this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
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[–] [email protected] 175 points 3 months ago (13 children)

Have they not heard of the TS100 or the Pinecil?

Both run an open-source firmware and work with any USB-C PD battery pack and still allow you to configure the temperature.

[–] [email protected] 108 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Considering that they sell one of those, I’m going to assume they’ve heard of it. ;)

[–] [email protected] 38 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

It's very likely existing smart soldering pens were the inspiration.

iFixit even mentions they didn't include a screen like the Pinecil because most people don't actually mess with the settings that much when they are on the go.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 months ago (2 children)

What they probably meant is they didn’t include a screen because this way they can sell their overpriced battery pack.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

It's definitely priced significantly higher than a similar setup from Pine64.

...but it also has some significant advantages and features the Pinecil does indeed lack.

I definitely think the Pinecil is aimed more at hobbyists and this iFixit iron is aimed at people who solder all the time, in other words, not hobbyists.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (11 children)

Since the Pinecil is running IronOS, it’s just a matter of time for it to also get the fall detection. And apart from the LED ring gimmick, I don’t see any huge advantages over IronOS.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I personally see the PD for USB-C being 100W is a significant advantage as the Pinecil tops at 60W from USB-C and you have to search for a traditional barrel-plug power cord to get it to max out at 88W.

100W through USB-C and not even having a different power option seems pretty useful to me. *shrugs

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I regularly power both my ts100 and Pinecil with a Milwaukee M18 battery and the barrel connector this is super convenient. The display is also convenient. The fact that you need the battery to set the temp seems numb and completely negates the USBC convenience because it means you can't use any old USBC power source and still change the temperature. The 100w is also pointless because the other two options already heat incredibly fast and have a higher max temperature.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

My guess is that the motivation was user feedback and keeping things simple so they’re easier to repair.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago (7 children)

Those look pretty cool.

But I'm confused about the marketing around the cpu/ram, etc. Does that really matter for a soldering iron? (Serious question, not being snarky).

I get they're using that tech to make it adjustible/smart, but it's a soldering iron, not a pocket computer.

Is there some way those specs genuinely matter? Or is it just to say "we're using the latest tech to provide controls"?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago

Have they not heard of the TS100 or the Pinecil?

Of course they have.

An iFixit co-founder has been responding to questions over on Hacker News:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41521919

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I love my Pinecil V2. It was cheaper than my 40W entry level Weller station and heats up way faster. I run it off my Anker USB power supply and also my Anker USB power bank. The power bank only outputs 30 or 40 watts though so I might upgrade that in the future. High wattage power banks are expensive though :/

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[–] [email protected] 85 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Pinecil is 26$ and has a screen.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (2 children)

You're probably adding $25-35 to that for a USB-C power supply that can handle it, but yes, it's cheaper than this. $50-75 if you want it battery powered.

But yeah, I'm not sure what iFixit is bringing to the market that's better than what exists.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Tying a rechargeable battery to a single function device seems off-brand for iFixit.

  • edit, I am wrong. I didn't RTFM. Humble pie is good sometimes.
[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It’s a multi-use battery.

The battery can be used to charge whatever you want. A phone, laptop, headphones, or anything else with USB. Also, the battery is user replaceable and the product repair diagrams are posted online.

IMHO, it looks like they’re practicing what they preach, and it’s all designed for longevity and right to repair.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 months ago (4 children)

For 250 dollars. iFixit is turning to the Apple of repair.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

That is pricey... However, as someone who has an ifixit toolkit that contains just about every shape and size of screwdriver bit ever imaginable (and several that defy explanation), it has been the most useful tool I have ever purchased. I can't even count how many times I've used it.

And the quality is outstanding.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'll gladly pay a premium for something that will be "buy it for life" or at least last decades. Phones and computers have inherent obsolescence, but most tools don't. I don't buy chinesium tools, I buy reputed European, American, or Japanese tools, the lifetime stuff.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Soldering stations that are fixed to an outlet are also expensive. It's not a cheap tool kit. If it is cheap, it's a garbage iron that will likely do the job but you will struggle.

I'm trying to buy one for work and every station worth considering is easily over 200 dollars US.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (11 children)

Does it matter if the products last longer than an apple product and can likely be repaired?

