# 60W soldering iron... too high for DIY job?



## necorn

hi, a little back i ordered a soldering iron off ebay, its 60W, 220V, and doesnt have a heat adjuster or anything, just an iron that plugs into the wall.
   
  ill be using it for my ath m50 removeable cable mod, as well as making my own cables and stuff.
   
  im just worried that noone else seems to talk about 60W ones, everyone seems to have a 25W or something like that, which is less than half the power of the one i've ordered....
   
  is this going to be a problem? im worried about damaging anything during the process of soldering.
  it only cost me about 2 bux australian so i wouldnt mind ordering another one, but if mine is ok then i wont bother.
   
  thanks


----------



## DingoSmuggler

60W is fine for cable work, IMO better than a 25 watter for that role. Just make sure the tip is a good size and not some gigantic chisel jobbie designed for metalwork.


----------



## sidel

Higher wattage != higher temperature.  It just means there's more reserve power to readily bring that tip back up to spec while soldering.  That makes things really convenient for bigger joints,  but if you're doing pcb work or the like it's just going to make a mess of things.


----------



## samsquanch

Quote: 





sidel said:


> ...but if you're doing pcb work or the like it's just going to make a mess of things.


 

  
  No it's not, it'll do just fine.  I used a 60 watt weller to build a beta 22.   The tip might be a bit much for SMD chips, but that's about the worst of it.
   
  60 watt is about the limit, if it was 100 watt it would probably be too much, I personally use a 100 watt iron to solder 14 to 10 gauge speaker wires to NL4 connectors.  If your iron is temperature regulated then your a go, if it's not, spend some time soldering some non-crucial connections and get familiar with how it handles, then go buck wild.


----------



## necorn

so i shouldnt be worried about it burning a hole through the driver of my m50's?
  i've soldered before, mostly at school, but it was for bigger metalwork, not some tiny headphone board.
   
  also, for how long should the tip be touchng the board when i solder?
  someone told me that i had to be really fast and accurate, or the circuits could get damaged.
   
  thanks


----------



## samsquanch

when de-soldering something, hold the tip to the pad/wire long enough to melt the solder and remove said item.
   
  when soldering, hold the tip to the pad/wire long enough to melt the solder and place a wire or component in the pooled solder, then remove tip.
   
  for 60 watt, you'll be looking at roughly 5 seconds total.
   
  search youtube for soldering techniques if you're still worrying.


----------



## sidel

Quote: 





samsquanch said:


> No it's not, it'll do just fine.  I used a 60 watt weller to build a beta 22.   The tip might be a bit much for SMD chips, but that's about the worst of it.
> 
> 60 watt is about the limit, if it was 100 watt it would probably be too much, I personally use a 100 watt iron to solder 14 to 10 gauge speaker wires to NL4 connectors.  If your iron is temperature regulated then your a go, if it's not, spend some time soldering some non-crucial connections and get familiar with how it handles, then go buck wild.


 

 I didn't say it wouldn't *work* (you're certainly not going to insta-melt everything in sight),  but it definitely makes your life harder if you haven't soldered much and don't have the control.  It's easier to keep it around a little too long and fry your board or make messier connections.


----------



## samsquanch

Quote: 





sidel said:


> I didn't say it wouldn't *work* (you're certainly not going to insta-melt everything in sight),  but it definitely makes your life harder if you haven't soldered much and don't have the control.  It's easier to keep it around a little too long and fry your board or make messier connections.


 
   
  You did say that it would make a mess of things, didn't mean to jump to any conclusions, but that does sound like you're saying it wouldn't work.
  
  You're more likely to damage components with a lower watt iron, since you'll have to hold it there longer to achieve heat transfer.  A proper iron will have all the control you need, which is why if you buy a weller iron, make sure you buy a blue handled (temperature controlled) weller, not one of the redish orange handled (non temperature controlled) irons.
   
  With anything in life, practice makes perfect.  I use a digital temperature controlled iron all day at work, it's insanely accurate, and the best iron I've ever used, BUT, when I first got it, even knowing that it was better than my base line 60 watt weller with stock 700 degree tip, I still had to do a bunch of test solder joints before I was ready to do anything critical.


----------



## sidel

^
 I understand -- just trying to making my point clearer.
   
  If it's the correct wattage (and providing enough heat) for the job it really should recover quickly enough for you to make a connection and move on without being overkill. I absolutely agree about a proper iron,  but it sounds like the OP is using a cheapy throw-away so giving yourself any extra control from the get-go is a plus.
   
  I think I completely missed that line in the middle about what the initial use is.  Cables are a lot more forgiving and you really shouldn't have a problem. Just don't toy with the driver too long.  I'm really sorry about missing that and going off on this tangent now.


----------



## necorn

heres the one i bought in case anyone wants to take a look
   
  http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190494367117&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
   
  it has a blue handle...


----------



## samsquanch

Quote: 





sidel said:


> ^
> I understand -- just trying to making my point clearer.
> 
> If it's the correct wattage (and providing enough heat) for the job it really should recover quickly enough for you to make a connection and move on without being overkill. I absolutely agree about a proper iron,  but it sounds like the OP is using a cheapy throw-away so giving yourself any extra control from the get-go is a plus.
> ...


 

 haha, sorry to have come off as a know it all nerd, I was a bit sauced up last night, and having some slight issues typing.  whoops, don't drink and type....
   
  while that iron does have a blue handle, it's not a weller, so handle color may or may not indicate anything.  Like I said before, just do a bunch of test solder joints, and once you're comfortable with how it operates, you'll be just fine.


----------



## alamakazam

I use a 70w for my beta22s, btw beta22 is not using smd components, unless u redesign the pcb...


----------



## castlevania32

i'm so sad hakko isn't making the 936 anymore 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 i really really want one since i decided to start dying, but i guess this http://www.asianproducts.com/product/A12572315280940946_P12572358172573561/hakko-936-esd-safe.html is a fake right ?


----------



## Ntropic

Join the dark side. Buy a Weller WES51. If you ask me, they're easier to find parts for; what kind of electronics store doesn't stock Weller parts?


----------



## DingoSmuggler

Quote: 





castlevania32 said:


> i'm so sad hakko isn't making the 936 anymore
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

 Why not get its successor, the FX888. blue and yellow FTW


----------



## castlevania32

well it's so ugly...it hurts my eyes...what the hell were they thinking !


----------

