Pine64 announce the Pinecil, TS100 compatible RISC-V soldering iron(pine64.org)
pine64.org
Pine64 announce the Pinecil, TS100 compatible RISC-V soldering iron
https://www.pine64.org/2020/07/15/july-updatepmos-ce-pre-orders-and-new-pinephone-version/
20 comments
Apparently the quality of the temperature control also matters quite a bit. It seems the TS100 has little problem in either of those departments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgrB5P-rDLw https://hackaday.com/2017/07/24/review-ts100-soldering-iron/ , especially if you use a 24V power supply. It's also embarrassingly cheap compared to the mid-spec soldering irons from prestige brands which it tends to match.
ts100 with a 4S lipo at ~14v has no issues getting to temp or staying at temp. it's great kit, highly recommend.
this pine64 pencil looks awesome.
Delivering enough power is the easy part. As a kid I bought a bunch of unregulated soldering irons that cooked their own tip.
Meanwhile on planet Earth, my Metcal production iron doesn’t even have a computer in its brain.
The important bit of the iron is not really the brain but the latency of the control loop and the absolute power delivery which is easy enough to solve with a couple of lm358’s on the ts100 element/sensor.
The important bit of the iron is not really the brain but the latency of the control loop and the absolute power delivery which is easy enough to solve with a couple of lm358’s on the ts100 element/sensor.
That's a weird flex, given that Metcals are a high-tech device, using a patented technology and were exorbitantly expensive before patent ran out. They still are, compared to the bargain basement soldering iron pricing. When the patent ran out, the original engineers ran off to start Thermaltronics.
We've all accidentally left the soldering iron on, sometime in our decades. The sensors in the iron lets it shut off and not burn your house down. Having an firmware (like the TS100 or TS80) means you can fully customize its behavior unlike most consumer devices. (I wish there was a microwave oven whos firmware I could tweak in order for, eg the popcorn button to make popcorn how I like my popcorn.)
Soldering irons are at this fairly unique intersection of consumer device and hardware hacker that I'm really surprised by the some of the luddite attitudes around here. I bet there's some cool firmware mods you could do if you have to solder something that looks like a heat sink. (Eg maybe it could do 18650 cells, if you don't have a welder.)
The other innovation of the TS100 is that battery-power capably powers a soldering iron. The TS100 is a bit older than the TS80, and can use 12V rechargable battery packs (eg for RC cars/planes); the TS80P can use recent USB-battery pack powering standards. It doesn't do much at the workbench, but if you're one of those people that leaves the house (modulo Covid), it turns out to be really useful! In decades prior, butane (cigarette lighter fluid) powered soldering irons existed, but could be persnickety and were a special version to buy. Now, just bring the iron along with USB battery pack you were probably gonna bring anyway.
We've all accidentally left the soldering iron on, sometime in our decades. The sensors in the iron lets it shut off and not burn your house down. Having an firmware (like the TS100 or TS80) means you can fully customize its behavior unlike most consumer devices. (I wish there was a microwave oven whos firmware I could tweak in order for, eg the popcorn button to make popcorn how I like my popcorn.)
Soldering irons are at this fairly unique intersection of consumer device and hardware hacker that I'm really surprised by the some of the luddite attitudes around here. I bet there's some cool firmware mods you could do if you have to solder something that looks like a heat sink. (Eg maybe it could do 18650 cells, if you don't have a welder.)
The other innovation of the TS100 is that battery-power capably powers a soldering iron. The TS100 is a bit older than the TS80, and can use 12V rechargable battery packs (eg for RC cars/planes); the TS80P can use recent USB-battery pack powering standards. It doesn't do much at the workbench, but if you're one of those people that leaves the house (modulo Covid), it turns out to be really useful! In decades prior, butane (cigarette lighter fluid) powered soldering irons existed, but could be persnickety and were a special version to buy. Now, just bring the iron along with USB battery pack you were probably gonna bring anyway.
The metcal PS900 is actually cheaper now than the equivalent bottom end Weller TCP units and much much cheaper than the Hakko FX951 irons.
