The desoldering tool looks like a winner. My father in law who taught me to desolder had a a very expensive desolder station that included a vacuum pump and the iron was high quality temperature controlled. It was designed for production desoldering and cost more than all of my tools combined. If I had a tough desolder job I took it him and with his skill the job was almost instant. He gave me a mechanical sucker that I still have 40 years latter. Here is to Vincent, who was Signal Corps attached General MacArthur in WW2 and post war worked for NBC. A great man with a good heart. He was the best technician I have ever seen.
Very good you had a good relation with your father in law! Indeed, An electrical pump is a very good solution (particularly paired with some experience)!
I use a hakko 808 which cost around $200 but it's a beast if you do a lot of desoldering. The iron Andreas featured looks excellent for a lower price range.
The Desoldering Iron YIHUA 30W 929D-V is fantastic! After trying many other types of desoldering equipment, this is by far the best! It is a joy to use and salvage components!
You have to treat yourself to an OmniFixo if you don’t have one. Worth every single penny, honestly I’d pay 2x the cost it made my life so much easier. Also I found Engineer have a better set of crimpers, I forget the number but they have orange handles. They have the W style crimp but also do a circular crimp to wrap the flanges around the cable without damaging the cable. Perfect crimps for DuPont connectors every time that slide in to the housing without snagging.
*Summary* *Tools covered:* * *0:28** - Desoldering Iron YIHUA 929D-V:* Combination soldering iron and solder sucker. Great for removing transistors and other multi-legged components. Works better and cheaper than solder wick or electric pumps. * *3:21** - IWISS SN-2549 Crimper:* Affordable alternative to the professional-grade Harding FC2 crimper. Works with a variety of wire gauges and connector types. * *6:43** - Ejector Tools:* Tiny tools for ejecting SIM cards and resetting devices with small holes. The video recommends a specific foldable one for safety and durability. * *8:34** - Scissors with a Hole:* Special scissors for cleanly cutting coaxial and power cables with a single, easy motion. * *9:58** - Ethernet Tester with PoE Detection:* Combines a standard ethernet cable tester with the ability to detect the presence and type of Power over Ethernet (PoE) on the line. * *13:41** - Soldering Helpers:* * *Alcohol Dispenser:* Metal and glass dispenser for cleaning PCBs and other components with alcohol. More durable than plastic alternatives. * *Soldering Tip Cleaner:* Cleans and refreshes soldering tips quickly and effectively. * *Grease Dispenser:* Clean and convenient way to apply grease for mechanical tasks. *General Notes:* * Affiliate links are provided for each product in the video description. * The video encourages viewers to subscribe and support the channel. i used gemini 1.5 pro to summarize the transcript
The iWiss crimper is intended for JST XH and PH connectors where the wings will fold inwards and pierce the insulation. With the Dupont style crimps, the wings should fold around the insulation without piercing it. Some crimpers which do this correctly are: Preciva. PR-3254 iWiss SN-025 Toozo TZ-4228B AMP Modu IV AMP 90202-2
I grabbed one of those same Ethernet Testers several months ago. It has been working great and the TDR cable length function works well for working out how much cable is left in your box.
There is also a different version from the same brand, the NF-488 which does also allow for power measurement over PoE. I have both versions, the one with a pointy probe to find the right wire and the one to measure current. It is a realy shame they didn't include this power measurement in the more expensive one as that would really make it the perfect tool. Also the feature to detect a short has proven to be really useful. In one situation the reported length of 1 cable pair was twice the length of the cable. So I thought it was a useless feature, but it appeared to be absolutely correct as the RJ45 header was completely corroded. The LoRaWAN gateway was "flooded" so to say and the RJ45 jack in it was completely corroded taking the corrosion into the RJ45 plug. So when measuring it indeed had a cable length of 2x the total cable length and it was correct.
I LOVE these kind of “electrician/craftsman scissors”. Just lately i ordered one (Wiha), and was so impressed that i ordered two more (knipex). One in the kitchen, car, desk, tool box. They have small teeth (so things do not slip out), and are strong, so they are ideal for cutting thicker things, and when you need to cut with the tip in tight spaces. Several plastic sheets (credit card thickness), hoses and different locations in the car, cutting thick fabric, cutting/opening thick packaging (where regular scissors struggle). For me, they close the gap between tinsnips or side-cutter and scissors. But i got mine from Wiha and Knipex.
Something that I use for SIM card ejection has multiple uses. A “T pin” fits into the small hole easily and you can use them to pierce jacketing on wires for testing, then attach alligator clips to them.
Nice video as always. But just one comment, I had one of those desoldering irons, but sadly it didn't last long before the succer melted and lost it's vacuum where it connects to the soldering Iron, maybe a follow up how yourse holds up...
@@AndreasSpiess Hopefully this type will be better than a cold vacuum solder sucker. Question- where does the removed solder go? Mine jams up after a few desolderings, because the removed solder coats the inside of the tip, making the plunger stick. So a hot tip should keep it from jamming up ?
That de-soldering iron looks great for proto board! I've had a Paladin PA1701 desoldering pump for about 40 years - so well made. Although it does require two hands to operate, it has a very strong vacuum and allows me to use it alongside high-power soldering iron/gun.
Pumps usually are stronger and better for frequent usage, I think. However, mine was easily clogged and it was not easy to remove the excess solder. So I changed to the "simple" one.
