#31 - The KSGER T12 Soldering Station - How to bring it back to Earth!
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Are you aware you may be playing Russian Roulette every time you touch your mains powered KSGER T12 Soldering Iron enclosure and not even know it?
This Public Service Announcement highlights a serious oversight where the metal enclosure of your KSGER T12 soldering iron does not have a primary earth connection which is solely for your safety! In this video, I will explain and show you how to properly modify your soldering iron and MAKE IT SAFE.
This device does not qualify as "Double Insulated". Please don't rely on RCD's and GFCI's alone! All conductive/metal appliance enclosures and parts should be suitably earthed for your continued safety!!! Don't risk it.
RCD = Residual-Current Device
RCCB = Residual-Current Circuit Breaker
GFCI = Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
Don't fall victim to a nasty shock or worse! Please share this video with everybody you know that may have this unit or similar. Stay safe!
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My friend i got a question. Isnt it easier if you solder the ground to the screw? Will it work? Why make a new hole for a new screw?
@@iory330 Hi there, thanks for your comment. Most EE standards around the world require a robust mechanical ground connection. Soldering a ground wire to a screw wouldn't qualify as a suitable and robust method. Besides, solder won't bond to black oxide screws. Also, there are no internal screws to utilize for connection, hence why one was installed. 👍
@@xyzconceptsYT thank for clarifying it.
Where can I get a dremel handheld shaft like and how is the friction resistance? I have flex shaft but even with grease it is drastically lower than using the dremel alone.
Hi Jay, the flex shaft I used in the video was some random thing laying around the shop, I just frankensteined a method to fix it to my cheap dremel. Couldn't even tell you where I got it or what brand it is. Fricton resistance is low and quite good doesn't bog down the dremel much at all.
I've owned my KSGER for almost a year. Although I had seen another video on how to ground the case just before I bought it, I have been putting it off. Glad I did because the previous video did not account for the anodizing. I grounded my unit while watching and I'm very pleased with the results. Thank you very much for sharing this info. Well done!
Thanks for your feedback, appreciated it.😀
Quick note: if you have a black V2.05 board - most likely the tip will NOT be grounded, but PE and -(neg) can easily be connected with a short cable as they already have soldering holes on the board. That will bring the tip (pin 3) of the connector to ground.
Very important comment there. Realized mine wasn't grounded after trying to desolder something and touching an unrelated pin and receiving a small shock. Thankfully nothing was broken, but the tip is in dire need of grounding
LOL... Mine is not received yet... I knew I had to do this.. Saw other videos on this issue. And you are the first who's does it properly. Great!
Glad I could help :)
Thanks for the great guide on how to properly ground this soldering station. I know what I'm doing tomorrow!
Any new cheap toy gets the full check and treatment once arrived. Thanks for the comment. 👍
Brilliant, thanks for this. Mine has just stopped working completely so I will have a good look at the PSU board - I am amazed that construction is allowed to be sold in the UK with its lack of a double earth.
You went so hard with the hole space earth title that I was thrown off orbit!
Took me a while to realice you are talking about grounding! 🙃
Bahahaha yep "back to earth" 😆
I just bough the T12, it's an amazing soldering tool, one of my favorite tools now (the rebranded Quicko T12 is half the price, 100% cheaper at US$22, shipped, but only comes in the MINI form factor which may not stack up well but is more modular. Though KSGER is more elegant).
God bless, Rev. 21:4
Hi
Quicko has the mini version (942), which you bought and the bigger one which is called 952. These are more expensive though.
Pedro
I just came across this video. The only problem with this, and it is important to earth the equipment, is that mounting screws should not be used as earth contact according to Australian Standards. Earth connections are to have dedicated fastenings that are NOT part of the mechanical assembly of the equipment.
Exactly what the video shows. 😉 As the earth connection is independent of anything else. Thanks for the comment. Strictly speaking, the makeup of the actual enclosure could benefit from an earth connection to each component of the case in a star configuration.
