Equipment/ReworkStation

Rework station

Status

Iron has a new tip and hot air is now working. Please do not switch the unit off immediately if you've been using the hot air. Instead switch the heater off and then wait for the pump to stop.

The hot air element is said to be easily burnt out at low airflow rates. Presumably the temperature control is not fast enough to turn the heater off in time. Please be careful, especially at low airflow / high heat settings to avoid damage.

Specification

Make: KADA
Model: 852D

Supplies

Tips

It appears that Kada don't sell tips, you are supposed to use Hakko tips such as these from eBay

Heating elements

Hot-air elements can be found cheaply on eBay: example 1, example 2. Note that the part for the model 852D is different from that for the 852D+, possibly in the way the connections are made to the cable.

Installation is a little fiddly.

Undo screws holding handle together
- Pay close attention to the position of plastic plate through which the wires pass. This plate holds the element in the correct position and stops it from shorting out on the metal nozzle.
Cut away heatshrink sleeving over 2 wires leading to heater
Unplug bared crimp terminals
- Earth terminal should just unplug if necessary
- Power terminals are soldered as well as pushed together. Heat while unplugging.
Unplug white plug block (thermistor connection)
Remove element
Replace element (teabot, can you add some notes since you found out how do do this right ?)
Thread new heatshrink sleeving over power wires
- Note that wires are easily confused as both one of the power wires and the earth wire are black. Do not mix these up. Check continuity to earth pin on mains plug if unsure.
Connect thermistor plug
Connect power pins. Solder pins together. (I don't know why this is needed but that's how it was ..)
Replace heatshrink over pins. Note that there is mains voltage on these pins so be careful that the sleeving is undamaged and will not be pinched.
Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.
Hide leftover parts

Log book

9th May 2011 - Elliot

The earth lead had become detached from the nozzle. This had been spot welded and could not be soldered (the solder would melt). The nozzle was drilled and riveted instead.
The element was moved further into the nozzle and secured with the internal plastic spacer (this holds the wire and is not near the element). Consequently the element doesn't arc now.

28th April 2011 - Adrian

Fitted with a new element but this was shorting and blowing a fuse because I had the element too close to the end of the tube. I thought there might be a ceramic spacer at the tip but there wasn't.
The seller of the replacement element also sells a complete hot-air handle unit which may be required. However, I don't think it's a straight plug-in on the model we have.