Soldering station. DIY soldering station with a hairdryer from available parts at home. What mistakes should be avoided during the assembly process?

Do-it-yourself hot-air soldering station on video

I have long wanted to buy a station, but due to financial problems the opportunity did not arise, and after a little thought I decided - is it possible to make it with my own hands?

I scoured the net a little and found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzGbTwlyZxo. The station is just what I need - controlled by a microcontroller, data output to a 16x2 LCD display on which it is displayed.

The top line is the set temperature of the soldering iron and the current temperature on it, the data is updated several times per second (0-480°C)

The bottom line is the set temperature of the hair dryer, the current temperature on it (0-480°C), as well as the rotation speed of the fan built into the hair dryer (0-99)

Board and circuit

You can download the printed circuit board (+ circuit diagram and firmware), everything is original, like the author.

A few tips for those who are too lazy to watch the videos (although I explained everything in some detail in them)

The dimensions of the printed circuit board have already been established; there is no need to mirror it either. It is advisable to replace the terminals through which the controls are connected to the board, that is, instead of terminals, use the usual method - take the wires and solder them into the corresponding holes on the board.

During etching, it is MANDATORY to check sections of the board with the template, since in some places the leads of SMD components can form a short circuit, all this is clearly visible in the photo

MK type ATMEGA328 is the same microcontroller that is on programmer boards with an arduino uno kit, in China it costs a penny, but with an MK you will need either a homemade programmer or a native arduino uno, as well as a 16 MHz quartz resonator.

The MK is fully responsible for controlling and outputting data to the LCD display. The control of the station is quite simple - 3 variable resistors of 10 kOhm (the most common, mono - 0.25 or 0.5 watts), the first is responsible for the temperature of the soldering iron, the second is the vein, the third increases or decreases the speed of the cooler built into the hair dryer.

The soldering iron is controlled by a powerful field-effect transistor, through which a current of up to 2 Amps will flow, therefore it will heat up, and the triac will also heat up - it, together with the transistor and a 12-volt stabilizer, was wired to a common heat sink, and the housings of these components were additionally insulated from the radiator.

Be sure to take 3mm LEDs with low consumption (20mA) due to the use of more powerful 5mm LEDs (70mA), my hair dryer did not work, or rather it did not heat up. The reason is that the LED on the board and the LED that is built into the optocoupler (it actually controls the entire heating unit of the hair dryer) are connected in series and there was simply not enough power for the LED in the optocoupler to light up.

Soldering iron

I myself took a Ya Xun soldering iron for stations of this type, 40 watts with a durable tip. The plug has 5 pins (contact holes), the pinout of the plug is below

Please note that the photo shows the pinout of the plug on the soldering iron itself.

The soldering iron has a built-in thermocouple, the data from which is received and decrypted by the station itself. You MUST need a soldering iron with a thermocouple, and not with a thermistor as a temperature sensor.

The thermocouple has polarity; if the thermocouple is connected incorrectly, the soldering iron will reach its maximum temperature after turning on and become uncontrollable.

In principle, the power can be from 350 to 700 watts, I advise no more than 400 watts,

That's enough for any needs. The hair dryer also has a built-in thermocouple as a temperature sensor. The hair dryer must have a built-in cooler. It has an 8-pin socket, the pinout of the socket on the hair dryer is presented below.

Inside the hair dryer there is a 220 Volt heater itself, a thermocouple, a fan and a reed switch, the latter can be immediately thrown away; it is not needed in this project.

The heater does not have polarity, but the thermocouple and cooler do, so be sure to observe the polarity of the connection, otherwise the motor will not spin, and the heater will reach its maximum temperature and become uncontrollable.

power unit

Any (preferably stabilized adapter) 24 Volts minimum 2 Amperes, I advise 4-5 Amps. Universal chargers for laptops are perfect, they have the ability to adjust the output voltage from 12 to 24 Volts, protection against short circuits and a stabilized output - and it costs a penny, I chose this one myself.

You can also use a low-power power supply for 24 Volt LED strips, available with a current of 1 Ampere.

You can also slightly modify the electronic transformer (as the most budget option) and implement it into the circuit; I explained in more detail about power supplies at the end of the video (part 1)

You can also use a transformer power supply - it may not be stabilized, but I repeat - it is desirable to have stabilization.

Installation and housing

The case is from a Chinese radio, the 16x2 display fits perfectly with it, all controls are installed on a separate plastic sheet and docked to the bottom of the radio.