Regarding the desoldering iron, there exist the pump type which you don't even need to prime! Glarses, a mechanical keyboard youtuber uses it since it is quite tiring when changing a soldered keyboard switch. Edit: Oh, nvm. You mentioned the pump but in hand-waivy way so I didn't notice the first time 😂
Thank you very much Andreas. I was strugling with making Dupont wire with another model of the iWiss (SN-01BM). I think this one will be more fun to use
Great workbench tool reviews. Tip on shipping cost: if a shipping is high relative to unit price (16:32), increasing order quantity may find better value point. Also re-seaching for item can reveal merchants with different pricing algorithm. Have noticed for some merchants, that each "add" to cart is treated like individual order, not what's in the basket at checkout.
Very interesting, I bought the same Ethernet tester a few days back, it has very nice features like wire length measurement and wire tracking on live networks, overall it is very nice
I can vouch for that desolder pump, and it's *excellent*. It makes extremely light work of taking scrap electronics and stripping the components out, etc
Little helpful hint on recording alone . Turn off auto focus . Place the camera further away and zoom in . Set focus . Now it will remain in focus even when closing the distant to camera with hands or objects , they will stay in focus enough to read and nit go blurry . Love the show . Admire your skill , talent ,knowledge and passion .
Nice tools for cheap price, but for the soldering iron tip refresher i believe it is ment to be used to refurbish (restore) the tip and not for cleaning it
I recently bought the two Japanese Engineer "tweezers". One is for removing ICs and the other is to grab small connectors, i highly recommend both, and they aren't expensive either.
Holy Mother of Technology! The very first one is amazing. Just how did I not know about this one. This would have saved me a lot of parts, headaches and tears.
Note the glass dispenser with the alcohol is for use with a small acid brush. You tap the brush in the bowl and it will fill and wet it. You can then use it to clean off solder joints after soldering. It will break down the remaining flux ans residue quite nicely and of course evaporate. The squeeze needle bottle is generally to put a drop of liquid flux right on the joint minimizing the mess created.
I modded that desoldering iron by changing the plunger with cut syringe as an adapter (I already made the proper adapter CAD drawing but don't have 3D printer), adding tube, and vacuum pump. It never clogged on me not like FR301 that people use
Thanx for this update on tools. I always try to find useful things wrt soldering and that de-soldering tool looks super handy, as I'm still using the hand sucker and iron. 👌
Yeah I think it was on that sale today and was only $12 . But then of course I ended up ordering more stuff than that one thing I went there for - ha ha .
The cheap desoldering iron/vacuum pump is great, but the design doesn't separate the hot tip from the plastic parts, causing heat to creep up and destroying the device after a while. This can be prevented by using it for short stretches of time with (unplugged) cool down phases. Keeping the tip pointed up will somewhat help, but the heat still creeps down through the metal parts inside. You can also add "thermal buffers" to better separate the parts, but keeping in mind that this is not a professional device and using it accordingly will be the best approach. If you need a serious tool that reliably works for hours every day, invest more. Also be warned that with at least some of them, the difference between the EU and US version is only the plug, not the heating core. These cheap desoldering guns work great in Europe on 230V, but don't get hot enough in the US at only half the voltage. Check comments from US buyers first if you are on a 115V electrical net.
Long time subscriber, and avid admirer of your stellar content. When I saw the effectiveness of the de-soldering iron, I immediately bought one. Like, literally 5 minutes ago. Thank you for everything you do. Kind regards from Ireland.
This sometimes also happens to me. Even with the expensive crimper :-( Maybe the chinese dopont connectors are too tight (I have european sourced ones that are bigger)
When using a desoldering iron on a through-hole components, I add flux to the pads before desoldering, and if I need a second go, add solder to have better heat transfer.
I bought a similar desoldering pump, shipped from Germany to Germany at half the cost of the one listed. It was about 4 years ago, but, still, I'm sure there are cheaper ones than the one listed. I saw that a lot of electricians over here use those kind of [electrician] scissors. Most of them swear by Knippex. Regarding shipping, you can see there it's listed as a 'choice' item, so you would have to order 10$ worth of those items to get free shipping.
Thanks for the vid, I love these “useful tools” videos! As an alternative to the Weidmuller Stripax, I swear by the Jokari strippers, at 1/4 to 1/5 the price (at least here in the US, through Amazon, at $25USD). They have a couple of different models, but the Super 4 plus covers from 24-10 awg (0.2-6mm) and never nicks or fails to strip. (I guess it wouldn’t help with your AWG 30 wires, but if you need to strip really fine studs, their PWS-Plus 001 handles from 36-26AWG for $48, still only half the cost of the Weidmuller.
What happened? Something serious, like heater failure? Or just clogging the nozzles/filters that happens even to the 2000$ Weller desoldering stations if you don't do maintenance?
Andreas I just watched your video on Nano VNA's and thinking about getting one. I have a question about the calibration of the Nano VNA. The Load calibration you used was 50 ohms if I am working with 75 ohm cable, antenna and receiver do I have to calibrate with a 75 ohm load or can I still use the 50 ohm load that comes with the VNA calibration kit? If I do have to use a 75 ohm load where can I get that for the Nano VNA?
Usually, you calibrate with the load you want to measure because you get the results rellative to the calibration. If you calibrate with 50 ohms, you have to do the conversion to 75 ohms yourself (e.g. a perfect 75 ohms match is not in the middle of the screen).
