The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => Technical Matters => Handy hints and tips => Topic started by: Strangeways on August 24, 2009, 09:43:22 AM
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I almost bought the Hakko 701 station, and then while reading Jacob's thread, I followed the link to Ludatronics, and found that they have a similar product - Aoyue 701. Currently on eBay ;
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Aoyue-701-Plus-Model-De-Soldering-Soldering-Station_W0QQitemZ280387834648QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item41486ad318&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262
Just want to know if anyone has bought an Aoyue product and has had good/bad experiences with them before I hit the BIN button #@#
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Mate if I get some "fun money" (my hobby budget) ever topped up, I will go the Aoyue stuff without a doubt.
If you are interested, search youtube for "aoyue" - there seem to be a lot of happy people demonstrating their gear.
Hakko is obviously the bee's knees, but I think priced into the commercial rather than hobby segment...
Cheers
Jacob
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Mate if I get some "fun money" (my hobby budget) ever topped up, I will go the Aoyue stuff without a doubt.
If you are interested, search youtube for "aoyue" - there seem to be a lot of happy people demonstrating their gear.
Hakko is obviously the bee's knees, but I think priced into the commercial rather than hobby segment...
Cheers
Jacob
Aoyue is one of the largest manufacturers of this type of equipment in China. They are pretty much copies of Hakko stuff at around 1/4 the price! I have a couple of Aoyue soldering stations that you cannot pick the difference from Hakko that I paid $18 each for in China. The only flaw I have found is the soldering pencil is not as sturdy as a Hakko and the cable is not 'burn proof' - apart from that it sure is hard to beat the price!
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Think I just found my xmas present
(http://www.ludatronics.com.au/images/474.jpg)
$199 on their website
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Thanks Jacob - I just watched the videos and I'm impressed. I'll grab a 701 soldering/Desoldering station and post a review.
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OK - Just bought the 701 (rubs hands)..
I'm staring at a huge stack of MPU's that need fixing !
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I received a parcel in the post today, it was my new AOYUE 701+ soldering / Desoldering Station ;
I bought this off the Ludatronics eBay shop on Monday for $289 + Shipping.
First impressions are that the unit is very well packed and constructed. Took me a few minutes to read the manual - Everything is covered and easy to read. There is particular attention to the cleaning process of the Desoldering station. Took about 5 minutes to set up. I fired it up and it worked.
The packaged uncles the soldering pencil and desoldering gun with plenty of filters, three Tips and cleaning tools. Very nice.
Spares are readily available, so I will be buying more filters and tips as I go along. I will provide a review on the unit once I'm totally familiar with using it !
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Now you look really serious!
Have fun with that lot, and don't forget to catch some clean air every now and then.
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Looks great Nino.
Is this the unit which HAKKO equipment will fit on as well or am I getting confused with another model?
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Looks great Nino.
Is this the unit which HAKKO equipment will fit on as well or am I getting confused with another model?
From what I understand it is very similar - But 1/4 of the price !
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Just checked there website and downloaded the PDF but cant find any spare parts listed,who sells spare parts for them and other Hakko clones
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Just checked there website and downloaded the PDF but cant find any spare parts listed,who sells spare parts for them and other Hakko clones
On the Auction page they mention that spares such as filters and tips are available. I've emailed them asking for a catalog.
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Hmmm - very sexy Nino -got plenty of stuffed gottlieb boards you can practice on.... #@# #@# #@#
I still can't get my bloody RTC to work on PZ - I even soldered the crystal back on as it had fallen off too! ^.^
I have my weller station which I am happy with - was looking at Jaycar's $239 de-soldering station? (I only plan to use it on the odd occasion)
But for the extra 50 bucks... Now I don't know! !!!
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I have been speaking with Roger@Ludatronics re. a offer to the forum. If you just mention this was posted on Aussiepinball, he can offer the following prices if you use direct deposit.