The main power components are reinforced to the heat sink through additional insulating gaskets and plastic washers. The heat sink was taken from a non-working uninterruptible power supply.

It heats up, but only after using a hairdryer for a long time at high power, but all this is tolerable, by the way - the board provides an additional 12 Volt output for connecting a Cooper, so that you can blow off the radiator if there is a need for it.

Settings

In principle, to set up you need either a thermometer or a tester with a thermocouple and the ability to measure temperature.

First, you need to set a certain temperature on the soldering iron (for example, 400 degrees), then press the thermocouple to the soldering iron tip to understand the real temperature on the soldering iron tip, and then simply using a trimmer resistor on the board (slow rotation) we achieve to compare the real temperature on the soldering iron (which is displayed) with the one shown by the thermometer.

Anyone who has tried to repair electronics has come to the realization that a soldering iron alone will not be enough. Some SMD elements simply cannot be desoldered without the help of a hot air dryer. That is why, over time, a soldering station is purchased that includes both. Most cheap options rarely meet individual preferences. Therefore, a do-it-yourself hot-air soldering station is not something unattainable. The article will discuss various options for soldering stations, as well as the self-assembly process.

What is a soldering station

To put it simply, a simple soldering station consists of several main blocks:

• power unit;
• control unit;
• indicators;
• manipulators.

The power supply can be switching or transformer. The first has smaller dimensions and is capable of delivering more power. The transformer power supply has a characteristic sound during operation and requires large dimensions for high power. In some cases, the transformer unit proves to be more reliable, but this directly affects the weight and dimensions of the soldering station. The soldering station control unit consists of a board on which there are microcontrollers, variable resistors and other elements that are responsible for feedback, as well as for generating the output signal for the manipulators.

The following can be used as manipulators at a soldering station:

• soldering iron;
• infrared head.

There are indicators on the front panel of the station. They display readings from temperature sensors located in the manipulators. In most cases, additional calibration is required to achieve correct readings.

Types of stations

All soldering stations can be divided into two large groups:

• hot air;
• infrared.

Each of them is tailored to its own tasks. In most cases, professional repairs require both types of soldering stations. The first is a small block that has one or two manipulators. A hot air soldering station can include only a hair dryer or a hair dryer with a soldering iron. There are soldering stations that only have a soldering iron as a manipulator. Usually these are the varieties that are called induction. In conventional hot-air stations, the soldering iron is heated by a ceramic or similar element to which voltage is applied. This element transmits temperature to the tip. In induction soldering stations, heating occurs due to the action of an electromagnetic field. The energy is immediately transferred to the sting.

Thanks to this approach, it was possible to reduce the inertia of the soldering station, increase the response time, and also increase power with smaller dimensions. In those products that contain heat-intensive elements, it is impossible to do without an induction station, since it is capable of heating large areas of tin in a short time. In some cases, this is difficult to achieve even with a hot-air hair dryer. Induction units are several times more expensive than conventional stations, but their efficiency guarantees pleasure and high precision when working.

Infrared soldering stations are a separate division. In appearance, they are practically different from the two previous types. They consist of two main modules:

• head or top heating;
• bottom heating.

Heating in them occurs due to infrared elements. Thanks to the bottom heating, the board is heated evenly, which avoids deformation when removing or sealing certain elements. Most often, infrared stations are used to replace chips with BGA soldering. They are chip-crystals that are fixed on the board using special solder balls. Some types of such chips can be replaced with a conventional hot air station, but the quality will suffer. The cost of a good infrared station starts from one thousand dollars.

Pay attention! There is a separate subtype of infrared stations, in which the infrared element is placed in a manipulator that resembles a hair dryer. Such products are not widely used and are rarely used.

Self-assembly

Two of the listed types of soldering stations can be assembled yourself. In most cases, ready-made modules that are commercially available are used. If you wish, you can develop your own circuit and assemble it, but often this is not necessary, since it is cheaper to buy ready-made components.

Thermal air

The simplest hot air soldering station can be assembled from a regular soldering iron. Below you will find instructions in photographs on how to do this. The entire assembly process will require the following components:

• soldering iron with wooden handle;
• aquarium compressor;
• screwdriver;
• drill;
• medical IV;
• foil;
• antenna part;
• stranded wire.

The process begins with the need to disassemble the soldering iron. The screw is unscrewed and the tip is released.

The next step is to remove the handle, which will be needed later. The wires that connect the power cable to the heating element are unscrewed.

The wire is pulled out of the handle and a small hole is drilled in the side.

