An electric soldering iron is both effective for internal and external heating
Definition of internally heated electric soldering iron
The thermal element is located inside the solder copper head, or is explained as "its soldering iron head is placed outside the heating element," which transfers heat from the inside to the soldering iron head. It has the advantages of fast heating, high heating efficiency, small size, light weight, low power consumption, and flexible use. Suitable for soldering small components. However, due to the high temperature of the electric soldering iron head, it is prone to oxidation and blackening, and the soldering iron core is easily broken. Moreover, the power is small, with only a few specifications such as 20W, 35W, 50W, etc.
Definition of externally heated electric soldering iron
External heating refers to heating outside, which is named after the heating resistance outside the soldering iron head. It is suitable for welding both large components and small components. There are 25W, 30W, 50W, 75W, 100W, 150W, 300W, etc.
The difference between internally heated and externally heated electric soldering irons
Structural aspect
Firstly, there is a significant difference in the structure of the soldering iron head. The internally heated soldering iron head is hollow because the heating core is built-in, while the externally heated soldering iron head is solid, and its heating core is external.
The externally heated electric soldering iron consists of a soldering iron head, a soldering iron core, an outer shell, a wooden handle, a power lead, a plug, and other parts. Due to the installation of the soldering iron head inside the soldering iron core, it is called an externally heated electric soldering iron. The soldering iron core is a key component of an electric soldering iron. It is composed of parallel winding of electric heating wires on a hollow ceramic tube, with a mica sheet insulation in the middle, and two wires connected to a 220V AC power supply. There are many specifications for externally heated electric soldering irons, including 25W, 45W, 75W, 100W, etc. The higher the power, the higher the temperature of the soldering iron head.
An internally heated electric soldering iron is composed of a handle, a connecting rod, a spring clip, a soldering iron core, and a soldering iron head. Due to the installation of the soldering iron core inside the soldering iron head, it generates heat quickly and has a high heat utilization rate, hence it is called an internally heated electric soldering iron. The commonly used specifications for internal heating electric soldering irons are 20W and 50W. Due to its high thermal efficiency, a 20W internal heating electric soldering iron is equivalent to around 40W external heating electric soldering iron. The rear end of the internally heated electric soldering iron is hollow, used to fit onto the connecting rod and fixed with a spring clip. When replacing the soldering iron head, the spring clip must be removed first, and at the same time, the front end of the soldering iron head must be clamped with pliers and slowly pulled out. Remember not to use too much force to avoid damaging the connecting rod.
In terms of usage
The soldering head of an externally heated electric soldering iron is located inside the heating element, also known as a regular electric soldering iron. For welding ordinary products, there is no temperature requirement. Use an externally heated electric soldering iron. Due to the fact that the heating resistance wire is located outside the soldering iron head, most of the heat is dissipated into the external space, resulting in low heating efficiency and slower heating speed. Generally, it takes 6-7 minutes to preheat before welding. Its large volume makes it inconvenient to weld small devices. But it has the advantages of a longer usage time and higher power of the soldering iron head.
Internal heating electric soldering iron, the shape of the soldering iron head used in internal heating electric soldering iron is hollow cylindrical, and the heating element is covered by the soldering iron head, so its heat is not easily dissipated into the air, so its heat utilization efficiency is high, the preheating time is short, and the power generally does not need to be too large to meet the requirements. Generally, the internal heating power is below 50W, and internal heating electric soldering iron with a common power of around 20W~30W is used. There are both single handle and welding table types. The 936 soldering station is a typical internally heated soldering iron, but it is also constant temperature. Now they are all lead-free soldering irons (lead-free soldering stations), which are better than the first two.
