The iron uses T12 tips which can be found on many different sites. They are relatively inexpensive if you buy the Hakko knockoff tips. You can buy the regular Hakko (Hako?) tips for 5 times the cost but I have not found them to be any better than the knockoff tips. Bangood has them for 10 different tips =$33.00 US or $3.99 US each. I have found them for as little as $2.49 each on Ebay with free shipping. I usually buy them individually so that I can choose which tip I want. They are the tips that Hakko 951 and 952 soldering irons use. I buy the very inexpensive T12 soldering iron kit that just has the hand piece and the headset as a kit without the 24 volt switch mode power supply. I then build my own 24 volt linear power supply to use with the headset (I get the headset that can calibrate the iron) and set it up in my own case. I have both the switching power supply and linear power supply versions and really prefer the linear power supply. Keep up the great videos, you are always a source of vast knowledge to us semi- newbies. Aloha
@@12voltvids They do have some really excellent ones with a small bent tip. Sometimes hard to find continually out of stock. Work well with smd as well as normal wiring. Aloha
I have two of this solder stations. Just love them. They have a great heat transfer, and heats up in 15sec. You can buy a lot of different tips for it. It handles every job I had to do. Just a great station.
That iron looks to use knockoff Hakko FX-951 tips I have a 951 and would never go back holding a regular iron feels like soldering with a large crayon by comparison. The integrated heating element has better thermal recovery since you don't have a massive air gap between the tip and the heating element. They are also able to place the temperature sensing element closer to the tip which reduces thermal lag. The tip temperature is also guaranteed to be within +-15 C without calibration that's on genuine Hakko tips of course.
Love your videos, after a 2 week binge of your repairs I bought an alpage fl-4000 tape player for $6 off ebay, took me all of 30 mins to get it working. Sounds great, all thanks to you
Not a bad little bit of kit if you like the T12 system, personally I prefer the 936 style. Interesting note that you don't like the blade tip, another review I saw on this by Voultar he was impressed by the tip (then again, he does a lot of DIP package reflow work and drag soldering) . From what I'd read/seen before buying my 936D I thought I'd prefer a blade to the fine point that came with my iron but in practise I have found the round point to be nothing but useful & I can still drag solder larger DIP sockets and pin headers with an adjustment in technique.
If anyone needs help changing the language to English, it’s option 15 in the menu. (Haven’t finished watching the video yet, so apologies if this is addressed later.) I’m loving mine. Bought it after watching the Voultar’s recommendation video.
Dude thank you. I was going crazy looking for instructions. It's the most basic step and yet these genius RU-vid reviewers can't seem to figure out what info we need and what info is just long winded showing off.
Bought one after seeing Voultar's video on it (with additional tips) - have been impressed for the money so far. Good to see you give it a run out too.
You need to change your technique. You look to be by the book old style - I was the same, struggled like heck. Apparently the trick is use lots of flux, not rely only on what is in the solder, use a pen or a syringe of the jelly. Finally use solder that's 0.5mm or preferably less. SMD and close work using a chisel tip, lots of flux and a little solder makes SMD so easy, you just "paint" the solder on, even with multi leg it doesn't matter if the tip bridges pads as the flux forces the metal to only puddle on individual pads. Banks of LEDs ust load the tip, flood the area with flux and drag the tip down the line - the chisel does the rest. If your solder is too thick or you feed in too much THEN you'll have problems with bridging. Put solder on the tip not the component and you'll be OK. After 50 years of 1mm solder and borax it came as a bit of a shock, but it does the trick.
I just built a similar station from a kit on Ebay. "Temperature Controller Digital Kits for HAKKO T12 Handle" Comes without it's own power, so I used a small 19Volt 45W DELL power-brick (so no EMI noise). Replaced the blade tip with 3 other more useful tips, so now I have a nice solder station for about $20.