The power wire is inserted through the hole made. To make this easier, you can tie it to a piece of wire and stretch it through it.

Now you will need the previously prepared dropper. The part on which the elastic is located must be cut in half, as shown in the photo.

After this, the remaining part with the tube is inserted into the handle, where the power cord used to go.

The connection turns out to be quite reliable and airtight. Next, the heating element removed earlier is connected to the power wire that was threaded into the drilled hole.

It is important to insulate the wires well to avoid electric shock. The heating element is installed in its place. After this, a piece of foil is wrapped around the holes in the heating element, which are intended for cooling, as shown in the photo.

To keep the foil in place, it must be secured with copper wire wrapped around the foil.

The nozzle, which will provide a directed air flow, is made from a piece of tube from the antenna. It is simply inserted into place of the sting, as shown in the photo below.

The hole through which the power wire passes must be well sealed. A regular sealant will do for this purpose. Next, the aquarium compressor is connected to the second part of the tube from the dropper.

This result will be quite sufficient for working with small components on boards. The power of such a hair dryer can be increased by winding a nichrome thread on a heating element, and also by installing a compressor with higher performance. In conjunction with a hairdryer, you can use a regular soldering iron. You can always take such products with you.

The process of assembling a product with a more complex structure is described in the video below.

Infrared

It is also quite possible to make an infrared station yourself. For this purpose you will need:

• soldering iron;
• PC power supply;
• car cigarette lighter.

You can use the old power supply. You only need one working line with a voltage of 12 volts. No special power required. The only thing you need for a soldering iron is a wooden handle. It can be used from any other device or made independently. The first step is to disassemble the cigarette lighter to get to the heating element that is located inside. The photo shows what it looks like.

The next task is to attach the cigarette lighter handle to the soldering iron handle. You can use glue for this. Next, you need to drill a hole in the cigarette lighter handle so that the power wires can be fed through the hole. Once the wires are connected, you can assemble the cigarette lighter module with a ceramic spacer, as shown in the photo below.

The entire structure can be secured to the handle using an additional metal plate. When everything is ready, the wires are connected to the power supply to a 12 volt output. The finished version of the mini-station is shown in the photo below.

The station turns out to be compact, so it is easy to transport and can be powered from any source that is capable of delivering 12 volts DC. It could even be a battery, so the station turned out to be completely autonomous. If you assemble a small block of 18650 lithium-ion batteries with a 12-volt converter and install a charging controller, then the price of such a station will not be.

The mini-station heats up almost instantly, and the maximum temperature can exceed 400 degrees. Small elements such as capacitors and transistors can be desoldered, as can be seen in the photo below.

The distance to the board when soldering must be at least 10 mm. In addition to miniature SMD elements, the station can easily cope with microcircuits in SOEC packages. The photo below shows direct evidence of this.

You can also desolder larger components without much difficulty. The station can be slightly modified to make it a convenient option for work. One of the modules that is easy to use additionally is a dimmer, as can be seen in the photo below.

Its purpose is to be able to adjust the power of the soldering station. As a power source, you can use not a power supply from a PC, but a power supply for an LED strip, as can be seen in the photo below. It is easy to purchase at any electrical goods store. The total power of the station is approximately 50 W, the current required for its operation reaches 6 amperes. This should be taken into account when choosing a power supply.

The disadvantage of such a soldering station can be considered the lack of contact with the element that is being soldered. Because of this, there is no way to remove excess solder, and it is also impossible to correct the part if it was positioned offset and the solder has not yet cooled. It is advisable to provide a separate power button on the handle, which will prevent the cigarette lighter from overheating. While operating such a station, it is necessary to hold the manipulator at an angle of 90 degrees to the element that is being soldered. This will make it possible to influence it evenly with the entire area of ​​the heater.

Additionally, for successful soldering of small elements you will need a set of tweezers. Their jaws must be sharp to make it easier to grip miniature components. In addition, you cannot do without a device called a “third hand”. There are many variations of it, but the main purpose is the same everywhere. It consists of holding soldered wires or entire microcircuits. To make it easier to see small components, you need a good magnifying glass or microscope. An integral part of the master's toolkit is good lighting. It would be desirable if it were based on LEDs that do not flicker during operation. When soldering using a station, you cannot do without flux. This is a special solution that improves adhesion and cleans the metal for soldering. A variant of the infrared soldering station with bottom heating can also be assembled independently. There is a video about this below.

Resume

As you can see, building your own soldering station is not as difficult as it might seem. At the same time, the costs for such a soldering station will be minimal, and it can be used anywhere. If we are talking about a professional level of repair work, then it makes sense to think about purchasing a high-quality factory soldering station, which has various operating modes and settings. When learning, there is no point in buying an expensive soldering station; you can start with cheap options for soldering stations. If the training is successful and during this time the desire to work is not lost, then you can think about purchasing a professional soldering station.

Today, many are faced with such a problem when radio equipment fails for various reasons. To perform complex work on repairing electronic equipment, a conventional soldering iron, as a rule, is not enough, and special equipment is required. That is why electronics lovers are thinking about how they can make a soldering station with a hairdryer with their own hands from available parts at home. There is nothing complicated about this, and the detailed instructions that will be described below will help you with this.

Soldering gun: what is it?

A soldering station is special equipment that can heat up to very high temperatures and allows you to heat metal leads very quickly. This device has a very primitive design, so not only a professional, but also a novice radio amateur can understand it.

In this case, soldering guns are used in conjunction with other equipment, since when working with the device it must be directed with millimeter precision. In this case, an excellent solution would be a soldering station with a hair dryer, which you can make with your own hands without any problems. Such devices are considered semi-professional and can be used to perform a large number of tasks of varying levels of complexity.

Main differences between soldering guns

Before figuring out how to make professional-grade soldering equipment at home, you need to understand what differences a soldering station can have. It’s easy to make a soldering iron from a hair dryer with your own hands. In terms of its technical characteristics, it will be absolutely identical to its factory counterparts, among which the main ones are:

• tip diameter;
• power;
• active air cooling system performance;
• maximum operating temperature.

These characteristics determine how well a homemade soldering station with a hair dryer will work, so they should be given special attention.

Design features

Soldering guns allow you to melt plastic and various metals with a low melting point. Softening of alloys is carried out by blowing hot air, which is heated by a special spiral. What can you use to create a soldering station with a hair dryer yourself? Atmega328, for example, like any other similar device, consists of the following elements:

• frame;
• heating element;
• air blower;
• pen;
• switch.

Some devices can also be equipped with a sensor and a heat level regulator, as well as special attachments that allow you to perform soldering work of various levels of complexity.

Making a soldering station from improvised materials

Every person with at least a little knowledge in the field of electronics will be able to make such a device as a homemade soldering station with a hair dryer. It’s not difficult to create it with your own hands from available materials. Any old or non-working device, as well as a steel tube, can serve as a housing. When working with the equipment, the housing will heat up to critical temperatures, so in order to be able to work with it, the tube should be wrapped with a special material that is resistant to high temperatures.

Stationary device

Soldering stations can also be stationary. In this case, they are fixed at the workplace to increase stability and ease of use. Such equipment can be equipped with a special movable mechanism that allows you not to move the board during soldering.

A do-it-yourself soldering station with a hair dryer can be made from an old hair dryer. Arduino is an open source platform that allows you to quickly and easily create any electronic device. This device uses mica plates as heating elements. The melting point of this metal is very high, so it can withstand any load perfectly. As for heating coils, any that are made of soft metal will do. Nichrome would be the best option.

When manufacturing a soldering station, great attention should be paid to the power of the heating elements. It must be calculated in such a way that the device quickly melts the metal without damaging the microcircuit. The power regulator of the soldering station hair dryer will also help solve the problem. With your own hands you will be able to manually regulate the temperature conditions of the equipment.

Soldering station from a soldering iron

An excellent alternative for the device body would be an old soldering iron, or rather its body, and all the insides should be completely removed. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage anything. In addition to the housing, you will also need a 2 kW halogen lamp. It is necessary to make a quartz insulator from it. To do this, using a diamond cutter, the ends are cut off the glass, resulting in a tube, onto one end of which a technological nipple is placed, and a hole is already made in it for the heater. A nichrome plate will act as a heating element in the equipment. Its thickness should be no more than 0.7 millimeters, otherwise the soldering station with a hair dryer will take a very long time to cool down.

It’s cheaper to make the device yourself, but you need to follow a certain sequence of actions:

• The quartz insulator is carefully placed into the spiral.
• To prevent the device from getting too hot during operation, the insulator is wrapped with foil.
• Next, the heating element is placed in the body of the soldering iron and secured with a wire from the handle side.
• A previously prepared structure is also placed here, which is pre-wrapped with asbestos cord, which ensures a better fit in the body.
• The handle contains a hose responsible for supplying air, which is connected to the compressor.

That's all, actually - a do-it-yourself analog soldering station with a hairdryer is completely ready for use.

