I've just gotten started in soldering and have done a few macbook repairs but my soldering iron is a bit big for soldering tiny things. I've assembled the pcb for the station and the handle which was easier then I thought it would be with the stencil and solder paste. Just waiting on the case and power supply for it to arrive. Thank you for sharing this design, I just hope I didn't fuck up and it works when its fully assembled.
This is awesome thanks! I'm nearly all built, just flashed the pic and powered it up and seems good so far :-) now just waiting for a few more bits and the Case! I ordered a bigger Case to fit the PSU and ill mount the Socket on the Front with a Power Switch. I already own a WR2 which is great! but didn't want to use the Bigger expensive WTA50 Tweezers or was I going to invest in another Station just to use the WMRT Tweezers! I'll prob not mod the Plug as no intention of buying any original Irons, but might build a WMRP Handle at some point. I'm in the UK and have a few spare Boards for the Driver v1.1 and WMRT Handle Board if anybody needs one without having to buy 10.
Congratulations! The system works excellently according to the video. I like it very much that when reaching the temperature, the indication does not fluctuate. I have the following question: Can the device with this hardware and software work with the heater with a heater and a thermocouple but not Weller?
If the connection is same as Weller tips (three terminals: heater, thermocouple and common), it maybe works. But temperature would probably be wrong if thermocouple type is not the same as Weller, that would need to be changed to firmware.
+Njuškalo Oglasi Nowadays pretty well. We use these daily at work and on average one tip lasts several months. When the WMRP tips were introduced a few years ago, the early tips had more problems. The heating element was broken to open circuit quite soon. Apparently Weller has since fixed this problem and now the tips mostly just worn mechanically. We use quite a lot the smallest RT1 tip which is great for fine pitch work, but it gets dull quite easily if abused. I would say that the older and bigger Weller iron tips last longer than these micro tips, but these are so much better for fine pitch work and these can also deliver heat much better despite the small size. At home I have just used the worn and discarded tips from work. I don't (yet) own the tweezers because they are so bloody expensive. The tweezers shown in this video are borrowed from work just to verify that they work OK with the station and to make this video.
+sidchip Thank you for your response! Yeah, I have seen that the tip was worn out so I was wondering why :D I'm currently collecting information for building one with the same tip, but controlled with arduino and using small OLED screen. I have 12V 8A transformer ready for power supply :D At least for the testing. Since I'm from Croatia noone knows how those tips perform. I would like to use just a bit bigger tip since I don't do much work on things smaller than 0805. Do you have any tips for future builders?
+Njuškalo Oglasi If you mean 'tip' as the WMRP tip, then unfortunately no, I won't be selling the worn used tips. But my hints for building an own WMRP soldering station are: - You need a low offset opamp to read the thermocouple. It is type C or type D or something similar - You must turn off heater and wait for some time for the thermocouple opamp to stabilize to get the temperature (maybe 1 or 2 milliseconds or so) - The heater and thermocouple are so tightly coupled that PID is not a must - 12V continuously is too much for the tip. When you read the thermocouple often enough, this acts like a PWM and limits the average power. The tip is easy to break if run at 12V for more than a few seconds.
Just to weigh in on the tip issue, with several hours per week of use with a 1.5 mm tip the tip is just starting to show its age after a year and a half. It looks like it should still be good for a few more months. This is with a temperature of 350 c as my main temp and 380 or occasionally higher for heavy jobs and with a mix of sponge and metal cleaning, although I have found metal to work better, especially if the tip is very dirty.
+Miroslav Stoikov You can program the PIC16F1788 with a Microchip PICkit3 or ICD3 programmer. On the board I have a Tag-Connect footprint for programming. So you need either a TC2030-MCP-NL cable for ICD3 or a TC2030-PKT-NL cable for PICkit3. I know, they are ridiculously expensive cables! For cheaper solution, solder a pin header to chip with small short wires so you can use PICkit3.
can i use this: www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-PICKIT3-Programmer-PIC-ICD2-PICKit-2-PICKIT-3-Programming-Adapter-Universal-Programmer-Seat/32372215543.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.27.7sZ6aT&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9,searchweb201602_3_10037_10034_10033_507_10032_10020_10017_10005_10006_10021_10022_10009_10008_10018_10019,searchweb201603_1&btsid=562af90f-2ad8-4fe4-83e3-8b013507c632
Hi, it only supports the micro tools, which have thermocouple as temperature sensor (WMRP and WMRT). The bigger weller tools, e.g. WSP80, use a thermistor.