The TS type irons and the T12's are however 100% not safe devices. The tip mount/socket shorts out which will blow the guts out of the MOSFET and there are various brown-out conditions which cause the thing to crash and dump the entire supply into the tip until it glows orange. And also the thermal sensor fails unsafe. That risk is especially high when you have high capacity supplies.
An image to back up my claim:
https://imgur.com/uE1CPn0
Buying a decent, simple iron will probably cost you less than your house does if it goes up.
As for leaving irons on I have never done it. Metcal PS900 also has an optional stand which puts the iron in safe standby mode. They heat up within 2 seconds when you pick the iron up as they do not use normal heating elements. They use RF heating. There is no condition that can cause a complete thermal overload cycle.
On the T12 irons which are sometimes mentioned they are borderline illegal when it comes to the power supply design earthing and will quite happily kill you dead if you don't rework them first.
Is economy worth it? Probably not.
The TS type irons and the T12's are however 100% not safe devices. The tip mount/socket shorts out which will blow the guts out of the MOSFET and there are various brown-out conditions which cause the thing to crash and dump the entire supply into the tip until it glows orange. And also the thermal sensor fails unsafe. That risk is especially high when you have high capacity supplies.
An image to back up my claim:
https://imgur.com/uE1CPn0
Buying a decent, simple iron will probably cost you less than your house does if it goes up.
As for leaving irons on I have never done it. Metcal PS900 also has an optional stand which puts the iron in safe standby mode. They heat up within 2 seconds when you pick the iron up as they do not use normal heating elements. They use RF heating. There is no condition that can cause a complete thermal overload cycle.
On the T12 irons which are sometimes mentioned they are borderline illegal when it comes to the power supply design earthing and will quite happily kill you dead if you don't rework them first.
Is economy worth it? Probably not.
> The metcal PS900 is actually cheaper now than the equivalent bottom end Weller TCP units and much much cheaper than the Hakko FX951 irons.
- Hakko FX951 is listed for $269.77, less tips
https://www.hakkousa.com/products/soldering/hakko-fx-951-sol...
- Metcal PS-900 is listed for $275.93
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Metcal/PS-900
The statement that the PS-900 is much much cheaper does not appear to be accurate now.
- Hakko FX951 is listed for $269.77, less tips
https://www.hakkousa.com/products/soldering/hakko-fx-951-sol...
- Metcal PS-900 is listed for $275.93
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Metcal/PS-900
The statement that the PS-900 is much much cheaper does not appear to be accurate now.
Check prices in Europe as well.
This is why discrete MOSFETs need to go away in low frequency applications.
There's not really any time I think "Hey, I want a transistor that doesn't make any attempt to handle short circuits, so I can save literally $2 it something".
Things that need power tend to be things that can short.
There's not really any time I think "Hey, I want a transistor that doesn't make any attempt to handle short circuits, so I can save literally $2 it something".
Things that need power tend to be things that can short.
I actually have scars on my arm from blowing up MOSFETs so I agree :)
> I bet there's some cool firmware mods you could do if you have to solder something that looks like a heat sink.
At least one of the TS100 custom firmwares [1] has a feature which helps with that sort of thing. Pressing one of the buttons while soldering will force the heater into always-on mode, making it deliver heat faster than normal.
[1]: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100
At least one of the TS100 custom firmwares [1] has a feature which helps with that sort of thing. Pressing one of the buttons while soldering will force the heater into always-on mode, making it deliver heat faster than normal.
[1]: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100
>We've all accidentally left the soldering iron on, sometime in our decades. The sensors in the iron lets it shut off and not burn your house down.
Specifically for the Metacal irons, all of the ones I have used have a magnet in the stand that causes the tip to idle at a reduced temperature using some sort of feromagnetic magic. The great thing about those irons is they have such fast thermal control that it heats up in the time it takes you to lift the iron from its stand to your work. They also have a deep sleep they go into if they detect the tip is idle for more than a few minutes which can be disabled in a production environment. And for some absurd reason, it is all implemented in hardware...
