ATTEN ST-8802 Soldering and Hot Air Station

The main soldering station on the electronics bench: a temperature-controlled iron and a hot air gun in one body. The iron is for through-hole parts, wires and connectors; the hot air puts on and takes off SMD chips, warms an area of a board and shrinks heat-shrink tubing. Both can run at the same time.

What lies next to it

In the box by the station: several interchangeable tips, solder wire, solder paste, flux in syringes and a bottle, desoldering wick, a tip cleaner. All of it is free to use. Tweezers and a helping hand are there too.

How to use

1. Switch the station on, pick the iron, the hot air or both.
2. Iron temperature for everyday work is 300–350 °C, lower for fine parts, higher for thick wires and big pads. Start the hot air at 300 °C and low airflow; raise it if the solder does not flow.
3. Tin the tip before soldering and wipe it in the brass cleaner between joints.
4. With hot air, cover nearby connectors and plastic with Kapton tape or a metal plate; they melt faster than the solder flows.
5. When done, clean and tin the tip, switch the station off; the gun finishes its cooling cycle by itself. Put the tips and nozzles back in the box.

Take care

• The tip and the hot air nozzle are hot, up to 500 °C. The iron goes into its stand only, never on the bench.
• Soldering fumes are harmful; open a window. Some of the solder in the box is leaded, wash your hands afterwards.

Access and rental

The station is on the electronics bench in the hackspace room, so a plan with hackspace access is required. No induction is needed.

The station can be rented and taken with you; the daily price is above. The consumables in the box stay in the room.