+Eric jadoo Good point! I've now updated the circuit diagram pdf with additional page which shows the connections inside the handles. kair.us/projects/weller/weller_driver_v1_circuit_diagram.pdf
+sidchip thanks... on a side note now that ive got the tweezers working I noticed they make a quite noticeable buzz even in standby while the regular iron is near silent. is it due to a shoddy tip or is that the same with yours?
+Eric jadoo Mine is also making the buzz. I haven't yet looked how it could be eliminated, but will next time I borrow the tweezers. I have also plans to update the thermocouple look up table, since I have a feeling that the D-type thermocouple values do not provide optimum accuracy.
+sidchip also its probably due to my floating power supply (currently using a botched xbox 360 psu) but im seeing 7-10v ac on my tip. once i get ahold of a properly grounded supply that will probably disappear but just wanted to mention it.
Nice, Looks good. I'm in the process of building one too. I have the wmrt tweezers working fine but the wmrp is not working properly. It heats up but it doesn't stop. It keeps heating the tip until it glows red and I have to unplug it. Do you have any pictures of the wiring inside the handle?
I am in the process of updating the wmrp build page, but it is not ready yet. Meanwhile, see the connection drawing on last page of the station circuit diagram. Markings on the wmrp board translate to this drawing like this: ESD = POTENTIAL HT = HEATER SW = TC1 / REED KTY = KTY 82
@@sidchip I was wondering, why isn't R17 on the BOM? I'm pretty sure I wired the handle properly but I don't have a resistor at R17. Maybe that's why its not workin?
@@William51115Hello, have you been able to solve the problem with the glowing tip? I have the same problem and the WMRP is glowing red. I have already destroyed 2 tips and WMRT is also the same but only red on one side and the other tip doesn't get warm at all. It's normal that 12 volts is constant on HT1, regardless of whether tip is connected or not.
Maybe, but some changes are needed. T12 has heater and thermocouple connected in series. The thermocouple input needs better protection. Also the regulator IC3 needs to be changed to type which can withstand 24V, e.g. UA78M05CDCYR. It is easier to build a project which was designed to be used with T12.
It is not possible to use these JBC tips, at least without modifications to HW and/or FW. The C245 would need lower gain for the TC readout. I have read somewhere that C245 tip has 40 µV/C while WMRP has 15 µV/C. Maybe changing feedback resistor from 240k to 90k would work. The C210 has TC and heater in series, it would be good to add diode protection to opamp input, and change the temperature look-up table in FW. I don't have any JBC tips, so I can't help you more.
@@belloirawan9056 It can be tried, but I can't promise it would work properly. I think it would be better to build some other DIY station designed for JBC if you want to use C210 tips.
No, it doesn't work with WX series handles. You need WM series handle. But you can also build the handles yourself, on my website are step models of the handles so they can be 3D-printed, and Gerber files for the board inside the handle.
Hi very nice project, I would like to send you and email how do I do this? do you use a boot loader in the micro? I have ordered some boards and intend to build one .. Bill
There isn't boot loader in the micro. You'll need a PIC programmer, e.g. PICkit2 or PICkit3. You can find more information from here: kair.us/projects/programming/index.html You can email me if you have more questions, my address is at bottom of my web page.
I've just gotten started in soldering and have done a few macbook repairs but my soldering iron is a bit big for soldering tiny things. I've assembled the pcb for the station and the handle which was easier then I thought it would be with the stencil and solder paste. Just waiting on the case and power supply for it to arrive. Thank you for sharing this design, I just hope I didn't fuck up and it works when its fully assembled.
Very good design! I build it and I use it daily. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! I am glad you like it.
I started to build mine.
This is awesome thanks! I'm nearly all built, just flashed the pic and powered it up and seems good so far :-) now just waiting for a few more bits and the Case! I ordered a bigger Case to fit the PSU and ill mount the Socket on the Front with a Power Switch. I already own a WR2 which is great! but didn't want to use the Bigger expensive WTA50 Tweezers or was I going to invest in another Station just to use the WMRT Tweezers! I'll prob not mod the Plug as no intention of buying any original Irons, but might build a WMRP Handle at some point. I'm in the UK and have a few spare Boards for the Driver v1.1 and WMRT Handle Board if anybody needs one without having to buy 10.