474+ @ $180
701+ @ $270
Shipping to the Sydney area would be $18 per unit (other states please ask for delivery prices)
As regards soldering tips, I have a few of the most popular types available at $6-$10 each.
Please see below my bank details if you or members of the forum wish to purchase directly off me.
Bank of Queensland
BSB: 124-173
Account Name: Ludatronics
Account No. 20877435
N.B Please use your Name as Ref.
Best regards
Roger
My Hakko desolder has finally died so I am going to give Aoyue a try. I have no ties to Ludatronics and can't give any advice one way or another but thought this might be a useful offer. Apologies to Nino, that I didn't hear back sooner with the offer. Is your unit working OK?
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Derek - I have emailed Roger to let him know that my intention was to review the 701 on AP once I have familiarized myself with the unit. I'm impressed so far and I would recommend the product without hesitation.
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I've had a busy week or two - but yesterday I had to repair a Stern Display - So I used the unit for the first time. I played around with an old board and found the optimum temperature settings.
It took me less than 1 minute to remove a 14 pin IC (U1) and a transistor (Q5). It was quick and did a perfect job. I used the solder pencil to solder in a socket and a new Q5. I was done in less than 5 minutes.
The desoldering iron took a minute or two to clean.
So far - I'm VERY pleased !
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Good to hear Nino ive had these units in my watched items waiting for your review ^^^
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Good to hear Nino ive had these units in my watched items waiting for your review ^^^
I'll provide a much more detailed review - I'll repair an MPU -17 or -35. - that will be a real test.
I'd say it saved me 10 minutes on my first repair.
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10 minutes on a display thats a good saving should save a heap on a CPU
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10 minutes on a display thats a good saving should save a heap on a CPU
The interesting test will be to replace the sockets and the corrosion area parts on an MPU. This takes 10 hours - easy - because there is some fault finding that may need to be done post upgrades.
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Wish I had of found this post earlier. I have both a Aoyue and a Hakko. I first bought the Aoyue trying to save some dollars. Found it OK but not great. I've since bought a genuine Hakko and they are like chalk and cheese. Hakko is the only way to go, this is one product that you get what you pay for.
Get one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/808-5-808-KIT-P-P-808-KIT-Hakko-Desoldering-Gun-w-Pump_W0QQitemZ380086641353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item587eede2c9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Then buy a step down transformer. Can't go wrong.
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This will be an extremely interesting thread to follow for those of us that repair our own boards.
I own a PACE ST75 desoldering station.... www.paceworldwide.com/product/view/id/1685.html ....which I purchased from Kevin at Upton Australia here in Victoria... www.uptonaustralia.com.au/ . I can't remember what I paid for the unit as I've had it a good 8 years or so now.
I've used this PACE unit on numerous board repairs and just recently reworked two complete sets of Bally boards for my EBD & Xenon. I've found the unit to be extremely robust and very easy to use. Removed IC sockets, transistors, resistors, capacitors, 0.056" header pins and many other components without an issue.
One small gripe I have is when the tube starts to block up. Solder accumulates at the other end of tube section of the tip, before it goes into the collection chamber. It does take some time for this to happen, but when it does, it usually means switching off the unit and cleaning the tube section out. I'm very interested to know if these other units like the Hakko or the Aoyue have any issues during operation.
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Wish I had of found this post earlier. I have both a Aoyue and a Hakko. I first bought the Aoyue trying to save some dollars. Found it OK but not great. I've since bought a genuine Hakko and they are like chalk and cheese. Hakko is the only way to go, this is one product that you get what you pay for.
Get one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/808-5-808-KIT-P-P-808-KIT-Hakko-Desoldering-Gun-w-Pump_W0QQitemZ380086641353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item587eede2c9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Then buy a step down transformer. Can't go wrong.
I contacted the Hakko distributors in Australia, asking for price and availability. "Testools" did not even bother responding to at least two emails, and the other mob "computronics" wanted $1200 + GST + shipping - and there was a two month wait. Again - They never bothered to respond AFTER the two months.
