Good news, having reached the "end of life" on one of my filters: The Air Purifiers both accept retrofit filters with no RFID tag fitted and also don't enforce a filter change at end of life. It just displays a message saying the filter is full.
Can’t even be mad about that, actually a useful feature. I have to admit I saw the RFID tag on the bottom and got very nervous. The juicero model that’s coming out for all types of stuff is ridiculous and has me skeptical of anything with questionable microchips lol
You are a shining example with your fume, extractor, I like that;) BTW. there is no relation between the "harmfulness" and aggressiveness of flux substances. By that, vinegar must be very bad stuff(cheers!). The individual composition decides the LD50 or carcinogenicity. I know it is very hard to get the lead-free-solder-bashing out of our heads. Lead is in fact no direct harm for you, but indirectly a very dangerous pollution for the environment and with that: Bad for you. But as Steve shows here, there are solutions! It may be that higher soldering temperatures induced by lead-free soldering produce more and dangerous types of fumes of the flux. But don't sniff that shit in the first place. Not lead-free, nor leaded. It is not cocaine! Happy so(l)dering:)
Thanks for this. I’ve never considered a more thorough air purifying appliance because I use a very basic fan/carbon filter when soldering. But this makes sense, and the possible benefits beyond filtering the flux fumes is enticing.
I actually use one of those smaller air purifier by Xiaomi as fume extractor. I have for over 3 years and works perfectly. When I do some full PCB soldering in a hot plate I made, I place the air purifier on the bench and it sucks all the smoke directly into it's carbon activated filter.
Systemair 100mm fan with a matching Rhino filter all connected up with twin-walled 100mm ducting and clips, all said and done for around £80. Very powerful and long lasting, no nonsense solution. No need for draughty open windows. Another useful video Steve, gets a 👍 from me.
I’d suggest the Xiaomi purifier together with a small fan that blows the fumes away from you while the purifier is doing its job. This will leave your workspace free from large air intakes from fume extractors so you’re more likely to use it all the time. It’ll keep the ppm levels around your face at about 50 which is probably way better then any fume extractor will achieve. Just one missed puff of smoke is far worse than breathing 50 ppm for half an hour.
I don't use my solder iron very often so I'm happy with just something that moves the smoke away from my face. I use a 120mm DC fan which sits vertically on my desk, on a side, blowing away from me. When I switch it on, it creates a little airflow which is enough for any smoke to start moving towards that direction. The fan has no filter so the flow is high but clearly the smoke is being dispersed in the room, so good only for casual use.
Maybe a tabletop fume hood can be useful in this application. There are some affordable commercial options online and can be built from materials found at the local hardware store. Fume hoods can minimize human exposure, noise and operational cost if implemented well. Sorry if bad English.
Thank you for the info. Backs in the 70's there was no concern about rosin fumes whatsoever. In fact I remember loving the rosin smell. Must say back then we dissolved rosin in ethanol which may have contributed to liking it.
I only solder occasionally but when I do, it's quite a large project or batch of projects. I've never even considered the air quality but after seeing the readings on the 2.5 I will definitely be putting something in place even if it is only a normal fan to blow the smoke away from me. I do use a lot of flux. I will be investing in a 2.5 meter. I saw the same one you have for about £35 on ebay. Thank you for this very useful video.
I like the idea, I've been working on my "lab" safety and upgrades update going on 2 days now and will make sure to post a video response of the soldering air purifier that I've been working on, its built into my bench top and sucks the smoke directly down into the counter top into a scrubber box. I particularly like the led ring part of your design it just makes sense. I think I might be adding in a foot pedal for the extractor as well =)
I use a pc cooler fan at low speed with no filters for local fume extraction (sucking, not blowing at me). It works surprisingly well for not letting dust and smoke into my breathing holes. Of course, it disperses the fumes into the room, so a purifier like the xiaomi seems like a good companion. The fan is essentially noiseless, and thanks to no filters, the airflow is quite high. It has to be within 0.3 meter-distance from where i'm soldering, otherwise the updraft of convection around my own body overpowers it. I also use the same setup when cutting onions, helps to not cry. I wired it to be powered from my soldering station, so it turns on automatically. I solder only occasionally. But i do dremel a lot, which generates loads of dust. That dust is certainly worth getting rid of, both for health and for lab cleanness. I think i'll buy that xiaomi thing. Thanks! THIS VIDEO DESERVES MORE VIEWS!
