I brought the Metcal PS 900 a few years ago and have to say that from day one I was completely satisfied with it’s performance and feel very proud to own one. I have a range of tips for the hobby work that I undertake such as valve amplifier repairs headphone repairs such as soldering 4 pole TRRS 3.5mm jack plugs and most useful for soldering up guitar electronic harnesses. The large chisel tip that was demonstrated is particularly useful for soldering braided wire to the back of potentiometers. Thank you for an exceedingly good product review and demonstration.
I had a T12 clone and decided to upgrade to the PS-900. Great soldering station and the tips are much cheaper than the cartridges for 500 and 5000 series. Few years ago on eBay I found a Metcal analog RF power meter for the PS-900 which works like the LCD on the more expensive models. On the RF power meter I see full power when switched on from cold for a few seconds as the power drops and approximately 75% when soldering to large ground planes. Never had to replace the coil in the handpiece and the plating on the tips is great compared to the chinese T12 tips that the plating would flake off after a few months.
Thanks for another review. I do my daily electronics with phone/tablet and similar small but complex and hi density boards and each time I see these tips you use in your videos I'm simply shocked :D it is understatement to say they are huge :) But I guess your are simply geared towards other industries.
I tend to find a 1mm chisel tip works for anything other than high power applications, even on extremely fine geometry electronics. Most of the time very fine tips struggle to get the heat to the tip unless they are copper which means they need to be replaced regularly. Lead-free PCBs make fine tips even more difficult.
There is feedback to the RF power unit. It measures how much sent RF power is reflected back to power unit and regulates sent RF power based on that. It wont blast max RF power all time, but a bit extra still. The feedback loop is much faster than traditional based on temperature measurement. And there is no overshoot at all. Note: Technically in practice it might not measure reflected power but some other property of heater RF properties, which in practice leads to reflected power.
I know there's definitely feedback on the 13.56 systems, but I couldn't see how it was done on this design. I wasn't sure if the detuning of the coil was enough, but you're right - the reflected energy would have to be absorbed by something so there must be some feedback.
Hi Steve, I am considering purchasing a Metcal PS-900 system and a few tips for general SMD and throughhole. I am a little confused by new vs old style tips (A vs AR naming). Is there a diffference in quality do you think, or simply geometry?
In my opinion is a nice unit and it will definetly last a long time on the desck. Is definetly capabile of delivering power at the end of the tip for almost eny tipe of worck .
Looks great, especially in terms of value for money. Given the operating frequency, I wonder if it interferes with nearby AM radio receivers (with 455kHz IF)?
The thick metal can, shielded cable etc should hopefully have taken that into account. I can't remember what the limits are for radiated emissions of a non-intentional radiator, but it shouldn't be too disruptive.
Would be interesting to compare the Thermaltronics TMT-2000S which also uses Curie Heat Technology with the Metcal, apparently the tips may be interchangeable between the two.
The TMT-2000S I think is roughly similar to the MFR series from Metcal when used with the MFR-H1-SC handpiece (which takes SxP Cartridges). The PS-900 is a bit more unique with the separate heater/tip, though there is a handpiece for the MFR system that is the same as the one I've shown for the PS-900. If there is a call for it, I'll show the TMT-2000S or the MFR-1100 series station.
Cool or should I say Hot demo . . . nice! What sort of solder are you using led-free or with some led in the solder? I've used the Metcal and equivalent Thermaltronics and they are head and shoulder's above anything else I've used.
Do you think the thermal performance is better than the Pace ADS200? Do you think upgrading to the PS5200 sytem is worth the difference? PS-900 tips are definitely more economical.
The MX5200 series of kits is incredible, but so is the price. For commercial work there's no doubt that it would always deliver no matter what the application, but for the hobbyist work bench I'd make sure you're not missing out on any other general equipment first. Thermal performance on the PS-900 is similar to the Pace, but I'm still not sure if I have a dodgy tip since a couple of viewers don't think the results match their experience. I have some other tests planned soon which I'll do all in one video to compare all the systems together.
Nice, but quite a large iron for modern small scale electronics work. All my older larger irons now sit on the back of my workbench mostly unused these day. But everyone has there own personal preference.
Never vibed with the PS-900, never understood the point of having such a chunky hand piece on a metcal, didn't like the way this station uses up bench space unlike the vertical metcal's either.
Should be, but you might be the first. I can't find any information on what sort of voltage it outputs. Thermaltronics as well as some chinese brands have 450kHz stations as well.
What's the advantage of one of these over one of the cheap KSGER or similar T12 clones? Seems a lot more expensive and you give up the temperature adjustments which seems like a poor tradeoff.
