Weller station gone bad--how to fix?

[Joshua G Senecal]

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix? Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one? I bought the station over 11 years ago, in
practically new condition, at a yard sale for $5, so I got my money out
of it, but if a reliable fix is cheaper than purchasing a new soldering
setup I'd rather go that route.

Thanks!

-Josh, AE6IQ

--
senecal@mapson.cs.ucdavis.edu

Remove the reversed "nospam" in the address.

 

[Kalman Rubinson]

Weller sells, through distributors, replacement parts. I suggest that
you replace the temp-sensing tip element, as a start.

Kal


On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 08:32:49 -0800, Joshua G Senecal
<senecal@ucdavis.edu> wrote:

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix? Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one? I bought the station over 11 years ago, in
practically new condition, at a yard sale for $5, so I got my money out
of it, but if a reliable fix is cheaper than purchasing a new soldering
setup I'd rather go that route.

Thanks!

-Josh, AE6IQ

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Joshua G Senecal wrote:

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix? Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one? I bought the station over 11 years ago, in
practically new condition, at a yard sale for $5, so I got my money out
of it, but if a reliable fix is cheaper than purchasing a new soldering
setup I'd rather go that route.

Thanks!

-Josh, AE6IQ

--
senecal@mapson.cs.ucdavis.edu

Remove the reversed "nospam" in the address.

A bad thermostat is a likely cause.
--
7 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Dave Platt]

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix?

I would guess that the fault lies in the iron, not in the station base.

If I recall correctly, the station base is simply a stepdown
transformer. It plays no part at all in the temperature regulation.

The temperature is regulated via a rather elegant (I think)
implementation in the iron. At the base of each tip, there's a slug
of a ferromagnetic material. The properties of this slug are
controlled during manufacture, so that it will change from a magnetic
to a nonmagnetic state at a specific temperature (e.g. 700 F).

Inside the shaft of the iron there is a switch with a magnet on the
end. When the tip is below its transition temperature, the magnet is
attracted to the ferromagnetic slug on the back of the tip, the switch
is pulled forwards, the contacts close, and current flows through the
iron's heating coils. When the tip reaches its desired temperature
the ferromagnetic slug becomes non-magnetic, the magnet in the shaft
"loses its grip", the switch is pulled backwards by a spring, the
contacts open, and the current to the heating coil is interrupted.
You can hear (and feel) a gentle "thick" when the magnet switch pops
back and forth.

It's a nice negative-feedback system. It allows the use of a rather
high-amperage heating coil and transformer (which can heat up the tip
quickly when powered on, and restore heat taken out of the tip by the
soldering process), and yet allows any of several temperature ranges
to be selected by changing the tip. It seems to be quite robust...
I've heard very few reports of failure.

It seems that you have a failure. I would guess that the switch has
failed... either it's become jammed, or the spring has broken due to
metal fatigue. [It's possible that the ferromagnetic slug has somehow
magically changed its properties and now has a transition temperature
several hundred degrees higher, but that seems _very_ unlikely to me!]
In any case, the heating coils are running full-time - you've got no
temperature regulation - because the switch isn't opening.

Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one?

You can probably replace the switch (or, worst case, the whole
iron-and-handle assembly) for rather less than the cost of a new
station. The transformer and line cord, and whatever tips you may
have purchased, are almost certainly OK.

It might be worth disassembling the iron, and seeing if a sharp "rap"
on the side of the iron shaft will dislodge the switch.

If not, you could check with Weller to find out about getting a
replacement switch. The current incarnation of this product is the
WTCPT, using a TC201T iron. Mouser sells the complete TC201T iron for
around $72 (roughly half their cost for the whole station). The SW60
switch for this iron sells for around $26 - you'd probably need to
check with Weller to confirm that this switch is the same one used
in (or is compatible with) your older 201P iron.

$26 to restore this station to full life would be a very worthwhile
investment. I spent about $100 for a WTCPT iron close to 15 years ago
and have never regretted it. I used to go through cheap $15-$25 irons
every couple of years, through cheap tips a lot faster than that, and
I'd burn up components (or have difficulty getting a clean joint) and
cuss a lot. The WTCPT hasn't hiccoughed even once, and I have yet to
have to replace the original tip which came with it.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[Mike W]

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 18:08:22 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

Joshua G Senecal wrote:

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.


