From Heating To Fevering, Experiencing TS100 Smart Mini Soldering Iron

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An electric soldering iron is like a pen with which a scholar writes the chapters of the millennial civilization. With it, engineers have soldered the technical civilization of today. As an avid fan for electronics, I bear a true affection for soldering irons. Though I cannot create inventions or designs with a soldering iron, I would enjoy myself a lot occasionally when I do some DIY works. The mini soldering iron TS100 is a soldering iron in which I’m very interested. I believe that many fans have been coveting it for a long time. It is usually considered a DIY must-have. Then, what are the “wonders” of this must-have developed by Guangzhou e-Design Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.?

A sparrow may be small, but all its vital organs are there.


Unlike ordinary electric soldering irons, TS100 employs a combinational design. The handle, soldering tip, and power supply all have an independent packaging. If you look at the exterior design of the handle only, you may hardly find any features of traditional soldering irons. TS100’s standard power supply is a DC19V 2.1A module, which is compatible with most laptop adaptors. And this is of much convenience for maintenance and portability. With the product, a few useful accessories are also supplied, such as the compact and novelty soldering iron rack made of glass-fiber board, a hex wrench for supporting use, and even a ground clamp. With this ground cable, the safety performance of the soldering iron is enhanced. With the features of constant temperature, low voltage, grounding, and controllable temperatures, TS100 basically can provide the working conditions just like a small soldering station.


The exterior shell of TS100 is made of high-temperature resistant substance with matte anti-skid design . The device provides a comfortable hand feel. With two buttons, the user may adjust temperature and other parameters. Its OLED screen displays operational information such as temperature. The soldering tip is interchangeable if necessary. This time, I used the TS-B2 soldering tip, which is supplied with the device. The soldering tip and the heating element are of an integrated design, which is produced exclusively by the company. The product is not compatible with soldering tips of other brands.


The process to replace the soldering tip is easier than replacing a refill. One thing you need to remember is that you shall tighten the set screws to prevent the soldering tip from falling off. When you replace the soldering tip, please do make sure that you do not operate with the device turned on. Two reasons not to do so: The high temperature of the soldering iron may cause scald injuries. And this violation-operation easily leads to damages of internal circuits inside the handle.


Unlike a soldering station, without grounding, an ordinary soldering iron needs to be operated unplugged when soldering components that are sensitive to static electric induction, such as MOS, and this is done to prevent such component from breakdowns by induction electricity. What’s more, ungrounded soldering iron shell is very likely to have electric leakages, which is unsafe for the users. With the grounding cable, the induction electricity can be eliminated and electric leakage protection is created. It helps more to obtain a higher success rate of soldering and better safety.


The exterior of TS100 is designed with fine details. The silvery metallic logo and nameplate are exquisite. When shipped out of the factory, the product is coated with a plastic film for protection. The seams on the edges are rendered smooth and closely fit. Near the power supply port, there are printed logos of CE and FCC. These are certifications from the EU and the US for exportable products. And they also serve as an essential part on a stylish soldering iron.


The power supply port of TS100 is a DC5525 jack socket. The soldering iron can work within an input voltage range between DC12V and DC24V. However, you need to know one thing: as the input voltage varies, the power of TS100 and heating time may change accordingly. If the input voltage is DC12V, the maximum power of it is 17W, and it takes 40 seconds for the soldering iron to heat up to 300 degrees Celsius. If the input voltage is 24V, the power would reach its peak value at 65W, and the time it takes to heat up to 300 degrees Celsius is shortened to just 10 seconds. The Micro-USB is not used for heating the soldering iron. Instead, it is used for upgrading or configuring the software of TS100, for example, setting sleep time, and threshold values of operating temperatures, etc.


Compared to ordinary soldering irons, TS100 is more compact and delicate in exterior appearance. When the TS-B2 soldering tip is mounted, the total length of TS100 is 16.6cm. The thickness of the device is almost equivalent to that of a roller pen. You may well say that the product is a perfect “slim” one.


This novelty soldering iron rack is made of glass-fiber board, a material which is excellent in heat insulation and high-temperature resistance. Though the rack does not provide a quite stable structure, it still works well as a soldering iron supporter for temporary use. It looks very shabby, but its advantage is still obvious, to enhance the excellent portability of TS100.

A weight may be small, but it can measure extremely heavy objects.


The device’s maximum temperature can reach 400 degrees Celsius. This temperature may not be the extreme peak value that TS100 can achieve, but if its temperature exceeds this value, the soldering iron may not keep the melted tin on its tip. It is reasonable for the manufacturer to set the temperature at 400 degrees Celsius, as this temperature does not lead to easy oxidation and it extends the service life of the soldering iron. In order to prevent the soldering tip from dry burning, the device has a function of automatic sleep triggered by a sensor. If the soldering iron is put aside still for 2 minutes, it would enable the automatic sleep mode. The temperature during automatic sleep can be preset by modifying the configurations. The initial preset temperature is 200 degrees Celsius. If you want to wake up the device, you just need to pick up the soldering iron, and a few seconds later, the device would heat up to the temperature previously set.


The DC electric soldering iron TS100 can also be powered by battery, as long as the battery’s voltage ranges between DC12V and DC24V. Through testing, we have found that four batteries of the 18650 model will do just right. The voltage between 12V and 16.8V meets the requirement of TS100. If the voltage of the battery pack is lower than 12V, the soldering iron will automatically shuts itself to protect the lithium-ion battery pack from over-discharge. With this battery pack, it is convenient to use the device in places without DC power supply. There are many such application scenarios, and now you can use the soldering iron wherever you go.


The head of the TS-B2 soldering tip is very slim, and it works well to pick up tin. It is handy when you solder the fine and close base pins. With the controllable constant temperature, you can solder all types of components. The temperature control module which can be operated by a single hand is the most user-friendly feature of this electric soldering iron. The digital display screen is on the handle. You don’t need to raise your head to adjust the temperature and check the real-time temperature. It is so convenient that you just want to give up the soldering station.


To test the temperature control capacity, I used TS100 to draw a few simple lines on a piece of ordinary printer paper. This time the advantages of temperature control module become evident. If you are using an ordinary soldering iron, you need to modify the darkness of the color shades of the lines by controlling the duration and force level of the iron that touches the paper surface. Through the temperature control module of TS100, this process becomes intuitive and easy to operate. While the temperature is low, the shade goes lighter. While the temperature is high, the shade goes darker. This approach allows the user to create more even colors for the pattern. With multiple models of soldering tips, the user is able to achieve different expressive techniques.


Through a data cable linked to a computer, TS100 can achieve configurations of more parameters. If you modify the TXT notebook in the flash drive, such as the parameters of temperature adjustment stepping, sleep temperature, and operating temperature, etc, the device can meet more user demands by setting such parameters based on their operational habits.

Summary.
Do not underestimate an electric soldering iron for its simple structure and function. It is not easy for a manufacturer to build a quality one. The technology of building soldering tips is particularly important. Therefore, to experience and tell if a soldering iron is good or bad is not a no-brainer. But this soldering iron enjoys a good reputation since its launch in 2015. Given the time for testing, we skip this part and present a summary of other details. After a few days of testing, I have experienced various advantages of TS100, such as its compact size, rapid heating, easy tin picking, single-handed temperature adjustment, OLED display, and automatic sleep. Generally, TS100 is a mature product. In field operation, it can meet the daily basic needs of a fan of electronics. And there are pro-techniques to use it. You may customize the opening logo, and the official website even provides colored interchangeable exterior shells. With simple operations, you are able to customize an electric soldering iron for your exclusive use.