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (2 children)

What I want from a battery soldering iron is a field-replaceable 18650 in the handle, not Webserial.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (7 children)

Build a 18650 battery bank and plug in a pinecil or ts100. A solder iron with a 18650 would be heavy and uncomfortable for soldering.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I haven't done the math, how much runtime could you get out of a single 18650? They're pretty stout, but it seems like they'd be a bit underpowered.

Milwaukee 12v batteries are 3 cells (I think they're a little smaller than 18650), and you can run through a battery pretty quick (I believe they're 1.5AH). Though I don't know how efficient their heating design is.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

The Smart Soldering Iron will set you back $80, while the Soldering Station, which includes the soldering iron and the battery pack, costs $250.

Most interesting to me is that they put the display on the soldering station/battery pack thingy instead of the iron itself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago

Temperature is measured in Farads.
Very non-standard

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (6 children)

I bought my soldering station with air solderer and iron solderer for about 40$ from AliExpress, the ones with IR bottom heater cost around 90-100$

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago

So basically a copy of the battery pack T12 devices from China. Well done. You fixed an already fixed problem.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

I love my ifixit precision screwdriver, so I'd be a fan and would try this out.

The thing is once I switched to a butane iron (portable, hot in 20 seconds, awesome fire) I don't have any interest in anything with a wire coming off of the back of it. battery or no, the wire being in the way is ass and is also crap

edit: maybe it doesnt have a wire?

edit 2: maybe I shoulda read the article before typing? 5 second heat-up time, wow.. seeing as I am a fucking idiot and am also very tired, can someone who is smart tell me if the iron has a battery itself? the pack is for recharging the small battery in the pen?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It does not have an internal battery but can use any battery pack that can do 100W output.

I pre-ordered this for a few reasons. One, my experience with butane irons was very different than yours I guess. I hated how long they took and how finicky they were. Then I had to find a safe place to put it while it cooled. This has a cap that can handle the high temp with no issue.

When I need a portable iron it's to do small quick soldering with long waits in between. This seems perfect for that.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Having used an expensive Metcal, I would like someone to develop that level of performance for less. I want the precise thermostat and high quality tips, but I don't solder enough to justify the expense. I am happy to see iFixit driving innovation in this market though. Weller needs some real competition.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Ah any reason why Firefox decided not to include WebSerial?

Maybe you don’t want to buy the Station, or you left it at home. In either event, you can simply plug the iron into your computer and configure it via WebSerial.

You’ll need a browser based on Chrome to pull this trick off, as Mozilla has decided (at least, for now) to not include the capability in Firefox. In testing, it worked perfectly on both my Linux desktop and Chromebook.

Unfortunately, plugging the iron into your phone won’t work, as the mobile version of Chrome does not currently support WebSerial. But given the vertical layout of the interface and the big touch-friendly buttons, I can only assume that iFixit is either banking on this changing soon or has a workaround in mind. Being able to plug the iron into your phone for a quick settings tweak would be incredibly handy, so hopefully it will happen one way or another.

The WebSerial interface not only gives you access to all the same settings as plugging the iron into the Power Station does, but it also serves as the mechanism for updating the firmware on the iron.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I believe this is one of those Google "F it I am going to make this protocol my own way without anyone else's input" which results in security concerns and also Mozilla prioritizes it being a browser more.

Searching serial looks like this is still the case. There are security and privacy concerns over it.

https://mozilla.github.io/standards-positions/

[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

For those not wanting go search:

Mozilla's Position

Devices that offer serial interfaces often expose powerful, low-level functions over the interface with little or no authentication. Exposing that sort of capability to the web without adequate safeguards presents a significant threat to those devices. A user deliberately installing a site-specific add-on may be adequate, given sufficiently understandable consent copy.


Seems reasonable to me.

Google mainly built this WebSerial shit because they HAVE TO to make Chrome OS more than just a useless web browser.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Good news, I guess?

https://github.com/kuba2k2/firefox-webserial

I've only used it to do some esp32 stuff with homeassistant, but it does work.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I'll give it a shot. Seems interesting to have something USB powered that can solder.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

I've been using a Pinecil which is USB-C powered. It heats up in seconds and the temp can be adjusted easily. The big plus to me is how small it is. It's so much easier to handle than a standard iron, and the tips are push-in and can be locked with a screw so they're easy to swap.

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