RoadTest: Fundamentals with Multicomp: Show Us How To Solder
Author: hugohu
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Workshop Tools
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?: Weller irons have typically similar quality,
What were the biggest problems encountered?: While 900MT tips are theoretically compatible, the ones I had on hand were clones and they did not fit perfectly with the cabled iron. This caused the tips to be wiggly during soldering and was a significant hassle to soldering.
Detailed Review:
Included with the kit was the following:
Multicomp Pro 80W Soldering Station
Multicomp Pro cabled soldering iron
Multicomp Pro USB 10W iron
several tools, including a very nice pair of flush cutters.
Before beginning, I first noticed the soldering iron looked strangely familiar. Comparing it to my then- current iron, an Atten one with an LCD, it became apparent they were basically the same. A quick search yielded that the Multicomp one was indeed a rebranded Atten(with less temperature settings and no LCD.) The same was for the other two irons. From experience, Atten has pretty high quality stuff, so I can see why Multicomp uses their irons.
I also noticed some things about the USB irons. I would dare say the tip(connected via standard 3.5mm headphone jack) contains an integrated ceramic heater. This makes sense for such a design to work, but it also adds significant cost to the tip, making replacements costly. Though, using it right would reduce the number of occurrences.
My video is recorded covering a few common entry -level chips:
THT resistors, diodes, transistors, and headers, as well as SMD TQFP32(.8mm pitch) and 0805 resistor.
With the basic idea of soldering these, you can essentially figure out how to solder other parts as needed.
The video used the corded iron, but in hindsight it may have been a better idea to use the station: due to the integrated power supply in the station itself, the iron had a very thin wire and was highly maneuverable. I had trouble finding breakouts for many of my parts(including USB connectors, other ICs, and so forth). I was able to record the ones I could find, but I plan on adding on segments as I design more PCBs(and hence, getting extra ones to solder as practice for).
