Soldering Station. Connection diagram for a hot-air soldering gun DIY soldering station from a construction hair dryer

Not only beginner radio amateurs, but also experienced craftsmen experience certain difficulties when soldering radio-electronic elements with inexpensive soldering irons without thermal control. After all, you can encounter such a phenomenon as overheating of the device tip, which leads to oxidation of the solder, the formation of carbon deposits on copper, and as a result, poor thermal contact with the tin on the board and the leg of the element, or to excessive heating of the board and peeling of the tracks on it. In this article we will look at how to make a soldering station with your own hands, providing all the necessary assembly diagrams, photos and video materials.

Step 1 - Making a Contact Soldering Iron

This option can be called the simplest and quite budget-friendly. This design regulates the voltage on the soldering iron, accordingly changing the temperature of the tip. But with this method of adjustment there is no feedback from the tip, that is, we can judge its temperature only by external indicators. However, this also significantly improves the quality of soldering. If you plan to connect large parts, then the power supplied to the soldering iron can be increased, but if smaller parts, then reduced, which is very convenient.

We recommend using a (dimmer) as a voltage regulator. The only drawback of this homemade soldering station idea is that the temperature range is too large. After all, the power in the dimmer is regulated almost from 0 to maximum, while we do not need to reduce the power by more than 2 times. But you can redo the circuit, add a “fine-tuning” resistor in addition to the main one.

Scheme for assembling a soldering station at home:

This circuit uses a rectifier bridge, which will increase the voltage from the standard 220 volts at the input to 310 volts at the output of our homemade soldering station. This will be important to do for those home craftsmen who have an electric one, which is why the soldering iron does not heat up to operating temperature. If you don’t have a dimmer available, you can assemble it yourself; we discussed how to do this and what is needed for this in our article about.

Step 2 - Assembling the air soldering iron

Sometimes when soldering, it becomes necessary to replace SMD elements and the soldering iron with the tip is too large and inconvenient for this. For these purposes, a special air dryer is used. The principle of its operation is similar to a home hair dryer - an air flow is forced through a heated element and transferred to the soldering site, heating the solder contactlessly, evenly, and not at one point, but in a certain area.

An air soldering iron can be made from a regular one by inserting a suitable sized antenna tube instead of a tip. Next, you need to close all the holes provided for cooling. For example, using heat-resistant paper and a coil of copper wire, as shown in the picture.

Forced air supply occurs with an aquarium compressor, using a dropper tube through the part where the power cord is connected.

To adjust the temperature of the air flow, you can use the dimmer from the previous method. Additionally, it is recommended to rewind the soldering iron to a lower voltage of about 8-15 volts; this will significantly increase the safety of the device due to the absence of life-threatening 220 volts. A nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.8 mm from the spiral of an electric stove can serve as a heater. It must be carefully wound onto the frame, without overlaps or short circuits. Please note that you will also need a step-down power supply, the power of which must be at least 150 watts. A suitable mains transformer can be used as it.

A more expensive method of regulating the temperature at the hot end of the soldering iron is to maintain it at the set degrees. To do this, a thermocouple is additionally installed near the tip, as we described in one of our articles.

By combining our homemade products, you can make a universal soldering station that will maintain the set temperature, which is very convenient and corresponds to the functionality of expensive purchased models.

Another option is to make a non-contact infrared soldering station from a ceramic lamp socket and a nichrome filament connected to a step-down transformer and a dimmer for easy adjustment. You can also use a thermostat.

You can see how to work with an infrared soldering station in the video below, where you can also learn about the nuances of working with it:

Review of homemade products on Arduino

Both novice radio technicians and those who are fairly experienced in this matter encounter some difficulties when soldering radio-electronic elements. An inexpensive soldering iron bought in a store can cause overheating, due to which carbon deposits form on the tip, which leads to poor contact with the tin on the board, the board also overheats and the traces peel off. In this article we will write how to make a homemade soldering station with a hair dryer with your own hands, providing assembly diagrams, videos and photographs.

This option can be considered the simplest and cheapest. This design regulates the voltage on the soldering iron by changing the heating temperature of the tip. The performance of the heater and the position of the regulator are determined experimentally.