As I hobbyist, I'm pleased with the results - "so far". It just scares me to think that if Hakko "Dealers" don't even want to sell me product - imagine the problem I would have if I needed spares or warranty repairs ?
If this unit lasts me 3 years - it will have paid for itself many times over..
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Wish I had of found this post earlier. I have both a Aoyue and a Hakko. I first bought the Aoyue trying to save some dollars. Found it OK but not great. I've since bought a genuine Hakko and they are like chalk and cheese. Hakko is the only way to go, this is one product that you get what you pay for.
Get one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/808-5-808-KIT-P-P-808-KIT-Hakko-Desoldering-Gun-w-Pump_W0QQitemZ380086641353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item587eede2c9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Then buy a step down transformer. Can't go wrong.
I contacted the Hakko distributors in Australia, asking for price and availability. "Testools" did not even bother responding to at least two emails, and the other mob "computronics" wanted $1200 + GST + shipping - and there was a two month wait. Again - They never bothered to respond AFTER the two months.
As I hobbyist, I'm pleased with the results - "so far". It just scares me to think that if Hakko "Dealers" don't even want to sell me product - imagine the problem I would have if I needed spares or warranty repairs ?
If this unit lasts me 3 years - it will have paid for itself many times over..
Yep agree Hakko and parts for them here in OZ are way too expensive. That's why I bought O/S so much cheaper.
Should point out that before I bought the Hakko I had bought 2 versions of the Aoyue. The same one as you and the hand gun model which is a copy of the Hakko 808. Found with both models that the heating elements just don't last and the Hakko heating element will not fit them. I've had my Hakko for 2yrs now, use it every day and have never had a problem with it. Hakko tips and filters will fit the Aoyue, but that's as close as they get.
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I have a 701, no real problems with it, its handy for board repairs as a hobbyist but if I was doing it as business I would get a Hakko or Pace unit. I use Hakko Equipment at work and it is the bees knees. The Hakko desoldering gun pump is a duel action piston pump(from memory) and the 701 is single action, anyway, I know that the hakko desolder is far better than the 701. However, there is no way that I can justify the cost of a Hakko unit for HUO. If I want to do a really good job, or I am working on a really fried CCT board, I will take it to work and fix it there, for everything else the 701 is good enough. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Dan.
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I have a 701, no real problems with it, its handy for board repairs as a hobbyist but if I was doing it as business I would get a Hakko or Pace unit. I use Hakko Equipment at work and it is the bees knees. The Hakko desoldering gun pump is a duel action piston pump(from memory) and the 701 is single action, anyway, I know that the hakko desolder is far better than the 701. However, there is no way that I can justify the cost of a Hakko unit for HUO. If I want to do a really good job, or I am working on a really fried CCT board, I will take it to work and fix it there, for everything else the 701 is good enough. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Dan.
Agree 100%
But when you look at the prices and workout postage there isn't much between them in price.
Aoyue 701 $270 AUS plus postage
Hakko 808 $195 AUS plus postage
The only thing extra that you need is a step down transformer for Hakko as it's 110V, but these are easily obtained.
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Agree 100%
But when you look at the prices and workout postage there isn't much between them in price.
Aoyue 701 $270 AUS plus postage
Hakko 808 $195 AUS plus postage
The only thing extra that you need is a step down transformer for Hakko as it's 110V, but these are easily obtained.
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True, but the 701 also includes a soldering iron, which is actually pretty good to use, I have a number of different tips but I prefer to use the mini wave flow for most jobs. Its likely that without Aoyue cloning the Hakko products that Hakko gear would be much more expensive, maybe.
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Need to compare "apples with apples" - I needed a desoldering and soldering tool. Hakko 701 VS Aoyue 701.
