Soldering Station

[Harriot10]

What’s a good soldering station for doing battery connectors, motors, etc.....
I almost lost my mind last night trying to put some EC5 connectors on several batteries. Brought home a random soldering iron from my job and that thing wouldn’t get hot enough to do anything. Ended up going to my local hobby shop and they put the connectors on quickly. Thinking I should probably have a quality station for the future.

 

[jondilly1974]

Hakko 880

 

[Outcastblxnut]

 

[3d-rc.myshopify.com]

Check this out at Amazon.com Duratrax TrakPower TK-950 Soldering Station, DTXR0950 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W96RS61/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_5I6yEbBAQKK41
It is a hakko rebranding. Best bang for the buck and works great. I do 8 gauge wire all the time with it so you know it works.

 

[mutosan]

Buy a Weller station with at least 85Watt a bit expensive but they last.
This is the one I use: https://www.weller-tools.com/professional/USA/us/Professional/Product+lines/WE+Line/WE1010NA

 

[gotnitro]

What’s a good soldering station for doing battery connectors, motors, etc.....
I almost lost my mind last night trying to put some EC5 connectors on several batteries. Brought home a random soldering iron from my job and that thing wouldn’t get hot enough to do anything. Ended up going to my local hobby shop and they put the connectors on quickly. Thinking I should probably have a quality station for the future.

Mini butane or propane for bullets and I like a cheap copper flat head for ESC's and motors, rosin core solder.

 

[Tallmex]

Weller. It will last a lifetime

 

[mutosan]

don't just go with one top. I use small ones for little things and a broad one for bigger things like XT90.

Butane soldering is good for on the road but at home go for electric one. And its wise to not buy to cheap things.

 

[JtkBrew]

The Hakko gets a lot of recommendations around here. I went a different route when I bought mine because I was buying a lot of ther stuff at the same time, so I welcomed the $40 savings. I've been really happy with it so far.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z3KCVCL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_6J6yEbQ60B9S9

Edit - ask 10 RC enthusiasts for a suggestion and get 12 different answers. ?

 

[gotnitro]

Edit - ask 10 RC enthusiasts for a suggestion and get 12 different answers. ?

Yes Sir! OP, most importantly always tin your connections first. EDIT: Gimme some butane and a $7.99 hobbico 60w flat head and I'll make it look better than a factory job

 

[MrTitanium]

The Hakko FX888D has served me extremely well.

 

[BashingBrian]

I’m oldskool, so I use two irons a basic 40w and an 80w along with trusty old leaded solder..???
That setup will do me servo wires right up to 8awg..!!

 

[GMballistic]

Weller. It will last a lifetime

Plus one.
Personally I use a Weller 40Watt soldering iron which doesn't sound powerful but compared to others it acts like a 100Watt. Never had any problems soldering motors, ESC's, batteries, 8MM bullets, 8AWG wire etc.
Link: https://www.weller-tools.com/profes...ons/Electronic,+Repair,+and+Everyday/SP40NKUS

The tip any soldering iron has is also very important to how well it will solder. Always clean it and make sure it is shiny. Use flux and tip cleaner regularly.

 

[magnetik]

Still have an old Ungar (now Weller?) that I used in my slot car days. Still works fine. 30yrs or so. I now have two Hakko 888's. One D and one non-D.

 

[Jeffashbaugh452]

I have the KESGER T12 soldering station been using it for s couple months now and I love it.

 

[drjim]

I like Weller, but Hakko is also very good.

Whatever you buy, get some replacement tips in"small-medium-large" to fit the size job your doing. Small tips for circuit boards and small wires, and large tips for heavier stuff like battery leads.

 

[CrashBoom]

Still have an old Ungar (now Weller?) that I used in my slot car days. Still works fine. 30yrs or so.

I have a Weller 100W gun that's probably close to that old too, still works like a champ!

 

[Mongoose]

Hakko, it’s awesome and I highly recommend it with a chisel tip.

 

[suchtragedy]

I use a $20 cheapo 60W iron with digital temp control built in it that goes up to 450*C. I don't have issues soldering 12awg wire to XT90s as long as I pre add flux and pre-tin the wires and use a good/clean tinned tip with enough surface area on it for better heat transfer.

However if I had to do it again I'd get an iron with a minimum of 80 watts. Originally I bought this iron for soldering 14awg to 20awg wire but for 12awg wire it's a little weak but can get the job done.

 

[magnetik]

Coming back to this thread... recently wanted something portable in case something came up in the field among other things. Picked up a TS100 based on reviews and a ToolkitRC WM150 to check my amp draw.. with my small 3S pack it heats up to temp just as fast as my Hakkos. With my 6S graphene pack it gets to temp in seconds. I have two Hakkos but this iron is making it hard to choose when at home. There is even a hacked firmware for it that lets you change a bunch of settings not on the factory firmware. It was also only $50 for the iron.