Soldering process can be customized according to your needs and at a specific point in production. The voltage regulator can be a dimmer for a chandelier. The only downside to this idea– small range of possible outlet temperatures. That is, for soldering it would be better to make the voltage range 200-220 V, and not 0-max. Most likely, you will need to modify the circuit, adding a “fine-tuning” resistor to the main resistor.

Assembly diagram at home

The rectifier bridge in this circuit will allow you to increase the voltage from 220 V at the input to 310 V at the output. This option is relevant for home craftsmen whose home has low electrical voltage, which does not allow the soldering iron to heat up to operating temperature. If you don't have a dimmer, you can do it yourself.

Air soldering iron

Sometimes when soldering you need to replace SMD elements, and the soldering iron with the tip is too large for this. For this purpose, an air device is used, whose The operating principle is similar to that of a conventional hair dryer: an air flow is forced through a heated element to the soldering site, contactlessly and evenly heating the solder.

An air soldering iron can be made from a working old device - instead of a tip, insert a tube from the antenna that matches the old tip in size. Make the soldering iron so sealed. Forced air supply is provided by an aquarium compressor through dropper tubes.

You can use a voltage regulator to adjust the air flow temperature. The best option if you don’t have an extra working soldering iron is to take a non-working tool and rewind it to a voltage of 8-12 V. This method is preferable from the point of view of electrical safety. The nichrome for the heater here can be a piece of wire, a 0.8 mm spiral from an electric stove, which is wound without overlaps of about 30 turns instead of the old one. The power of the transformer must be at least 150 W.

A more expensive method of regulating the temperature at the soldering iron tip is to maintain the temperature at the soldering iron tip. For this purpose, a thermocouple is additionally installed. Combining the described homemade products will allow you to make a universal soldering station. The device will have a voltage regulator that adjusts the input to the transformer, which changes the power of the heater.

When you need to desolder a large microcircuit, and for this you need to warm it up thoroughly and evenly, it is recommended to use a homemade thermal hair dryer with a temperature controller. You can also make an infrared soldering station, for which you need:

• nichrome spiral;
• ceramic lamp socket.

Nichrome is connected to a step-down transformer. The temperature on the surface of the parts is controlled by a thermostat.

General characteristics and operating principle

The circuit of a soldering station with a hair dryer includes a block and a manipulator-hot air gun, where the air is heated. The devices are used to repair cell phones and household appliances. The methods for generating air flow are as follows:

Mainly, compressor stations differ from turbine stations in that the latter can generate a larger air flow, but do not push the air through narrow openings enough. Compressor stations are more efficient when air must pass through narrow nozzles used for soldering in hard-to-reach places.

The principle of operation of the station: the air flow passes through a spiral or ceramic heater in the tube of a thermal hair dryer, heats up to the required temperature and exits through special nozzles onto the workpiece. The hot air gun is capable of providing air temperatures of 100-800°C. In modern stations, temperature, power and air flow direction are easily regulated.

Compared to other stations (in particular, infrared), The disadvantages of hot air stations are as follows:

• The air flow may blow away small parts.
• Uneven surface heating.
• Additional attachments required.

The advantage is that turbo air stations are much cheaper than others.

At home, it is easier and cheaper to make a station with a hairdryer on a fan, where a coil plays the role of a heater. A ceramic heater is expensive and can crack if there are sudden changes in temperature. The compressor is difficult to construct on your own, and it cannot be attached to a hair dryer, so you will have to run an air pipe from the main unit, which adds inconvenience.

The supercharger will be a small-sized fan(a cooler from a computer power supply will do) near the handle of a thermal hair dryer. A tube is connected to it, in which the air is heated and exits onto the soldered element. A hole is cut at the end of the cooler through which air enters the tube with the heater. On one side, the cooler is tightly closed so that during operation the air only flows into the tube and does not come out. The blower is mounted at the back of the hair dryer.

The heater is much more difficult to assemble. Nichrome wire is wound in a spiral onto the base. The turns should not touch each other. The length of the spiral is calculated based on the fact that its resistance should be 70-90 Ohms. The base can be a base with low thermal conductivity and high resistance to high temperatures.

When designing a hair dryer, many different parts can be taken from old home hair dryers. Every device, even a simple and cheap one, contains mica plates from which a cross-shaped base is assembled for the spiral. The bases of old soldering irons or halogen lamps for spotlights are also used. The base of 5-7 cm should be unoccupied by the spiral. The ends are retracted from the spiral along the base. This part is then tightly wrapped with heat-resistant fabric.

