Recommend a soldering iron

SteveDallas · 10-14-2006, 11:20 PM

I have never done any electronics assembly, unless you count the Radio Shack 75-in-1 Electronics Project set from Radio Shack that Santa brought one year. (This was the one with all the components mounted on heavy cardboard and attached to springs, so that to build circuits you inserted the wires into the springs.) But after reading about this gadget (which actually would have come in handy a couple times), I had a hankering to try my hand at building it or maybe some of the other stuff on her site.

The problem is, Lady Ada is quite adamant about the evils of cheap soldering irons with no/poor temperature control, and I believe her. But the kit she recommends runs about $100, and I'm just not prepared to spend that much at this point.

Can any of you electronics gurus recommend a cheaper setup that will be adequate for the task at hand?

For that matter, any other neat projects like this suitable for a beginner? Radio Shack and Heathkit (RIP) used to have such, but not so much any more. (I didn't have the cash for them at the time anyway and my parents ("you'll put your eye out") weren't inclined either.)

10-14-2006, 11:20 PM	#1
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Recommend a soldering iron I have never done any electronics assembly, unless you count the Radio Shack 75-in-1 Electronics Project set from Radio Shack that Santa brought one year. (This was the one with all the components mounted on heavy cardboard and attached to springs, so that to build circuits you inserted the wires into the springs.) But after reading about this gadget (which actually would have come in handy a couple times), I had a hankering to try my hand at building it or maybe some of the other stuff on her site. The problem is, Lady Ada is quite adamant about the evils of cheap soldering irons with no/poor temperature control, and I believe her. But the kit she recommends runs about $100, and I'm just not prepared to spend that much at this point. Can any of you electronics gurus recommend a cheaper setup that will be adequate for the task at hand? For that matter, any other neat projects like this suitable for a beginner? Radio Shack and Heathkit (RIP) used to have such, but not so much any more. (I didn't have the cash for them at the time anyway and my parents ("you'll put your eye out") weren't inclined either.)

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