Andrew VK3BFA wrote:

Bugger me - I'm glad you lot are not troubleshooting a nuclear power
station!
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones dont have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Test procedure.

1. Runs continually, therefore base station and element OK.

2. Check switch - unscrew bit retainer and remove (iron off). Pull
tip in and out - should hear click if switch working. If not, then
switch or tip faulty.

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

I want it for the same reason I want manuals for all of my equipment.
It saves a lot of time locating part numbers when you do a repair. I
have used, and repaired, these soldering stations off and on for years,
but I always had to wait for the distributor to look up the part
numbers.

BTW, I don't do nuclear power, but I did build and test telemetry
equipment used by NASA, including a KU band receiving system aboard the
International Space Station.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

I used a spare DMM connected between ground and a piece of scrap
copper to quickly test the resistance any time any of the three irons
had sat idle. I used the irons so many hours a day they tips only lasted
a few weeks before the iron plating was pitted, and would no longer go
below three ohms. I threw out a lot of tips that could have been used
in non ESD situations, but we couldn't risk someone reusing a bad tip,
so they went into the recycling bin with other solder related scrap.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.


--
6 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
Andrew VK3BFA wrote:
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones don't have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Actually Collins radio used the original TCP stations (black bakelite) on
their productions lines and for repair in the 1950s and 1960s
(5 of these from Collins surplus were the first ones that I repaired in
1975 - as I started college)

The original ones did not have the switch OR neon bulb ... and they ran 24
hours/day at Collins.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

Darn shame, but components have changed as well as their tolerance to ESD.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.

I assume the later WTCPS and WTCPT models? In addition to the ESD
requirement, "T" model changed the 3 amp fuse
on the transformer's secondary (to protect transformer from a heater short)
to a 6/10 amp fuse on the transformer primary
(and an MOV across primary on some models).

Greg
w9gb

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
Andrew VK3BFA wrote:
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones don't have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Actually Collins radio used the original TCP stations (black bakelite) on
their productions lines and for repair in the 1950s and 1960s
(5 of these from Collins surplus were the first ones that I repaired in
1975 - as I started college)

The original ones did not have the switch OR neon bulb ... and they ran 24
hours/day at Collins.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

Darn shame, but components have changed as well as their tolerance to ESD.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.

I assume the later WTCPS and WTCPT models? In addition to the ESD
requirement, "T" model changed the 3 amp fuse
on the transformer's secondary (to protect transformer from a heater short)
to a 6/10 amp fuse on the transformer primary
(and an MOV across primary on some models).

Greg
w9gb

"Andrew VK3BFA" wrote in message
om...
"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

I have heard this from some other user - but I have tips that last years -
BUT I
only use the 700 degree tips.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

A spare tip should always be available on the bench. I just repaired an
older WTCPN station
an the college student had placed an "ET" tip (aka tips are all the same
right! - wrong)
from the Weller EC1000/EC2000/WES50/WES51 models.
Glowed cherry red -- changing to the proper tip -- corrected problem.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

I saw my first internally shorted SW60 last year (although I think the user
had wacked it against a hard surface to
cause this type of damage). I also have seen a "kinked" spring -- near as I
can tell -- originally assembled that way --
over a decade earlier. I never saw a heater fail as shorted (dead short -
but not heating) until last year -- all previous ones
failed as "open". See enough stations and you see many failures, bad
operating practices and unique equipment abuse.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

Andrew VK3BFA wrote:

Bugger me - I'm glad you lot are not troubleshooting a nuclear power
station!
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones dont have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Test procedure.

1. Runs continually, therefore base station and element OK.

2. Check switch - unscrew bit retainer and remove (iron off). Pull
tip in and out - should hear click if switch working. If not, then
switch or tip faulty.

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

I want it for the same reason I want manuals for all of my equipment.
It saves a lot of time locating part numbers when you do a repair. I
have used, and repaired, these soldering stations off and on for years,
but I always had to wait for the distributor to look up the part
numbers.

BTW, I don't do nuclear power, but I did build and test telemetry
equipment used by NASA, including a KU band receiving system aboard the
International Space Station.

The Weller stations were banned from the production line because of a
surge in leakage current when the thermostat tripped in the heating
element, and we were required to use irons with grounded tips that could
reliably measure under three ohms from the hot tip to the electrical
ground on the bench. They were replaced with Ungar "Loner" irons with
electronic temperature control.

I used a spare DMM connected between ground and a piece of scrap
copper to quickly test the resistance any time any of the three irons
had sat idle. I used the irons so many hours a day they tips only lasted
a few weeks before the iron plating was pitted, and would no longer go
below three ohms. I threw out a lot of tips that could have been used
in non ESD situations, but we couldn't risk someone reusing a bad tip,
so they went into the recycling bin with other solder related scrap.

I have five dead Weller soldering stations I picked up that will need
new irons, after someone tried to "Fix" them, and left the irons in
pieces.