I got one of those smart PoE testers and love it. Would be even better if it could tell how much power a port could deliver. I run into issues at work where the port technically supports the right spec, but isn't able to deliver the wattage the device needs. (I know most switches generate an error in the logs, but I don't always have access to that.)
Indeed, these ports usually cannot supply a lot of power. Often it is also shared among several ports. I do not know if such "PoE loads" for 48V exist.
the price you showed for the de-solderer was about $15. Two months later, the price at ali is $30, and $40 on amazon (for US purchase). I'm wondering if you can still get it for $15 where you are.
I buy my stuff on AliExpress if I do not need it fast. Amazon is more expensive here. Just checked: Current price with my AliExpress link: $10.27 free shipping.
Another excellent video.... beware that in many places in the US...the word "Cheap" means low cost and low quality.... while "Inexpensive" means low cost and perhaps good quality.
Grizi Andreas. I find that low Pb solder needs a higher temperature to get it flowing. I have that same heated sucker and it’s been a bit of a pain. I’ve had to ramp to 400c and use a normal sucker pump for that stuff. Which is pretty nasty for the parts as most simply melt internally.
@@AndreasSpiess completely agree. Better to use a smoke hood but at our age it hardly seems to matter. That low lead stuff makes the SMD boards I make up at JLC and others a real bind if things go pear shaped!
@@koopdi yeah it does. It’s the only way sometimes. Mr Solderfix has a technique to use rivers of solder to remove parts cleanly. It’s just a shame we have to do that. I prefer LMP solder for reliability of joints too.
Thanks for the great vid, my network cable tester predates your oid one ;) Fwiw Ive found spectacle cleaner pump spray bottles are Very resistant to alcohol, the original fluid is a 20-30% alcohol solution iirc, I have been using some for well over 5yrs with 99% alcohol for cleaning/sanitation.
hey i appreciate your content. could you also do an overview of the usb c tester you used in previous videos? i would like to learn more ways to use it. thanks!
Regarding the tip cleaner, be aware that the chemical is destroying your tip. I wouldn't recommend that. Better way is to put temp at 300, put some flux on the tip and try to melt solder. Make a ball of solder on the tip and put flux. repeat that until you have a shiny tip again. This is the only and best way to remove the oxidation you have on your tip. If you have a solder-bath, it will be much easier. Just use a good flux and this should be enough.
I'm using a brass brush to remove the crusty stuff, and the brass should be soft enough to not remove the coating. If you solder a lot you still need to use the agressive chemical tip cleaners from time to time, but that should be kind of your last option if normal retinning and cleaning does not work anymore.
Does the Desoldering tool drip out hot solder when you compress the plunger? THe nonheated ones tent to push out some hardened solder when you compress them.
Mine keeps the solder inside the chamber (where I have to remove it from time to time). Maybe it will stay liquid inside the "pipe" because it is heated.
As always, thanks for an interesting video, Andreas. Like almost everyone comments here, that soldering iron/solder sucker looks awesome! It just feels a little sad that I would consider replacing my trusted 20 year old traditional solder sucker , especially with all its scars resulting from my bad de-soldering technique. On the topic of technique : I thought I would have noticed this from your videos before, but did you hold that soldering iron with your left hand? I always thought you were right-handed, especially since the watch is on your left hand? Or have I just been soldering/de-soldering the wrong way all these years? 🙂
Awesome, I actually really enjoy the tool show videos - Some of these I've been looking for a long time. Linesmen Scissors when good can probably take your finger clean off judging by the scar i have from being stupid while doing network drops :)
Hey andreas, unfortunately the aliexpress links aren't working.. If they are affiliate links (idek if that's possible on ali, but just in case) could you refresh them.. Or at least quickly comment (for my interests on that point) the titeled names of the alc-dispenser and the grease- syringe/-pistol.. Merci & lg us basel✌🏻😁
Thanks for the cool tool reviews. I have an old Radioshack Desoldering iron with a rubber bulb. It doesn't have the cool safety ring stand/offset that allows you to place the tool on the bench top, but it is very easy to squeeze the rubber bulb and let go. I am not sure if the one you review has an easy mechanism? (But the price is really decent)
02:58 One of those inventions that are so simple that you wonder why this cheap alternative to the expensive ones hasn't existed before. Since I desolder relatively rarely, I stay with two separate devices... a soldering iron and a hand pump.
1:20 Looking at the 3 screws of the desoldering tool, it looks like a Weller copy... 5:02 Not closing the crimp tool is the hard part!? Inserting the contact and the wire in a correct way is the hard work!! 7:25 I expected this tool to be handled like a swiss knife, to open it. Maybe the knife company will read this? 🤔
I have the Vampliers version of the snips. Upgraded to Knipex angled shears. Easier to get my thumb in I found. I would just palm grip the symmetrical looking scissors, wasn't very comfy. Just my experience. The Pump-Iron blew my mind. Edit: Everything was pretty cool.
With the crimp tools the second tool was the wrong type for that type of terminal. There are two types of strain relief crimp tabs, one type they're both triangle shaped and the die for them is smoothly rounded which is what the first tool had, the second type they're rectangular and should be crimped with a die that has an m shape which the second tool had.
A 3 pin component could be removed by putting one big blob of solder on all three pins and heat them all at the same time. That however won’t work with 6 or more pin components.