Specifically for the Metacal irons, all of the ones I have used have a magnet in the stand that causes the tip to idle at a reduced temperature using some sort of feromagnetic magic. The great thing about those irons is they have such fast thermal control that it heats up in the time it takes you to lift the iron from its stand to your work. They also have a deep sleep they go into if they detect the tip is idle for more than a few minutes which can be disabled in a production environment. And for some absurd reason, it is all implemented in hardware...
I have a T100 with auto-off firmware. I don't have to put it on a stand, literally anywhere on my desk will do. Once I pick it up it'll be at temp before the tip touches the PCB in almost all cases.
The great thing about doing it in software is that I can change the timeouts and the idle temperature if I wanted. For most soldering my idle is 130°C so it can go quickly to target but when I'm experimenting I leave it at 80°C to reduce burn risks.
The great thing about doing it in software is that I can change the timeouts and the idle temperature if I wanted. For most soldering my idle is 130°C so it can go quickly to target but when I'm experimenting I leave it at 80°C to reduce burn risks.
The older Metcals don't have a sensor. They auto-off after a timeout.
They do not need a sensor--that is the magic of it! It is a fundamental property of the induction heating process that a magnetic field reduces the operating temperature of the tip.
> I wish there was a microwave oven whos firmware I could tweak in order for, eg the popcorn button to make popcorn how I like my popcorn.
I wish for this every day.
I had another cheap microwave that would nag ever minute after the food finished so you wouldn't forget it.
I once had a microwave with steps -- I so wish I could save as "favorites"
I wish I could monitor a sensor to boil water accurately.
I wish there was a sensor, maybe a camera, that you could teach to watch for boil-over.
I wish for this every day.
I had another cheap microwave that would nag ever minute after the food finished so you wouldn't forget it.
I once had a microwave with steps -- I so wish I could save as "favorites"
I wish I could monitor a sensor to boil water accurately.
I wish there was a sensor, maybe a camera, that you could teach to watch for boil-over.
>The sensors in the iron lets it shut off and not burn your house down.
The old Wellers did that 30 years ago.
The old Wellers did that 30 years ago.
> The sensors in the iron lets it shut off and not burn your house down.
Isn't leaving it in the stand the best way to not burn your house down? I can't say I've ever left an iron heated up and also touching something flammable.
Isn't leaving it in the stand the best way to not burn your house down? I can't say I've ever left an iron heated up and also touching something flammable.
Ok, I get that this soldering iron may be useful if you leave the house. But otherwise, is it still the best soldering iron you could buy?
(personally I use my hot air station much more than my soldering iron)
And by the way, nowadays you could implement auto-shutdown using an accelerometer and a timer, I suppose.
(personally I use my hot air station much more than my soldering iron)
And by the way, nowadays you could implement auto-shutdown using an accelerometer and a timer, I suppose.
The best cheap iron is a Metcal PS900. You can look for Metcal MX units on ebay which tend to go for not much. They can switch from soldering 0402 parts to nuts onto bolts without changing the tips or damaging anything:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x10hW9qvT8E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x10hW9qvT8E
Hell, for a basement prices, you can still scrounge up the older pre-mx variants such as the RFG-30 and PS2e (which is an RFG-30 and hand piece IIRC).
I picked up an older RFG-30 with handle for $80 USD off ebay about 2-3 yrs ago. An old friend of mine still has his original metcal PS2e from something like the 80s or 90s and it runs like a tank.
I picked up an older RFG-30 with handle for $80 USD off ebay about 2-3 yrs ago. An old friend of mine still has his original metcal PS2e from something like the 80s or 90s and it runs like a tank.
User programmable household applies seem like an interesting idea. I'd like to have a smart stove top that didn't have an app or require internet access (for example).
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I've been using a "936-style" (a clone of the famous Hakko 936) iron with an analog controller for many years and I see excessive complexity as a liability --- a soldering iron certainly does not need a microcontroller to function.
That said, I haven't seen any models with an analog temperature gauge...
That said, I haven't seen any models with an analog temperature gauge...
Certainly doesn't, but I've come to very much appreciate my TS100's brains. And accelerometer.
Being able to idle back when it hasn't moved in a while, but recover quickly when I pick it up, used to require magnets and a reed switch in the holder. But the TS100 can do it in any holder, simply by looking for movement in its accelerometer.