First T12 grounding video I've seen where the anodization was taken into proper account. What's your insight? After I do this is the ESD on this unit good enough? Sorry, ESD mitigation is not my area. I *think* the LC path is a good one for ESD, while still protecting against too rapid a discharge if one touches a moderately charged cap on a board being soldered? Thanks!
It should also be remembered that the RCD will trip the fastest at 30 milliamperes, however, if you combine it with a voltage of 230 volts and a frequency of 50-60 Hz, it can be fatal anyway.
nice and clean job,,,i'm waiting mine to arrive and get the job done aswell !
Hi, great video! A lot of people also commented, and you can also find videos showing that there is a potential risk with the big heatsink that goes from the primary to the secondary side. In my case, I checked the T12 unit I received and the heatsink in mine was raised up, so the heatsink is not touching the mask. Also, about earthing the case, will it be enough to run a cable from the barrel to the earth connector, so to prevent drilling the case?
Thanks!
Hi, thanks for your comment. Like I demonstrated in my video, you have to treat all the countersunk holes (remove the anodising) to ensure a good earth contact with each separate component of the case. Just earthing the socket barrel in my experience would not lend to a definite earth connection throughout. The heat sink issue you describe is also a design oversight, but to a lesser extent, that affects personal safety. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video! I was just looking at these and similar model soldering stations, came to youtube to check reviews and found this, posted at the perfect time.
No problem 👍
Just checked mine and no continuity between socket and pot on front panel. Did all your fixes plus removing some anodizing under those 2 connectors on front panel. thanks for doing this.
Glad you could benefit from the video. 👍 Stay safe.
An elegant solution to a dangerous oversight. Although I do wonder, was this an oversight in the design or willful negligence driven by profit?
That is a great question! There are plenty of other cheap chinese products that manage to appropriately earth metallic enclosures. So your guess is as good as mine!
@@xyzconceptsYT Some other YT'r had a video (sorry can't remember who) where they did something similar, they also found that one of the heatsinks went across a 'live' track and was protected by only the solder resist. Did you find anything similar?
Found it: th-cam.com/video/cR8ai6oqkk4/w-d-xo.html (I found the style and the voice quite off putting TBH, not to mention the poor focus in a lot of shots.)
Oh gee, I tried watching. I was going to leave some constructive critique then saw his disrespectful replies to his viewer's comments. I wish him all the best.
@@xyzconceptsYT You mean the viewer that was making fun of the way he talks?
Look at the air gap from low voltage side to high voltage side on the PCB under the aluminium heat sink!!
Hi, adding the ground wire to the case also makes the tip grounded ? Some connect a ground wire directly to the Tip GND of the GX12 connector.
Fixad it per your instructions. Great video !
Thanks! 👍
Thank you very much for this important tutorial. Could you add the tools and parts you used for it?
Just basic and cheap rotary tool, a drill with a 4mm bit and a soldering iron will do the trick. an M4 x 10mm machine screw and shake-proof washer and matching nut, 4mm eyelet, and 50mm piece of earth cable salvaged from an old mains cable works well.
@@xyzconceptsYT Thank you very much!
Great video. Absolutely ridiculous however that KSGER didn't ground this thing properly. How much would it have really cost to do so? Knowing this issue, people will avoid the product. Makes more sense to build it right and add the cost of doing so to the product. At least this way you're not losing potential customers in the know while still under cutting the big boys in the industry.
No shit KSGR did not get it wright the first place
Yes I never buy one
Nice video, very well made.
I'd do away with the spring washers though, any I find in our workshop go straight in the bin. Many studies have proven they do nothing, or are worse than using flat washers or none at all.
If you're really concerned about loosening under vibration, a jamb nut, nord-lock, nylock, etc would do the job.
I was thinking the exact same thing at the time, could just use a lock nut, or as you mentioned, a jam nut would do the trick nicely
I wonder how those 'black' screws were making a good contact with the exposed metal of the panel countersinks.
Because, like he said, it's not anodized aluminum, but black metal. Which is heavy and penetrates everything.
Those are likely just oxide blued steel screws, still conductive despite not being the bare metal colour, if the screws were anodised, which would make them non conductive to an extent, they would not be anodised for very long considering that there'd be a reasonable amount of friction on the threads when they get installed so that'd just get abraded off in the process of being screwed in
just a heads up - anyone that has purchased an iron such as this does not need the patronising demonstration that metal is conductive! I would have liked to have seen a longer earth wire snaking its way up to the front panel and perhaps onto the socket pody of the iron itself!
So adding the ground wire to the case doesn't also make the tip grounded ?
i bought the Same machine to do my Trains and Tube AMP builds. the auto start stopped working, then it died altogether and would not reset at all. I took the handle apart to find two broken wires. A blue wire matched the length of the position sensor i resoldered that, but the Black wire does not seem to have a place to go. There is green, red and white attached to the only visible tabs. where does this black wire go? and my wire is significantly thinner than the ones i have seen on line. Need a hand here its Dead in the Water. Short of ordering a new handle. Dennis in Virginia
Hi, I have a question about the ESD safety of these units.... Does the earth not need to be carried through to the five pin din plug.on the front, or do these t12 tips not need to be grounded?
You would think so. To dissipate ESD it would be safe to direct it to ground so yes, an earth connection direct to the soldering iron tip would be the best way to do this. This particular model has a decoupled earth via an electrolytic cap. I think of it as a poor implementation so they can tout "ESD Safe", the decoupling cap should really be a high-value resistor somewhere in the order of 1M ohm. Thanks for your comment.
So if I soldered to the neutral with the iron I was doing this to, is there anything I can do to fix it not powering on. Yes I know that was a terrible idea in hindsight.
Edit: til there's a gfci outlet at the garage door opener that broke the circuit it's working now. 🙏
Thank you for sharing!
You're welcome. Cheers.
I bought this station to learn but mine differs from all others I have seen. I've watched vids on v2, 2.1s, 3.1s and they all show what looks to be a capacitor? on the board that is attached to the back of the forward facing display. Mine does not have this capacitor. Is this an issue? Do I have a different model?
Hey there, does your unit work ok?
@@xyzconceptsYT I'm not using it until I can find someone to solder the ground wire in. This is my first soldering station so I cannot do it (so funny right?) I did find out after going through my old purchase history that I purchased it from the KSGER store on Amazon and it is v2.0.
I forgot to plug mine back in also! LOL I thought I broke it and then the lightbulb went off in my head!
Haha, it happens to the best of us. 😉
Great and very helpful! Thanks!
This soldering station will trip differential protection device(if installed) on mains??? Will work as 110v in two-phase 220v?
Yep, works on my RCD/GFCI @ 240ac, I believe it will work on 120ac no probs.
@@xyzconceptsYT i did a case grounding mod exactly like yours and it works through mains differential protection device. so its ok, i guess
What size is your ground wire? What size would you recommend? Would an 18 AWG wire (10A ampacity) be sufficient or should I use a lower gauge wire with a higher ampacity?.
Hi Jerome, thanks for your question. Ideally, you wouldn’t need to exceed the cross-sectional area of the conductor that is already in your supply lines or for the rating of your breaker. In the context of this device, a 1mm2 or 17AWG (1.04mm2) earth conductor would generally suffice (or loosely speaking no smaller than what is already in a good quality IEC supply cable) for example. I think 18AWG would be a tad on the small side but is defined to carry 9.5ish amps for the purpose chassis wiring. Please take this information based on theoretical data informing design rules and that you should do your own research and evaluations for the country in which you live. Stay Safe.
Once you ground the case, could you add or just use a binding post for your ESD strap?
Yes of course. 😉
Makes sense
Well done. Case closed.
my ksger body is plastic, front and back covers is aluminum just bought it last week, I assume its safe?
The metallic case components are always an issue, to what degree is the unknown. If it were me, I'd check it out to see if there has been an attempt to earth the unit. Technically speaking, all metal mains connected case components should be earthed there are no exceptions to this rule. Hope this helps.
@@xyzconceptsYT thank you, i have opened it up its all plastic even front and rear thought it was metal
Just bought one, now I have to mod it. Even though there are several videos about this, yours was the easiest to follow and simplest to make. On other videos though, some ground the tip of the soldering iron itself. Do you recommend doing this as a complement to your mod? Thanks
Thank you for your comment, I am glad my video helped you. Regarding the soldering iron tip grounding, this will depend on the type of handle you have as there are so many types out there. In my case the tip was grounded to mains earth through a decoupling capacitor and an inductor (for ESD mitigation), the problem was the metallic case itself did not make it back the mains IEC earth pin. That said, this may be different depending on the type of soldering handle you have. 👍
hello, thank you for this video, can i follow this method applying to my ksger t12 also? but my country only provide 2 ports in main oultet , no ground...
Hi there, If you don't have the third pin on the mains outlet, then this mod won't help you very much. This is because any residual current won't have a dedicated path back to mains ground/earth. Do you have any earth-capable outlets at all?
@@xyzconceptsYT nothing either, anyway, can i just bury a rod into earth ground and used it?
@@ohmware2020 You can definetly install your own earth, but then it becomes a practicle issue I guess. Just be aware if you live in a relatively dry climate the earth rod system can diminish in effectiveness. Earth rods should should be fairly deep to take advantage of higher moisture content soils.
@@xyzconceptsYT yes, i live in philippines, one thing i notice when soldering smd led, the led light up when im soldering them, im curiuos about it, this means that the tip of my solder has voltage?
@@ohmware2020 You may have some induced/phantom voltage generally this is very very low current. However, during a fault event could be problematic for you.
If you connect a wire without a ground, is it then less safe to have the appliance ground modded?
Without the mod the parts seem more isolated from each other, so in a fault scenario it has to be the exact metal piece you are touching, making it more safe, in a scenario where you don't have a grounded outlet? Or am I incorrect.
I was thinking a lot about buying the KSGER T12, then got a bit scared about all the "not grounded" warnings around the internet, then I looked at my two weller stations (WTCP-S and E 2002) and realized I have been using non grounded solder irons for years lol as they have two-pin outlet connectors....
Are they plastic housing/cases? Otherwise probably double insulated, then there is no need for grounding. If they are not grounded chances are they're also not ESD safe either.
Hey, them "shake proof connectors", what is the proper name for them? Trying to hunt for some on aliexress and but struggling :) Thanks
They have many names, lock washer, star washer, anti-vibration washer. May be start with eBay and google images to help find what you are chasing. Hope this helps.
@@xyzconceptsYT Thanks bud, let the hunt commence :)
So I have asked this else where as well...if this is my first and ONLY soldering iron, how do I "Solder" the ground wire on??? Lol. I have to buy a soldering iron to do work on another soldering iron?
You could borrow one? Or get creative, magnifying glass, small copper plated screwdriver, a dark pair of sunglasses, some solder and a third hand. 🤣
Nice mate, i have bought 2 of these units. One brand new and the other from a bloke. These are pretty decent for the price. I live in adelaide, whereabout are you mate?
Yes quite happy with my unit 😃. I am over in Perth.
Think while I was in there I would replace the cheapo filtering electrolytic caps in the power supply.
Yeah, but I'd like to see how much use I would get out of the thing until I really have to change them. So far still ticking along. May be what I could have done, is read off the ESR as a baseline ready for comparison at their inevitable demise.
@@xyzconceptsYT Suppose over the years the issue of garbage caps has probably improved. I prefer when taking gadgets of low cost apart to replace the caps, if they go they typically take something else out as well.
This is the newest T12 video. Do you know if this problem its still present on the new versions? Hardware Version 3.1 or so
I will probably keep an eye out to see if there have been any design improvements. Thanks for your comment.
What is it with Chinese soldering irons and not earthing them properly? I had to modify my "937D" soldering iron after finding its claims of being ESD Safe were complete lies. Unlike yours they'd bothered to connect the earth wire in the plug to the transformer's core, so it wasn't super dangerous, but I had to add a wire to link the tip connector to the earth pin myself.
It's almost now standard practise to test cheap gear before switching it on, isn't it.
Got mine today & it's already grounded, says it's version 3.2 in update mode
Noice! 🙃
@@xyzconceptsYTIt's grounded at the front panel socket, they seem to have revised the heatsink design also which is good
Do I need to do any of this if I get the plastic case version?
Generally no, but as long as there is no metal contact points, like an aluminium potentiometer dial, socket or soldering tip that could become live in a fault scenario.
@@xyzconceptsYT I am getting this one www.aliexpress.com/item/32983347123.html so should everything be fine?
Just be alert with the front socket and adjustment dial, and check for earth to the soldering iron tip when installed.
@@xyzconceptsYT Is there also anything I can do to make it look more aesthetic? I really like the look of the metal case version but I bought that plastic case version because it uses wires for the mains connection which I think is more secure and the plastic case is safer. I don't like how on the plastic case version the front plate sticks out and doesn't align with the rest of the case.
Transplant it to a case of your liking if you are handy like that. The metal case version is fine after a few simple mods.
Why are you drilling a hole? Why not use an screw existing hole and a ring terminal?
Using an existing screw hole will skew the rear panel. Would be untidy and trigger my OCD lol.
What is the voltage on the output?
24v is pretty typical of these units.
hello, is the black wire of the 24v output tied to earth?
No, this should be separate from the primary earth.
@@xyzconceptsYT thanks. because the mini version , the gnd of the 24v pin is tied to metal casing, and on the gx12 connector, the gnd and pe(protective earth) is connected together
This is very important! How come the ESA let those in?
They have to know about it first. Not everything gets scrutinised though the normal process.
i have a ksger t12 and after 1-5 minutes it locks up and i have to cycle the power.
it is brand new... probably a faulty unit huh?
If you can check the power supply for being unstable. Micro controllers like a clean and stable power suppply.
This unit is 24v. 🙂
The fact this isn't already grounded doesn't inspire confidence
Nope. But can be easily sorted.🙂
@@xyzconceptsYT Yes its an easy fix by the looks of it. I ended up ordering a dxchmei t12-a off eBay, the listing actually mentions it isn't grounded but at least they are transparent about it
The hot air variant of this type of product is no better. Not only is the aluminium housing not earthed neither is the exposed metallic portion of the wand.
At least you are aware of the hazard that's the main thing. 👍
This video in 5 seconds: Connect a wire from the plug ground pin to the case. Problem solved. The end.
all sort of safety concerns; traces and solder should be not used to route earth; solid screws or welds should connect earth to the case, it should not be connected using solder or the PCB; that capacitor is a poor idea, if it fails, no connection, the iron should connect to mains earth directly or through 1M resistor; the case parts connections are not secure enough, the main case still not connected through earth
Agreed, thanks for your comment. 👍
XYZ Concepts really good video, keep them coming, I’ve subscribed
There are two other major problem (beside the connection via the small screws being actually not sufficiently robust - the safety standard requires at least M4 screw size to count as safety ground, as it has to be able to handle 6kA fault current):
The surface distance between the live component (mainly the switching transistor leads, but its heatsink is not good either) are way too short towards the case aluminum body. The remedy could be to grind off the extrusion forming the pcb holding slit around where the transistor pins and its heatsink are located and insert there an insulating insert (few layers of Kapton tape,...). Generally such insulation sheet is supposed to be covering the whole area of the metal case underneath and above the PCB. Because when an arcover fault happens there (component failure,...), such sheet is the only thing preventing the arc from connecting the live potential to the case.
Other problem is of EMC compliance type:
The grounding goes from the mains connector to the negative secondary side before the filter inductor.
