In this blog, I will focus on the WXsmart platform’s connected features including its mobile app, desktop app, MQTT-based MES integration and paid-for options. These options all take advantage of the inbuilt serial, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity of the station.
Table of Contents
WX SmartControl (for Android)
The WX SmartControl app is available from the Google Play store for remote control of the WXsmart station.
After installation, the first step is to configure language and scan for devices.
My first experience with the app was not particularly positive, with an error message of “Device connection error!” It would then dump me into the devices menu to retry but to no avail.
The reason for this is that the app expects the station to have a particular version of firmware. It would be better if the app would tell me this, to avoid confusion. After updating the firmware on the WXsmart, connections were successful.
The first connection to the station requires the user to go through a two-factor authentication step that ensures that the app is connecting to a station that the user is currently in control of. This is a great safety feature to avoid unexpected remote takeover of a station as both front-panel and app are treated with the same priority.
Once the code is entered into the app correctly, then you can login as a user on the WXS.
From there, the screen appears virtually identically to that of the screen on the WXsmart itself. In theory, you could use your phone as a second screen for control.
You can even swipe left or right to see more details as you would on the station.
A key difference is the settings menu which is much less comprehensive on the app compared to the device itself. While it does support remote control of potentially multiple WXsmart stations, it doesn’t seem to support any recording of parameters.
WX SmartControl (for Windows)
There is also a Windows-based application for the WXsmart, however, you won’t find it on Weller’s website. In fact, I was confused and installed WX Monitor which is not compatible with the WXS. Instead, you can obtain the app from the Microsoft Store, but you won’t get there just by searching!
Instead, I had to search the web and reach this link first, which allowed for a deep link into the store app to actually trigger the installation. If you don’t have Windows 10 64-bit version 14316.0 or higher, then you won’t be able to use the app at all.
The app itself seems rather rudimentary and is set up for connection to three WXsmart stations. In the case of a firmware mismatch, a more descriptive ERR_API_VERSION error is thrown.
With the updated firmware, the sequence matches that of the mobile app, requiring two-factor authentication and user login.
From there, the main screen shows the tools and power/temperature graphs with the ability to record the current session into a (semicolon delimited) log file.
The app does not otherwise feature the ability to alter settings or take control of the station. This is in contrast with the mobile app which can control the station but cannot record data from the soldering session. I would personally like to see feature parity and the ability to change the screen area utilisation as users may have larger or smaller screens, some may have more than three stations to monitor and others may have less.
Unfortunately, it seems the WXsmart cannot be accessed solely using a web browser. While this may be a positive for security, it does lead to reduced compatibility and the need to install dedicated apps to make the most of the connected features.
MQTT MES Integration
The configuration for MQTT connections is found in the MQTT icon on the main screen. While MQTT is relatively straightforward, the WXsmart is a bit of an exception as initial testing showed that it doesn’t actually run straight MQTT but instead uses MQTT over Websockets.
With that cleared up, it was possible to start up a mosquitto broker and have the WXsmart connect to it. I was able to get it to connect in open and username/password authenticated modes, with TLS mode seemingly requiring certificate provisioning and loading processes which are not yet documented.
Watching the station connect on a reboot is a delight, as it spews out all of the STATUS topics that it supports.
Subscribing to the appropriate topic provides you a real-time view of the settings and performance of the station. The units are interesting – temperatures are often expressed as an integer in 1/10th of a degree units.
Unfortunately, documentation regarding the SET topics which are needed to take control of the unit are not yet fully available. Weller appears to be working on this as we speak and it does seem to be very useful provided the documentation is available and the topic definitions are stable across firmwares.
Paid Firmware Options
Towards the end of the review period, Weller graciously offered to unlock paid options as part of the firmware for evaluation. I agreed, providing my serial number and received a file which could be flashed to the unit to unlock these features.
The process is quick, however, it seems that the screen did not clear after completion. After waiting a few minutes, I clicked the “home” button to exit the update screen and now, the additional features have been unlocked.
Profiles
The profiles tool allows for setting multiple-step profiles with dwell times which is particularly useful when working with board pre-heaters to avoid thermal shock to the PCB and its components and to avoid sudden moisture release.
Tracking
The tracking app is perhaps the most interesting one to me as it seems to be a system which could monitor operators for their soldering behaviour and consistency.
