Task: Purchase a Soldering Station for Retro Computer Hardware Projects
Needed: Web browser
Time: 10-15 mins
Introduction
Repairing retro computer will inevitably require soldering. There seem to be two very popular solutions which most people in the community go with. The first is the Weller line. Weller is a German company that makes solid soldering stations. The second is the Hakko line. Hakko is a Japanese company that also makes very popular soldering stations. I decided to go with the Weller listed below and have been very happy with it.
Instructions
Step 1
I purchased the Weller WE1010NA Digital Soldering Station from Amazon for around $100 (see photo below). You can also find these new or used on eBay. Setup took just a few minutes, and I was up and running in no time. It comes with the main unit and a nice stand to hold the iron when it isn’t being used. The unit feels very solid and nicely constructed. You can set the temperature, and it comes with other features such as an automatic timer to power down the iron after a set amount of time. This is a nice feature in case you walk away or get distracted and forget about it. Mine was set to two minutes out of the box I wondered why it kept cooling down.
Here is an equivalent Hakko if you want to go with that one. People love these too.
Step 2
The next step is to purchase some solder. Weller is a popular brand and can be found on Amazon. Mayum is also a popular brand and available on Amazon.
Step 3
You might also need some soldering iron tips for different jobs. This is optional but I went ahead and bought a set for about $25.
Step 4
Another optional purchase is a set of helpful tools to assist with electronics project. I bought this set for less than $10. A few of them are pictured below.
Step 5
Another optional purchase is a soldering iron cleaner. I bought this one made by Hakko since it has a nice steel wool-like insert. The Weller comes with a cleaning pad (see yellow in soldering iron stand below) so this isn’t absolutely necessary. These cost around $10. My only complaint with these is that they are very light and move around on my desk. Adding some rubber feet might help. I have used some of these clear feet for other projects.
Step 6
Finally, another optional item is an ESD mat for your projects (see photo below). I bought this one which is a good size and protects against static buildup and discharge. I have never seen or felt any static with this mat, even when I lift it off the desk.
Comments
I have been using this setup for about four years now. Everything works like a dream. You may of course need other tools such as wire cutters, screwdrivers, etc. I didn’t list all of those. Also, I found my Dremel tool to be useful for some projects. I can say that the Weller is infinitely better than the cheap soldering irons I had used years ago. Well worth the investment.
If you need a refresher or introductory course on soldering, I highly recommend YouTube. I watched several videos before I jumped back in. There are many good ones.
A desoldering gun and hot air rework station will complement this setup by making it easy to desolder chips out of boards.
This is reposted from Atari Projects.