Now as the supply works, there is larger RF disturbance component across the first capacitor after the rectifier, this is then filtered by the inductor and the second capacitor. That means there is an RF voltage across this inductor. As one side of this inductor is connected to the mains grounding and the other to the output, this arrangement sends all the voltage across that inductor to the "nice dipole" antenna formed by the mains lead on one and the lead to the handle on the other side, readily radiating all the RF mess. The cure then would be to disconnect the "grounding" PCB track (far safety purpose it is far inadequate anyway) and connect the output side of the filter choke to the PE terminal on the mains socket by a proper wire.
Yep, if the unit was to be completely redesigned many improvements would be nescessary. So the video addressed an easy reach safety mod that most people with these units can do. Great comment though. 👍
I waited for him to accept Hako and he will melt Chinese glue
I still love my Hakko.
These things are bargains l don't want health and safety plonkers blowing it for everyone.Anyone wanting one of these should have the noggin to understand all this or they're in the wrong hobby and should stick to kicking round bags of air around
Yep, that's why I don't deter anyone from buying these items. Just be aware of the issues and you can learn at the same time. Once you iron out the issues they can be good if not great items. Just use your "Noggins". Lol. Thanks for your comment.
I live in a house that only has 2 prong outlets, does this apply to me? What's your recommendation
Maybe there are other safety issues (before your soldering iron) that need addressing. Certainly your workshop or electronics work area should be fitted with fully earthed outlets and protected with an RCD or GFCI. What country do you live in please?
Like Brian, I now have questions also...
This isn't particularly uncommon in old (pre 1960?) houses in the US. It would be wise to consult a licensed electrician in your area. The safety correction shown in this video will do nothing for you if the building wiring does not have a proper ground. I'm curious, what country do you live in and how are you currently plugging in your 3-prong devices?
I agree, I may cost a little bit of money but even having a separate outlet wired in with a proper earth ground rod installed could save a life. I have a large work bench at my home with dozens of components and power supplies hooked up and one of my benches are metal, one time my son had plugged in a extension cord that had its earth (ground) pin removed and I didn't know it. After plugging a couple other devices into it some time later and working at my bench one late night I was leaning against the edge of bench and through my left for arm to my right elbow that was resting against the metal power strip screwed to the front of the bench i got BIT....Hard....scared the hell out of me. I grabbed my test meter and found 92V ac leaking from my cheap Chinese 958D+ soldering station do my desk through a screw into my arm into the power strip that was on a different circuit that was grounded...took me a hour to find the cord with no ground pin..I cut the head off...
Like most Chinese electrics no earth,all ways pays to check stuff from China Taiwan ect
how can people claim how good this shit is if it's not even grounded like hello
Me lo explicarían en español
Fake. You are testing for continuity. When you scratched through the paint on the metasl case, you created a circuit between the points of the multimeter and therefore got the beep for continuity.
You have a continuity through the plug and the nut behind the adjuster knob because they are part of the ground on the circuit board. If you were an electrician, you would know you have to test an earth post with the negative probe and the case with the positive probe to see if there was a live current going through the case. I have built 4 of these soldering stations from kits and I have had them as they come and also earthed the casing to the power plug earth connector. None of mine have gone up in flames, blew a fuse or gave me an electric shock. These are great soldering stations to use and I have them as my go to soldering station every time, even though I have others to use.
Thanks for your comment. I suggest you might want to rewatch the video, then edit or delete your comment. I ask you this, how can the earth connection be at the adjuster knob (potentiometer mounting nut) when there is no physical earth connection the mains IEC socket to the case in the first instance? The scratch test was demonstrating the thin anodised layer that shouldn't be relied upon for insulation. Again, you have the opportunity to review and correct your comment, thankfully. Do it soon before you embarrass yourself to the masses. Stay safe.
@@xyzconceptsYT There is nothing on these units that can short out the case to power. Even you said in the video the earth is through the black wire to the front board, which also earths the soldering iron plug. You even tested for continuity between the plug socket to the nut behind the pot knob and it was connected. Nothing powered can touch the case and there is a space under the power circuit board as it runs in the rails. You checked the continuity of the case top and said you made a power track.