As always interesting video Andreas. Do you think the glass container with the cap will prevent the alcohol from evaporating? The cheap square containers won’t.
I do have it for years and I did not check the level particularly well (I just fill it up when it is empty). So far, my wife did not complain that I returned drunck from the vaporuized alcohol in my lab ;-)
Funny, i do own a plastic bottle filled with Isopropanol since the 90s. I got it used, it is probably from the 80s. Still fine. Only the sticker attached to it is slowly coming lose by now.
The SIM card remover pin can be replaced simply by a paper clip which you can clip in your wallet. This cool life hack I learned from my coworker who is a engineer / programmer.
Hey Andreas, long time subscribet hete. Love your videos, especially your series on LoRa(WAN) got me through my senior year project. Wondering if you could consider making a video on the different ways a non-EE (CS) guy could waterproof his sensors?
Haha, alright, that is fair enough. Thanks for the reply! :) @@AndreasSpiess
5 місяців тому
Why are you desoldering something in your hand? PCB vise is the first observation. Then you could desolder with one hand. For assembly of PCBs with through hole components, there are special clamps that also put pressure on the components to keep them in place.
The desoldering tool looks like a winner. My father in law who taught me to desolder had a a very expensive desolder station that included a vacuum pump and the iron was high quality temperature controlled. It was designed for production desoldering and cost more than all of my tools combined. If I had a tough desolder job I took it him and with his skill the job was almost instant. He gave me a mechanical sucker that I still have 40 years latter. Here is to Vincent, who was Signal Corps attached General MacArthur in WW2 and post war worked for NBC. A great man with a good heart. He was the best technician I have ever seen.
Very good you had a good relation with your father in law! Indeed, An electrical pump is a very good solution (particularly paired with some experience)!
I use a hakko 808 which cost around $200 but it's a beast if you do a lot of desoldering. The iron Andreas featured looks excellent for a lower price range.
That de-soldering iron is gold. Purchased one straight away, didn’t even wait for the video to finish.
Cheers
Same here !
I think you will like it!
Looking at electronics tools is much like being a kid in a candy store. :-)
I agree!
The Desoldering Iron YIHUA 30W 929D-V is fantastic! After trying many other types of desoldering equipment, this is by far the best! It is a joy to use and salvage components!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
You have to treat yourself to an OmniFixo if you don’t have one. Worth every single penny, honestly I’d pay 2x the cost it made my life so much easier. Also I found Engineer have a better set of crimpers, I forget the number but they have orange handles. They have the W style crimp but also do a circular crimp to wrap the flanges around the cable without damaging the cable. Perfect crimps for DuPont connectors every time that slide in to the housing without snagging.
Thanks for the link to "OmniFixo" and for sharing your experience with the Engineer crimpers!
*Summary*
*Tools covered:*
* *0:28** - Desoldering Iron YIHUA 929D-V:* Combination soldering iron and solder sucker. Great for removing transistors and other multi-legged components. Works better and cheaper than solder wick or electric pumps.
* *3:21** - IWISS SN-2549 Crimper:* Affordable alternative to the professional-grade Harding FC2 crimper. Works with a variety of wire gauges and connector types.
* *6:43** - Ejector Tools:* Tiny tools for ejecting SIM cards and resetting devices with small holes. The video recommends a specific foldable one for safety and durability.
* *8:34** - Scissors with a Hole:* Special scissors for cleanly cutting coaxial and power cables with a single, easy motion.
* *9:58** - Ethernet Tester with PoE Detection:* Combines a standard ethernet cable tester with the ability to detect the presence and type of Power over Ethernet (PoE) on the line.
* *13:41** - Soldering Helpers:*
* *Alcohol Dispenser:* Metal and glass dispenser for cleaning PCBs and other components with alcohol. More durable than plastic alternatives.
* *Soldering Tip Cleaner:* Cleans and refreshes soldering tips quickly and effectively.
* *Grease Dispenser:* Clean and convenient way to apply grease for mechanical tasks.
*General Notes:*
* Affiliate links are provided for each product in the video description.
* The video encourages viewers to subscribe and support the channel.
i used gemini 1.5 pro to summarize the transcript
The scissors are a clone of Knipex 95 05 155 SB, the originals are only around €16 and will probably last a lifetime.
The iWiss crimper is intended for JST XH and PH connectors where the wings will fold inwards and pierce the insulation.
With the Dupont style crimps, the wings should fold around the insulation without piercing it. Some crimpers which do this correctly are:
Preciva. PR-3254
iWiss SN-025
Toozo TZ-4228B
AMP Modu IV
AMP 90202-2
Finally! A tool video in which i do not have a need for any one of these tools! I saved money watching your video. Thanks!
You are welcome!
The correct tool removes so much time in the process and always increases outcome quality.
And using tools seem to be an important thing that helped humans to get where they are today. Most animals do not have tools.
I grabbed one of those same Ethernet Testers several months ago. It has been working great and the TDR cable length function works well for working out how much cable is left in your box.
Yes, the TDR feature makes it worth the money. And it doesn't use stupid 9v batteries!
There is also a different version from the same brand, the NF-488 which does also allow for power measurement over PoE.
I have both versions, the one with a pointy probe to find the right wire and the one to measure current.
It is a realy shame they didn't include this power measurement in the more expensive one as that would really make it the perfect tool.
