Solder pot

[drjeseuss]

I've been looking for a solder pot on ebay and found a few very cheap. The catch is that the cheap ones are all listed as 220 and have the China/Australia plug style. Is anyone familiar enough with these to know if I could do a simple cord/plug swap to US style cord for use on 110? Any issues I might encounter? Insufficient voltage causing low/half temp, control circuit damage, something else? I'm hopeful it would work on 110 without modification. What do you think?

Here are the ones I'm considering:
http://r.ebay.com/2gE3fN
http://r.ebay.com/I8l7qC

[royco]

I have a 110v version of your first link. They are a bit more expensive than the 220v. Search some more you'll find one.

Those pots are fine if you are just tinning wires but if you want to use it on through hole parts then either get one with a temp read out or a good thermometer. You will be scraping dross all the time if the temp is too high and will get blobs if its too low.

I have mine in storage after 2 uses.

[drjeseuss]

Any idea if there are any differences in the 110 unit aside from the plug? I appreciate your honest assesment of the product. I'll certainly keep this in mind. As they say, you get what you pay for. :) Still, for such a low cost, I'm sure I could get a few uses out of it.

[bearmos]

Any idea if there are any differences in the 110 unit aside from the plug? I appreciate your honest assesment of the product. I'll certainly keep this in mind. As they say, you get what you pay for. :) Still, for such a low cost, I'm sure I could get a few uses out of it.

The heaters are going to be designed for use with 220, putting 110 across them will result in lower wattage/temps - probably making the thing unusable.

the $13 is definitely tempting. . .looks like there's also a 110V versionfor a little over $40 after shipping. . .if you have a 220 line available for an appliance (e.g. dryer) you could always swap the plug to fit that without issue. short of that - I wouldn't bother with the 220V version.

When you have a heater rated for wattage at a certain voltage and then apply half the voltage - you wind up with a quarter of the wattage. Taking a quick look at the wattage difference you'll be seeing if you decide on the current 150W version for 220V you're looking at:
P = V^2*R.
150 = 220^2 * R.
R = .00309 ohms

P = 110^2 * .00309
P = 37 watts

[ian]

Moved to new tools forum :)

[bearmos]

nice:)

[drjeseuss]

Thanks Ian. I think this new tools forum will be very helpful.

bearmos: Thanks for the explanation. I guess the numbers have spoken, no go on the 220 version. I'll think things over for the 110 version. I had an idea for a DIY pot I might try out also.

[bearmos]

I'll think things over for the 110 version. I had an idea for a DIY pot I might try out also.

Good luck. Let us know if you need to bounce some ideas around!

[katjap]

Don't Turn it On! Take it Apaaaahrt!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV2QPlposDE

[drjeseuss]

Scary stuff! Thanks for the link. This makes me want to tear into a few of my pieces of gear. I usually take things apart over their life, but usually only once dead, or if modding... seldom when new and working as expected. I may change that habit to 'always before plugging in', at least for those 'I can't believe it's that cheap' buys.

[neslekkim]

oh, that's the reason those dealextreme ones are so cheap:
http://dx.com/s/solder+pot
All seems to be 220volt, well, that's my voltage though.

[katjap]

That, and that the're only wattage controlled, there's no actual temperature feedback in them. Here's the site i found that teardown video on. http://blog.elektronicastynus.be/archives/32

[ian]

That's kind of what I expected to see in them. I used to melt lead to cast furniture hardware (don't ask) in a bowl with a blow torch, I don't expect they did anything but make the hotplate equivalent of that :)

[drjeseuss]

I can certainly see value in temp control... we're not cavemen. Still, a solder pot is for melting solder. The cheap units do this. I was talking to a friend about these and he suggested saving the money and just using a muffin tin on the stove. Based on the teardown, it's only a few steps past this due to portability. I've decided for now to postpone the purchase. I have a thought that I could build a controller for one of these that includes a K-Type thermocouple to get a nice controlled unit, using the cheap pot for the hardware of the build. Unfortunately, I've given myself way too many projects so this one will likely have to wait until the need becomes more pressing.

[pbarnrob]

Find what the rated wattage is, and get a step-up transformer of at least that wattage (a bit more if you might run something else of the same sort, so double the watts or triple).

These things are often called 'travel adapters' for those from most of the world (AU, EU, etc. who all use 220-250VAC 50Hz power and various plugs) traveling to the US, where it's 110-125VAC 60Hz. These are available both ways, step-UP or step-DOWN or BOTH ways with plug adapters.

For dialing down simple heating devices like heating pads or soldering irons (not temp controlled), I've built a little 4x4 box with a simple dimmer and outlet in it. DON'T try to use that on sophisticated electronics.