That tip is for SMD rework and is great for that, but the Hakko T12-D24, or round tip is my go to for thur-hole soldering. I prefer these active tips over the older type as much better thermal recovery. Plus love the shorter distance of working area, as much better to handle and more accurate. You do have to calibrate the tip types and etc on that controller if you have the FG 100 Soldering Tip Thermometer. One you do works a dream and I more old school, but that station not bad at all. On the non hakko aftermarket tip, let it burn in for 2 to 3 minutes for the to be stable when first using. Only thing is wished they would have used a linear power supply instead.
On Ebay, depending on the seller, you can request to get one with a different tip instead of that worthless knife tip. Also a set of 4 tips costs only around $10.
Well it's a nice neat control unit, i would check to see if the mains earth is directly connected to the case. Lack of a sheilded switchmode maybe?. I like the small chisel tip found on the old antex irons, it's what i'm used to.
A mains powered board in a metal case without an earth, i can't say i like that design. Im no lover of those all metal table lamps that dim when you touch the lamp metal, i dont trust mains and a non earthed metal.
Another RU-vidr recommended this station so I got it. No power cord for starters and I had to open it up because someone hadn't screwed down the connector where the wand attaches. You could wobble it around on the front plate. It took six weeks to get here but, you know, under $50. It works great now but it took some internal adjustments apon arrival.
@@patbutete1722 this was a sarcastic comment considering that even a cheap Chinese soldering station has a fuse. it's all about safety and peace of mind. i would really like it if such a device is not going to burn down my house even if it is very unlikely.
I saw this model on banggood , looks like it would work well and not overly expensive. i picked up the TS100 last year and i like it really well .Though it too didnt come with a power cord, and the provided tip is a small conical point which Im not fond of. I plan on buying a chisel tip sometime soon, i think it'll function better. It looks like replacement tips for this KSGER are fairly cheap. I like how these newer model irons heat up really fast. But i wonder how long they'll last under such stresses from heating so fast. Thanks for sharing !
Good suggestion. Other possibility would be to solder a 0.01 uf (or similar size) cap between the +24V power line and the output of the MOSFET, to "snub" the switching. That looks to be the source of the noise. It may be back-feeding into the AC as well, so the noise severity would then depend on what else is plugged into that breaker. Also, does the PSU have X or Y type caps (like it supposed to have)? (Edit) - The issue may also be related to the PSU "un-loading" when the MOSFET turns off, increasing EM noise from the switching ckt in the PSU itself. Maybe modify to switch over to a dummy load? The solution starts to get complicated at this point... - Eddy
Could it be because you are used to the conical tip, it's better because you know how to use it proficiently? I wonder if it's possible to learn to use a new kind of tip? I sometimes can use certain things well, but others not so well that others can.
If you are asking if the tip can be modified as in reshaping, the answer is no. The tips are coated/plated with alloy to prevent oxidation at high temperature.
Free tips always seem to be the ones that do not sell. Like blades or the useless conical ones. At least you get something unlike Metcal and Pace. There are very many T12 tips at a reasonable price out there. This iron is very good though.
Remember I am talking to global audience. Soccer is football everywhere else. What is called football in north America is called rugby everywhere else.
since this uses handle and tips based on hakko t12 951 how about making and selling a version of the hakko 2032 microsoldering pencil and its related t30 tips to be used with this station as that would be really handy as can only get 2032 from states or hong kong in uk
I hope you buy the top you need Seems like a very interesting station ,I also like my stuff simple to use ,I glad you figured out the lanage ,I still have some cell ear phones that speak Chinese.
HELP! I bought one. It doesn't heat up and shows "INVERT" on the screen. Inverting the iron has no effect, apart from the motion detector icon lighting. There's no mention of INVERT in the supplied manual, which appears to be for an earlier version (the menu items don't match up). Has anyone any ideas?
Not for this style iron - this has the heater and feedback temperature sensor baked into the tip assembly (which is why it heats up so fast), so a bit of copper wire will do sweet nothing...
