Pro tip: I finally stopped using my old Weller iron for everything

A guy at the local repair meetup last week saw me trying to reflow a tiny HDMI port with my big iron and said, 'You're cooking the board, not fixing it.' He was right. I went out and bought a cheap $45 temperature-controlled iron the next day. The difference on small SMD parts is huge. What's your go-to tool for fine board work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_emery1mo ago

Got a link to that cheap iron you bought? Need to upgrade from my old beast too.

parker_campbell1mo agoTop Commenter

What kind of tip did the guy give you for knowing the right temperature? I always struggle with that, like on a tiny USB-C connector I either get no flow or I melt the plastic housing. Did he have a rule of thumb for different jobs?

theawest4d ago

He told me to set the iron to 350 for USB-C ports. I thought that was way too low and solder wouldn't even melt. Turns out he uses leaded solder and it flows perfectly at that temp. My lead-free stuff needs way more heat and that's why I kept cooking the plastic. Switching to 63/37 solder changed everything for small connectors.