My New Toy

Amazing soldering station! im looking for a Jbc AR6800 too :)

Thanks! Loving all the old 1980's PACE training videos available on YouTube for this kit; watched most of them at least three times now :LOL:

I've tried googling the JBC AR6800 but couldn't get any decent results; got a picture or link?

Sure here's a pic.

http://www.maxder.it/images/JBC/Foto 2007/AM6800.jpg

Ah ok -- we had an R instead of an M in the model :LOL:

Looks very nice; the video on youtube using the chip extractor/protector tools with the hot air is impressive. Seems a lot more efficient than changing nozzles to fit the chip and foiling up the rest.
 
Thanks! Loving all the old 1980's PACE training videos available on YouTube for this kit; watched most of them at least three times now :LOL:

I've tried googling the JBC AR6800 but couldn't get any decent results; got a picture or link?

Sure here's a pic.

http://www.maxder.it/images/JBC/Foto 2007/AM6800.jpg

Ah ok -- we had an R instead of an M in the model :LOL:

Looks very nice; the video on youtube using the chip extractor/protector tools with the hot air is impressive. Seems a lot more efficient than changing nozzles to fit the chip and foiling up the rest.
Yeah, but yours looks more pro. Congrats man!
 
Workbench Photos

Workbench Photos

Yeah, but yours looks more pro. Congrats man!

Thanks; it's probably only pro piece of kit in the lot; here's a picture of the current setup, other than the PRC the rest is online auction, salvage or thrift shop :LOL:

Kit_Status_May2_2017.jpg

And since this is photo booth, why not a picture of the other side of the room to change it up:

Ther_Other_Wall_May2_2017.jpg
 
New IR-70 and SX-70 Tips

New IR-70 and SX-70 Tips

Wasn't getting great performance with the old tips that came with the kit and I recently found a nice shop online in Calgary, AB which has individual PACE tips available (some on clearance for about the price of a coffee) so I ordered some new ones for the IR-70 and SX-70:

01_IR70_SX70_NewTips.jpg

There's a 1/32" and 3/32" chisel tip for the IR-70 plus 0.03" and 0.09" Endura precision tip for the SX-70:

02_IR70_SX70_NewTips_CU.jpg

The larger chisel holds a nice amount of solder, unlike the original conical which was struggling to keep a dab on the tip. The 0.03" precision tip is great for cleaning up small pads and the extended backs are supposed to be clog-free -- unlike the original tip which left a bit of a mess a the entrance to the glass extractor chamber and required frequent cleaning. The 0.09" SX tip fits over most of the really large through-hole stuff and with a bit of secondary heating I'm able to remove some very large components as well.

Here's the original tips, the SX-70 tip is still usable (aside from the clogs) and without much rust but the original IR-70 conical will never be used again..

03_SX70_IR70_OldTips_CU.jpg

Here's just the IR-70 tip which is in seriously rough condition, it was a battle to get it out of the iron -- and this picture is after some heavy cleaning:

04_IR70_OldRustyTip.jpg

I was excited to try out the new tips but this damn thing just would not budge.. I tried removing it at high heat but nothing; tried a tip online about heating it up and dunking the tip in ice water but nope; froze it for a few hours and tried jarring it loose but it just wouldn't release :|

Was determined I wasn't going to hit it with WD-40 but after several hours I'd given up hope, so I finally removed the set screw completely and sprayed some in the hole and around the tip and after a few minutes of gentle wiggling it (and a pile of dust) popped right out.. :Doh:

But I'll keep telling myself that all those exact procedures were necessary before it would have worked, and I definitely wouldn't have saved myself hours by trying it in the first place.. (y)
 
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Re-re-Capping the A3640 card

Re-re-Capping the A3640 card

A short while ago I'd put through-hole caps on the A3640 card temporarily for testing:

05-Cap_Replaced.jpg

With replacements in-hand I was ready to revoke them and install the new ones. I sat down at the bench and turned on the new magnifying lamp from the thrift shop, but got no light -- Knocking it around a bit caused a flash or two so I decided to investigate..

01_A3640-2-DodgyMagnifyingLamp.jpg

I quickly found a wire leading to the lamp that was completely unconnected and a transformer that was hanging on for dear life -- a minute or two with the x-tractor and iron and it was good as new.