Being able to turn itself the rest of the way off after a longer period seems a nice safety measure.
Pushbutton temperature adjustment isn't perhaps as simple as a knob, but the realtime display of tip temperature is awfully nice to know how long it takes my commands to have an effect.
And, since it can sense the input voltage, some firmwares have automatic shutdown for various lithium cell voltages, in case you're driving it directly from a battery pack like many R/C hobbyists do in the field. I've never met another portable iron with that feature.
Is it excessive for a basic desk iron? Yeah, probably. But it's amazing as portable go-anywhere iron, which is also capable enough to replace my desk iron. I'm a fan.
Being able to idle back when it hasn't moved in a while, but recover quickly when I pick it up, used to require magnets and a reed switch in the holder. But the TS100 can do it in any holder, simply by looking for movement in its accelerometer.
Being able to turn itself the rest of the way off after a longer period seems a nice safety measure.
Pushbutton temperature adjustment isn't perhaps as simple as a knob, but the realtime display of tip temperature is awfully nice to know how long it takes my commands to have an effect.
And, since it can sense the input voltage, some firmwares have automatic shutdown for various lithium cell voltages, in case you're driving it directly from a battery pack like many R/C hobbyists do in the field. I've never met another portable iron with that feature.
Is it excessive for a basic desk iron? Yeah, probably. But it's amazing as portable go-anywhere iron, which is also capable enough to replace my desk iron. I'm a fan.
I wired a triac inline with my cheap soldering iron. I turn it down a bit to save the tip during regular operation (it gets too hot at full mains voltage), and I turn it way down if I'm doing something else for a minute so it stays warm.
The triac mangles the sine wave, but this resistive heater doesn't mind. I did this on a whim but it ended up meeting my needs quite well.
The triac mangles the sine wave, but this resistive heater doesn't mind. I did this on a whim but it ended up meeting my needs quite well.
I have friends who know this stuff and said metcal worked well because they use RF to heat the tip.
Could you say it's an analog computing solution?
Could you say it's an analog computing solution?
This device does not appear solve any problem, other than poor quality soldering irons made from QC failed components being sold by unscrupulous vendors.
Maybe Pine64 should work on making their site load faster rather than putting BT in a paperweight.
Their site has recently switched over to running on a cluster of 24 of their own RockPro64 single board computers. As of their June update (https://www.pine64.org/2020/06/15/june-update-postmarketos-c...) the site, forum, IRC channel and Matrix servers were running on just 8 nodes of the cluster. Given the notorious Hacker News hug-of-death, I think they're doing pretty well!
I'm sure these irons are a thousand times better than those I bought as a kid.
They're really not. They're quite dangerous. I flirted with the "T12" ecosystem for a bit and the designs are marginal to say the least. From a mechanical design perspective it's not uncommon for the mount to short the supply out which will blow the MOSFET in the unit to bits. Secondarily, if the power supply browns out, the devices tend not to fail safe and will quite happily give you a bright orange glowing fire hazard for a tip.
Not only that some of the Quicko ones have firmware crash bugs which can trigger a reset while the MOSFET is turned on. Woosh.
Not only that some of the Quicko ones have firmware crash bugs which can trigger a reset while the MOSFET is turned on. Woosh.
Overall I've been very impressed with pine64 lately. They've been really stepping up their game. The tablet, phone and now this. All in the span of a month and a half, during quarantine/lock down. Good job pine64, keep it up!
I worry that they're doing too much. Surely shipping PineBook Pros in quantity should be the top priority.
Probably a dumb question to some but why does a soldering iron need more than temperature regulation?
As far as i understand it, its basically that.
But you want the temperature to be controllable and oberservable.
So the microcontroller is controlling the display, heating element and user input.
A lot of modern irons also have motion sensors built into the handle. Allowing it to cooldown or even turn off when it detects no activity, and automatically heat back up when it does. I can't be the only one who has left an iron on overnight by accident.
The TS100 custom firmware, https://github.com/Ralim/ts100 , also has features like detecting incoming voltage for use on lithium battery packs to prevent overdischarge. Pine64 even mentions they've sent a prototype to this developer.