Been following your channel only for a short while now and i must say, this is probably one of my favourite channels on UA-cam. I love the way you explain things, break them down for better understanding (talking about some of your other videos). Hope to see more awesome content. Thanks
I have been soldering for many decades without issue, but that was mainly simple soldering without any external flux. Then I watched a lot of UA-cam videos on soldering, and I purchased MECHANIC solder products (HX-T100, XG-80/XG-Z40, MCN-225) and started using lots of extra flux. I quickly started getting headaches and nausea and some respiratory issues, and it lasted 2-3 days after each soldering session. The actual soldering results were great though.. :-) First I tried the cheapo chinese activated carbon desk fan unit, and it didn't help, I also tried a residential air purifier and it didn't work either. I started building a big fume extractor and ended up with a quite decent machine I thought. 60x60x60cm enclosure, embedded large 70W fan, 75mm diameter articulated anti-static ducting with intake funnel, 4 big filters (coarse, formaldehyde, carbon and HEPA), and I also started having a door open and an extra floor fan ventilating, but I kept getting sick. With the fume extractor everything seems to be sucked inside, and there is absolutely no smell in the room, so I am puzzled on what's still creating the problems for me. Maybe I am just imagining it at this point. I will try some non-Chinese Kester/Amtech stuff later to experiment with. If anyone can give me any recommendations on specific lead-based solders/fluxes that work well and give fewer harmful effects, then I would be very grateful. Another thing I am wondering about is whether maybe I inadvertently touch my eyes or something like that, or if is the excessive IPA cleaning afterwards that gets me. It's most likely the rosin though.. I better get me a sensor like this excellent UA-camr shows in the video to diagnose the issue further. I've spent so much effort building my fume extractor... actually into a nice looking piece of furniture (side table), and I really don't want to spend the money on the commercial fume extractor units as they are so extremely expensive.
If you have a duct going outside or can make one through the wall I'd just extract air from directly above your soldering site and blow it out. I'm not so sure any filter will remove all the gaseous crap coming off even if you can remove the larger particles. I think you may also have been exposed to bad stuff for so long that you developed a condition which makes you much more sensitive to the chemicals. This can happen with a bunch of things people do for a long time. I'd wear thin nitrile gloves when soldering or handling any chemicals or solvents like IPA.
I did a video on building an extractor system, I 3D printed a filter housing which I placed on the end of some 100mm ducting, st the bench end I fitted a standard 240v wall extractor fan, works pretty well, although I don’t have any air quality measurements to reference, I will have to get one to test.
Yeah I was going to suggest using a 240V extractor fan as used in bathrooms, etc. - either one designed to mount on/in a wall, or an inline model that connects to ducting on both sides. Probably not the quietest option, but the airflow should be decent and the inline models are literally designed to move air through a long duct/pipe! I'd personally consider trying out having a short length of narrower, more-easily-positionable tube right above the work area. That may or may not totally kill the airflow though :) I also wonder how effective it would be to have something like that "extracting" the air+fumes into a box on the floor that could be filled with activated carbon and HEPA filters (and vents for the hopefully-filtered air to escape through, rather than trying to essentially *inflate* the box with ever-increasing air pressure!). As mentioned in the video, venting the fumes outside does have the issue of also expelling the heat that you've just been burning gas/electricity/money to produce (same applies if using air conditioning, of course), and that's quite the waste of money and potentially not great for the environment either...
Such a huge purifier! I use Fanline Aqua device (a local Russian manufacturer). It's a pretty good thing, the air "extracting" is directed vertically. It has the ionizing module which works quite well! I have cats and if I let them into my room (especially one that has very thin hair) then I get some allergic reactions after some time. So this "water bucket" helps me a lot. It's just literally sucks all hair and pretty small particles to the water and they stays there. In my experience it doesn't remove fumes quickly and fully but it's noticeable better to solder with it than without. And I use our local solder when I need a pretty low temperature soldering, it has the old GOST (USSR) standard and seems that it matches that standard. But on Ali you can find a lot of forges of our soviet solders :D The name is POS 61. The most possibly is that you will NOT get the original from Chinese sellers. Believe me. You can order it from Russia (much better but a higher price and more expensive delivery). I've bought mine at chipster.ru - pretty good prices. Not sure if they ship worldwide though... And I will buy (didn't yet) the original Cyberflux e-600. It's pretty "eco" flux. You'll not get a nasty chem. things into your lungs inhaling a part of fumes from this. Beware, Chinese make fakes of it as well! It's origin is town named Old Oskol. Some Russian dealers just re-sell Chinese forgery of this great flux. It's sad :(
Great video addressing a common complaint and problem in every home electronics lab. I was thinking that you could put that "kitchen garberatur funnel contraption" right into a larger plastic box with some filtre medium just like it is, seal that up and place an exit hole on the side. The Hakko seems to be the only unit readily available and priced on this side of the pond, and it's still way too expensive, and you're stuck with their filters for replacement. I wonder about a cooking range hood/ three sided plexiglass box "hood" arrangement, going right into a filtre medium/activated charcoal box. Or a washroom fan. Smoke goes straight up, plexiglass helps contain it, and a few magnet lights overhead so you can see well. Or a small tube, mounted right to the soldering iron itself suctioning that away. Would be pretty noisy, though... All the Best! DE W8LV BILL
Corrugated hose is restrictive, ie, the bumps create a vena contracta so the effective area is less than the actual hose diameter. Try smooth hose - smooth hose should flow 148cfm@28" H20 per square inch. We've used something similar when porting cast iron cylinder heads, it's just we use a vacuum cleaner. Most vacuum cleaner motors are 1000W and can pull about 90" H2O - I have 8 in my flowbench -.