Great video; thank you. For what it is worth, I pulled the cover off my KSGER unit and found the 400V, 68uf capacitor leaking; I just ordered a replacement capacitor. I had not used the station more than 20 minutes. I had seen another video of someone with the same 400V, 68mf capacitor leaking. Someone wrote on that site they thought KSGER was installing used capacitors in some units. The units offer phenomenal bang for the buck - when they work properly. If you buy one of these stations, I recommend taking the cover off and doing a brief inspection after you run the station for a few minutes. (In the case of the other videographer, he saw magic smoke coming out almost immediately after powering up the unit, and he shut off the station. Upon inspection, it appeared the capacitor had been punctured. Here is a link to his video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cowgbwU3b5c.html With that said, I am still happy with my purchase (from Banggood).
I had that same issue where that 400v 68mf leaked on 1 of the 4 of these we use at work? I just assumed it was a dud as the other 3 been fine and had them for a few months.
Really glad you reviewed this! The price isn't bad, the temp indicator appears to be very precise, the menu options are VERY sophisticated, and as you say it heats real quick, which is all fantastic, but the fact that the tips are non standard, and the supplied tip is the knife type make a near deal breaker, for me at least. The translations are hilarious!! 😁
@@12voltvids Seriously, as a professional electronics technician with over 30 years of experience in defence and aerospace I can tell you that the conical tip is the least favoured by professionals because of its poor heat transfer performance. . Soldering really is an art form and I can tell you that a chisel tip or bevel tip outperforms (heat transfer) any conical tip. . A conical tip is used only when the soldering joint is small and the standard tip is too large to access the solder joint. . Soldering tips are all about transferring heat into a joint which is a function of the tip geometry and the "solder bridge" you make between the tip and joint. . It's unfair for you because I'm certified to NASA/IPC soldering standards because my employment has demanded this and I apologise if I have offended you by wearing my "soldering expert cap", but the only time you should be reaching for a conical tip is when the joint is small with a low thermal mass. . What most people do with conical tips to offset their poor heat transfer performance is to run them hotter than normal. Let's not loose sight of the fact that a soldering iron tips exists for the purpose of transferring heat to a solder joint. Applying basic high school geometry, how does the shape of a cone (conical tip) facilitate the transfer of heat? . Try a chisel tip instead.
@@jackhoffman6120 I use both conical and chisel tips. This is your opinion, because I am also a professional technician, and I have worked with many others that all have over 30 years, myself over 40 years professional soldering, and everyone has their favorite. Mine is the good old Weller chisel tip. A conical tip will transfer heat just as well if you know what you are doing. I do allot of fine work, and use both a chisel and conical. Again, use what you feel comfortable with. One thing for sure none of these chinese irons are anywhere close to my ole Weller. I would still be using it but the thermocouple broke, and I have been trying to find a replacement iron, and everywhere I go I am told it is no longer available.