Next, a tube is made from porcelain, ceramics and similar materials. The diameter is calculated so that there is a small gap between its inner walls and the spiral. Thermal insulating materials are glued to the top of the nozzle:

• fiberglass;
• asbestos;
• other.

Insulation will ensure greater efficiency of the hair dryer and will allow you to safely handle it with your hands.

The heating element and the nozzle tube are separately connected to the blower so that the air flows into the nozzle, and the heater is located inside the nozzle in the middle. The junction of the nozzle and the supercharger is insulated to prevent air leakage.

The shape of the resulting structure resembles a pistol. For convenience, holders and handles can be attached to the body. Special nozzles are purchased or machined from heat-resistant metal. There should be four wires running from the manufactured hair dryer to the main unit and coming out of the back of the hair dryer. It is recommended to collect them together and re-isolate them.

The block body contains two rheostats, one of which regulates the power of the air flow, and the other regulates the power of the heating element. It is better if the switch for the heater and blower is common. The final step is an outlet device for the socket.

Safety precautions and rules of use

A soldering station-hair dryer is a fairly convenient device that you can assemble yourself. Despite its shortcomings, this is a quite suitable device for repairing household appliances.

High-quality professional equipment for soldering microcomponents costs a lot of money, and inexpensive hot air guns are not suitable for most tasks. Many repairmen and radio amateurs from time to time encounter low-quality hot air guns for soldering.

To avoid such misunderstandings, it makes sense to make a soldering gun with your own hands. This option is perfect for repairmen and radio amateurs who have specific equipment requirements and a very limited budget.

Before you start designing a homemade soldering gun, you should familiarize yourself with the basic methods of using this tool.

Soldering gun drawing.

A hot air gun for soldering, as a rule, may be needed in the following cases:

1. Soldering very small parts in SMD packages.
   Most small radio components cannot be soldered with a soldering iron. To install such components, it is necessary to tin the landing site, lubricate it with flux and position the microcircuit. After this, you can safely start heating the mounting contacts using a hair dryer until the solder under the component melts and it sits on the printed circuit board.
2. Lack of free space to use a soldering iron.
   With a very dense arrangement of elements on a printed circuit board, using a soldering iron is significantly difficult. In this case, a hot air gun is the best option for a radio amateur.
3. Repair work related to mobile phones or tablet computers.
   Most modern gadgets are almost impossible to disassemble without using a heat gun. For example, replacing the screen on any phone requires pre-heating the old matrix using a heat gun. Serious heat neutralizes the adhesive and allows the screen to separate from the device body.
4. Removing BGA chips from pads.
   Work on reballing and warming up modern video chips is carried out using a soldering hot air gun.

Control of temperature and air flow density is usually carried out using buttons on the heat gun.

Using a soldering hot air gun involves the following steps:

• applying or solder paste to the intended installation site;
• installation of the microcircuit on the seat;
• warming up the mounting contacts using a soldering hot air gun.

In order to protect nearby components from heat, special screens made of aluminum foil should be placed on them.

After carrying out the work, you should check the quality of soldering of all contacts using a needle.

Removing the element using a hair dryer is even easier. To remove a faulty microcircuit you must:

• heat all contacts evenly;
• Carefully remove the element using tweezers or a suction cup.

When heating the surface with a hot air gun, it is necessary to make circular movements. This technique allows you to avoid local overheating of the board and disruption of its geometry.

equipment requirements

Electrical circuit of a soldering gun.

The basic requirements for a hot air gun for soldering microcircuits with your own hands are:

1. Compliance with soldering temperature conditions.
   Most soldering work is carried out within 190 – 250 degrees Celsius. The bottom bar is for lead-containing solders, and the top bar is for factory lead-free solders. The soldering hot air gun must produce an air flow of a strictly specified temperature in order to protect the microcircuits from overheating and failure.
2. Stable air flow.
   If the air flow is uneven, working with soldering equipment becomes seriously difficult.
3. Safety and ease of use.
   The heat gun should not overheat and pose a danger to the technician. Ideally, a powerful DIY soldering gun should be designed based on a transformer power supply.

