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I recently moved residence, and I had to rebuild my home workbench from scratch. I was a bit confined for space.
One of the things I wanted to do was to modify my soldering iron so that it could be bolted, unobtrusively, to the underside of my bench top. On further examination, it wasn't really conducive to that type of modification due to the large transformer. So I rebuilt the station, basically from scratch, so that I could run it from my bench PSU.
I've been using it for a couple months, now, and have had no issues. It works basically the same as the original station, except the controls and display are a little nicer.
One of the things I wanted to do was to modify my soldering iron so that it could be bolted, unobtrusively, to the underside of my bench top. On further examination, it wasn't really conducive to that type of modification due to the large transformer. So I rebuilt the station, basically from scratch, so that I could run it from my bench PSU.
I've been using it for a couple months, now, and have had no issues. It works basically the same as the original station, except the controls and display are a little nicer.
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Signing UpStep 1Original soldering station
This is the original station. Inside, there's a hefty transformer, and the AC power is switched with an SCR. I paid about $47.00 for it. But you can also buy just the heater unit, if you were going to attempt something like this.
The kewl part about this particular station is that it's the "Bic pen" of soldering stations. I've seen the station sold under various brand names, and I've seen the same heater unit used on many different brands/models. This means the replacement heaters are readily available for CHEAP! You can buy just the heater unit, complete with a new tip, for only $7.00! Replacement tips are under $2.00. I've had very good luck with mine (I've used this particular station for maybe 3-4 years and worn out 1 heater and 1 tip!) If you have trouble finding it, just ask. I don't want to spam, but if enough people ask, I'll post a link.
The kewl part about this particular station is that it's the "Bic pen" of soldering stations. I've seen the station sold under various brand names, and I've seen the same heater unit used on many different brands/models. This means the replacement heaters are readily available for CHEAP! You can buy just the heater unit, complete with a new tip, for only $7.00! Replacement tips are under $2.00. I've had very good luck with mine (I've used this particular station for maybe 3-4 years and worn out 1 heater and 1 tip!) If you have trouble finding it, just ask. I don't want to spam, but if enough people ask, I'll post a link.
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but could you post the source code of your program? i'd like to use this for a toaster oven wit another thermocouple so i would need to change the lookup table! (i'm too lazy to reinvent hot water (saying in dutch))
Well, here's the code, for what it's worth. I haven't looked at it in a year, but IIRC, it's completely disorganized and untagged spaghetti code. I dunno if I can even use it!
http://www.4shared.com/file/5tWZhB_Q/LCD_Soldering_Station_v2.html
Maybe, just maybe I can come up with the firmware, once I get around to figuring out the hardware. So maybe you can help me with the hardware part. But I wouldn't wait around, because I have a feeling my toaster oven may also be sitting on the shelf for quite awhile! I just ordered my soldering paste and expect it to take a few weeks to arrive, anyway.
A friend has informed me that there are temp controller circuits available on Ebay that allow you to adjust and change temp on a timer for around $50.00. I'm going to take a look. If I can find what he's talking about, I may just spring for one of those!
great job!