The TS100 custom firmware, https://github.com/Ralim/ts100 , also has features like detecting incoming voltage for use on lithium battery packs to prevent overdischarge. Pine64 even mentions they've sent a prototype to this developer.
The TS100 and the subsequent TS80 soldering irons were innovative for a few reasons. The heating element is in the tip rather than the body of the iron. This means it can reach a high temperature (e.g. 350C) using much less power than a traditional iron. This means that it can be powered with a USB power bank and makes it a great iron for using off the grid or in the field. This also means it's very lightweight which makes it easier to handle for delicate soldering work. Even if you're working at your desk, being able to power it with a portable power bank means you can more easily move the power cable so it does not get in the way (also I believe the TS80 comes with a silicone USB cable which is really flexible and easy to manipulate). Another nice feature is that it has an accelerometer which means it can automatically drop to a lower temperature when it's placed down making it a bit safer. Lastly, the firmware can be replaced and people have added features such as a temperature boost mode, power level monitoring and so on: https://github.com/Ralim/ts100
Normally, you can get these irons for $80-$90 so a $24.99 iron that uses the same tips and software would be an absolute bargain.
Normally, you can get these irons for $80-$90 so a $24.99 iron that uses the same tips and software would be an absolute bargain.
Makes it less likely to accidentally pick up by the hot bit something I’ve done several times when concentrating on what I’m working on and not on the insanely hot thing I just picked up.
> The TS100 and the subsequent TS80 soldering irons were innovative for a few reasons. The heating element is in the tip rather than the body of the iron.
That's not their innovation, since they copied JBC's cartridge design to do that.
Their innovation is that they're selling an incompatible Chinese copy of JBC's system that's self-contained in the soldering iron and powered by a laptop power brick or USB-C.
That's not their innovation, since they copied JBC's cartridge design to do that.
Their innovation is that they're selling an incompatible Chinese copy of JBC's system that's self-contained in the soldering iron and powered by a laptop power brick or USB-C.
> Their innovation is that they're selling an incompatible Chinese copy of JBC's system that's self-contained in the soldering iron and powered by a laptop power brick or USB-C.
So did JBC create a soldering iron compatible with a Hakko power station? My understanding is pretty much all pro-level soldering irons are not compatible with each other.
So did JBC create a soldering iron compatible with a Hakko power station? My understanding is pretty much all pro-level soldering irons are not compatible with each other.
> The heating element is in the tip rather than the body of the iron.
That was an innovation compared to old pen shaped irons, but our old beloved gun shaped solder irons were much better wrt heat transfer: the heating element wan't just inside the tip, it was the tip. that's why they could deliver insanely fast heating times like two or three seconds from turned off to maximum temperature. I still have a couple of them, and they literally spank my Weller styluses asses when soldering heavy stuff, but alas their shape and big tips aren't suitable for use on very small stuff, not to mention SMT devices.
That was an innovation compared to old pen shaped irons, but our old beloved gun shaped solder irons were much better wrt heat transfer: the heating element wan't just inside the tip, it was the tip. that's why they could deliver insanely fast heating times like two or three seconds from turned off to maximum temperature. I still have a couple of them, and they literally spank my Weller styluses asses when soldering heavy stuff, but alas their shape and big tips aren't suitable for use on very small stuff, not to mention SMT devices.
> they literally spank my Weller styluses asses
The ass-end of the stylus is pretty obvious, but where's the appendage that the gun uses for spanking? Also, you may want to cut back on the psychedelics while soldering.
The ass-end of the stylus is pretty obvious, but where's the appendage that the gun uses for spanking? Also, you may want to cut back on the psychedelics while soldering.
At the price point of $25, it's super tempting. Honestly not too sure what I would do with the RISC-V functionality. But I guess it would be fun trying to program a RISC-V based uC which I never done before. Would be very interesting if they add some I/O pins to it.
For another $25 RISCV unit that is fun, take a look at the MaixCube [0]. It is loaded with tech and I've had some good success with YOLO object detection [1].
[0] https://www.seeedstudio.com/Sipeed-Maix-Cube-p-4553.html
[1] https://www.hackster.io/dmitrywat/object-detection-with-sipe...
