just
over
> > half the VA. I feel that Wellers aren't what they use to be. And like so
> > many other companies these days, are trading on the reputation they use
to
> > have. We buy Wellers thinking we're getting the best and most reliable
but
> > that just isn't the case anymore it would seem.
> >
> > Bad Weller. Naughty Weller. Grrrrr.
> >
> > Be absolutely Icebox.
> >
> >   _ __        _       ____Happiness is a warm penguin____
> > | "_ \      | |
> > | |_)/  __ _| |_ ____       ALL ELECTRIC KITCHEN
> > |  _ \ / _` | __|___ |  Yeti music by Yetis for Yetis
> > | |_) | (_| | |_  / /
> > |_,__/ \__,_|\__|/ /    Disgusting-> http://all-electric.com
> >                  / ,__   Music -----> http://mp3.com/electrickitchen
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> >
>
>