Also the feature to detect a short has proven to be really useful.
In one situation the reported length of 1 cable pair was twice the length of the cable. So I thought it was a useless feature, but it appeared to be absolutely correct as the RJ45 header was completely corroded. The LoRaWAN gateway was "flooded" so to say and the RJ45 jack in it was completely corroded taking the corrosion into the RJ45 plug. So when measuring it indeed had a cable length of 2x the total cable length and it was correct.
Thank you for sharing your experience! So far, I had no need for the TDR functionality. But goot to know that it works.
Waking up to a new Mr Spiess video!? Happy Sunday!
:-)) Very nice to know for me.
I recently took delivery of the Yihua 948-II soldering/desoldering/SMD station. It is REALLY nice. A real pleasure to use.
Thanks for sharing your experience. A real "beast", your new station with everything incuded.
I LOVE these kind of “electrician/craftsman scissors”. Just lately i ordered one (Wiha), and was so impressed that i ordered two more (knipex).
One in the kitchen, car, desk, tool box.
They have small teeth (so things do not slip out), and are strong, so they are ideal for cutting thicker things, and when you need to cut with the tip in tight spaces. Several plastic sheets (credit card thickness), hoses and different locations in the car, cutting thick fabric, cutting/opening thick packaging (where regular scissors struggle).
For me, they close the gap between tinsnips or side-cutter and scissors.
But i got mine from Wiha and Knipex.
Indeed, they are very strong and cut even thick cables sometimes better than the special cutters.
I have had the same grease gun since 1984. Used every day as a service technician and still going strong.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge
You are welcome!
Something that I use for SIM card ejection has multiple uses. A “T pin” fits into the small hole easily and you can use them to pierce jacketing on wires for testing, then attach alligator clips to them.
Good idea!
Nice video as always. But just one comment, I had one of those desoldering irons, but sadly it didn't last long before the succer melted and lost it's vacuum where it connects to the soldering Iron, maybe a follow up how yourse holds up...
Thank you for your feedback. So far mine is ok and a colleague has one even longer. But both of us do not use it often.
@@AndreasSpiess Hopefully this type will be better than a cold vacuum solder sucker. Question- where does the removed solder go? Mine jams up after a few desolderings, because the removed solder coats the inside of the tip, making the plunger stick. So a hot tip should keep it from jamming up ?
There's a back chamber where the solder is supposed to go.@@The-KP
First one I got also melted in no time. But the current one is now something like 5 years old and works nice
@AndreasSpiess - treat yourself to the solder sucker from Engineer. You won't regret it.
Their scissors are an absolute beast as well!
Tools for the lab or workshop... always interesting!
Indeed! Sorry the answer took so long. Now I am back in the lab ;-)
@@AndreasSpiess Nice... I guess we all missed you!
I got a solder sucker just like that about 1984. My first use was to upgrade my brand new original Apple Mac 128 to 512 kbyte. Wooo!
I never saw one of those and did not know they existed for so long…
That de-soldering iron looks great for proto board!
I've had a Paladin PA1701 desoldering pump for about 40 years - so well made. Although it does require two hands to operate, it has a very strong vacuum and allows me to use it alongside high-power soldering iron/gun.
Pumps usually are stronger and better for frequent usage, I think. However, mine was easily clogged and it was not easy to remove the excess solder. So I changed to the "simple" one.
I love that desoldering tool. I got one from AliExpress several months ago. It works great!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Regarding the desoldering iron, there exist the pump type which you don't even need to prime! Glarses, a mechanical keyboard youtuber uses it since it is quite tiring when changing a soldered keyboard switch.
Edit: Oh, nvm. You mentioned the pump but in hand-waivy way so I didn't notice the first time 😂
Thank you very much Andreas. I was strugling with making Dupont wire with another model of the iWiss (SN-01BM). I think this one will be more fun to use
You are welcome!
Great workbench tool reviews.
Tip on shipping cost: if a shipping is high relative to unit price (16:32), increasing order quantity may find better value point. Also re-seaching for item can reveal merchants with different pricing algorithm. Have noticed for some merchants, that each "add" to cart is treated like individual order, not what's in the basket at checkout.
Thanks for the info!
Very interesting, I bought the same Ethernet tester a few days back, it has very nice features like wire length measurement and wire tracking on live networks, overall it is very nice
Thank you for the additional info! Indeed, it has much more features.
I can vouch for that desolder pump, and it's *excellent*. It makes extremely light work of taking scrap electronics and stripping the components out, etc
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Little helpful hint on recording alone . Turn off auto focus . Place the camera further away and zoom in . Set focus . Now it will remain in focus even when closing the distant to camera with hands or objects , they will stay in focus enough to read and nit go blurry . Love the show . Admire your skill , talent ,knowledge and passion .
Thank you for the tip!
Nice tools for cheap price, but for the soldering iron tip refresher i believe it is ment to be used to refurbish (restore) the tip and not for cleaning it
for LOW price. It's not the price that is cheap, it's the ITEM that's cheap.
I agree.
I recently bought the two Japanese Engineer "tweezers".
One is for removing ICs and the other is to grab small connectors, i highly recommend both, and they aren't expensive either.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Indeed, the "Engineer" brand is a good one.
Holy Mother of Technology! The very first one is amazing. Just how did I not know about this one. This would have saved me a lot of parts, headaches and tears.