A bad thermostat is a likely cause.

Agreed, had it happen myself. Not sure about the specific model but
ISTR the thermostat is in, and indivisible from, the element.

The "bit" has a lump of Iron with certain temperature chararistics (
peltier effect ? ). When the temperature exceeds the Iron magnetic
ability the element switch, ( with a magnet on the actuating arm ),
drops out until the Iron, ( this is the Iron on the bit ), regains its
magnetic ability.
KISS in its best form. I have managed to "unstick" the magnet before
now, but its a bugger to do.
Sorry I can't describe the operation in a more scientific language,
but I'm sure someone will ba able to... ;-)

hth Mike W, G8NXD

 

[Bob Stephens]

The temperature is regulated via a rather elegant (I think)
implementation in the iron. At the base of each tip, there's a slug
of a ferromagnetic material. The properties of this slug are
controlled during manufacture, so that it will change from a magnetic
to a nonmagnetic state at a specific temperature (e.g. 700 F).

Inside the shaft of the iron there is a switch with a magnet on the
end. When the tip is below its transition temperature, the magnet is
attracted to the ferromagnetic slug on the back of the tip, the switch
is pulled forwards, the contacts close, and current flows through the
iron's heating coils. When the tip reaches its desired temperature
the ferromagnetic slug becomes non-magnetic, the magnet in the shaft
"loses its grip", the switch is pulled backwards by a spring, the
contacts open, and the current to the heating coil is interrupted.
You can hear (and feel) a gentle "thick" when the magnet switch pops
back and forth.

I've heard this sort of Iron referred to as a "Curie Point" Iron. Is this

the same thing?

Bob Stephens

 

[Dave Platt]

In article <drkol4jerp3y.z887pyshgm8u.dlg@40tude.net>,
Bob Stephens <stephensdigital@earthlink.net> wrote:

I've heard this sort of Iron referred to as a "Curie Point" Iron. Is this
the same thing?

Probably so. A material's Curie point (or temperature) is the
temperature at which, when heated, the material ceases to be able to
support/retain a magnetic field, and any existing magnetic field is
randomized.

Heating a permanent magnet above its Curie temperature demagnetizes it.

The slugs used in the Weller tips have Curie temperatures of 600, 700,
or 800 degrees F (plus or minus a bit, I imagine).

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

 

[G.Beat]

It is VERY EASY to fix / repair the Weller WTCP units.

First, Are you positive you have the CORRECT TIP in this iron.

It MUST BE A Weller "PT" style tip - other Weller model tips such as the ET
series will cause this problem and damage the iron.

Greg
w9gb


"Joshua G Senecal" <senecal@ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
newsine.LNX.4.44.0312180826070.2425-100000@pc12.cs.ucdavis.edu...

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix? Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one? I bought the station over 11 years ago, in
practically new condition, at a yard sale for $5, so I got my money out
of it, but if a reliable fix is cheaper than purchasing a new soldering
setup I'd rather go that route.

Thanks!

-Josh, AE6IQ

--
senecal@mapson.cs.ucdavis.edu

Remove the reversed "nospam" in the address.

 

[G.Beat]

"Joshua G Senecal" <senecal@ucdavis.edu> wrote in message
newsine.LNX.4.44.0312180826070.2425-100000@pc12.cs.ucdavis.edu...

Hi all,

I have a Weller WTCPS soldering station with a 201U power supply and 201P
iron, using a 700 degree F tip. Last night I powered it up in preparation
for soldering some connectors, and a few minutes later I saw that the tip
and metal shaft of the iron were glowing red-hot.

Any ideas as to what is causing this, and will it be cheap to fix? Are
there any checks I can do to diagnose the problem? Or should I just dump
the thing and buy a new one? I bought the station over 11 years ago, in
practically new condition, at a yard sale for $5, so I got my money out
of it, but if a reliable fix is cheaper than purchasing a new soldering
setup I'd rather go that route.