@@12voltvids It's only after I began working for NASA that I mastered soldering as an art. I worked for 20 years in electronics prior to NASA and I thought I was good at soldering, but NASA takes soldering to a different level and I realised that for the first 20 years in my profession I knew nothing about soldering until NASA taught me how to solder. . NASA (and the rest of the aerospace industry I suppose) certifies/recertifies their electronics technicians every three years to IPC J-STD-001FS (prior to 2011 NASA-STD-8739.3) soldering standards. . You don't just "solder" at NASA. Any soldering anyone performs at NASA has to be inspected by a "IPC J-STD-001FS certified technician" other than who performed the soldering, so you would hope that I know a thing or two about soldering where every solder joint I made was put under a microscope and scrutinised by someone else who was highly qualified. . Professionally I've used Weller most of my life, but when I was introduced to the latest PACE soldering equipment it was love at first sight. Not sure that Weller would cut it with regard to lead free solder. I know Wellers very well, but not sure I would agree with you in regard to your previous comments. . In my opinion what sets soldering stations apart is how well a soldering iron can hold a melted solder joint at a constant temperature where a large thermal mass is involved. In other words if a soldering iron can hold a ground plane at exactly 300degC (+/- 10degC) to solder a 0805 resistor without much effort then this is a good iron. I don't believe a Weller could do this. I was hoping that a KSGER T12 might be able to step up to this challenge. I was hoping that the KSGER T12 was going to be a comparable iron to a Hakko FX-951 which uses original Hakko T12 bits. . I want to buy (I will buy !!!) two KSGER T12 and physically connect them together so that I can run two soldering irons at the same time on my home workbench. Your claim that the Weller is better I find unsettling because I want something better (not worse) than the Weller. The PACE with which I have experience with has the heater right at the tip as so does the KSGER T12. . Why does your claim that an old Weller is better than a KSGER T12 go against my instincts, but then I wouldn't attempt to solder on a PCB ground plane with a conical tip? . Am I about to waste my money on two KSGER T12 because I falsely believe that they may be in the same league as a Hakko FX-951 ?
They gave you a SMD reflow tip... I'm guessing they are probably not regular viewers. Likely a general RU-vidr kit... The noise emissions that it puts out would be a no-show for me personally, thanks for the review. Cheers, - Eddy
The rfi is mainly in the analog CATV mid band, but remember it is sitting right next to the TV. It is not disturbing the TV in the next room that also displays the time. (Yes I have a few old B/W TVs around the house that I use as clocks. Have to make use of the old tube for something right.
@@12voltvids - Thanks for the reply. I made another comment (a reply to someone else) also talking about the noise source. One question is whether the interference is being output on the AC line or if it is just RF emissions. Some discussion there as well as to whether it is the switching supply (when unloaded) or a noisy MOSFET (adding a snubber cap?). I might look at this with a view to improving it if it seems possible... Cheers, - Eddy
Wow, isn't "I" and "O" on any appliance a common symbol code in the USA? Logically an "I' is circuit joined, and an "O" means an open. Professional USA equipment i have imported from the USA has these mains on/off switches with this (or are you pulling our legs). You're the second tech from the USA who has commented on these markings for an on/off switch..
You're the only one that doesn't seem to like the T12 Soldering Station. I had a 936 style station, and it's horrible, it can't do any high mass work on it at all. Also, you can get a set of 10 tips for less than $20.
I like it, I just am not a fan of the tip it shipped with. I do use the iron all the time and once I get around to getting some different tips I will probably use it even more. I carry it in my tool bag that I use when I go out on house calls. Initially I had some issues until I figured out how to change the menu to english, but it has been a great performer and the tip heats up nice and quick.
@@johnc8910 yep I know they don't last long after hitting them with a file and they are a pain to keep tinned but if you are never going to use it in that configuration might as well get a little use out of it 😁
11:00 why are not using the flux for soldering pins which are close to each other? and for removing bridges? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OaBRak0HnQs.html
Actually mine, which was a retail purchase from Amazon, didn’t come with a power cord either. I’ve seen several mentions that it does not come with a power cord and several of the listings explicitly state no power cord is included.
@@markanderson350 You saw what came in the bag. Power supply, handle and heater tip. Additional tips optional. It is sold for a price point. For the price I think it is great. I will be getting conical tips. Will request them to do an evaluation on for a future video. That is is bang good will still do business. The sent me a camera to evaluate and was sent DHL. DHL guy leaves a card claiming there are fees owed. I didn't pay right away but went online and paid from PayPal after my patreon money went into the account. Still waiting nothing. Contacted DHL yesterday only to find out they shipped it back to China so hopefully they won't be too mad. I had already told DHL I was waiting for funds to clear before I paid them but it didn't get added to shipping info. So now I am fighting with DHL to get my 22.00 back as they say it has been remitted to Canada revenue. What a load of crap, bunch of crooks.