Next up I removed the temporary caps with a bit of foil, flux and hot air then cleaned up the pads with the new 0.02" desoldering tip, which cleans each pad in about 2 seconds while barely touching them:

02_A3640-2-FloDSodr_SodrXtractorPads.jpg

Overview with caps replaced:

03_A3640-2-CapsReplaced.jpg

Since the new cheapie USB microscope arrived I thought I'd give it a go and take a picture of the capacitor solder joints:

05_A3640-2-ReplacementCaps_Microscope.jpg

Definitely much better than my previous work and getting great fillets with the new 3/32" chisel tip.

While I had the microscope out I thought it might be a good idea to inspect the 33Mhz upgrade work the previous AmiBay owner had done; I always thought it looked a bit harsh but with what I've learned recently I could definitely tell those joints weren't right..

06_A3640-2-CheckPreviousWork.jpg

And Gyaaah :eek: -- it was not good, this trace was barely keeping contact, putting any pressure in the area easily severed the continuity:

07_A3640-2-Scope_Crystal_DyingTrace.jpg

The remaining pins were not pretty either but they all showed good continuity and the nearby traces weren't demolished -- I may have to clean this up and do proper repair on the traces some day though:

08_A3640-2-Crystal_OtherPins.jpg

For now I've scraped away the dying trace and replaced it with a short segment of suitable magnet wire which is making a much better connection:

09_A3640-2-Trace_Rerouted.jpg

And finally, re-installation and success -- boots up normally and appears to be stable after an hour of testing (y)

10_A3640-2-Working.jpg
 
PACE ST-45

PACE ST-45

Found a decent looking ST-45 in a Canada-only auction not too far away and was able to pick it up for about the price of a large pizza -- shipped Monday and arrived today (Wednesday):

01_PACE_ST_45_FrQC.jpg

Should come in handy for working away from the bench, for doing quick jobs that just need an iron or even fixing the PRC itself should it ever need repair.

Here's an overhead shot for better size comparison -- it's small but bulky and feels solid, looks clean and doesn't have any iron burn marks on it, unlike most of the auctions I've seen :LOL:

02_PACE_ST_45_FrQC_Overview.jpg

Compared it against the PRC by swapping the plug between them and the readings are a match; appears to be in good shape.
 
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Adding a PACE MBT to the kit

Adding a PACE MBT to the kit

Snagged another deal from a Canadian auction not too far away for around the price of a cheap android tablet; a PACE MBT (Model PPS-80A) :)

01_PPS80A_Unboxed.jpg

Other than a few minor scratches the unit appears to be in perfect condition, and I'm loving the big transparent analog dials on the front. Works with everything except the Pik-n-Paste and Pulse Heat tools and is about 13 years newer than the PRC from what I can tell.

Since I wasn't a fan of the left-side cubby on the PRC (had to cross over with the iron regularly) I happily donated it to the the MBT using the sponge tray mount and the extra cubby support kit that came with the PRC's accessories:

02_PPS80A_CubbyInstallation.jpg 03_PPS80A_CubbyInstallation2.jpg

The Snap-Vac actually appears to have more pressure and suction than the PRC's which leads me to think I should take a look at the condition of the PRC's pump to see if it needs maintenance. Unlike the PRC it also features the minimum ON-time when you hit the switch; meaning it continues to pull enough air for a moment to clear the solder x-tractor tip even after I've released the switch -- this makes it much nicer for doing lots of little joints since I can just tap it now instead of holding the trigger down. Also having analog control for the hot air tool temperature is much nicer to work with on the fly than having to hold the PRC's buttons for a long time to change temperatures back and forth for things like lowering it for heat-shrink tubing or pre-heating.

And here's a shot on the bench with the PRC; all the tools are on the right now which I find far more convenient:

04_PPS80A_PRC_Compare.jpg

Only odd bit I noticed was that the SensaTemp ports are upside-down compared to the PRC and ST-45; but looking at other's pictures online it seems to be normal.
 