[0] https://www.seeedstudio.com/Sipeed-Maix-Cube-p-4553.html
[1] https://www.hackster.io/dmitrywat/object-detection-with-sipe...
Your article is really, really good. Thanks for writing that.
I was actually looking at the seeedstudio AI development platform products last weekend and trying to work out what was actually usable and you've made that simple.
Any other tips for someone who knows their way around neural networks and python but not microcontrollers?
I was actually looking at the seeedstudio AI development platform products last weekend and trying to work out what was actually usable and you've made that simple.
Any other tips for someone who knows their way around neural networks and python but not microcontrollers?
Holy shit, if this thing is anywhere close to a TS100 for $25, it's going to be amazing. The TS100 is by far the best soldering iron I've ever used (though I haven't used any $200+ ones).
If you can get one for $25, don't even think about it.
If you can get one for $25, don't even think about it.
25$ is low indeed
I wish someone designed flat tips for desoldering small multipins
I wish someone designed flat tips for desoldering small multipins
I've been using these in my TS100 and they work great. Sticks out too far, but still works:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32849007766.html
Photo:
https://i.imgur.com/v0HV86r.jpg
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32849007766.html
Photo:
https://i.imgur.com/v0HV86r.jpg
wow, thanks. Better than nothing !
For anyone else who's wondering why a RISC-V soldering iron is special, it's not necessarily for soldering:
> This means you can use the Pinecil as a platform to create something completely different based on this platform, such as a drill or a multimeter.
> This means you can use the Pinecil as a platform to create something completely different based on this platform, such as a drill or a multimeter.
Wait, no WiFi? How do I signal my coffee machine to make a cup every 2 hours of soldering? That's a fail!
/s
Seriously, I'm not for putting too much silicon into a thing that should only keep control of the tip temperature, but the price makes it very tempting, and I'd love to support Pine64 for their work on open source devices.
/s
Seriously, I'm not for putting too much silicon into a thing that should only keep control of the tip temperature, but the price makes it very tempting, and I'd love to support Pine64 for their work on open source devices.
As someone who has an 80% chance of destroying whatever I'm trying to solder, any improvement in what I'm using would be super welcome.
The Pinecil sounds interesting! I have a Antex Gascat 75P [0] propane powered soldering iron that I absolutely love! I keep it in my "primary" toolbag along with a few feet of Sparkfun's 0.020" "special blend" solder [1] (which is also excellent). It can be a bit finicky to ignite, but it heats up super-quickly and can be refilled easily from a common-or-garden propane refill.
I'll definitely have to try the Pinecil, even if it's just because "RISC-V!".
[0] https://www.antex.co.uk/products/cordless-soldering-irons/ga...
[1] https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10242
I'll definitely have to try the Pinecil, even if it's just because "RISC-V!".
[0] https://www.antex.co.uk/products/cordless-soldering-irons/ga...
[1] https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10242
That "special blend" solder is interesting; it appears from the MSDS to be a standard water-soluble flux core paired with an almost-standard SAC305 lead-free solder (there's some Sb added). I'm not sure what's so nice about that, but I'll take their word for it.
What I would NOT do, though, is choose this stuff for general purpose use, especially "tool bag" use. Water-soluble fluxes are powerful, but they must be cleaned or you'll have corrosion troubles. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I'd prefer a RMA-type flux here.
What I would NOT do, though, is choose this stuff for general purpose use, especially "tool bag" use. Water-soluble fluxes are powerful, but they must be cleaned or you'll have corrosion troubles. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I'd prefer a RMA-type flux here.
Actually I have been using the special blend with a Hakko FX888D soldering station on my workbench for a few years now and haven't had any problems with corrosion with this solder/flux (mostly for through hole on headers etc).
If you want to experiment now, I can recommend the TS100 or TS80. The TS100 requires a beefy power brick but it's one of the nicest all-rounder irons one can have for under 100$.
The TS80 isn't as beefy in power terms but runs of USB so you can power it from a standard phone battery bank or USB-C charger.
IMO for any hobbyist a TS100 is probably the best bang for the buck unless you go for rather expensive soldering stations.