What mistakes should you avoid during the assembly process?

Many beginners mistakenly believe that only a heating element and a fan are enough to make a soldering gun. Therefore, most often they make this equipment from an ordinary hair dryer. However, in this case it will be impossible to melt even tin, not to mention harder metals.

There is a way to increase the heating temperature by reducing the fan speed and hole diameter, but in this case the heating element will heat up too much and may fail, and the case will completely melt.

Types of soldering stations

All devices are divided into two types:

• A turbine soldering station with a hair dryer can be created quite quickly with your own hands. In it, an electric motor is responsible for air movement.
• Compressor devices are assembled on the basis of compressors.

In the first case, a powerful air flow is created, and in the second, the air moves more directionally, making it possible to use various nozzles. In terms of their operating principle, both types of stations are no different and are completely identical.

How to make a device?

A do-it-yourself soldering station with a hairdryer can be made at home from scrap materials that can only be found in the garage. The basis for the equipment will be a household hair dryer, from which we will need a housing. The role of the heating element will be performed by a spiral, and to ensure a constant flow of air you will need a small fan, which is fixed to the handle of the hair dryer.

To make a spiral, you take nichrome wire, which is twisted into a spiral with a small distance between the turns. For the base, it is better to take any metal that does not conduct heat well. When winding the spiral, you need to leave a few centimeters free on the base. This place will need to be wrapped with heat-resistant fabric so that you can pick up the soldering station while working with it. It is best to choose a ceramic or porcelain nozzle, and thermal protection is created to increase efficiency.

Once assembly is complete, the soldering iron will vaguely resemble a gun. To increase the ease of use of the device, it can be attached to a special holder. In order for a homemade soldering gun to comply with all safety rules, all exposed wires must be insulated. At the very end, a switch is installed and the network cable is connected, after which you can begin testing the equipment. As it turns out, making a soldering station at home is easy. The most important thing is to follow the instructions and follow safety precautions.

Yielding to temptation, I bought a hot air soldering gun on AliExpress. The issue price is 600 rubles. Accordingly, I began organizing the appropriate “wiring” of the device. I started with the fan control. The fan in the hair dryer is powered by a direct current of 0.25 A and a voltage of 24 volts. For this purpose, a switching power supply from a Canon K30232 printer is exclusively suitable, of which there are a great many on free secondary sale, and at a low price. And here the main convenience is not even that it is at the required 24 volts and produces quite sufficient current up to 0.7 A, but that the circuit already provides a trimming resistor, which is extremely necessary when adjusting the output voltage in the required range.

I didn’t buy my own power supply, it was in stock, although it had been faulty for two years already, but when I really needed it, I managed to somehow quickly fix it.

Power supply diagram

If the power supply is in working order, the most important thing is to avoid the temptation of improvement and radical modifications. All you need to pay attention to is the SMD resistor R25 with a nominal value of 18 kOhm. First, unsolder it and solder two soft stranded wires in insulation 15 cm long onto the contact pads. And don’t touch anything else on the board.

But with this particular power supply, due to its recent malfunction, we had to deal with it less delicately - to be sure and fully understand its real functioning, we had to remove not only the SMD resistor R25, but also the trimming resistor VR21 and the output zener diode ZD21.

The place of the trimmer was taken by a 4.7 kOhm variable, and instead of an 18 kOhm SMD resistor, a 22 kOhm variable resistor was installed. Having connected the electric motor of a hand drill to the load and driven it heartily, I set the 4.7 kOhm variable to such a position that the 22 kOhm variable resistor in the extreme left position of the slider produced 5 volts at the output, and in the extreme right position almost exactly 24 volts.

Connection diagram for hair dryer station

Having made sure that the resistance of the original trimmer was sufficient for the necessary adjustment, I returned it to its place. For greater reliability, I installed a small cooling radiator on the power transistor. At the same time, I note that the power supply in the original case will not be used in the future. This is perhaps the most visual and informative wiring diagram for a soldering gun that I could find. At this stage, we are only interested in the two wires that go to the cooler, one of them is brown, supply positive power to it, the second blue is negative.

Bottom line

Now I have connected the hair dryer fan and made the final settings. The adjustment range remains from 5 to 24 volts. At 5 volts, the fan of the hair dryer rotates at a minimum, it’s even good that it happened this way, there will be a type of mandatory duty airflow - cooling the already de-energized heating coil, and at the moment the hair dryer starts, the fan will start working first. As a result, the production of analog control for a hot-air soldering station began. Author Babay iz Barnaula.