Maker builds two homemade induction soldering irons

[Yasmin_63]

Induction soldering irons are prized for heating up fast and holding temperature precisely, and one maker has built his own. Hackaday reports that Frank Zhao made two different designs

Induction irons heat the tip directly through a coil. The tip's temperature is set by the Curie point of the cartridge material, so the handpiece needs no temperature sensor

The first design is based on SergeyMax's Metcal style iron, running at 13.56MHz with a connector that fits Hakko and Metcal handpieces, and parts swapped for ones easy to get in the US. The second is based on the open source RadioThermal project, running at 470kHz with selectable power, a fuse and a custom handpiece

Both can be powered from an XT30 connector or USB power delivery. That makes them flexible for use at a bench or on the move

Commercial induction stations are expensive, so building your own is an appealing project for serious electronics hobbyists. Using the Curie point to control temperature is an elegant bit of physics. Sharing two different approaches gives other makers useful options

What soldering iron do you use? And would you build your own induction iron?

Building A Homemade Induction Soldering Ironhackaday.com