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Is a 30 watt soldering iron enough?
A 30 watt ‘simple soldering iron’ is okay for modest electronics. Soldering ordinary through hole electronic components and thin (e.g. mm) wire, even the thin metal legs on DC power plugs and sockets, should be fine. A simple iron relies on thermal equilibrium to maintain its temperature.
How long does it take for a 30 watt soldering iron to heat up?
On average, this 30-Watt soldering iron needs 1 minute to reach the operating temperature. The transfer of heat often depends a lot on the tip’s state. If the tip is bad, and though the temperature is hit, it could take a while for it to melt the solder.
How long does it take for a 25w soldering iron to heat up?
My (also 25 W) says that 1 minute is needed to reach operating temperature. The heat transfer also depends a lot on the condition of the tip. If the tip is bad, then it could take a while for it to melt solder even if the temperature is reached.
What’s the wattage of a cordless soldering iron?
Cordless soldering irons are great for precision work. You also need to take wattage into account. Your typical soldering iron is rated between fifteen and twenty-five watts. Higher wattage soldering iron have more power, thus making them better suited for heavy-duty projects than their low-wattage counterparts.
What happens when you use an underpowered soldering iron?
As the other two answers state, large parts need a lot of energy to heat the part and melt solder. Soldering with an underpowered iron might damage plastic or glue around a part, and may produce a poor soldered joint.
Do you need a constant temperature soldering iron?
Ideally, you want a soldering iron that keeps the tip at some constant temperature. This would be regardless of how much the iron is heating something else. In reality, doing that better costs more money. As a result, there are products out there with various tradeoffs.
How does heat affect the temperature of an iron?
A simple iron relies on thermal equilibrium to maintain its temperature. It loses as much energy as put in by the heating element. Hence it’s tip temperature will vary when it is used. This is okay. You could solder many solder joints, providing the iron has time to recover and reach working temperature, i.e. you are in no particular hurry.