More Fixin'

More Fixin'

Finally ordered the replacement capacitors for my mum's stereo; so it was time to install:
01_PanasonicStereo_NewCaps.jpg

Some basic lead forming was needed like the originals had -- they include extra clearance mostly for nearby resistors. Some flat blade tweezers plus some pliers with a shaft that had the right lead spacing made quick work of all the little caps:
02_PanasonicStereo_LeadForming.jpg

Installing everything was a breeze with the IR-70 and 3/32" chisel tip -- for fun I did half using the ST-45 and the other half with the MBT.
Here's some photos from final inspection before powering it on; mostly Nichicon Audio caps and a few Panasonic:
03_PanasonicSterero_Inspection.jpg 04_PanasonicStereo_Inspection2.jpg

And it works! FM, AM, tape and all are working as expected. Gave it a few hours of listening and all sounds good.
05_PanasonicStereo_Working.jpg


Finally putting it all back together and ready to deliver back to my mum for her cats, who have missed their radio companion while she's out:
06_PanasonicStereo_Together.jpg



Bonus Fix: While I was preparing the capacitor order I decided to see if I needed any others -- located a nice 24" monitor I picked up cheap but has been on my shelf for a few years since the backlight never worked. Taking a look inside there were 3 caps that obviously needed attention, so I added them to the order:
01_SamsungMonitor_BlownCaps.jpg

New Nichicon caps installed; higher temperature and life rating than the originals too:
02_SamsungMonitor_NewCaps1.jpg 03_SamsungMonitor_NewCaps2.jpg

Another success! Backlight appears stable and colors look good -- likely going to add this to my PC desktop now:
04_SamsungMonitor_Working.jpg
 
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Thrift Shop Fume Extractor Build

Thrift Shop Fume Extractor Build

I investigated several fume extractor options and the only reasonably priced ones I found were the fixed position boxes that sat intrusively on the bench and didn't actually remove the air from the vicinity -- the bigger types with their own ducts and a central filter was what I was looking for, but they were all very expensive...

While at the thrift shop the other day I found a cheap air purifier with a big fan in a sturdy box with removable charcoal filter at the back. Turning it on reveals the fan seems to work well but doesn't smell so great after a minute or two:

01_FEX_Front.jpg

Popping the back open reveals a bunch of high-voltage gear including a UV filter and some metal plates wired up to it -- not sure what it's all for but some of it had started to corrode near the plates and eat through the high voltage contacts; so it's all coming out:

02_FEX_Back_Open.jpg

Looking at the PCB we find a nice selection of bulging caps and high voltage stuff that's unrelated to the fan control, so they're quickly revoked with the solder extractor -- I'm really glad I was the one to pick this up from the thrift shop instead of someone who might have attempted to use it as-is:

03_FEX_Burnt_PCB.jpg 04_FEX_Removals.jpg

Unfortunately after removing those components, the on-board micro shuts the system down after a second or two; checking the traces shows there's two lines being used to monitor the high voltage components and removing them has trigged some sort of safety interlock.

Looking up the micro's datasheet I can only find it in Chinese and it's not very helpful except to discover that the fan control is wired to a PWM output which the original control used set three speeds via front buttons. Instead of mucking about with the unknown micro I simply de-activated it and used an ATTiny-85 based Arduino with a potentiometer to translate the analog voltage to a digital PWM signal for smooth variable speed control:

05_FEX_FanController_Proto.jpg

And for the code all I needed to do was a basic analog potentiometer to digital PWM translation loop:

Code:
int pwm = 0;      // Fan Control
int pot = A1;     // Potentiometer Input

int t = 0;
int v = 0;

void setup()
{
  pinMode(pwm, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(pot, INPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  // Read voltage from potentiometer (0-1023 = 0V-5V)
  t = analogRead(pot);

  // Convert to range 0-255
  v = int((float(t) / 1023.0) * 255.0);

  // Clamp edges for a firm fully-ON and fully-OFF dead zone
  if (v < 10) {
    v = 0;
  } else if (v > 250) {
    v = 255;
  }

  // Write PWM value to Fan output
  analogWrite(pwm, v);

  // 5ms between updates
  delay(5);
}

After I had the breadboard prototype up and running I quickly duplicated the design onto a DigiSpark shield and uploaded the code to it for a more permanent installation:

06_FEX_FanController_Final.jpg 07_FEX_FC_Installation.jpg

Finally for the air-intake itself I had this old pice of flexible duct from a dead air conditioner used to connect it to the window -- A/C was tossed long ago but I'm glad I kept this piece as it's a perfect fit for the removable filter panel on the back of the unit:

08_FEX_Duct_Filter.jpg

Putting everything back together and trying it out; getting a nice airflow pulling in the fumes and no smoke from the exhaust, so the filter appears to be doing it's job -- the right side of the unit is aimed directly towards the restroom, where the exhaust fan for the apartment carries whatever's left outside:
09_FEX_Testing.jpg

And a final picture with it installed on the bench; fits perfectly on the shelf and can easily be retracted out of the way when not in use:

10_FEX_Installed_Bench.jpg

Looking forward to not having to hold my breath or dodge fumes anymore while working (y)
 
Adding a PACE PPS-30 Pulse Heat supply and ConductTweez to the kit

Adding a PACE PPS-30 Pulse Heat supply and ConductTweez to the kit

Grabbed another sweet deal this past week which arrived today; this time from a seller in the USA -- a PACE PPS-30 with accessories!

Managed to get the whole kit for about the price of a new pulse heat cable by itself -- everything appears to be working properly too:
01_PPS30_Overview.jpg 02_PPS30_Front.jpg

But here's the part I was primarily interested in; the CT-15 Conductive Tweezers -- including guide block and tips:
03_PPS30_CT15.jpg
These tweezers can go into the work cold, and then with a touch of the pedal can solder or remove SMT components! The included tips will need a bit of maintenance before I'd really use them -- but they are at least easy to find online at a decent price, and there's a few different types available.


The kit also included a nice clean pedal, which is compatible with all units and will come in very handy as well:
04_PPS30_Pedal.jpg

For the accessories alone, if I purchased the same parts new from the PACE website (Cable, Pedal, CT-15, Tips and Guide Block) the total would be over $1000 CAD! :LOL: There doesn't appear to be a equivalent analog unit to the PPS-30 itself from PACE, but they're fairly common auctions that go for ~$50 by themselves.

Now I just need to find a good practice project for the tweezers (y)
 
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Nice, but those tweezer tips are way too big for small pitch SMD parts (like capacitors on Amigas) so it'll be difficult to get reliable heat contact, especially with leaked capacitors where the oxides from corrosion act a heat barrier. I advise you that as a minimum only attempt to desolder trash PCBs first, and take a very good look afterwards at the pads to see if they are undamaged. Better yet, get a much smaller, pointy tip.
 
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Nice, but those tweezer tips are way too big for small pitch SMD parts (like capacitors on Amigas) so it'll be difficult to get reliable heat contact, especially with leaked capacitors where the oxides from corrosion act a heat barrier.

Aye, I agree they might be a too big for working on something like radial cap leads or small chip components (website says they're 0.080" chisel at the ends) -- I was checking placement and size against a bunch of components in my dead board pile, and for most of the SMD parts they're wider than the pads themselves. They do also appear to be the smallest tips available for the CT-15 from what I've seen..

From the videos and techniques posted on the PACE website it implies they're really only meant for the chip type SMD components with plates/leads to grasp on either side:
Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 12.35.45 PM.jpg

I think trying to use them on the pads would probably be as about as gentle as scraping them with a flat blade screwdriver...

That said I'll probably still experiment with adding flux and making solder blobs on each side of a few components with the regular iron to make contact points for the tweezers just to see how effective (or not) they are for the task.

---
Edit: Yup, they are terrible for removing radial SMD caps :LOL: -- It kinda works but then I'm just cleaning melted plastic off the tips, and it needs enough pressure to leave a mark on most pads; though with the type of components I pictured above and with a bit of flux it seemed to do just fine.


I advise you that as a minimum only attempt to desolder trash PCBs first, and take a very good look afterwards at the pads to see if they are undamaged. Better yet, get a much smaller, pointy tip.