--
6 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

Mike -

Sounds like I will have to get the scanner (for Acrobat Reader creation)
warned up this weekend - :-)

The Weller Tech Sheets (WTCP/ WTCPL; WTCPN; WTCPS and WTCPL) were available
directly from Weller (free) --
but have not asked for them --- since the factory was moved from the
Carolinas to Mexico last year.

Greg

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
"G.Beat" wrote:

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice
(shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after
the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

I would like a copy of that, if you don't mind.

--
7 days!


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message ...
"G.Beat" wrote:

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Yes, I will consider repairing for you - but it would have to be after the
holidays.
Greg
Repairing the Weller WTCP series since 1975

I would like a copy of that, if you don't mind.

Bugger me - I'm glad you lot are not troubleshooting a nuclear power
station!
The Weller WTCP must be one of the simplest decent temperature
controlled irons on the market, mine runs 15hrs/day and does so year
in / year out. Sometimes more when I forget to turn it off - the new
ones dont have the neon in the mains switch so it does happen - I have
2 of them now, one on each bench...

Test procedure.

1. Runs continually, therefore base station and element OK.

2. Check switch - unscrew bit retainer and remove (iron off). Pull
tip in and out - should hear click if switch working. If not, then
switch or tip faulty.

3. LOOK at tip, see if mangnet thingo at bottom has fallen of - if so,
buy new tip (and after all the years youve had it, I wonder if it
could solder anything except 2 wires together, my tips last about 3
months on average, I buy them by the half dozen). If tip defective,
completely dismantle iron and remove magnet from switch assembly.

4. If tip OK (go on, be a devil, buy a new one anyway....) then switch
faulty. Buy new one.

5. Exception to item 4 - if you have done bugger all maintenance to
your iron, clean the garbage out of the barrel - it is rare for
switches to fail "on" (never had one do it, as a matter of fact, but
have only been using Wellers for 20 years so it COULD happen...) - use
a bamboo satay skewer to clean out the crap, then follow procedure 2.

Hope this helps,

de VK3BFA Andrew (at 50, an "official old grump")

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003, G.Beat wrote:
Wow, I didn't think that my question would generate so many responses!
Thanks everyone for your input.

The Red-Glow tells you 2 things:

1. The heater (Weller EC234) is still working (but you are shortening its
life operating in this manner - cherry red)

Well, I don't operate with it cherry red. This is the first time it's done
that--hence my knowing that something is amiss.

2. The WTCP series temperature control (which works with the "PT" tip and
the SW60 switch) is not working properly.

Recommend: Change tips. Improper tips will cause this problem.
Get a Weller PTA7 (which is the standard tip shipped with this iron).
The barrel net (BA-60 may also require replacement.

I'll take a look and see. The station came with two tips, both #7, but in
the 11-odd years I've owned the iron I've never used the second one.

I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)

Actually, I would like a copy, thank you. Since I got mine at a yard sale
I don't have any documentation. Please e-mail to
, removing the reversed "nospam" first.

-Josh, AE6IQ

While you're at it, check one more thing! If the problem turns out to be
welded contacts on the thermostat switch, check that the MOV across the
secondary of the transformer is still good. I had one that repeatedly
welded the contacts till I replaced the MOV and has worked for 5 years
now without a problem.

Joshua G Senecal wrote:

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003, G.Beat wrote:
Wow, I didn't think that my question would generate so many responses!
Thanks everyone for your input.


The Red-Glow tells you 2 things:

1. The heater (Weller EC234) is still working (but you are shortening its
life operating in this manner - cherry red)


Well, I don't operate with it cherry red. This is the first time it's done
that--hence my knowing that something is amiss.


2. The WTCP series temperature control (which works with the "PT" tip and
the SW60 switch) is not working properly.


Recommend: Change tips. Improper tips will cause this problem.
Get a Weller PTA7 (which is the standard tip shipped with this iron).
The barrel net (BA-60 may also require replacement.


I'll take a look and see. The station came with two tips, both #7, but in
the 11-odd years I've owned the iron I've never used the second one.


I also have the Weller Tech Sheet for this model -- if you need
a copy. This has part numbers, diagrams and troubleshooting advice (shipped
with every unit new)


Actually, I would like a copy, thank you. Since I got mine at a yard sale
I don't have any documentation. Please e-mail to
, removing the reversed "nospam" first.

-Josh, AE6IQ

While you're at it, check one more thing! If the problem turns out to be
welded contacts on the thermostat switch, check that the MOV across the
secondary of the transformer is still good. I had one that repeatedly
welded the contacts till I replaced the MOV and has worked for 5 years
now without a problem.
=============================
Not having such a Weller soldering iron myself ,nevertheless I am interested
in the MOV (firing) voltage against the normal operating voltage . Also , is
it DC or AC ?

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH