Soldering Stations

Elenco Electronics
Elenco Electronics (Wheeling, Ill) offers the Model SL-540 soldering station, which is suitable for use by professionals, students, and hobbyists. Its unique design allows the user to plug in any soldering iron into the back of the base and then vary the temperature of the iron. The unit includes a 40-watt iron, a funnel holder for the iron, a sponge pad for tip cleaning, and an on/off illuminated switch. It is available assembled or in kit form. (800) 533-2441; www.elenco.com.

Hakko
Hakko (Valencia, Calif) offers the FM-202, a soldering and desoldering station that quickly delivers the heat you want to the soldering area. Process control allows you to select the desired soldering temperature without changing the tip—one tip, any soldering temperature, and no calibration required. The station also features replaceable ergonomic grips; a digital temperature display that reads °C or °F; an auto power shutoff feature; a low-temperature alarm; a lockout key card that locks the temperature setting into the system memory, preventing accidental or unauthorized changes; a red, ring LED in the connector that illuminates when the iron is hot; and more. It can be used for soldering through-hole components or SMDs with the FM-2022 parallel removers and FM-2023 mini parallel remover. It also can be converted to a desoldering station with the FM-2024 desoldering hand piece and control module. It is ESD-safe by design. (800) 884-2556; www.hakkousa.com.

Cooper Hand Tools
Weller®, a Cooper Hand Tools (Raleigh, NC) brand, recently reintroduced its WSD81 digital soldering station, which is recommended for use in lead-free soldering applications. The WSD81 Silver Series digital soldering station with WSP80 soldering pencil and WPH81 stand and sponge is the first of Weller’s Suggested Lead-Free Application products. Immediate heat from the combination of the silver heating element and tip configuration allows fast, efficient soldering. The high-output pencil allows work with lead-free solder and helps keep costs of the LT series tips low. Upgraded software provides faster cycling of the power unit, and a standard setback feature saves power and further extends tip life. The 95-watt station offers a temperature range from 150°F to 850°F with 80 watts of controlled power. The unit is programmable using an optional WCB1 control module, and it is UL and cUL listed. It is ESD-safe to protect sensitive components. (919) 362-1670; www.cooperhandtools.com. 

EDSYN
EDSYN (Van Nuys, Calif) offers the 971 high-performance soldering station, which provides an excellent performance-to-cost ratio. With a wide variety of soldering tips available, the 971 is suitable for satisfying the most demanding soldering applications. With all the talk of lead-free hand soldering, the 971—with the new line of “XP” high-performance soldering tips—allows users to offset the lead-free solders’ higher melting points. The 971 is static-safe, temperature-controlled, and comes with an 18-month factory warranty that includes parts and labor. Specifications for the 971 include a power requirement of 120V, 60Hz; a power rating of 15W–220W; a heater rating of 120V, 95W; a temperature range of 400°F–800°F/205°C–427°C; and a temperature regulation of ±6°F/±3°C. Its tip-to-ground voltage leakage/resistance is <2mV/<2 ohms. (818) 989-2324; www.edsyn.com.