I also had to get 67 years old to know about it ;-)
Note the glass dispenser with the alcohol is for use with a small acid brush. You tap the brush in the bowl and it will fill and wet it. You can then use it to clean off solder joints after soldering. It will break down the remaining flux ans residue quite nicely and of course evaporate. The squeeze needle bottle is generally to put a drop of liquid flux right on the joint minimizing the mess created.
Thank you for the additional info!
I modded that desoldering iron by changing the plunger with cut syringe as an adapter (I already made the proper adapter CAD drawing but don't have 3D printer), adding tube, and vacuum pump. It never clogged on me not like FR301 that people use
Good idea!
NIce selection of new toys! Nice one.
Useful tools and tips, thanks!
You are welcome!
The grease gun is the only thing to use for flush zerk fittings which are standard for a lot of impact tools and small machines.
The alcohol dispenser will be great for the IPA I used for cleaning 3D printer plates. Ordered!
Good idea!
Thanx for this update on tools. I always try to find useful things wrt soldering and that de-soldering tool looks super handy, as I'm still using the hand sucker and iron. 👌
The combination of both convinced me. It is more than its parts.
The desoldering iron looks like a genius idea! Will order mine tomorrow because of a sale on Ali 😊
Yeah I think it was on that sale today and was only $12 . But then of course I ended up ordering more stuff than that one thing I went there for - ha ha .
Good price!
The cheap desoldering iron/vacuum pump is great, but the design doesn't separate the hot tip from the plastic parts, causing heat to creep up and destroying the device after a while. This can be prevented by using it for short stretches of time with (unplugged) cool down phases. Keeping the tip pointed up will somewhat help, but the heat still creeps down through the metal parts inside.
You can also add "thermal buffers" to better separate the parts, but keeping in mind that this is not a professional device and using it accordingly will be the best approach. If you need a serious tool that reliably works for hours every day, invest more.
Also be warned that with at least some of them, the difference between the EU and US version is only the plug, not the heating core. These cheap desoldering guns work great in Europe on 230V, but don't get hot enough in the US at only half the voltage. Check comments from US buyers first if you are on a 115V electrical net.
Good info! Thank you.
These are really informative videos Andreas. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Long time subscriber, and avid admirer of your stellar content.
When I saw the effectiveness of the de-soldering iron, I immediately bought one. Like, literally 5 minutes ago.
Thank you for everything you do.
Kind regards from Ireland.
...I also bought the grease gun... 😅
Cool. I hope you will like them
7:20 that tiny pointer hand you use is fantastic 😂
Thank you. It is inspired by the overhead projectors...
@@AndreasSpiess very creative
Great video. Thank you very much. Great additions to my lab.
Glad it was helpful!
I have this ali crimper
But sadly they sometimes don’t fit the shell because the strain release gets squiched to wide 😟
This sometimes also happens to me. Even with the expensive crimper :-( Maybe the chinese dopont connectors are too tight (I have european sourced ones that are bigger)
When using a desoldering iron on a through-hole components, I add flux to the pads before desoldering, and if I need a second go, add solder to have better heat transfer.
Thank you for sharing your experence! I find your aproach difficult for parts with many pins like ICs.
Great new tools!
Glad you like them!
Thanks for posting. Ordered a few items from your links.
Thank you for your support!
I bought a similar desoldering pump, shipped from Germany to Germany at half the cost of the one listed. It was about 4 years ago, but, still, I'm sure there are cheaper ones than the one listed. I saw that a lot of electricians over here use those kind of [electrician] scissors. Most of them swear by Knippex. Regarding shipping, you can see there it's listed as a 'choice' item, so you would have to order 10$ worth of those items to get free shipping.
Thank you for the additional info. Very useful for the German audience!
Thanks for the vid, I love these “useful tools” videos!
As an alternative to the Weidmuller Stripax, I swear by the Jokari strippers, at 1/4 to 1/5 the price (at least here in the US, through Amazon, at $25USD). They have a couple of different models, but the Super 4 plus covers from 24-10 awg (0.2-6mm) and never nicks or fails to strip. (I guess it wouldn’t help with your AWG 30 wires, but if you need to strip really fine studs, their PWS-Plus 001 handles from 36-26AWG for $48, still only half the cost of the Weidmuller.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
The best one is the ethernet gadget! I still have the old one from the 90s! 😮
Back then, you probably did not need PoE ;-)
Thanks, now I know there's an affordable poe tester and that desoldering iron is pretty handy too.
You are welcome!
"Front row"? 😱 I had to play it twice to be sure I heard it right.
What a drastic change! 🙃
Chat GPT 😉
I’ve had two of those desoldering irons, first one lasted a month, tried second one, lasted about as long. Gave up and just spent the $ on a Hakko.
What happened? Something serious, like heater failure? Or just clogging the nozzles/filters that happens even to the 2000$ Weller desoldering stations if you don't do maintenance?
Thank you for sharing your experience. I also would be interested in the failure mode.
Andreas I just watched your video on Nano VNA's and thinking about getting one. I have a question about the calibration of the Nano VNA. The Load calibration you used was 50 ohms if I am working with 75 ohm cable, antenna and receiver do I have to calibrate with a 75 ohm load or can I still use the 50 ohm load that comes with the VNA calibration kit? If I do have to use a 75 ohm load where can I get that for the Nano VNA?