Hakko was my first choice, but product availability, spare parts support and price are poor. Looking at a minimum of $1400 for the unit
Aoyue was brought to my attention by Jacob, and is easily available (unit and spares) and the price was $311 delivered. Over $1000 cheaper and I didn't need a step down etc..
I'm reviewing the unit as a "hobbyist" - because I don't repair boards for a living. But I enjoy repairs.
I guess what I'm saying is that I was prepared to buy a Hakko - but it was cost prohibitive, spares are difficult to find and no-one seemed to want my Business. so I have a Aoyue and $1000 in my pocket !
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i own a hakko 936 soldering station & a denon desoldering gun (the vacuum pump is in the gun so it does not have a hose going to an external pump ) (see attached picture).
the denon has been a great tool and i havent ever had to change the heating element and makes desoldering components a breeze. The denon is also used for soldering smd components. with a flick of a lever and a different tip you can solder surface mount components.I paid $480 for the denon 11 years ago and it is still going strong.(worth around $560 U.S. today)
the hakko 936 soldering station has been great also. i used to work as a electronics assembler and this iron would run 9 to 10 hours a day 5 days a week for 5 years but over the last six years it only gets used a few times a week. i have used it to solder the tiniest of pins and wires which you need a magnifying glass to see ( if any one has chipped a ps2 they will know what i mean) to soldering the top part of a T220 package 7805 regulator to a p.c.b and 10mm square cable (using different tips of course).
in the 11 years i have owned the 936 i have never had to change a heating element and spare parts are still available today.
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I'm not familiar with that particular model, but I've tossed 2 of the Chinese Hakko clones we can get here in the states.
I have a Hakko 470 bench desoldering station, and a 808 portable desoldering gun. The 470 lives on my bench for day to day work, and the 808 goes on service calls with me.
The chinese clones both melted down - one only after a couple uses, the other a bit later. I'd plug them in, and within a few minutes of sitting in the stand, the heating element would get hot QUICK and the gun would start to deform.
So, if you use the Chinese stuff, watch closely. Yeah, you should always watch closely when using soldering and desoldering stuff, I know :)
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these 2 devices have been great.
when i go out to repair a pin they come with me in my brief case style tool box.
i have never had to change a handle or element and to get 11 years out of a soldering iron is pretty good in my books.
i haven't even changed the sleeve which holds the tips on.
i dont know if this model is still available but if it is and its a genuine hakko and if you are after an iron that will be around for years then buy one of these.
i rate the 936 a 10 out of 10.
as far as the denon SC7000Z goes its got great suction. the only down fall is if you dont let it heat up properly ( 5 mins ) then you may have a problem with the solder going cold at the tool end of the tip and blocking the hole. if this happens just turn up the heat for a while and use the wire probes that are supplied with it to unblock it.
it has two fillters, one in the back of the collection chamber and one in the main unit which is easy to change with out pulling it apart.
the second filter which is quite small is the same as a cigarette filter and avilable for about $1 for 50.
the main filter is supplied with the collection chamber, i cant remember what the last one cost me as it was a couple of years ago.
the SC7000Z has an adjustable tempreture.
i would give the denon about a 9 out of 10 due to the problem with the solder blockage.
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I'm getting in on this a little late.
I figured I'd chime in with a couple points.
I didn't get a Aoyue station, but rather bought a used Hakko off eBay. It was just the "central headquarters" though and didn't have any wands or wires. I took a chance and hoped that I could find this stuff over a future span of time. The Hakko wands are nice I know, but even those are pretty high. I did run across a site here in the US that sells Aoyue stuff including parts. I bought two soldering wands and one desoldering gun. After I got to handle them I think they do have a good feel and are almost identical to Hakko. Pretty good clone job.
However, it didn't have the same connector, so in the process of dissecting to fix that I found that there wasn't any temperature sensors in either the soldering or desoldering heater elements! This may have been an odd batch or something and yours may be better, but it might be worth checking out just so you know what you're working with.