The device must contain exclusively safe elements. When making a homemade compressor power supply, special attention should be paid to the reliability of the design and its safety for others.

Experience shows that many craftsmen manage to make full-fledged working thermal tools from a hair dryer, a household hair dryer, or even an ordinary soldering iron.

Hairdryer from a soldering iron

Soldering gun diagram.

Before you make a soldering gun with your own hands, you should:

• think over a device for air supply;
• assemble a special heating element;
• equip the equipment with thermocouples;
• think over a system for monitoring the current temperature of the equipment.

When considering how to make a soldering iron from a regular soldering iron, you should take into account all the subtle points so as not to expose yourself to excessive risk.

The main criteria that a soldering iron-based thermal device must meet are:

• temperature adjustment;
• normal heater power;
• safe compressor.

It is recommended to install a supercharger for a DIY soldering station in accordance with current electrical safety regulations. Connecting the equipment in this way will ensure that there is no interference in the electrical network.

What do you need to create a hair dryer from a soldering iron?

When creating a hair dryer for soldering with your own hands, you should prepare:

• a regular old soldering iron running on AC power;
• a quartz tube to create a hair dryer air flow heating chamber;
• a halogen lamp for spotlights for heating the air and melting flux with a hairdryer;
• nichrome wire up to 0.7 millimeters thick;
• thermostat;
• soldering gun fan.

Schematic diagram of a soldering gun.

All equipment must be connected to specially prepared connectors, the pinout of which depends on the manufacturer of the soldering equipment.

The process of assembling a hair dryer from a soldering iron

A homemade microcircuit hair dryer from an old soldering iron is assembled in several stages:

1. Laying a homemade spiral of nichrome wire inside a quartz tube.
2. Connecting the spiral to the power wire.
3. Threading a thermocouple wire to regulate the temperature of the filament.
4. Insulation of the device using a layer of tube wound on a quartz tube.
5. Installing a tube in the handle of a soldering iron instead of a tip.
6. Centering the tube by wrapping it with asbestos cord.
7. Clamping the front tube outlet using a clamp.
8. Threading a hose to supply air flow.
9. Connecting a compressor that creates an air flow.

It is better to place the temperature regulator of the heating source on the body of the hot air gun.

The operating principle of a hot air gun based on a soldering iron is as follows:

A small current is applied to the nichrome thread, causing it to become hot. The air coming from the compressor is collected in a special insulated chamber and heated under the action of a spiral and insulating foil. After this, the air leaves the heating chamber and goes directly to the printed circuit board.

Soldering gun - drawing for manufacturing.

Unfortunately, this method of making a thermal hair dryer has a lot of disadvantages.

The disadvantages of a hot air gun made from a conventional soldering iron include:

• difficulties with temperature calibration;
• The air flow force is adjusted by pinching the air duct;
• the inability to adjust the heating intensity in most conventional soldering irons;
• labor intensity of work;
• poor thermal insulation of the device.

In most cases, making a heat gun from a soldering iron is not justified. Remaking an inexpensive construction hot air gun is a much more efficient method of making a hot air gun for soldering micro components.

Conclusion

There are a huge number of instructions on the Internet on how to make a hair dryer. Most methods for making a thermal hair dryer are based on modifying existing equipment, for example, a construction hot air gun, a household hair dryer, or a regular soldering iron with a metal tip.

In many cases, if you need to use a soldering hot air gun, you should think about purchasing the appropriate station. A hot air gun connected to the soldering station provides data on the current temperature of the air flow and allows you to calibrate the thermocouple.

Radio technicians and amateurs often encounter various breakdowns of radio equipment. For repairs, a regular soldering iron with a copper tip can be used, but with the advancement of technology, very small parts are installed in some devices. It is inconvenient or completely impossible to work with such devices with a regular soldering iron; for example, SMD elements must be soldered by heating the common soldering area. To carry out such processes, there are various soldering stations and hair dryers.

Features and purpose

To heat metal taps and a special soldering agent, you need special equipment, which is a soldering hair dryer. The device can very quickly heat up to the desired temperature, even with a simple design. Thanks to its simple structure, both a novice electrician and a professional can work with the device. To simplify the work with small parts, additional equipment is also used in conjunction with hair dryers, but since the price of the devices is considerable, the best option would be a do-it-yourself soldering station with a hair dryer. This equipment will allow you to cope with most complex tasks without much effort.