Generally it's pretty rare to change the temperature unless there's a specific low temperature requirement. More often I tend to see the bad practice of increasing the temperature temporarily for heavy work, whereas on a more capable system the standard temperature should work no matter what the load. Comparing any of the more expensive systems to the KSGER is probably about quality too. I will cover a KSGER/Quicko station soon though to see how it performs.
@@sdgelectronics Maybe this is my limited experience with KSGER and entry level Weller units, but I've always found the temperature presets useful for things like wicking solder when reworking SMD parts. Extra 30C or so speeds everything up and a button press is much faster than swapping out for a bigger tip and then back to a small chisel afterwards. Possibly that is just due to the power/control limitations of the cheaper units though. Definitely interested to see a comparison, will keep an eye out!
@@user-yk1cw8im4h no professional equipment requires the temperature to be raised to solder high thermal demand work. They are generally capable of putting sufficient power into the joint to maintain the set temperature
I checked the JBC website and datasheet, but I don't see any power rating for the T245 handpiece. The JBC system definitely drives them much higher than 50W
@@sdgelectronics Seems its only vendors listing 20 for the 210 and 50 for the 245 I sent jbc tools an email but it doesn't seem they care who i am unless i am part of a company.
Interestingly enough the MFR series of 450kHz stations has two soldering handpiece options, one of which looks like the PS-900 "chunky" one and one which has cartridges similar to the MX500 (etc.) stations. There doesn't seem to be as much easy info about the MFR stations online; I suppose this might be to do with their being more expensive (though not by much, at least in the UK) than the PS-900 but they do have other options the PS-900 doesn't have, such as a desoldering gun attachment (MFR is Multi-Function Rework). The output power rating for the MFR-1110 is the same as the PS-900. It would be interesting to see how the handpiece for the MFR cartridges compares to the MX series stations, and to the MFR's "tip" handles that look the same as the PS-900 one. I have an old and battered STSS unit which unfortunately doesn't work properly and is beyond my ability to repair (I'll probably keep it though as a project). I really like the design of the handpiece and cartridges so it feels like I might prefer the MFR cartridge system, but on the other hand it could just be additional cost for no real benefit since I already have other tools and don't need the "Multi-Function" aspect. There is more tip choice with the cartridge handpiece than the tip handpiece though!
The MX stations are the only ones to use 13.56 MHz which means the cartridges are much smaller, and thus more responsive. The MFR I think all 450 kHz like the PS-900 and have the option for the chunkier style tips which have a separate heater cartridge. The slimmer cartridges have an integrated heater, but are not quite as compact as the 13.56 MHz cartridges. Technically performance is lower, but they are used in huge numbers for hand assembly at production facilities so there is likely not a discernible difference.
I have an 800W air-con in my workshop (NE Scotland) and it's been flat out trying to cool the room down the past week or so. I can get it down to 24degC.......but switched off it's been up to 31.5degC!
It's very warm at the moment in the UK, but as mentioned also many areas flooded. I have to service the cars ready for annual inspection which is rapidly approaching but can't bring myself to do any work outside!
The Coinage Act 1971 makes it an offence to destroy a metal coin that has been current in the UK since 1969, unless a license to do so has been granted by the Treasury...........but nobody is gonna spill the beans, the videos are too good....:-)
These Metcals are scary effective!
I brought the Metcal PS 900 a few years ago and have to say that from day one I was completely satisfied with it’s performance and feel very proud to own one. I have a range of tips for the hobby work that I undertake such as valve amplifier repairs headphone repairs such as soldering 4 pole TRRS 3.5mm jack plugs and most useful for soldering up guitar electronic harnesses. The large chisel tip that was demonstrated is particularly useful for soldering braided wire to the back of potentiometers. Thank you for an exceedingly good product review and demonstration.
I had a T12 clone and decided to upgrade to the PS-900. Great soldering station and the tips are much cheaper than the cartridges for 500 and 5000 series. Few years ago on eBay I found a Metcal analog RF power meter for the PS-900 which works like the LCD on the more expensive models. On the RF power meter I see full power when switched on from cold for a few seconds as the power drops and approximately 75% when soldering to large ground planes. Never had to replace the coil in the handpiece and the plating on the tips is great compared to the chinese T12 tips that the plating would flake off after a few months.
Metcal is the industry standard.
Hey! Glad to see a new video from you. They are very informative!
Thanks for another review. I do my daily electronics with phone/tablet and similar small but complex and hi density boards and each time I see these tips you use in your videos I'm simply shocked :D it is understatement to say they are huge :) But I guess your are simply geared towards other industries.