Thanks!

-Josh, AE6IQ

Josh -

Let's deal with your problem and Facts.

The WTCP series base only provides 24 volts - that's it - its a transformer
in a base.
The "brains" of the temperature control is the tip working in concert with
the SW60 switch assembly
The WTCP series has a unique click as the SW60 switch engages and
disengages - turning the heater on and off to maintain
the specific temperature engraved on the base of the removal tip.

The Red-Glow tells you 2 things:

1. The heater (Weller EC234) is still working (but you are shortening its
life operating in this manner - cherry red)
2. The WTCP series temperature control (which works with the "PT" tip and
the SW60 switch) is not working properly.

Recommend: Change tips. Improper tips will cause this problem.
Get a Weller PTA7 (which is the standard tip shipped with this iron).
The barrel net (BA-60 may also require replacement.

If iron exhibits identical problem - then the SW60 requires replacement
(shorted closed).

All parts for this specific model (WTCPS) are available from Wessco (So.
California).
Wessco also just ended a 1/2 price sale on Weller "PT" series tip in
November ($ 2.25 each)

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

"G.Beat" wrote:

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

I would like a copy of that, if you don't mind.

--
7 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Jim Adney]

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 11:42:58 -0500 Kalman Rubinson <kr4@nyu.edu>
wrote:

Weller sells, through distributors, replacement parts. I suggest that
you replace the temp-sensing tip element, as a start.

The only heat sensing element in the WTCP? series is the lump of metal
at the tail end of the tip. The correct tips for this iron will have a
separate bit there with a single digit stamped in it. That's normally
a 7, for 700 degrees F.

The alloy of this lump is chosen to have a Curie temp of 700F and it
will never change.

There is a magnet that runs down toward the tip and is attracted to
the tip when the tip is below its Curie point. Once the temp reaches
the Curie temp the lump no longer attracts the magnet and the magnet
is pulled back upwards by a small spring. This opens a switch in the
handle and turns off the heating element.

The usual problems with these are that something gets inside the
sleeve behind the tip and jams the magnet so it can no longer move, or
the switch contacts weld closed.

With the iron off and cold you can remove the tip retaining sleeve.
When you pull the tip out you should feel the pull of the magnet and
then feel the switch and magnet snap back into the barrel once the tip
is too far away to attract the magnet. You should repeat this to
verify that the magnet is free to move.

If you unplug the iron from the base and put an Ohmmeter on the pins
of the iron, you should see the continuity come and go as you take the
pin in and out.

Weller is owned by Cooper Tools and PDF files of replacement parts are
available on their web site.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

 

[G.Beat]

Mike -

Sounds like I will have to get the scanner (for Acrobat Reader creation)
warned up this weekend -

The Weller Tech Sheets (WTCP/ WTCPL; WTCPN; WTCPS and WTCPL) were available
directly from Weller (free) --
but have not asked for them --- since the factory was moved from the
Carolinas to Mexico last year.

Greg

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3FE275B5.E84DA1@earthlink.net...

"G.Beat" wrote:

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice
(shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after
the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

I would like a copy of that, if you don't mind.

--
7 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Andrew VK3BFA]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:<3FE275B5.E84DA1@earthlink.net>...

"G.Beat" wrote:

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

I would like a copy of that, if you don't mind.

Bugger me - I'm glad you lot are not troubleshooting a nuclear power
station!
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones dont have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Test procedure.

1. Runs continually, therefore base station and element OK.

2. Check switch - unscrew bit retainer and remove (iron off). Pull
tip in and out - should hear click if switch working. If not, then
switch or tip faulty.

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

 

[G.Beat]

"Andrew VK3BFA" <ablight@alphalink.com.au> wrote in message
news:1fc7b362.0312182356.601ce14b@posting.google.com...

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<3FE275B5.E84DA1@earthlink.net>...