The design of the device is the same as that of a hair dryer, but has less power and more compact attachments. Most often, the soldering station kit includes a regular soldering iron and a hot air gun. In this case, the devices are equipped with temperature regulators.

For a professional workshop, it is easier to buy a hot air gun, as it will quickly justify its cost, and it will be more convenient to use such equipment. And if microcircuits need to be soldered at home and not every day, then a homemade hot-air soldering station with your own hands is suitable for this.

The difference between soldering guns

Very often, radio amateurs think about how to make a soldering gun with their own hands, but before starting assembly, you need to know the principles and differences between the soldering station and the soldering iron itself. The device circuit consists of a main and an additional part. The main part is the block to which soldering irons are connected. Depending on the method of air supply, stations are of two types:

1. Turbine - the air flow is formed thanks to the built-in cooler in the hot air gun.
2. Compressor room - the air flow is formed by a compressor installed in the main building of the station.

When purchasing a soldering station, such features are of great importance, since compressor ones create a strong air flow, and they can be used to work in hard-to-reach places even with narrow nozzles, while turbine ones are not able to push air with the required power through the narrow opening of the nozzles.

The device works by heating a ceramic or spiral-like element that is installed in a hot air gun, and heating the air passing through this element. A soldering hot air gun can heat air to a temperature within 100-180 degrees, and modern models have the ability to adjust the temperature threshold.

Compared to infrared analogues, hot air stations have the following disadvantages:

1. The air flow blows away small parts.
2. Uneven surface heating.
3. Changing attachments for different types of work.

However, for amateurs, such disadvantages are insignificant compared to the price advantage.

A hot-air soldering iron for a station can be made at home from an ordinary household hair dryer. At the same time, in terms of technical characteristics, it will not be inferior to the factory analogue. The main characteristics of this soldering iron are:

• Tip diameter;
• Power;
• Turbine performance;
• Maximum temperature threshold.

Such parameters directly affect the quality and performance of the device, so they must be treated very carefully during assembly.

Design features of a hot air gun

Using a soldering device, you can melt plastic parts and metals that have a low melting point. A special nichrome spiral heats the air, after which the hot air is supplied to the desired point. When designing a homemade device, you must be guided by the main parameter - the temperature of the air heating. In professional devices, the parameter reaches 800 degrees, but if aluminum is not required, then it can be manufactured with a temperature threshold of up to 600℃.

When assembling a device at home, you also need to focus on saving money, and for this you need to find parts for assembly. The equipment design includes:

• Frame;
• Heating part;
• A device through which air will be supplied;
• Holder;
• Power button.

To improve the device, you can pre-provision for the use of a sensor and temperature controller, as well as the installation of different attachments.

Making a hot air gun

A hairdryer with a fan and a nichrome spiral with a thickness of 0.4 mm or more are well suited for making an air-heated soldering iron yourself. Since we plan to assemble a homemade device of a compact size, a spiral with a diameter larger than 0.5 mm will not work. A larger cross section will require more current. First you need to select a power source, and then select the number of turns, since the resistance of the spiral and heating of the air will depend on this. In order to assemble a powerful hot air gun, a power source with a voltage of up to 36 V is sufficient.

Housing and heating system

An old soldering iron or a steel tube can be used as the body of the hot air gun, but since the operating temperature will be high, you need to wrap the tube with heat-resistant material or attach a handle holder. You can also use a car cigarette lighter as an air duct inside which the heating system will be placed.

At the next stage, it is necessary to wind a nichrome spiral with a small distance between the turns. A ceramic tube with a diameter of 4-5 mm can be used as an insulator on which the spiral is wound. The length of the spiral must be wound taking into account the resistance, which is calculated in the range from 70 to 90 Ohms.

The end of the tube can be equipped with a ceramic or porcelain tubular element, and it is better to wind the spiral on a flat plate, which will have a beneficial effect on heat transfer. You will get peculiar branches in the form of petals that will not touch the insulator. To increase efficiency, thermal protection can be made using fiberglass or asbestos.

Air supply device

To supply air, you can use a small-sized cooler from a computer power supply, which is installed near the handle of a hot air gun. A metal tube with a wound spiral is connected to the fan.