The TS80 isn't as beefy in power terms but runs of USB so you can power it from a standard phone battery bank or USB-C charger.
IMO for any hobbyist a TS100 is probably the best bang for the buck unless you go for rather expensive soldering stations.
Interesting. I use the Gascat for portablility, but have a Hakko FX-888D soldering station on my workbench.
My only complaint about the Gascat is that it does get really quite hot and takes a while to cool. But it does have a couple of tips for "hot air" which is very useful for heatshrink etc.
My only complaint about the Gascat is that it does get really quite hot and takes a while to cool. But it does have a couple of tips for "hot air" which is very useful for heatshrink etc.
Looks interesting, especially USB-C input. There's a TS80 (and TS80P) which does Qualcomm Quick Charge (and the P for USB-PD) USB-C input, but the Pinecil's flexibility of both seems better. The TS80s also uses different tip form factors, so I would need entirely new tips compared to this.
The TS80P also supports Quick Charge in addition to USB-PD, although QC3 limits you to around 18W (versus 30W for USB-PD).
I wonder how the ergonomics on the production Pinecil will end up. I never ended up liking the TS100s feel for soldering, which made the TS80 my go-to iron. The wide tip availability is great, but I'd rather take a limited tip selection and better ergonomics.
I wonder how the ergonomics on the production Pinecil will end up. I never ended up liking the TS100s feel for soldering, which made the TS80 my go-to iron. The wide tip availability is great, but I'd rather take a limited tip selection and better ergonomics.
I love the idea of using my lab power supply to power my soldering iron. I will gladly take back the space of my soldering station, it's separate power plug and wires, etc. Plus I'll be able to see current draw in real time.
I do this with my TS100 right now, when I'm gonna be running it for long enough that the Ryobi battery, which serves as its steady base, would not have a good time.
The TS100 can show you the input voltage and duty cycle, I wonder if there's firmware that calculates watts...
The TS100 can show you the input voltage and duty cycle, I wonder if there's firmware that calculates watts...
Does anyone know if the current crop of FLOSS phone companies (pine64, Purism, etc) have sustainable/profitable businesses? That seems to me the most important variable when setting my hopes of getting a usable Linux phone anytime soon.
pine64 has been making open source hardware for a while, with a bunch of single board computers similar to the raspberry pi. They're probably going to be around for a while.
Purism appears to be having hardware issues with the Librem, and from what I've heard their laptop hardware is also pretty bad.
Purism appears to be having hardware issues with the Librem, and from what I've heard their laptop hardware is also pretty bad.
Do you have any sources for problems with Purism Laptops?
Just out of curiosity as I only heard about problems with the Librem 5, never about problems with their laptops.
Just out of curiosity as I only heard about problems with the Librem 5, never about problems with their laptops.
https://anarc.at/hardware/laptop/purism-librem13v4/#hardware...
And the third top level comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/hr8hvi/not_recommend...
I've heard similar things in the past, but can't remember where.
And the third top level comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/hr8hvi/not_recommend...
I've heard similar things in the past, but can't remember where.
If you don't already have a soldering iron this is not a bad idea if you have a low budget. You should get a heat gun instead if you want something useful in today's modern age though to work with SMDs unless you prefer baking all your components. A heat gun is much better for removing smd components and is a lot more useful than a clunky iron even if it's risc-v
> The PinePhone can now achieve 100hrs standby time without modem
Is it really standby without the modem? Sounds more like sleep.
Is it really standby without the modem? Sounds more like sleep.
It's both, it's more like a baseline. I think modem-on sleep time can still be better than 24 hours.
Tinkering electronically
Let's celebrate and explore
NB: Cannot buy it yet; give it a few months. But you can pre-order a PinePhone. If you do, make sure the phone is the only thing in the cart, or the order won't work.
This calculator ought to not be made use of in circumstances where the warm resource is much smaller sized than the base of the heat sink
https://heatscape.com/
Personally, I would’ve thought the one crucial bit of a functional soldering iron is to deliver enough thermal power at the tip to melt solder. All the software in the world won’t help if the hardware can’t manage that.