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

I have heard this from some other user - but I have tips that last years -
BUT I
only use the 700 degree tips.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

A spare tip should always be available on the bench. I just repaired an
older WTCPN station
an the college student had placed an "ET" tip (aka tips are all the same
right! - wrong)
from the Weller EC1000/EC2000/WES50/WES51 models.
Glowed cherry red -- changing to the proper tip -- corrected problem.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

I saw my first internally shorted SW60 last year (although I think the user
had wacked it against a hard surface to
cause this type of damage). I also have seen a "kinked" spring -- near as I
can tell -- originally assembled that way --
over a decade earlier. I never saw a heater fail as shorted (dead short -
but not heating) until last year -- all previous ones
failed as "open". See enough stations and you see many failures, bad
operating practices and unique equipment abuse.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Andrew VK3BFA wrote:

Bugger me - I'm glad you lot are not troubleshooting a nuclear power
station!
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones dont have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Test procedure.

1. Runs continually, therefore base station and element OK.

2. Check switch - unscrew bit retainer and remove (iron off). Pull
tip in and out - should hear click if switch working. If not, then
switch or tip faulty.

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

I want it for the same reason I want manuals for all of my equipment.
It saves a lot of time locating part numbers when you do a repair. I
have used, and repaired, these soldering stations off and on for years,
but I always had to wait for the distributor to look up the part
numbers.

BTW, I don't do nuclear power, but I did build and test telemetry
equipment used by NASA, including a KU band receiving system aboard the
International Space Station.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

I used a spare DMM connected between ground and a piece of scrap
copper to quickly test the resistance any time any of the three irons
had sat idle. I used the irons so many hours a day they tips only lasted
a few weeks before the iron plating was pitted, and would no longer go
below three ohms. I threw out a lot of tips that could have been used
in non ESD situations, but we couldn't risk someone reusing a bad tip,
so they went into the recycling bin with other solder related scrap.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.


--
6 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[BFoelsch]

OK - As long as we have all this Weller knowledge here, who has the secret
stash of tips for the W200 iron? Yes, they made a 200 watt iron with the
magnetic temperature control, but I have been unable to find parts for many
years. Can't find W200 on the Weller web site.

Thanks in advance.

"G.Beat" <now9spamgb@spam.comcast.net> wrote in message
news:idDEb.602781$Fm2.547319@attbi_s04...

"Andrew VK3BFA" <ablight@alphalink.com.au> wrote in message
news:1fc7b362.0312182356.601ce14b@posting.google.com...
"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<3FE275B5.E84DA1@earthlink.net>...

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

I have heard this from some other user - but I have tips that last years -
BUT I
only use the 700 degree tips.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

A spare tip should always be available on the bench. I just repaired an
older WTCPN station
an the college student had placed an "ET" tip (aka tips are all the same
right! - wrong)
from the Weller EC1000/EC2000/WES50/WES51 models.
Glowed cherry red -- changing to the proper tip -- corrected problem.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

I saw my first internally shorted SW60 last year (although I think the
user
had wacked it against a hard surface to
cause this type of damage). I also have seen a "kinked" spring -- near as
I
can tell -- originally assembled that way --
over a decade earlier. I never saw a heater fail as shorted (dead short -
but not heating) until last year -- all previous ones
failed as "open". See enough stations and you see many failures, bad
operating practices and unique equipment abuse.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

 

[Joshua G Senecal]

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003, G.Beat wrote:
Wow, I didn't think that my question would generate so many responses!
Thanks everyone for your input.

The Red-Glow tells you 2 things:

1. The heater (Weller EC234) is still working (but you are shortening its
life operating in this manner - cherry red)

Well, I don't operate with it cherry red. This is the first time it's done
that--hence my knowing that something is amiss.

2. The WTCP series temperature control (which works with the "PT" tip and
the SW60 switch) is not working properly.

Recommend: Change tips. Improper tips will cause this problem.
Get a Weller PTA7 (which is the standard tip shipped with this iron).
The barrel net (BA-60 may also require replacement.

I'll take a look and see. The station came with two tips, both #7, but in
the 11-odd years I've owned the iron I've never used the second one.

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Actually, I would like a copy, thank you. Since I got mine at a yard sale
I don't have any documentation. Please e-mail to
jgsenecal@mapson.ucdavis.edu, removing the reversed "nospam" first.