You can get some very decent proper fume extractors on Aliexpress, usually under the Knokoo brand, from about 170USD and up towards 350. Shipping can be expensive as I believe the subsidizing assistance of chinese->international e-commerce tops out at 2 kg, and these units are easily 10kg+, so finding an ebay or aliexpress vendor with an EU/US/RU (depending on your location) warehouse can be a big advantage on postage. While the bigger ones really do work _very_ well in terms of actual fit-for-use suction power, the smallest ones are a bit weaksauce. But you really should have the port on these *right* by the subject you're working on, ideally laying horizontally on about the same plane. You don't want to give the smoke and fumes any opportunity at all, to rise up towards your face and torso. In my view, what the smaller models are most good for, is the housing, filters and control. Buying a replacement for the HEPA filter alone is almost the same price as the entire unit. So what we did, was buy a mid-size one, get an additional carbon filter (many of these only do particles), and replace the motor with something with a bit more grunt. It's a larger fan too, so it doesn't really make any more noise, it just sucks more. Sucks better. Oh ffs you know what I mean 😅
Hi Steve I also thought of a Henry, I was just going to half fill the compartment where the bag goes with carbon granules and see what happens, I'm sure you will have a far better design in mind
Hi, for air cleaning i would suggest this model SENCOR SHA 8400 WH, it's about 100 EUR, no smart capabilities, no sensor, just cleaning air manually :). Filters are cleanable and a new one is not that expensive. I've bought one for our cabin,since we have a lot of dust there and i will be buying one for my office/service too
I was thinking of converting a small shop vac or at least use the blower fan from one for fume extraction. Of course a remote power switch and a sound box with extra filtering would be needed. The "diy" unit you first shown, might help to have a larger collection box. Still it does look like a sad joke.
I'm currently trying to build a DIY extractor with filtering myself (still waiting for some smaller parts though, e.g. the AC/DC powersupply to provide power to the basic control circuit (just a bluetooth enabled µC and a relais)). The only thing I'm concerned about a bit is airflow, if you take the pressure drop of a particle filter into account (I got a 200 mm industrial fan rather cheap, but it's more for high air flows of ~1000 m³/h and not for high static pressure), but we'll see once it's build. Those Xiaomi purififieres look actually pretty dang neat :) But I guess it's too dusty in here, so it's filters (doesn't have a prefilter, does it?) would have a hard time..
I'm working on one with a car air blower, controlled by a PWM 12V power supply and a 3D printed nozzle and "pipe". The filtering is made by air conditioner activated carbon, an Hepa filter and a pre-filter.
I have a leftover blower assembly from a furnace. Looking into maybe constructing a filter box that can either be attached to the input, or a stand-alone box that can be piped to it.
The NEWACALOX extractor from aliexpress might be worth looking at, basically it's a usb anglepoise fan with light and filter on an for $35 or $40 for the short and long versions.
Just saw this one on Amazon: "KOTTO Soldering Smoke Absorber, Electric Iron Welding Fume Extractor Soldering Smoke Absorber Remover DIY Fume Extractor Filter with Strong Suction" ($69.99 US) Have no idea about them , and never heard of this brand before... 73 DE W8LV BILL
The problem with this fume extractors is that they such air from all over the place. What you need is better airflow control. A fan behind you that pushes air past you towards the fumeextractor in front of you. That will make it much more efficient.
Excellent work and really interested in the results. What was the small device you initially measured with and how accurate is it? Many thanks for covering an Important subject
I've just added the air quality monitor to the description. I did notice my mine has a bug though if the PM2.5 figure is 0 all the calculations are incorrect...
I forgot to mention actually, but when I tested with a through-draft the operator exposure was still high. You still need the local extraction if you're concerned about the fumes.
You are telling that there are still high particle numbers present on the next day after soldering in your room. But what are the conditions? Do you open windows while soldering? Any active ventilation system running during/after soldering?
I have been looking for a good solution too, might give DIY a try. Also Damn man where do you live cause I live in New Delhi, India and here PM 2.5 is generally around 400 (not kidding).
I could be totally wrong here, but I was under the impression that Indian cities are notoriously bad for air pollution. China has a similar problem. So I suspect it's more a case of your ~400 being astonishingly high rather than the levels seen in this video being particularly low ;) This report from Defra (the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) says that the *UK average* (mean) PM2.5 concentration has been approximately 10-15 μg/m³ between 2009-2018. (I assume μg/m³ is the same unit used here!) [Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk/news?view=238 - click the "full Defra Statistical Release" link for the PDF report] I've struggled to find proper data on PM2.5 levels *in London*, though those data must exist somewhere (this video was presumably filmed in the UK, and I myself live in the South of England, so London is relevant to the video and to me; it's also a huge UK city, of course, and it's also a city that's been working hard to reduce air pollution). The best I've been able to determine is that London's PM2.5 levels are typically around 20-80 μg/m³, which is still far higher than the EU limit, and even higher vs the WHO's limit! Thankfully I'm a several-hour drive/train journey from London and I almost never go there :p
I hacked / Moded a Laptop cooling pad, Reversed fan rotation , added a thin sponge filter and added a PWM controller. And I soldered everything on top of it and fumes(90% of the time) were sucked down because of the surface area and proximity to the pad.
I made my own, using Loc-Line tubing(www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R9OXJM/) and an inline exhaust fan (VenTech VT IF-4-B). It moves 190 CFM, which provides good air flow. I have the Loc-Line connected to a long pipe and then the fan sits about 18 feet away from me. There is some noise at the intake nozzle, but I have a speed controller so I only turn it up full when I need that. It can pull the smoke away well enough that the intake doesn't have to be right up by the board. The fan with speed controller was about $70, plus $35 for the ESD rated Loc-Line. Overall it was a lot cheaper than anything similar.