Usually, you calibrate with the load you want to measure because you get the results rellative to the calibration. If you calibrate with 50 ohms, you have to do the conversion to 75 ohms yourself (e.g. a perfect 75 ohms match is not in the middle of the screen).
I got one of those smart PoE testers and love it. Would be even better if it could tell how much power a port could deliver. I run into issues at work where the port technically supports the right spec, but isn't able to deliver the wattage the device needs. (I know most switches generate an error in the logs, but I don't always have access to that.)
Indeed, these ports usually cannot supply a lot of power. Often it is also shared among several ports. I do not know if such "PoE loads" for 48V exist.
@5:44 you should show a good and bad crimp under a microscope! very useful for explaining why a proper crimp is important
I agree.
Another hidden stuff.
Thanks for sharing your findings 🙂
My pleasure!
Nice tools overview, God bless.
Glad it was helpful!
I use some solder and a Brass sponge to clean the tip of the soldering iron.
This is what I do for everyday usage, too
the price you showed for the de-solderer was about $15. Two months later, the price at ali is $30, and $40 on amazon (for US purchase).
I'm wondering if you can still get it for $15 where you are.
I buy my stuff on AliExpress if I do not need it fast. Amazon is more expensive here.
Just checked: Current price with my AliExpress link: $10.27 free shipping.
Another excellent video.... beware that in many places in the US...the word "Cheap" means low cost and low quality.... while "Inexpensive" means low cost and perhaps good quality.
Thanks for the better definition. I was not aware of this subtle difference.
@@AndreasSpiess German has the word billig ... but to indicate low quality you need to roll your eyes.... or else gut Preis-Leistungsverhältnis
Grizi Andreas. I find that low Pb solder needs a higher temperature to get it flowing. I have that same heated sucker and it’s been a bit of a pain. I’ve had to ramp to 400c and use a normal sucker pump for that stuff. Which is pretty nasty for the parts as most simply melt internally.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I still use standard solder. Much better for hand soldering.
@@AndreasSpiess completely agree. Better to use a smoke hood but at our age it hardly seems to matter. That low lead stuff makes the SMD boards I make up at JLC and others a real bind if things go pear shaped!
I find adding a low melt solder helps to get the high melt solder flowing.
@@koopdi yeah it does. It’s the only way sometimes. Mr Solderfix has a technique to use rivers of solder to remove parts cleanly. It’s just a shame we have to do that. I prefer LMP solder for reliability of joints too.
Thanks for the great vid, my network cable tester predates your oid one ;) Fwiw Ive found spectacle cleaner pump spray bottles are Very resistant to alcohol, the original fluid is a 20-30% alcohol solution iirc, I have been using some for well over 5yrs with 99% alcohol for cleaning/sanitation.
Good idea!
Good idea!
Good idea!
I ended up ordering a clone of the soldering iron temperature meter you showed! Not on your list but I didn't know they existed.
It is quite useful! I have one for many years.
I have a Stripax stripper I bought in 1982 - replaced the knife several times - the rest is like new
Indeed a good quality!
Nice video and tools 😊 greetings from Mexico!
Thank you!
hey i appreciate your content. could you also do an overview of the usb c tester you used in previous videos? i would like to learn more ways to use it. thanks!
I currently have no such plans before I thoiught I covered most I know in my USB-C video.
Regarding the tip cleaner, be aware that the chemical is destroying your tip. I wouldn't recommend that. Better way is to put temp at 300, put some flux on the tip and try to melt solder. Make a ball of solder on the tip and put flux. repeat that until you have a shiny tip again. This is the only and best way to remove the oxidation you have on your tip. If you have a solder-bath, it will be much easier. Just use a good flux and this should be enough.
I'm using a brass brush to remove the crusty stuff, and the brass should be soft enough to not remove the coating. If you solder a lot you still need to use the agressive chemical tip cleaners from time to time, but that should be kind of your last option if normal retinning and cleaning does not work anymore.
@@ProtonOne11
I never used that chemical. Believe me, only the solder is enough to fix the problem. but be patient in the process..
Thank you for this info!
Does the Desoldering tool drip out hot solder when you compress the plunger? THe nonheated ones tent to push out some hardened solder when you compress them.
Mine keeps the solder inside the chamber (where I have to remove it from time to time). Maybe it will stay liquid inside the "pipe" because it is heated.
As always, thanks for an interesting video, Andreas. Like almost everyone comments here, that soldering iron/solder sucker looks awesome! It just feels a little sad that I would consider replacing my trusted 20 year old traditional solder sucker , especially with all its scars resulting from my bad de-soldering technique. On the topic of technique : I thought I would have noticed this from your videos before, but did you hold that soldering iron with your left hand? I always thought you were right-handed, especially since the watch is on your left hand? Or have I just been soldering/de-soldering the wrong way all these years? 🙂
I am a „converted“ lefthander (during learning to write) and therefore can use both hands pretty well.
You got some nifty stuff there
Thank you!
Awesome, I actually really enjoy the tool show videos - Some of these I've been looking for a long time. Linesmen Scissors when good can probably take your finger clean off judging by the scar i have from being stupid while doing network drops :)
I agree, they are extremely sefficien on cables ( an I assume on fingers, too)
as usual - loads of useful information.
Thank you!
Hey andreas, unfortunately the aliexpress links aren't working..