Hi Terry, not sure if you’ll see this but I’m interested in one of your boards. Let me know how I can reach you
Congratulations! The system works excellently according to the video. I like it very much that when reaching the temperature, the indication does not fluctuate.
I have the following question: Can the device with this hardware and software work with the heater with a heater and a thermocouple but not Weller?
If the connection is same as Weller tips (three terminals: heater, thermocouple and common), it maybe works. But temperature would probably be wrong if thermocouple type is not the same as Weller, that would need to be changed to firmware.
super super cool ! Good job making this and thanks for sharing your design!
amazing iron station
Any experience with the new Weller WTMT soldering tweezers?
Great project. How long those weller tips last?
+Njuškalo Oglasi Nowadays pretty well. We use these daily at work and on average one tip lasts several months. When the WMRP tips were introduced a few years ago, the early tips had more problems. The heating element was broken to open circuit quite soon. Apparently Weller has since fixed this problem and now the tips mostly just worn mechanically. We use quite a lot the smallest RT1 tip which is great for fine pitch work, but it gets dull quite easily if abused. I would say that the older and bigger Weller iron tips last longer than these micro tips, but these are so much better for fine pitch work and these can also deliver heat much better despite the small size.
At home I have just used the worn and discarded tips from work. I don't (yet) own the tweezers because they are so bloody expensive. The tweezers shown in this video are borrowed from work just to verify that they work OK with the station and to make this video.
+sidchip
Thank you for your response!
Yeah, I have seen that the tip was worn out so I was wondering why :D
I'm currently collecting information for building one with the same tip, but controlled with arduino and using small OLED screen. I have 12V 8A transformer ready for power supply :D At least for the testing. Since I'm from Croatia noone knows how those tips perform. I would like to use just a bit bigger tip since I don't do much work on things smaller than 0805.
Do you have any tips for future builders?
+Njuškalo Oglasi If you mean 'tip' as the WMRP tip, then unfortunately no, I won't be selling the worn used tips.
But my hints for building an own WMRP soldering station are:
- You need a low offset opamp to read the thermocouple. It is type C or type D or something similar
- You must turn off heater and wait for some time for the thermocouple opamp to stabilize to get the temperature (maybe 1 or 2 milliseconds or so)
- The heater and thermocouple are so tightly coupled that PID is not a must
- 12V continuously is too much for the tip. When you read the thermocouple often enough, this acts like a PWM and limits the average power. The tip is easy to break if run at 12V for more than a few seconds.
+sidchip
Thank you again... And I was asking for tips as in advice which I now got from you... Not the tips for the iron :D
Just to weigh in on the tip issue, with several hours per week of use with a 1.5 mm tip the tip is just starting to show its age after a year and a half. It looks like it should still be good for a few more months. This is with a temperature of 350 c as my main temp and 380 or occasionally higher for heavy jobs and with a mix of sponge and metal cleaning, although I have found metal to work better, especially if the tip is very dirty.
I can't find programmer for programming on this exact chip.
little hepl pls.
+Miroslav Stoikov You can program the PIC16F1788 with a Microchip PICkit3 or ICD3 programmer. On the board I have a Tag-Connect footprint for programming. So you need either a TC2030-MCP-NL cable for ICD3 or a TC2030-PKT-NL cable for PICkit3. I know, they are ridiculously expensive cables! For cheaper solution, solder a pin header to chip with small short wires so you can use PICkit3.
can i use this: www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-PICKIT3-Programmer-PIC-ICD2-PICKit-2-PICKIT-3-Programming-Adapter-Universal-Programmer-Seat/32372215543.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.27.7sZ6aT&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9,searchweb201602_3_10037_10034_10033_507_10032_10020_10017_10005_10006_10021_10022_10009_10008_10018_10019,searchweb201603_1&btsid=562af90f-2ad8-4fe4-83e3-8b013507c632
+Miroslav Stoikov That should work if it is fully compatible clone of PICkit3 (I suspect it's a clone because of the price).
ok.thank you
is it support another weller type soldering handle? (WSP80 etc.)
Hi, it only supports the micro tools, which have thermocouple as temperature sensor (WMRP and WMRT). The bigger weller tools, e.g. WSP80, use a thermistor.
Hi ! Did you find solution ? Do you have a solution to the WMRT buzz ?