I tend to find a 1mm chisel tip works for anything other than high power applications, even on extremely fine geometry electronics. Most of the time very fine tips struggle to get the heat to the tip unless they are copper which means they need to be replaced regularly. Lead-free PCBs make fine tips even more difficult.
There is feedback to the RF power unit. It measures how much sent RF power is reflected back to power unit and regulates sent RF power based on that. It wont blast max RF power all time, but a bit extra still. The feedback loop is much faster than traditional based on temperature measurement. And there is no overshoot at all.
Note: Technically in practice it might not measure reflected power but some other property of heater RF properties, which in practice leads to reflected power.
I know there's definitely feedback on the 13.56 systems, but I couldn't see how it was done on this design. I wasn't sure if the detuning of the coil was enough, but you're right - the reflected energy would have to be absorbed by something so there must be some feedback.
More to my budget !....cheers.
you have a budget, I take it the wife sets it:-)
@@fredflintstone1 I solved that problem and stayed single ! LOL Squeak !
Nice informative Video getting nearer my price range I am still using YIHUA :-) but I am just a hobby pensioner
I have some cheaper systems coming, so stay tuned for those.
@@sdgelectronics ah, you’re the best. Thanks for doing these!
Hi Steve, I am considering purchasing a Metcal PS-900 system and a few tips for general SMD and throughhole. I am a little confused by new vs old style tips (A vs AR naming). Is there a diffference in quality do you think, or simply geometry?
In my opinion is a nice unit and it will definetly last a long time on the desck. Is definetly capabile of delivering power at the end of the tip for almost eny tipe of worck .
I've recently got a T12 mini, looking forward to see one with custom firmware
Looks great, especially in terms of value for money. Given the operating frequency, I wonder if it interferes with nearby AM radio receivers (with 455kHz IF)?
The thick metal can, shielded cable etc should hopefully have taken that into account. I can't remember what the limits are for radiated emissions of a non-intentional radiator, but it shouldn't be too disruptive.
Would be interesting to compare the Thermaltronics TMT-2000S which also uses Curie Heat Technology with the Metcal, apparently the tips may be interchangeable between the two.
The TMT-2000S I think is roughly similar to the MFR series from Metcal when used with the MFR-H1-SC handpiece (which takes SxP Cartridges). The PS-900 is a bit more unique with the separate heater/tip, though there is a handpiece for the MFR system that is the same as the one I've shown for the PS-900. If there is a call for it, I'll show the TMT-2000S or the MFR-1100 series station.
@@sdgelectronics I’m really interested in MFR-1100 (or any Metcal related videos by you).
@@sdgelectronicsand the Thermaltronics TMT-2000, actually.
I didn’t realise it was 470kHz and so cheap.
I have one and it's pretty good.
I look forward to the video with ksger
2:20 What’s the difference with the PS-HC1 hand piece and “PHT” tips?
Edit: it appears to be the PS-800 hand piece and a downgrade
Hummmm may be a new toy for my bench!!
Cool or should I say Hot demo . . . nice! What sort of solder are you using led-free or with some led in the solder? I've used the Metcal and equivalent Thermaltronics and they are head and shoulder's above anything else I've used.
This is lead solder in the coin demo, since I had to use some thick solder to feed enough in a short period of time.
I'm thinking about replacing my ksger and axiun t3b with that. Is there an modern shorter handpiece for it. It's 400cad
Got mine ebay for a ridiculous price of £1.80 with a couple of tips.
Do you think the thermal performance is better than the Pace ADS200? Do you think upgrading to the PS5200 sytem is worth the difference? PS-900 tips are definitely more economical.
The MX5200 series of kits is incredible, but so is the price. For commercial work there's no doubt that it would always deliver no matter what the application, but for the hobbyist work bench I'd make sure you're not missing out on any other general equipment first. Thermal performance on the PS-900 is similar to the Pace, but I'm still not sure if I have a dodgy tip since a couple of viewers don't think the results match their experience. I have some other tests planned soon which I'll do all in one video to compare all the systems together.
do you have ps-900 schematic? I have a problem with the tip which has static voltage when I touch it. is it normal ? . thanks
That's a symptom of bad grounding in your electrical installation. Get a socket tester and discard that first.
Nice, but quite a large iron for modern small scale electronics work. All my older larger irons now sit on the back of my workbench mostly unused these day. But everyone has there own personal preference.
Never vibed with the PS-900, never understood the point of having such a chunky hand piece on a metcal, didn't like the way this station uses up bench space unlike the vertical metcal's either.
Now im wondering if it would be easy to diy this kind of station, probably easier than the the other more expensive one
Should be, but you might be the first. I can't find any information on what sort of voltage it outputs. Thermaltronics as well as some chinese brands have 450kHz stations as well.