Im using for a while small table fan on 18650 for 3$ or micro USB and it works perfectly... just saying its pretty common in China so look at Aliexpress for 18650 fan.
@SDG Electronics #SDG Electronics delivers the TRUTH , lead-free solder is WORSE for humans , its more about the fact Lead can be absorbed by handling , still washing hands after work use is good practice and as such to me its still the winner. i think @JohnWard #JohnWard DIY fume extractor was miles ahead, plastic tumple dryer vent ducting around 100mm and an inline Bathroom/Kitchen impeller extractor fan and filters from a cooker hood extractor fan. Can i ask if the "inlet handle" simple gooseneck threaded or fitted with a clamp and whats the approximate diameter and length of it. At the begining i kept think you built it and then was shocked as your builds always seem built to high standards. Thankyou for your content , i aapreciate you clear and concise mannerand find it interesting and relevant. ;-]
The gooseneck has a little flange on the end with an inner threaded section - so the cone just needs an 8mm hole in it. It's the same type of gooseneck from any clip-on spotlight. I will potentially build something better in a future video.
@@sdgelectronics that sounds like standard 1/4 - 20 camera mount thread so any mic stand, bracket or even arm would work to clip/bolt the extraction head near the work, interesting, in theory you could have an additional arm on a bench and swap between extractor and camera and have increased versatilit on a bench, if you do go down the DIY route i definitely can recommend checking out JW's video on his channel, even if only for some inspiration, i used many parts of his idea for mine, main difference on mine was i used 4x80mm computer fans as thats what i had to hand but when i find an old bathroom fan i may "upgrade" it, thanks for your reply ;-)
Thanks Steve! I built this one that Justin mentioned in this video: ua-cam.com/video/hBaYrB1yfEE/v-deo.html It works great and was under $100 if I remember right!
Hi,i want to recap an old Denon pre-amplifier.Do you think that's possible without the right service manual.I can only find US and Asia models but i have the European model.
Yes, just open it up and note down the capacitor voltages, capacitance values and measure the diameter of the capacitors. No need for a service manual for a straight swap.
what i found out, the smoke is going to the hot elements and becouse of human is hot 36'' then the smoke goest to human face. but if you get something how next to you it will go into that object so i think the fan with heater could be best solution. im about to build diy test item. the only think is the fan must be slow as the airflow will colled down the small heater.
I have the Aoyue FEK-01 it was on sale for just 180€ + tax, delivered. It is very good value for money imho. It is a bit loud, but while i'm fixing boards i always listen to music with a bt anc headset and noise it's not a problem for me. I also use a cheap hakko 493 clone that i put close of the soldering iron stand for extra protection. This setup is working for me very well. If you set the motor at 100% the suction is effective up to 30/40 cm, if you have ac or a window open it is much less effective. www.aoyue.eu/aoyue-fek-01-led-solder-smoke-absorber-fume-extractor-extraction-arms.html
And you need to produce plastic, filters, fans, use electricity (which came from coal) to remove pollutants that came from process of production of an air purifier. Runaway spiral. Very clever. And business is going on, someone is making money on that. Similar idea was used in tv series "SeaQuest" with Roy Scheider. Air purifier. We made so many machines that we need machines to breathe healthy in our own house.
I can’t stand noise when I’m concentrating, so I built my self this one with a pc fan: www.thingiverse.com/thing:69729 I put some lights on it and have to more or less place it above the soldering work to be useful, but it’s quiet and better than nothing.
Good news, having reached the "end of life" on one of my filters: The Air Purifiers both accept retrofit filters with no RFID tag fitted and also don't enforce a filter change at end of life. It just displays a message saying the filter is full.
Can’t even be mad about that, actually a useful feature. I have to admit I saw the RFID tag on the bottom and got very nervous. The juicero model that’s coming out for all types of stuff is ridiculous and has me skeptical of anything with questionable microchips lol
You are a shining example with your fume, extractor, I like that;)
BTW. there is no relation between the "harmfulness" and aggressiveness of flux substances. By that, vinegar must be very bad stuff(cheers!). The individual composition decides the LD50 or carcinogenicity. I know it is very hard to get the lead-free-solder-bashing out of our heads. Lead is in fact no direct harm for you, but indirectly a very dangerous pollution for the environment and with that: Bad for you. But as Steve shows here, there are solutions! It may be that higher soldering temperatures induced by lead-free soldering produce more and dangerous types of fumes of the flux. But don't sniff that shit in the first place. Not lead-free, nor leaded. It is not cocaine!
Happy so(l)dering:)
Thanks for this. I’ve never considered a more thorough air purifying appliance because I use a very basic fan/carbon filter when soldering. But this makes sense, and the possible benefits beyond filtering the flux fumes is enticing.
I actually use one of those smaller air purifier by Xiaomi as fume extractor. I have for over 3 years and works perfectly. When I do some full PCB soldering in a hot plate I made, I place the air purifier on the bench and it sucks all the smoke directly into it's carbon activated filter.
Thanks for the advice. Which Xiaomi model number?