A hole is cut at the end of the fan to move air to the tube. One of the sides of the cooler is hermetically sealed. You can use mica plates from an old hair dryer as the base of the thermal system. A cross-shaped base is made from such plates, onto which nichrome wire is wound.

Power adjustment

In order to be able to adjust the air flow and current strength, it is necessary to assemble a block in which the rheostats will be placed. One of the rheostats is connected to the heating system, and the other to air ventilation. The power button is installed common to the entire system. A homemade soldering station with a hair dryer and regulators will replace the factory version and can be used not only for soldering conventional radio components, but also for working with more serious elements. When assembling a hot air gun, care must be taken to isolate the spiral from the metal body, otherwise a short circuit will inevitably occur.

Hot air gun from a regular soldering iron

An ordinary soldering iron is perfect as a housing for a soldering gun. All internal components must be removed. You must be extremely careful not to damage anything. For assembly you will need a halogen lamp bulb as an insulator.

Next, the edges of the flask are cut off with a glass cutter to obtain a glass tube, and a tip with a manufactured socket for the heater is attached to one of the sides. The heater can be a nichrome plate up to 0.7 mm thick.

When manufacturing a device, different steps are carried out, but it is better to follow this sequence:

• Winding a spiral and inserting a quartz flask inside the spiral.
• To reduce heating of the device, the insulator is wrapped with foil.
• Installation of the heating element into the housing and its fixation.
• Connecting the compressor hose to the handle or installing a fan.

Such a simple design will not have high performance, and the heating of the air flow does not exceed 300 degrees. For DIY modifications, a soldering iron with a power of 40 W is suitable, as well as an aquarium compressor as an air blower.

Upgrading a conventional soldering iron can occur without removing the heating element, but with removing the metal part. The power wire is led out into the side hole made in the handle, and instead of the wire, a bushing is installed in the rear part for further installation of the air tube. The outlet of the sleeve and wire must be sealed.

Next, the metal part of the soldering iron is installed in place, and instead of the copper tip, a metal tube of a suitable diameter is installed. A section from an element of a telescopic indoor antenna can be used as a tube.

In a homemade soldering hot air gun of this type, it is important to regulate the air flow, since if the flow intensity is high, the air will not be able to heat up to the required temperature.

From a plastic jar

To manufacture this design, you will also need a nichrome spiral, a power supply and a blower fan, and the following parts are used as housing elements:

• Small plastic pill bottle;
• Aluminum tube from the condenser;
• Plastic lid from a coffee can;
• Steel tube as a nozzle.

To assemble the device, you need to cut off the bottom of a plastic jar with a utility knife. A cooler is glued into the lid of a coffee can, and a capacitor housing is mounted into the lid of a jar of tablets along with a prepared heating element. All wires are brought out, after which the lid with the cooler is put on the jar using hot-melt adhesive. This hot air gun device is quite compact and does not require an additional holder, and as a nozzle you can use not only a steel tube, but also ceramic elements from the heating system of an old iron.

Safety precautions when working

Working with a hot air gun, especially a self-assembled one, requires special attention to operational safety. There are several rules that must be followed:

• Follow fire safety precautions.
• If a temperature regulator is installed, the temperature threshold cannot be changed by sharply turning the regulator.
• Do not touch the heating element or attachments while the device is operating, as this may cause serious burns and other consequences.
• You can change the nozzle only after turning off and cooling the soldering iron.
• Do not allow water or other liquid to come into contact with the device.

Without modification, a hair dryer device for drying hair will not bring success in operation, so it is recommended to use only a motor with a fan and a spiral that will be wound taking into account the requirements for a home-made device. Strong heating, together with a decrease in fan rotation and a decrease in the diameter of the nozzle, leads to burnout of the spiral and melting of the plastic case, and also, if the insulation is poor, a short circuit can occur.

By installing an additional power button for the fan, you can speed up the cooling process of the soldering iron. If you turn off the heating element and leave the cooler on, the heated part of the device will be blown through with air, thereby cooling the entire system. For convenience in working with the device, it is recommended to make a stand with a metal base, as well as using magnets. Thanks to the use of a neodymium magnet, the hot air gun will be securely held in the desired position.