The good news is that Genuine Hakko heating elements fit both the soldering and desoldering guns OK, though I think I had to buy a couple other tip parts on the desoldering gun for it to work right due to a variation in length. Still, those parts weren't too expensive even from Hakko. IMPORTANT NOTE though: If you have an Aoyue rig, buying Hakko parts likely won't do you any good. I had to buy Hakko elements so it would work with my Hakko base station and fortunately it fit the Aoyue handles.
Otherwise the Aoyue stuff seems well made especially for the price. For a hobbyist I can't see a guy spending north of $1K for a soldering rig unless you are pretty wealthy and money doesn't matter. For a hobbyist I think Aoyue stuff is a pretty decent solution IMO. I have a Hakko now and it IS really sweet, but it took a fair bit of chasing things down to put it together.
Here's a link to previous ramblings about my Hakko 703B Frankenstation:
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=136.msg3557#msg3557
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I'm really getting the hang of this equipment, and so far, I've done repairs to around a dozen boards, and it has always done the job. NO solder pads burnt off the boards, or any other damage. No blockages or malfunctions.
so far - I've got to say that I'm really pleased with this unit.
I hope to test it on a really fragile and difficult board like a Bally -32 MPU.
Really impressed thus far ^^^
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good to hear.
its amazing how much easier the job is when you have the right tools.
you then think "why didn't i buy one of these years ago, if only i knew"
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good to hear.
its amazing how much easier the job is when you have the right tools.
you then think "why didn't i buy one of these years ago, if only i knew"
cost prohibitive for a hobbyist like myself to buy a Hakko, so even though I needed one - it was out of reach.
But I agree - I don't know why I waited so long to look for an alternative - thanks Jacob ^^^
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We do a LOT of design and construction work. Over the years I have had just about every type of iron and desoldering gizmo made! I do like Hakko but I also used to like Weller stations - except the parts for them were stupidly expensive - it was often cheaper to buy a new station rather than an element! Hakko is good but overpriced.
In the pics below you can see my wife prefers the Hakko but I use a Chinese clone called a 'Sword'. Apart from having to 5 minute epoxy the handle to the barrel I have thrashed it for two years now almost daily and I paid $18 for the entire station in Shenzhen! Hard to beat that!
I have had most desoldering devices and the MOST USELESS one of all was a very expensive Hakko. I sold it to a mate for half what I paid for it after a month - I just hated it. The best thing I have found is the iron shown below with a built-in manual desolder pump. It works VERY WELL and I found it in a little electronic tool shop in Guangzhou for about $25. It is without doubt the best desolder device I have used.
I threw in a pic of my laser machine at work cutting front panels for our current job (next post as max 4 pics allowed per post) - a simply amazing machine that we couldn't do without. We use it for panels, cutting clear plastic parts and also cutting the insulating paper to put behind PCBs (makes perfect holes and creates a 100% professional finish).
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Here's the laser
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Ludatronics has the 701 for sale again for $235 + postage.
Price drop probably due to the Aussie dollar .
I'm looking at purchasing one next week should i be buying extra tips and attahments or are the ones that come with it suitable?
Any info much appreciated
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Ludatronics has the 701 for sale again for $235 + postage.
Price drop probably due to the Aussie dollar .
I'm looking at purchasing one next week should i be buying extra tips and attahments or are the ones that come with it suitable?
Any info much appreciated
I just purchased the station - everything came with it - a spare filter, cleaning tools and a couple of desoldering tips of various sizes.
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Great, will put the order through sounds like a great deal
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Agree with Mike's comments on Weller.
My 24v WTCPT soldering station blew the element yesterday. (I hate that big tranny on a sys80 power supply - what a bitch to get out!)
For nearly the same price as the Weller element - I went to Jaycar today and got their Duratech TS1560 station...
Nice fine needle tip, temp adjustable - not bad for $60...
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The 701+ arrived today early days but so far very happy with its performance .
Only charged $10 delivery to Sydney.
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Mine is still going strong - Very pleased with it !