Systemair 100mm fan with a matching Rhino filter all connected up with twin-walled 100mm ducting and clips, all said and done for around £80. Very powerful and long lasting, no nonsense solution. No need for draughty open windows. Another useful video Steve, gets a 👍 from me.
When I first saw that extraction kit Steve I thought perhaps you'd taken up plumbing and were doing a video on fitting a new bath and shower 😄
I can't believe they're selling enough of them to make the effort worthwhile! Thanks John
I’d suggest the Xiaomi purifier together with a small fan that blows the fumes away from you while the purifier is doing its job. This will leave your workspace free from large air intakes from fume extractors so you’re more likely to use it all the time.
It’ll keep the ppm levels around your face at about 50 which is probably way better then any fume extractor will achieve. Just one missed puff of smoke is far worse than breathing 50 ppm for half an hour.
I don't use my solder iron very often so I'm happy with just something that moves the smoke away from my face. I use a 120mm DC fan which sits vertically on my desk, on a side, blowing away from me. When I switch it on, it creates a little airflow which is enough for any smoke to start moving towards that direction. The fan has no filter so the flow is high but clearly the smoke is being dispersed in the room, so good only for casual use.
Maybe a tabletop fume hood can be useful in this application.
There are some affordable commercial options online and can be built from materials found at the local hardware store.
Fume hoods can minimize human exposure, noise and operational cost if implemented well.
Sorry if bad English.
the type of fume hood I'm taking is similar to the ones used in chemical labs and not like the shown in the video
Your English is fine... I was considering the same thing....
@@antuans1473 I looked at fume hoods and they're like $10,000
Thank you for the info. Backs in the 70's there was no concern about rosin fumes whatsoever. In fact I remember loving the rosin smell. Must say back then we dissolved rosin in ethanol which may have contributed to liking it.
The rosin fumes do smell great 👍
There's so many deadly things our brain's reward system has wrongly associated to be good for us...
I only solder occasionally but when I do, it's quite a large project or batch of projects.
I've never even considered the air quality but after seeing the readings on the 2.5 I will definitely be putting something in place even if it is only a normal fan to blow the smoke away from me. I do use a lot of flux. I will be investing in a 2.5 meter. I saw the same one you have for about £35 on ebay. Thank you for this very useful video.
I like the idea, I've been working on my "lab" safety and upgrades update going on 2 days now and will make sure to post a video response of the soldering air purifier that I've been working on, its built into my bench top and sucks the smoke directly down into the counter top into a scrubber box. I particularly like the led ring part of your design it just makes sense. I think I might be adding in a foot pedal for the extractor as well =)
I use a pc cooler fan at low speed with no filters for local fume extraction (sucking, not blowing at me). It works surprisingly well for not letting dust and smoke into my breathing holes. Of course, it disperses the fumes into the room, so a purifier like the xiaomi seems like a good companion.
The fan is essentially noiseless, and thanks to no filters, the airflow is quite high. It has to be within 0.3 meter-distance from where i'm soldering, otherwise the updraft of convection around my own body overpowers it. I also use the same setup when cutting onions, helps to not cry. I wired it to be powered from my soldering station, so it turns on automatically.
I solder only occasionally. But i do dremel a lot, which generates loads of dust. That dust is certainly worth getting rid of, both for health and for lab cleanness. I think i'll buy that xiaomi thing. Thanks! THIS VIDEO DESERVES MORE VIEWS!
Been following your channel only for a short while now and i must say, this is probably one of my favourite channels on UA-cam. I love the way you explain things, break them down for better understanding (talking about some of your other videos). Hope to see more awesome content. Thanks
I have been soldering for many decades without issue, but that was mainly simple soldering without any external flux. Then I watched a lot of UA-cam videos on soldering, and I purchased MECHANIC solder products (HX-T100, XG-80/XG-Z40, MCN-225) and started using lots of extra flux. I quickly started getting headaches and nausea and some respiratory issues, and it lasted 2-3 days after each soldering session. The actual soldering results were great though.. :-)
First I tried the cheapo chinese activated carbon desk fan unit, and it didn't help, I also tried a residential air purifier and it didn't work either. I started building a big fume extractor and ended up with a quite decent machine I thought. 60x60x60cm enclosure, embedded large 70W fan, 75mm diameter articulated anti-static ducting with intake funnel, 4 big filters (coarse, formaldehyde, carbon and HEPA), and I also started having a door open and an extra floor fan ventilating, but I kept getting sick. With the fume extractor everything seems to be sucked inside, and there is absolutely no smell in the room, so I am puzzled on what's still creating the problems for me. Maybe I am just imagining it at this point.
I will try some non-Chinese Kester/Amtech stuff later to experiment with. If anyone can give me any recommendations on specific lead-based solders/fluxes that work well and give fewer harmful effects, then I would be very grateful. Another thing I am wondering about is whether maybe I inadvertently touch my eyes or something like that, or if is the excessive IPA cleaning afterwards that gets me. It's most likely the rosin though.. I better get me a sensor like this excellent UA-camr shows in the video to diagnose the issue further.
I've spent so much effort building my fume extractor... actually into a nice looking piece of furniture (side table), and I really don't want to spend the money on the commercial fume extractor units as they are so extremely expensive.
If you have a duct going outside or can make one through the wall I'd just extract air from directly above your soldering site and blow it out. I'm not so sure any filter will remove all the gaseous crap coming off even if you can remove the larger particles.
I think you may also have been exposed to bad stuff for so long that you developed a condition which makes you much more sensitive to the chemicals. This can happen with a bunch of things people do for a long time. I'd wear thin nitrile gloves when soldering or handling any chemicals or solvents like IPA.
@@benbaselet2026 Thanks for the advice!
That thumbnail is golden !! It's the most professional way to hold your iron :-P
Ha! I was so focused on that ridiculous plume of smoke that I totally missed the stock photography iron-holding and the random multimeter(?) probe! 😹
I did a video on building an extractor system, I 3D printed a filter housing which I placed on the end of some 100mm ducting, st the bench end I fitted a standard 240v wall extractor fan, works pretty well, although I don’t have any air quality measurements to reference, I will have to get one to test.
Yeah I was going to suggest using a 240V extractor fan as used in bathrooms, etc. - either one designed to mount on/in a wall, or an inline model that connects to ducting on both sides. Probably not the quietest option, but the airflow should be decent and the inline models are literally designed to move air through a long duct/pipe!
I'd personally consider trying out having a short length of narrower, more-easily-positionable tube right above the work area. That may or may not totally kill the airflow though :)
I also wonder how effective it would be to have something like that "extracting" the air+fumes into a box on the floor that could be filled with activated carbon and HEPA filters (and vents for the hopefully-filtered air to escape through, rather than trying to essentially *inflate* the box with ever-increasing air pressure!).
As mentioned in the video, venting the fumes outside does have the issue of also expelling the heat that you've just been burning gas/electricity/money to produce (same applies if using air conditioning, of course), and that's quite the waste of money and potentially not great for the environment either...
The ghetto method is to use a furnace filter taped to a box fan.
the ghetto method is a computer fan, 9V battery and an old sock for a filter ,lol ;-]
Such a huge purifier!
I use Fanline Aqua device (a local Russian manufacturer). It's a pretty good thing, the air "extracting" is directed vertically. It has the ionizing module which works quite well! I have cats and if I let them into my room (especially one that has very thin hair) then I get some allergic reactions after some time. So this "water bucket" helps me a lot. It's just literally sucks all hair and pretty small particles to the water and they stays there.
In my experience it doesn't remove fumes quickly and fully but it's noticeable better to solder with it than without. And I use our local solder when I need a pretty low temperature soldering, it has the old GOST (USSR) standard and seems that it matches that standard. But on Ali you can find a lot of forges of our soviet solders :D The name is POS 61. The most possibly is that you will NOT get the original from Chinese sellers. Believe me. You can order it from Russia (much better but a higher price and more expensive delivery). I've bought mine at chipster.ru - pretty good prices. Not sure if they ship worldwide though...
And I will buy (didn't yet) the original Cyberflux e-600. It's pretty "eco" flux. You'll not get a nasty chem. things into your lungs inhaling a part of fumes from this. Beware, Chinese make fakes of it as well! It's origin is town named Old Oskol. Some Russian dealers just re-sell Chinese forgery of this great flux. It's sad :(
Get a WEN air filter system, a corbon filter and 4inch tubing. You will not regret it.
Great video addressing a common complaint and problem in every home electronics lab. I was thinking that you could put that "kitchen garberatur funnel contraption" right into a larger plastic box with some filtre medium just like it is, seal that up and place an exit hole on the side. The Hakko seems to be the only unit readily available and priced on this side of the pond, and it's still way too expensive, and you're stuck with their filters for replacement. I wonder about a cooking range hood/ three sided plexiglass box "hood" arrangement, going right into a filtre medium/activated charcoal box. Or a washroom fan. Smoke goes straight up, plexiglass helps contain it, and a few magnet lights overhead so you can see well. Or a small tube, mounted right to the soldering iron itself suctioning that away. Would be pretty noisy, though... All the Best! DE W8LV BILL
Dear u got petty good stuff. I loved it.
If it's $50 of parts then selling for $100 is cheap. Warranty + yield + shipping + wages + rent + taxes etc. 2x parts cost is low.
kuro68000 what warranty ?
Corrugated hose is restrictive, ie, the bumps create a vena contracta so the effective area is less than the actual hose diameter. Try smooth hose - smooth hose should flow 148cfm@28" H20 per square inch. We've used something similar when porting cast iron cylinder heads, it's just we use a vacuum cleaner. Most vacuum cleaner motors are 1000W and can pull about 90" H2O - I have 8 in my flowbench -.
You can get some very decent proper fume extractors on Aliexpress, usually under the Knokoo brand, from about 170USD and up towards 350. Shipping can be expensive as I believe the subsidizing assistance of chinese->international e-commerce tops out at 2 kg, and these units are easily 10kg+, so finding an ebay or aliexpress vendor with an EU/US/RU (depending on your location) warehouse can be a big advantage on postage.
While the bigger ones really do work _very_ well in terms of actual fit-for-use suction power, the smallest ones are a bit weaksauce. But you really should have the port on these *right* by the subject you're working on, ideally laying horizontally on about the same plane. You don't want to give the smoke and fumes any opportunity at all, to rise up towards your face and torso.
In my view, what the smaller models are most good for, is the housing, filters and control. Buying a replacement for the HEPA filter alone is almost the same price as the entire unit. So what we did, was buy a mid-size one, get an additional carbon filter (many of these only do particles), and replace the motor with something with a bit more grunt. It's a larger fan too, so it doesn't really make any more noise, it just sucks more. Sucks better. Oh ffs you know what I mean 😅
Hi Steve I also thought of a Henry, I was just going to half fill the compartment where the bag goes with carbon granules and see what happens, I'm sure you will have a far better design in mind
I was planning something similar, but just using the motor unit and building an MDF enclosure and speed control.
I knew you would have a plan in mind, looking forward to that.
Hi, for air cleaning i would suggest this model SENCOR SHA 8400 WH, it's about 100 EUR, no smart capabilities, no sensor, just cleaning air manually :). Filters are cleanable and a new one is not that expensive. I've bought one for our cabin,since we have a lot of dust there and i will be buying one for my office/service too
I was thinking of converting a small shop vac or at least use the blower fan from one for fume extraction. Of course a remote power switch and a sound box with extra filtering would be needed. The "diy" unit you first shown, might help to have a larger collection box. Still it does look like a sad joke.
This is basically what I'm thinking might be the best solution.
I'm currently trying to build a DIY extractor with filtering myself (still waiting for some smaller parts though, e.g. the AC/DC powersupply to provide power to the basic control circuit (just a bluetooth enabled µC and a relais)). The only thing I'm concerned about a bit is airflow, if you take the pressure drop of a particle filter into account (I got a 200 mm industrial fan rather cheap, but it's more for high air flows of ~1000 m³/h and not for high static pressure), but we'll see once it's build.
Those Xiaomi purififieres look actually pretty dang neat :)
But I guess it's too dusty in here, so it's filters (doesn't have a prefilter, does it?) would have a hard time..
I'm working on one with a car air blower, controlled by a PWM 12V power supply and a 3D printed nozzle and "pipe".
The filtering is made by air conditioner activated carbon, an Hepa filter and a pre-filter.
The video thumbnail is chaotic
I have a leftover blower assembly from a furnace. Looking into maybe constructing a filter box that can either be attached to the input, or a stand-alone box that can be piped to it.
I have got the Weller knock off but I have modded it since with 12volt fans due to the noise it creates.
The NEWACALOX extractor from aliexpress might be worth looking at, basically it's a usb anglepoise fan with light and filter on an for $35 or $40 for the short and long versions.
Great idea using a PM sensor for this!
Just saw this one on Amazon: "KOTTO Soldering Smoke Absorber, Electric Iron Welding Fume Extractor Soldering Smoke Absorber Remover DIY Fume Extractor Filter with Strong Suction" ($69.99 US) Have no idea about them , and never heard of this brand before...
73 DE W8LV BILL
The problem with this fume extractors is that they such air from all over the place. What you need is better airflow control. A fan behind you that pushes air past you towards the fumeextractor in front of you. That will make it much more efficient.
Yes, infact down-draught ventilation systems are actually a recommended method of fume extraction.
Excellent work and really interested in the results. What was the small device you initially measured with and how accurate is it? Many thanks for covering an
Important subject
I've just added the air quality monitor to the description. I did notice my mine has a bug though if the PM2.5 figure is 0 all the calculations are incorrect...
$200 to $300 instead of just opening the windows for 10 minutes? That's a bit expensive...
(And it doesn't remove CO2 in the room)
I forgot to mention actually, but when I tested with a through-draft the operator exposure was still high. You still need the local extraction if you're concerned about the fumes.
@@sdgelectronics sure it's just the purifier that is effective at cleaning your wallet...
@@cmuller1441 yes, I'm not recommending anyone should use this specifically. I plan to build a unit for the job soon
Try opening up the windows for 10 minutes when it's -20 degrees C outside.
@@benbaselet2026 turn the knob. The window will open.
You are telling that there are still high particle numbers present on the next day after soldering in your room. But what are the conditions? Do you open windows while soldering? Any active ventilation system running during/after soldering?
In the colder months, there is little ventilation.
I have been looking for a good solution too, might give DIY a try. Also Damn man where do you live cause I live in New Delhi, India and here PM 2.5 is generally around 400 (not kidding).
Wow, 400? 😳
I could be totally wrong here, but I was under the impression that Indian cities are notoriously bad for air pollution. China has a similar problem.
So I suspect it's more a case of your ~400 being astonishingly high rather than the levels seen in this video being particularly low ;)
This report from Defra (the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) says that the *UK average* (mean) PM2.5 concentration has been approximately 10-15 μg/m³ between 2009-2018. (I assume μg/m³ is the same unit used here!)
[Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk/news?view=238 - click the "full Defra Statistical Release" link for the PDF report]
I've struggled to find proper data on PM2.5 levels *in London*, though those data must exist somewhere (this video was presumably filmed in the UK, and I myself live in the South of England, so London is relevant to the video and to me; it's also a huge UK city, of course, and it's also a city that's been working hard to reduce air pollution).
The best I've been able to determine is that London's PM2.5 levels are typically around 20-80 μg/m³, which is still far higher than the EU limit, and even higher vs the WHO's limit!