No worries, I definitely won't practice/train on any good boards -- I've got a nice stockpile of dead laptop, router and other random PCBs for demolishing on the go (y)

I hadn't planned to get the CT-15 before trying out the TT-65 tweezers, but I jumped on the deal. The TT-65 tips are rather expensive and specific-purpose, though I recently found out the PS-80 / IR-70 tips are compatible with the TT-65 (YouTube Link) and you can get the angled conical, chisel and mini-wave (divot in the tip) which should work well in pairs as as pointy tweezers.
 
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What also might help is by using solder blobs on the end of both tips. I've similair tweezers and when I use enough solder (heat dissipation) the caps come right off without damaging the board.
 
What also might help is by using solder blobs on the end of both tips. I've similair tweezers and when I use enough solder (heat dissipation) the caps come right off without damaging the board.

I've tried tinning the tips but they won't take any solder regardless of which tip tinner or flux I used; and that appears to be by-design like the resistance tweezers since they are able to be cooled before removing them from the work without sticking to it.

Putting a bit of excess solder on the SMT component itself seems to do the trick but it's a fair bit more preparation than I'd like for removing components quickly and there's no temperature feedback with the conductive tweezers so it takes some practice to get the pulse setting and pedal control balanced.
 
New tips, burning in the ThermoTweez and another IR-70

New tips, burning in the ThermoTweez and another IR-70

Picked up some new tips for the IR-70 and TT-65; found a good deal on 5-pack of bent chisel tips and a 3-pack of mini-wave tips. The bent chisel tips work well in the IR-70 but are also usable with the TT-65 (thanks to a "tip on tips" from MikesRadioRepair on YouTube).

Here's a couple pictures where I was trying out the tips and playing with alignment before doing a burn-in:

01_ThermoTweez_BentChisels.jpg 02_ThermoTweez_BentChisels2.jpg

Before I could use it I needed to burn-in the iron, so I fired up the fume extractor and used the automatic burn-in mode built in to the ST-45; it runs at 316c for 10 minutes then brings it up to 427c for 15 minutes before shutting it down -- this also matches heat and timing steps described on the red burn-in information card:

03_ThermoTweez_ST45Brn.jpg

After burn-in and re-installing the tips I tried it out for removing a few components; the components pictured here were very simple to remove with just a bit of flux on the leads. The radial SMT caps were removed easily as well, though the ones pictured here are a little beat-up as they've been through a few installation/removal practice sessions :)

04_ThermoTweez_Removals.jpg

Since I don't actually have a proper cubby for the tweezers I've a managed to repurpose the ConducTweez cubby which seems to work fine for now:

05_ThermoTweez_PHCubby.jpg

Next up I got a great deal on another IR-70 iron; it seems decent and works just as well as my original. Also pictured are the Mini-Wave tips, which provide a small hole in the tip for keeping a nice meniscus of solder on the surface, which is very useful for tasks like drag soldering and removing bridges from fine pitch SMT components.

06_37W_IR70_1.jpg

In comparison to my original iron this one shows 'Heavy Duty" instead of "High Capacity" -- The "Heavy Duty" element is rated at 37W while the High Capacity iron is rated at 48W. Didn't notice much difference when using it but I'm sure it would make a difference for heavier tasks.

07_37W_IR70_vs_48W_IR70.jpg
 
New tips and tools!

New tips and tools!

Been awhile since I've posted last and I've added a few new things to the bench to show off since then :LOL:

Found a couple nice deals on packages of of tips; a 10-pack of various chisels and an 8 pack of extra-pointy bent conical tips that are great for the tweezers:

01_PSIR_Tips2.jpg 02_TT65_PointyTips.jpg

A nice 12-pack of extractor tips I found for less than a 5-pack -- which I needed badly since I finally wore through the conical thermo-drive tip that came with it :roll:

03_New_SX70_Tips.jpg

A more modern PS-90 soldering iron with stand I picked up late last year; brand new from an online auction for about half of retail. It's a little bit more powerful than the IR-70 and I also find it's much more comfortable to use:

04_PS90_BurnIn.jpg

A lightly used Panavise electronic work station I grabbed for about the price of a large pizza earlier this year -- this thing has been awesome for holding and manipulating boards so far:

09_Panavise.jpg


More recently a nice lot of tools and accessories that I managed to grab for less than the price of the ThermoJet nozzle included with it. Came with a ThermoTweez, ThermoJet, a much needed tweezer stand, brand new cleaning station, tube fittings and markers, tip cleaners and an extractor glass chamber brush:

05_TJ70_TT65_Lot.jpg 08_TT65_Stand.jpg

The tips in the lot were ones I'd been looking for as well, the single jet nozzle is great for putting in small surface mount parts and the wider tweezer tips are useful for larger SMT components:

06_TT65_TJ70_Tips.jpg

Comparing to my original ThermoTweez and ThermoJet they appear to be mostly the same, except for a different grounding lead connecting the heaters (no wire, just a metal strip?) and the printing on the labels is smaller and more evenly spaced:

07_TT65_TJ70_Labels.jpg

And finally here's an updated picture of the workbench -- I might need to upgrade to a bigger desk soon :roll:

10_Bench_Feb2018.jpg
 
More tools! Newer type SX-80 Sodr-X-Tractor, TT-65 Tweezers and TP-65 Thermopik

More tools! Newer type SX-80 Sodr-X-Tractor, TT-65 Tweezers and TP-65 Thermopik

I should probably stop adding more handpieces to the collection now :LOL: but I couldn't turn down at least one more crazy deal.

It was posted with rather broken english (apparently they're "Sends Temp 2 Thermopylae" -- Spartan battle heaters? :blink:) and the description was hard to decipher, but the seller had a rock-solid review history and it was posted for less than the cost of the tips included in the tweezers.

The lot includes an SX-80 Sodr-X-Tractor, TT-65 ThermoTweez, TP-65 Thermopik, air filter and two stands; the handpieces also have the newer-type black handles:
01_NTL_Overview.jpg


The Sodr-X-Tractor and Thermopik appear to be lightly used at best and the ThermoTweez doesn't appear to have been used at all:
02_NTL_Closeup.jpg

The SX-80 is a fair bit different than the SX-70 and requires the newer type tips with the extended back to reach all the way to the chamber (luckily they're compatible with SX-70 too). With the SX-70 you have to carefully pull the whole chamber out the back-side to empty it -- but on the SX-80 it's easily done via the spring-loaded grip on back of the handle which releases it from the side compartment. Unfortunately it didn't include the re-usable glass chamber, only one of the cardboard solder traps instead -- but the glass chambers aren't expensive and I've already ordered one for it:
03_NTL_SX80.jpg04_NTL_SX80-SodrTrap.jpg

The tool stands are missing the protective plate on the base but I'm not too concerned as I have some silicone mats to put under them for now:
05_NTL_Stands.jpg

With the addition of this set I now have at least one backup for of each of the SensaTemp tools, which gives me a bit more peace-of-mind using them as I won't be left without if one breaks down. But from what I've seen of all the used PACE equipment still being sold from the 1970s and '80s in good working order I think I may be over-prepared ;)
 
More additions: Pik & Paste, Intelliheat and Lapflo tips

More additions: Pik & Paste, Intelliheat and Lapflo tips

Been awhile since the last update and I've accumulated more more equipment for the bench that I wanted to share :)

First up is the dedicated Pik & Paste (PPS-60); I managed to get this unit for less than the cost of their plastic dispenser tip kits:

01_PikAndPaste.jpg

I had difficulty finding any information about it online but it appears to be the same Pik & Paste hardware that's part of the PRC-2000 (sounds it makes are identical) with a few additional controls.

Unlike the PRC the P&P has an interval setting (timed repeat) and individual controls for the pressure and pull-back suction with a gauge that indicates the current PSI.
Also (in addition to the standard pedal port on the back) it includes a mono switch jack on the front for controlling the activation from any type of switch you'd like.



Next I managed to pick up an ST-30 "Intelliheat" unit with Iron + Tip plus the "Instant Set-Back" cubby; managed to get the whole set for what the ISB cubby alone would have cost:

02_ST30_TD100.jpg 03_ST30_ISB.jpg

Intelliheat is their newer line of handpieces that use the cartridge-type tips where the heater, sensor and tip are combined into a single, easily hot-swappable part. I find it very fast to heat up (~5 seconds to hit set temperature) which makes it extremely useful for quick jobs. The ISB cubby also works great at turning the iron off and on when needed and should really help prolong the tip life.