-Josh, AE6IQ

 

[G.Beat]

I have picked up a number of NOS Weller items (no longer in production) this
past year (from a number of sources) --
due to the relocation of the Weller production facilities in the Carolinas
to Mexico.

You can call Weller (North Carolina) and ask for Mr. Larry Smith (who is
Weller's product line manager and engineering support)
IF Weller is no longer making the part, Mr. Smith or "Dino" who leads the
repair center -- was know of a source !

Greg


"BFoelsch" <BFoelsch@snet.ditch.this.net> wrote in message
news:L9idnaZNt85Rkn6iRVn-sQ@giganews.com...

OK - As long as we have all this Weller knowledge here, who has the secret
stash of tips for the W200 iron? Yes, they made a 200 watt iron with the
magnetic temperature control, but I have been unable to find parts for
many
years. Can't find W200 on the Weller web site.

Thanks in advance.

"G.Beat" <now9spamgb@spam.comcast.net> wrote in message
news:idDEb.602781$Fm2.547319@attbi_s04...
"Andrew VK3BFA" <ablight@alphalink.com.au> wrote in message
news:1fc7b362.0312182356.601ce14b@posting.google.com...
"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<3FE275B5.E84DA1@earthlink.net>...

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

I have heard this from some other user - but I have tips that last
years -
BUT I
only use the 700 degree tips.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

A spare tip should always be available on the bench. I just repaired an
older WTCPN station
an the college student had placed an "ET" tip (aka tips are all the same
right! - wrong)
from the Weller EC1000/EC2000/WES50/WES51 models.
Glowed cherry red -- changing to the proper tip -- corrected problem.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

I saw my first internally shorted SW60 last year (although I think the
user
had wacked it against a hard surface to
cause this type of damage). I also have seen a "kinked" spring -- near
as
I
can tell -- originally assembled that way --
over a decade earlier. I never saw a heater fail as shorted (dead
short -
but not heating) until last year -- all previous ones
failed as "open". See enough stations and you see many failures, bad
operating practices and unique equipment abuse.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

 

[G.Beat]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3FE3072B.A08AFB04@earthlink.net...

Andrew VK3BFA wrote:
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones don't have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Actually Collins radio used the original TCP stations (black bakelite) on
their productions lines and for repair in the 1950s and 1960s
(5 of these from Collins surplus were the first ones that I repaired in
1975 - as I started college)

The original ones did not have the switch OR neon bulb ... and they ran 24
hours/day at Collins.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

Darn shame, but components have changed as well as their tolerance to ESD.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.

I assume the later WTCPS and WTCPT models? In addition to the ESD
requirement, "T" model changed the 3 amp fuse
on the transformer's secondary (to protect transformer from a heater short)
to a 6/10 amp fuse on the transformer primary
(and an MOV across primary on some models).

Greg
w9gb

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

"G.Beat" wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3FE3072B.A08AFB04@earthlink.net...
Andrew VK3BFA wrote:
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones don't have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Actually Collins radio used the original TCP stations (black bakelite) on
their productions lines and for repair in the 1950s and 1960s
(5 of these from Collins surplus were the first ones that I repaired in
1975 - as I started college)

The original ones did not have the switch OR neon bulb ... and they ran 24
hours/day at Collins.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

Darn shame, but components have changed as well as their tolerance to ESD.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.

I assume the later WTCPS and WTCPT models? In addition to the ESD
requirement, "T" model changed the 3 amp fuse
on the transformer's secondary (to protect transformer from a heater short)
to a 6/10 amp fuse on the transformer primary
(and an MOV across primary on some models).

Greg
w9gb

I don't know which model they were using. They were pulled from the
production floor a year before I was hired. They were in storage in a
separate building, and I was never able to get my hands on them They
were probably destroyed last year when the plant was closed and moved to
Pennsylvania. I kept hearing the old timers complain about the new irons
because they had used the Wellers for years, and didn't like to do the
extra maintenance on their "Loner" irons.
--
4 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida