Metcal MX-500P soldering and rework station general presentation, teardown, disassembly and overview

In this video I will show to disassemble the Metcal MX-500P soldering station, what to be taken care of, how it works, and how to assemble it back.

[@stepannovotny4291]

Hi Fodor, I'm the author of the reverse engineered schematics you have (circa 2006), and I noticed that your Metcal has 10 heatsink fins at rear, whereas my 3 older model units (the one in the schematic) has only 6 fins. I would be curious to know the approximate serial number of your unit (within +/- 500 or so), as well as the part numbers of your output FETS Q3 and Q4, and most importantly the values of L4 and C20. This information would be very useful to anyone who is trying to repair an older unit. I'm thinking of buying a newer unit like yours just to learn these facts. When I drafted the schematics in 2006, I started selling them on eBay and i sold quite a few but got tired of running to the post office, so I uploaded them to the Internet, and now 17 years later, it's funny to see that someone else is still flogging them on eBay to people who don't know how to use Google. These schematics must have made thousands of dollars by now!

[@HEPATCA]

First of all thank you for that *BEAUTIFUL* and *DETAILED* write up! (And yes, I can't believe folks are buying printed copies of this PDF on eBay either.)
I currently have 5 MX500's on the bench in various states of repair and can comment on the serial numbers:
40632: 6 fins, "REV Y" sticker, L4 and D7 not installed, C20 shorted wire installed, Q3 = IRF510, Q4 = IRF640
43146: 6 fins, "REV P" sticker, L4 and D7 not installed, C20 shorted wire installed, Q3 = IRF510, Q4 = IRF640
43152: 6 fins, L4 D7 and C20 installed, Q3 = VN0109N5, Q4 = IRF530 (matches your schematic)
48891: 6 fins, components same as above
65157: 10 fins, components same as above
The big cap C6 is 2200uF but is 63V, not 50V. Cap C2 is 1000uf also 63V (but caps down to 35V should be OK for C2). Q1 is a TO92 package with a TO18 style heatsink jammed on there with a bunch of ceramic grease. All of my units are made in USA.

[@stepannovotny4291]

Aside from a big thank you, .may I add your info (above) to my website?

[@HEPATCA]

@@stepannovotny4291 Sure thing, also post a link to that website here.

[@S-t-i-n-g-ray]

thanks, I changed the mentioned transistor, and the reason was high ESR of C24 0.1, so C24 also was replaced

[@crazyj0nny]

Хорошее пояснительное видео.

[@AmyHien92102]

Thanks for the video. I have MX-500P-111 the power on, solder tips are good but solder tip does not get hot? I have disassembled the unit but not sure where to look for. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated.

[@hantusangap]

is it really good? im using jbc c210 and hakko fx950 now.really hard to find metcal in my country.also it's look like mote too video game console that soldering station take up too much space

[@fodortibor1501]

yes it is, i have some experience with that jbc c210 - maybe the jbc is more convenient as a "hobbist" since you can change the tip temperature without changeing the tip - on the other hand the Metcal is made of general purpose components, that in case of failure can be replaced.