Entering the application allows setting temperature of the tools with time/energy targets and thresholds for a red/amber/green traffic light display. Upon entering the tool, it seems both channels of the WXsmart were switched to the “on” mode. I tried setting some values I thought could be sensible.
After a bit of fiddling around, unfortunately, I found that it was not quite as good as I had imagined. I found it was frequently missing the point when the iron was being applied to a component and solder was being fed in, resulting in no recording of a joint being made. When it did trigger, the way the thresholds are applied is not entirely clear – I’m not sure if they are limit or target values. Being a new feature, it seems there is no documentation for this yet. Perhaps it’s not working so well for small SMD components, but I think this is a great feature to have if they can improve it to the point of working reliably as it gives operators instantaneous feedback about the joint energy and time.
Calibration
The calibration app acts as a calibration manager, enforcing calibration intervals at intervals and at specific events. This makes it less likely that a calibration that is needed will be missed.
QR
Finally, the QR app is used in conjunction with a 3D barcode scanner to be able to read-in configurations. In my contact with Weller, they currently use a Honeywell 1400G Voyager although any USB-HID 3D barcode scanner should work (in theory).
Plugging a USB-HID device (a keyboard) into the USB port shows the barcode scanner icon. Barcodes can be generated with the Weller QR Code Generator program on a desktop PC, which can be obtained direct from Weller’s technical support staff.
The program generates strings which can be used to set parameters on the station, log users in/out, change MQTT topics and more. This can be exported as a QR code or a USB .dat+.txt file.
I did try to fool the system by loading up the strings into an Arduino sketch that would fire out of an emulated USB-HID Keyboard. Unfortunately, Arduino Leonardo-based emulation seems to fail perhaps due to the fact the bootloader’s CDC is being detected and used by the WXsmart at 1200 baud and the HID emulation never connects properly. Using a Digispark does allow the HID to be detected, but …
… somehow the QR code has the wrong format, according to the station and it seems to cause the WXsmart to get a bit confused and slow. While this is not exactly a 3D barcode scanner, I would have expected it to potentially work, but perhaps this is more to do with the vagaries of USB more than anything else.
Conclusion
Some readers may wonder why a soldering station might need an array of connectivity including serial, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB as it may seem unnecessary at first glance. However, having this connectivity allows for a level of automation, process control and integration to ensure quality results are being achieved and avoid in-field failures.
The WX SmartControl app for Android allows for a smartphone to act as a second screen, controlling the WXsmart as if sitting at the station (with some limitations in terms of settings that can be accessed). The WX SmartControl app for Windows allows for a desktop or laptop PC to remotely monitor up to three stations simultaneously, recording live data to a semicolon-delimited text file. These apps are distributed via their respective app stores and require no programming to get started, having additional security features such as two-factor authentication on first connection.
Integration with a Manufacturing Execution System is via MQTT-over-Websockets despite the unit displaying just “MQTT”. A plethora of STATUS topics exist which allow a real-time view into the station and connected accessories. However, documentation is not yet ready for the SET topics which are required to perform remote control and procedures for provisioning a TLS certificate for encrypted communications are yet to be clarified.
Overall, I feel that the apps could use a little bit more polish regarding handling of firmware incompatibilities, improved screen utilisation especially for desktop and some level of feature parity across desktop and mobile, given that the WXsmart is not able to be accessed or controlled through a web browser. Similarly, the documentation for the MQTT-over-Websockets-based MES integration is definitely needed to ensure the features can be used to their maximum extent.
Paid firmware options unlocked included profiles for time-temperature ramping (useful for preheaters), tracking (for teaching and assessing soldering time/energy), a calibration manager (to enforce calibration requirements) and QR barcode reader support (for loading configuration data). I was excited about tracking, however, it doesn’t seem to reliably detect a solder joint event every time and appropriate settings are a bit cryptic without documentation.
As the WXsmart is still in the early phase of its product lifecycle, such software improvements are likely to materialise as Weller actively works on delivering both updated software and documentation. However, it seems that some things (e.g. the QR Code Generator, MQTT MES integration) may require contacting Weller support directly until such time. I would like to see more use of the USB port - for example, logging soldering session data to a USB stick may be a good feature to have.
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This blog is part of the Weller WXsmart Connected Hand Soldering Platform RoadTest Review.