If they are affiliate links (idek if that's possible on ali, but just in case) could you refresh them..
Or at least quickly comment (for my interests on that point) the titeled names of the alc-dispenser and the grease- syringe/-pistol..
Merci & lg us basel✌🏻😁
Here, they all work. Maybe you use an ad-blocker?
Thanks for the cool tool reviews. I have an old Radioshack Desoldering iron with a rubber bulb. It doesn't have the cool safety ring stand/offset that allows you to place the tool on the bench top, but it is very easy to squeeze the rubber bulb and let go. I am not sure if the one you review has an easy mechanism? (But the price is really decent)
You can remove the back part to remove old solder
excellent video, thanks a lot
My pleasure!
02:58 One of those inventions that are so simple that you wonder why this cheap alternative to the expensive ones hasn't existed before. Since I desolder relatively rarely, I stay with two separate devices... a soldering iron and a hand pump.
A commenter wrote that he bought such a device in the 1980s. So they seem not to be new. But I was not aware.
Have you tried the IWISS IWS-3220M? It has parallel jaws like your expensive one
No, I did not try it. But now ordered one for comparison ;-) Thanks.
@@AndreasSpiess Curious to hear your impressions
1:20 Looking at the 3 screws of the desoldering tool, it looks like a Weller copy...
5:02 Not closing the crimp tool is the hard part!? Inserting the contact and the wire in a correct way is the hard work!!
7:25 I expected this tool to be handled like a swiss knife, to open it. Maybe the knife company will read this?
🤔
That grease gun might be nice to buy solder flux paste cheap in big jars and use it as a flux gun.
I would use a syringe for that purpose. The grease gun is quite big.
I have hit the More info icon hoping to see tool links but it keeps bringing up your channel info. Great video!
You gave up too quickly. Click on the "second" More item, and all the product links will be displayed below.
@@michaels3003have not found it, goofy iPad YT app. It’s been acting strange lately.
I have the Vampliers version of the snips. Upgraded to Knipex angled shears. Easier to get my thumb in I found. I would just palm grip the symmetrical looking scissors, wasn't very comfy. Just my experience.
The Pump-Iron blew my mind. Edit: Everything was pretty cool.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
3:05 Only 15€???? That was no brainer, I directly bought it.
Good decision!
With the crimp tools the second tool was the wrong type for that type of terminal. There are two types of strain relief crimp tabs, one type they're both triangle shaped and the die for them is smoothly rounded which is what the first tool had, the second type they're rectangular and should be crimped with a die that has an m shape which the second tool had.
I thought it was sold for the Dupont connectors I used.
Sir, which project is best for deploma 3rd year students (electronic and telecommunication)
That is a very broad question and I canot anwer it :-(
Personally, I am very interested in the integration of PoE into IoT devices. I hope you make a video on this topic someday )
I already made a video about PoE
A 3 pin component could be removed by putting one big blob of solder on all three pins and heat them all at the same time.
That however won’t work with 6 or more pin components.
I agree. But I like the solder removal method better. It needs less hands.
As always interesting video Andreas. Do you think the glass container with the cap will prevent the alcohol from evaporating? The cheap square containers won’t.
I do have it for years and I did not check the level particularly well (I just fill it up when it is empty). So far, my wife did not complain that I returned drunck from the vaporuized alcohol in my lab ;-)
@@AndreasSpiess 😂
For the Desoldering Iron, do you just squeeze out the sucked up solder while it's hot?
No. It ends up inside the vaccuum chamber behind the "iron" can can be removed from time to time.
Tip cleaner as well as the Alkohol dispenser Link NOT valid anymore
I just checked. It is still valid here. But sometimes it is a matter of your location :-(
ordered one, through yr link
Thanks!
For scissors with a hole I'd only buy CK which I'd guess the ones featured are a copy of.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Funny, i do own a plastic bottle filled with Isopropanol since the 90s. I got it used, it is probably from the 80s. Still fine. Only the sticker attached to it is slowly coming lose by now.
Actually, it was not the bottle itself. I was not clear enough. Mine had additional plastic part that got destroyed.
You can modify that Yihua 929D by buying a cheap vacuum pump and turning the sucker chamber into a trap.
Good idea!
Where can I find this 3D printed AWG cable dispenser as download?
This was a private small project. Not too difficult to create.
The SIM card remover pin can be replaced simply by a paper clip which you can clip in your wallet. This cool life hack I learned from my coworker who is a engineer / programmer.
I use a dupont pin, perfect size!
I agree and did it like that before I discovered this one...
You can clearly see as that Swiss hart is melted when tools are useful and cheap.
Absolutely!
Hey Andreas, long time subscribet hete. Love your videos, especially your series on LoRa(WAN) got me through my senior year project.
Wondering if you could consider making a video on the different ways a non-EE (CS) guy could waterproof his sensors?
This is an important but very complex topic. I do not feel too competent about it (I regularly suffer from water in my outside electronics) :-(
Haha, alright, that is fair enough. Thanks for the reply! :) @@AndreasSpiess
Why are you desoldering something in your hand? PCB vise is the first observation. Then you could desolder with one hand. For assembly of PCBs with through hole components, there are special clamps that also put pressure on the components to keep them in place.
This was just a demo for the video...
actually uncan save shipping fee if you use transfer station. it will takes more time because they usually shipping via train, but it will be cheaper.
I do not understand 😒