Thankfully I'm a several-hour drive/train journey from London and I almost never go there :p
I hacked / Moded a Laptop cooling pad, Reversed fan rotation , added a thin sponge filter and added a PWM controller. And I soldered everything on top of it and fumes(90% of the time) were sucked down because of the surface area and proximity to the pad.
Hi, can you put some reference for your nice air quality monitor?
Just added it to the description.There's quite a few different types in general - I think they're all based on the same module though.
@@sdgelectronics Thanks
I made my own, using Loc-Line tubing(www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006R9OXJM/) and an inline exhaust fan (VenTech VT IF-4-B). It moves 190 CFM, which provides good air flow. I have the Loc-Line connected to a long pipe and then the fan sits about 18 feet away from me. There is some noise at the intake nozzle, but I have a speed controller so I only turn it up full when I need that.
It can pull the smoke away well enough that the intake doesn't have to be right up by the board. The fan with speed controller was about $70, plus $35 for the ESD rated Loc-Line. Overall it was a lot cheaper than anything similar.
That tubing looks pretty good, unfortunately not available in the UK, but there are some similar items. Thanks
Only ways to make it quiet and effective are to move it further away or make the fan larger.
"Dirt Devil" air filters with HEPA and carbon were very cheap. Around 30€
Does the Xiaomi have an IEC socket for mains, with universal AC supply?
It's universal input and a 'cloverleaf' C5 type connector.
My very high tech and expensive solution..........open a window and use an ordinary table fan
Im using for a while small table fan on 18650 for 3$ or micro USB and it works perfectly... just saying its pretty common in China so look at Aliexpress for 18650 fan.
@SDG Electronics #SDG Electronics delivers the TRUTH , lead-free solder is WORSE for humans , its more about the fact Lead can be absorbed by handling , still washing hands after work use is good practice and as such to me its still the winner. i think @JohnWard #JohnWard DIY fume extractor was miles ahead, plastic tumple dryer vent ducting around 100mm and an inline Bathroom/Kitchen impeller extractor fan and filters from a cooker hood extractor fan. Can i ask if the "inlet handle" simple gooseneck threaded or fitted with a clamp and whats the approximate diameter and length of it. At the begining i kept think you built it and then was shocked as your builds always seem built to high standards. Thankyou for your content , i aapreciate you clear and concise mannerand find it interesting and relevant. ;-]
The gooseneck has a little flange on the end with an inner threaded section - so the cone just needs an 8mm hole in it. It's the same type of gooseneck from any clip-on spotlight. I will potentially build something better in a future video.
@@sdgelectronics that sounds like standard 1/4 - 20 camera mount thread so any mic stand, bracket or even arm would work to clip/bolt the extraction head near the work, interesting, in theory you could have an additional arm on a bench and swap between extractor and camera and have increased versatilit on a bench, if you do go down the DIY route i definitely can recommend checking out JW's video on his channel, even if only for some inspiration, i used many parts of his idea for mine, main difference on mine was i used 4x80mm computer fans as thats what i had to hand but when i find an old bathroom fan i may "upgrade" it, thanks for your reply ;-)
That banggood unit is totally rube Goldberg! Better to Mcgiver it!
Dealing with solder fumes? Be a man! Just inhale them. The stinging burn of flux fumes only makes you stronger.
Thanks Steve! I built this one that Justin mentioned in this video: ua-cam.com/video/hBaYrB1yfEE/v-deo.html
It works great and was under $100 if I remember right!
Hi,i want to recap an old Denon pre-amplifier.Do you think that's possible without the right service manual.I can only find US and Asia models but i have the European model.
Yes, just open it up and note down the capacitor voltages, capacitance values and measure the diameter of the capacitors. No need for a service manual for a straight swap.
@@sdgelectronics Ah ok..Thanks! I go try that.
what i found out, the smoke is going to the hot elements and becouse of human is hot 36'' then the smoke goest to human face. but if you get something how next to you it will go into that object so i think the fan with heater could be best solution. im about to build diy test item. the only think is the fan must be slow as the airflow will colled down the small heater.
unhealthy, but i love it
I have the Aoyue FEK-01 it was on sale for just 180€ + tax, delivered. It is very good value for money imho. It is a bit loud, but while i'm fixing boards i always listen to music with a bt anc headset and noise it's not a problem for me. I also use a cheap hakko 493 clone that i put close of the soldering iron stand for extra protection. This setup is working for me very well.
If you set the motor at 100% the suction is effective up to 30/40 cm, if you have ac or a window open it is much less effective.
www.aoyue.eu/aoyue-fek-01-led-solder-smoke-absorber-fume-extractor-extraction-arms.html
I'll have a look, thanks!
And you need to produce plastic, filters, fans, use electricity (which came from coal) to remove pollutants that came from process of production of an air purifier. Runaway spiral. Very clever. And business is going on, someone is making money on that. Similar idea was used in tv series "SeaQuest" with Roy Scheider. Air purifier. We made so many machines that we need machines to breathe healthy in our own house.
Sounds like you are on an agenda which does not really address the issues presented in this video.
I can’t stand noise when I’m concentrating, so I built my self this one with a pc fan: www.thingiverse.com/thing:69729
I put some lights on it and have to more or less place it above the soldering work to be useful, but it’s quiet and better than nothing.
ps, nice surround mode later :)