I examined the unit and there appears to possibly be some sort of field effect sensor (makes no contact) to determine whether the iron is in the cubby or not; I may have to hook up the scope at some point to see what it's doing.

04_ST30_ISB_Detect.jpg



Next I managed to nab this ST-70 Intelliheat unit; really didn't need this one but it was cheap, and I liked how simple the design is -- Just plug in the appropriate power module (resistor) and it'll use the module rating as the set temperature; no other controls needed. Seems most ideal for a production environment when you want to have a simple way to avoid operator error.

05_ST70.jpg 06_ST70_PMOD.jpg



For the last one I was relieved to finally get a replacement for my Lapflo tip which I broke.. :Doh: I managed to lean on the pedal at the wrong time while adjusting the pulse heat, and before I realized what was going on it went white-hot for a couple seconds and broke apart:

07_LapfloTipBroken.jpg

I very much lucked out on the replacement though as the listing was just for the Lapflo handpiece and single-point tip (for half the price of just a replacement tip) but when it arrived it actually included TWO replacement tips plus an extra "hot bar" tip which alone is priced 6x more than the one I was looking to replace.

08_NewLapflo.jpg

Stay tuned.. More deal brags and borderline compulsive hoarding to come (y)
 
Another lot of tools; because overkill is underrated

Another lot of tools; because overkill is underrated

For my last haul of 2018 I was delighted to find a Canadian seller who'd hastily lumped a collection of tools into a single BIN lot with virtually no description.

I was primarily interested in the thermal wire strippers (TS-15) -- but the the entire lot plus shipping was priced less than a quarter the cost of the TS-15 alone which made it a no-brainer sale for me.

01_PaceLot_Oct2018.jpg
(original listing photo, two of them had the cords cut but brand new heaters and tip for some reason??)



Included in the lot was a grey SX-70 Sodr-X-tractor with a cracked case; since they're all the same I simply swapped the case with the one from the newer black Thermopik (with the cut cord) to make it usable again. I like the color combination of the mismatched grey cord and black body, which also makes it easy to differentiate from the other SX-70 without having to check the tips.
02_SX70-Refurbed.jpg


Additionally there was an old-school 120V non temperature-controlled SX-25; it wasn't functional but with a bit of probing with the multimeter I found that someone had simply over-tightened the plastic cable set-screw and severed the power line. All I had to do was cut the cord shorter to remove the broken piece and re-crimp and connect the lines to the heater and it was working again:
03_SX25-Refurbed.jpg


The only actual broken units in the lot (after exchanging the SX-70 shell) were these two Thermopiks (TP-65); both with cracked handles but still contain working parts otherwise:
04_TP65_BustedPair.jpg


In addition to the two broken Thermopiks there were four more included that are working perfectly:
05_4x_TP65.jpg


Also included were two sets of TT-65 tweezers and two TJ-70 ThermoJets.
06_2x_TT65_2x_TP70.jpg


And last but not least there were 4 pulse-heat tools and cable included with the lot; I didn't have any need for more resistance tweezers but the wire strippers are extremely useful. Since I've started using the wire strippers I've managed to strip hundreds of wires without re-cutting or breaking any strands -- they're now my go-to wire strippers when there's no margin for error (y)

07_4x_Pulse_Tools.jpg


And finally while I was in the process of moving recently I snapped a family photo of the entire collection:

08_AllTools2018.jpg

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Edit: Bonus picture; a quick panoramic shot of the new workstation, bench has finally been re-assembled into one piece after many years apart:

Bonus_2019_Workbench_Pano.jpg
 
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Philips PM3110 Oscilloscope

Philips PM3110 Oscilloscope

Found this scope at the local thrift shop; looks like it's from mid-1970s but appears to still be fully functional. It's just a basic 2-channel 10Mhz scope; but seems simple to use and should be more than enough for some old-school repairs and tinkering.

Scope_PM3110.jpg Scope_Cal2.jpg

Manuals, schematics, parts list and service guide are still available online in PDF format -- so I'll probably end up replacing the electrolytic caps in this unit before I let it run for very long.
 
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