Thank you for your help.
Sorry I haven't looked into the buzz issue because I don't have WMRT tweezers. I'll post an update when I loan them next time.
Can you detail the pinout of the wrmp and wrms handle in your writeup as well? mine is mistaking a wrmp pencil for a wrmt tweezer set
+Eric jadoo Good point! I've now updated the circuit diagram pdf with additional page which shows the connections inside the handles. kair.us/projects/weller/weller_driver_v1_circuit_diagram.pdf
+sidchip thanks... on a side note now that ive got the tweezers working I noticed they make a quite noticeable buzz even in standby while the regular iron is near silent. is it due to a shoddy tip or is that the same with yours?
+Eric jadoo Mine is also making the buzz. I haven't yet looked how it could be eliminated, but will next time I borrow the tweezers. I have also plans to update the thermocouple look up table, since I have a feeling that the D-type thermocouple values do not provide optimum accuracy.
+sidchip also its probably due to my floating power supply (currently using a botched xbox 360 psu) but im seeing 7-10v ac on my tip. once i get ahold of a properly grounded supply that will probably disappear but just wanted to mention it.
Nice, Looks good. I'm in the process of building one too. I have the wmrt tweezers working fine but the wmrp is not working properly. It heats up but it doesn't stop. It keeps heating the tip until it glows red and I have to unplug it. Do you have any pictures of the wiring inside the handle?
I am in the process of updating the wmrp build page, but it is not ready yet. Meanwhile, see the connection drawing on last page of the station circuit diagram. Markings on the wmrp board translate to this drawing like this:
ESD = POTENTIAL
HT = HEATER
SW = TC1 / REED
KTY = KTY 82
@@sidchip I was wondering, why isn't R17 on the BOM? I'm pretty sure I wired the handle properly but I don't have a resistor at R17. Maybe that's why its not workin?
@@William51115Hello, have you been able to solve the problem with the glowing tip? I have the same problem and the WMRP is glowing red. I have already destroyed 2 tips and WMRT is also the same but only red on one side and the other tip doesn't get warm at all. It's normal that 12 volts is constant on HT1, regardless of whether tip is connected or not.
@@lukaszmadej2472 The problem was the plug. I tried a different plug and it worked
Actually I don't remember if it worked, it's been so long
can I use the T12 handle and change the 12v input to 24?
Maybe, but some changes are needed.
T12 has heater and thermocouple connected in series. The thermocouple input needs better protection. Also the regulator IC3 needs to be changed to type which can withstand 24V, e.g. UA78M05CDCYR. It is easier to build a project which was designed to be used with T12.
can i use Tip C210/c245, What do you think?
It is not possible to use these JBC tips, at least without modifications to HW and/or FW. The C245 would need lower gain for the TC readout. I have read somewhere that C245 tip has 40 µV/C while WMRP has 15 µV/C. Maybe changing feedback resistor from 240k to 90k would work. The C210 has TC and heater in series, it would be good to add diode protection to opamp input, and change the temperature look-up table in FW. I don't have any JBC tips, so I can't help you more.
@@sidchip so you think tips c210 can be tried by adding a diode to the input of the op amp?
@@belloirawan9056 It can be tried, but I can't promise it would work properly. I think it would be better to build some other DIY station designed for JBC if you want to use C210 tips.
Will it work with WXPP WXMP handles ??
No, it doesn't work with WX series handles. You need WM series handle. But you can also build the handles yourself, on my website are step models of the handles so they can be 3D-printed, and Gerber files for the board inside the handle.
@@sidchip Thank you so much 🤩
Hi very nice project, I would like to send you and email how do I do this? do you use a boot loader in the micro? I have ordered some boards and intend to build one .. Bill
There isn't boot loader in the micro. You'll need a PIC programmer, e.g. PICkit2 or PICkit3. You can find more information from here: kair.us/projects/programming/index.html You can email me if you have more questions, my address is at bottom of my web page.
But the code and schematic
Code, schematic and layout are available on my website. Link is in the description.
@@sidchip but I do not found the code
@@andreiciora2765 It's under 'Firmware', see kair.us/projects/weller/index.html#firmware
can u build one for me? i will pay u
arduino compatible
www.instructables.com/id/Soldering-Station-Using-InvIoT-U1-an-Arduino-Compa/
I used the www.inviot.com/u1