@@jaro6985 I wish i had the kind of equipment to attempt this
There's some people on the EEVBlog forum that have used the essence of the original MX-500 system to DIY a 13.56 MHz station.
What's the advantage of one of these over one of the cheap KSGER or similar T12 clones? Seems a lot more expensive and you give up the temperature adjustments which seems like a poor tradeoff.
Generally it's pretty rare to change the temperature unless there's a specific low temperature requirement. More often I tend to see the bad practice of increasing the temperature temporarily for heavy work, whereas on a more capable system the standard temperature should work no matter what the load. Comparing any of the more expensive systems to the KSGER is probably about quality too. I will cover a KSGER/Quicko station soon though to see how it performs.
@@sdgelectronics Maybe this is my limited experience with KSGER and entry level Weller units, but I've always found the temperature presets useful for things like wicking solder when reworking SMD parts. Extra 30C or so speeds everything up and a button press is much faster than swapping out for a bigger tip and then back to a small chisel afterwards. Possibly that is just due to the power/control limitations of the cheaper units though. Definitely interested to see a comparison, will keep an eye out!
@@sdgelectronicsfunny you said bad practice just to defend metcal when in reality all brands do it
@@user-yk1cw8im4h no professional equipment requires the temperature to be raised to solder high thermal demand work. They are generally capable of putting sufficient power into the joint to maintain the set temperature
Are the non jbc 245 handles rated at higher wattages? the official ones list @ 50watts.
I checked the JBC website and datasheet, but I don't see any power rating for the T245 handpiece. The JBC system definitely drives them much higher than 50W
@@sdgelectronics Seems its only vendors listing 20 for the 210 and 50 for the 245 I sent jbc tools an email but it doesn't seem they care who i am unless i am part of a company.
Did you even compare Metcal to true JBC station, not clone with handle?
Yes, video #216 for the first comparison
Thanks for doing these types of videos I gain more information about this Hobbie buy people showing these tests.
It look very Nice and is very small
Interestingly enough the MFR series of 450kHz stations has two soldering handpiece options, one of which looks like the PS-900 "chunky" one and one which has cartridges similar to the MX500 (etc.) stations. There doesn't seem to be as much easy info about the MFR stations online; I suppose this might be to do with their being more expensive (though not by much, at least in the UK) than the PS-900 but they do have other options the PS-900 doesn't have, such as a desoldering gun attachment (MFR is Multi-Function Rework). The output power rating for the MFR-1110 is the same as the PS-900.
It would be interesting to see how the handpiece for the MFR cartridges compares to the MX series stations, and to the MFR's "tip" handles that look the same as the PS-900 one.
I have an old and battered STSS unit which unfortunately doesn't work properly and is beyond my ability to repair (I'll probably keep it though as a project). I really like the design of the handpiece and cartridges so it feels like I might prefer the MFR cartridge system, but on the other hand it could just be additional cost for no real benefit since I already have other tools and don't need the "Multi-Function" aspect. There is more tip choice with the cartridge handpiece than the tip handpiece though!
The MX stations are the only ones to use 13.56 MHz which means the cartridges are much smaller, and thus more responsive. The MFR I think all 450 kHz like the PS-900 and have the option for the chunkier style tips which have a separate heater cartridge. The slimmer cartridges have an integrated heater, but are not quite as compact as the 13.56 MHz cartridges. Technically performance is lower, but they are used in huge numbers for hand assembly at production facilities so there is likely not a discernible difference.
Brass scrub or steel scrub
Brass. Steel will damage the tip plating
@@sdgelectronics that's what I thought but I have seen people using steel scrub
29ºC indoors? Good grief man, you need to vent your workspace.
It is new normal here in Europe past few weeks or even a month, 33-34C everyday. One part of the Europe is heat treated and the rest is flooded.
Tell me a about it; here in Portugal we had this past weekend was at around 38ºC.
I have an 800W air-con in my workshop (NE Scotland) and it's been flat out trying to cool the room down the past week or so. I can get it down to 24degC.......but switched off it's been up to 31.5degC!
It's very warm at the moment in the UK, but as mentioned also many areas flooded. I have to service the cars ready for annual inspection which is rapidly approaching but can't bring myself to do any work outside!
are you allowed to deface coins of the realm??;-)
The Coinage Act 1971 makes it an offence to destroy a metal coin that has been current in the UK since 1969, unless a license to do so has been granted by the Treasury...........but nobody is gonna spill the beans, the videos are too good....:-)
@@IanScottJohnston HA HA!! you like living dangerously:-)
I never solder the queen's face :D
@@sdgelectronics I would hope not:-)