11-15-2024, 10:37 AM
I recently purchased one of these Pinecil soldering irons and it is just about usable with difficulty. The main problem is that it keeps cutting out. The leaflet that came with it states the DC jack is 5.5mm with a 2.5mm pin. This is quite a standard size for laptop power supplies which appear to be recommended as a power source. I tried two different power bricks both with a jack of that size (I even checked with a micrometer to be sure).
The problem seems to be the DC connector. A wiggle usually brings it back on. I realise that the problem could be the wire, but both power bricks otherwise work fine with other equipment so I am reasonably certain they are not the problem. Visually, the pin does appeart to be somewhat thinner than the 'hole' in the PSU jack, but its difficult to tell just be sight.
I purchased mine from Mouser who have so far been messing me around rather than just accepting it back for refund. Apparently they need to contact the supplied and investigate etc etc etc. Unfortunately, based on reviews, I also made the mistake, while I was waiting for the Pinecil to arrive, of purchasing a set of Pinecil TIPS4 bits as I had envisaged using this mainly for SMD soldering. These were purchased from another supplier as Mouser didn't have this particular set in stock.
When it is running, the iron seems to work well enough, but the persistent cutting out makes it difficult and annoying to use. My little test project this morning must have taken me more than twice as long as it should have to complete with numerous corrections having to be made to joints each time the iron went cold partway through soldering. I did also increase the sleep timeout but I am confident that it was not just a matter of it going to sleep. The display cuts out completely and does not come back on until I wiggle the plug a bit or unplug it altogether and plug it back in. Pressing a button usually works when it goes to sleep, but not when it cuts out.
The guy at Mouser also said that I shouldn't use a laptop brick rated at more than 3A? I thought that so long as the rated voltage (12V to 24V) is not exceeded, the iron will draw only the current it needs so long as it is available? Both laptop bricks were 19.5V. One is rated 3.5A, the other 6A. If the PSU specification is that critical, why does Pinecil to supply an official PSU for it?
As an aside, I also have a T12 iron which is powered from an old laptop brick and that one has so far worked flawlessly and without any such problems.
Unfortunately, this means that I could potentially be 100GBP out of pocket so right now I am not too happy with Pine64 or Mouser.
Just wondering whether there is anything else I can do to resolve the issue? I did wonder about purchasing a PSU with a USB-C connector, but from what I have already seen with laptops and screens at work, these can also be problematic and sometimes need a wiggle. Perhaps neither jack is suited to a lot of movement?
The problem seems to be the DC connector. A wiggle usually brings it back on. I realise that the problem could be the wire, but both power bricks otherwise work fine with other equipment so I am reasonably certain they are not the problem. Visually, the pin does appeart to be somewhat thinner than the 'hole' in the PSU jack, but its difficult to tell just be sight.
I purchased mine from Mouser who have so far been messing me around rather than just accepting it back for refund. Apparently they need to contact the supplied and investigate etc etc etc. Unfortunately, based on reviews, I also made the mistake, while I was waiting for the Pinecil to arrive, of purchasing a set of Pinecil TIPS4 bits as I had envisaged using this mainly for SMD soldering. These were purchased from another supplier as Mouser didn't have this particular set in stock.
When it is running, the iron seems to work well enough, but the persistent cutting out makes it difficult and annoying to use. My little test project this morning must have taken me more than twice as long as it should have to complete with numerous corrections having to be made to joints each time the iron went cold partway through soldering. I did also increase the sleep timeout but I am confident that it was not just a matter of it going to sleep. The display cuts out completely and does not come back on until I wiggle the plug a bit or unplug it altogether and plug it back in. Pressing a button usually works when it goes to sleep, but not when it cuts out.
The guy at Mouser also said that I shouldn't use a laptop brick rated at more than 3A? I thought that so long as the rated voltage (12V to 24V) is not exceeded, the iron will draw only the current it needs so long as it is available? Both laptop bricks were 19.5V. One is rated 3.5A, the other 6A. If the PSU specification is that critical, why does Pinecil to supply an official PSU for it?
As an aside, I also have a T12 iron which is powered from an old laptop brick and that one has so far worked flawlessly and without any such problems.
Unfortunately, this means that I could potentially be 100GBP out of pocket so right now I am not too happy with Pine64 or Mouser.
Just wondering whether there is anything else I can do to resolve the issue? I did wonder about purchasing a PSU with a USB-C connector, but from what I have already seen with laptops and screens at work, these can also be problematic and sometimes need a wiggle. Perhaps neither jack is suited to a lot of movement?
