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Old 12th Feb 2020, 1:44 pm   #1
allyblack
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Default Duratool desolder gun mod.

Lay gun down and remove the four screws, lift off top half of body. First cut and remove the cable tie that secures the pipe to the black carrage part, pipe will still remain on the spigot. Next turn over the top half of the body and find the screw hole at the rear and beneath the black carriage part. This moulding has a raised skirt around it. Cut about half of this off with a junior hacksaw so the gap is forward facing, finish off with small file. Next return to the other half of the body and find the corresponding threaded hole. Very carefully cut down to the side of hole, again with the junior hacksaw blade, say 7mm then cut this piece away horizontally so this gap again faces forward. Finish off with file. reassemble and screw back carefully, don't over tighten! You now have a gun where the black carriage part can now be drawn right back as it was designed to and the glass tube removed and inserted easily and safely.
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Old 12th Feb 2020, 4:03 pm   #2
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Good idea - the original seems just wrong. However on mine, the black piece that mates with the tube has disintegrated so it seems a new 'gun'is the only answer.
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Old 12th Feb 2020, 10:57 pm   #3
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

It is the solder tool not the desolder tool which has given me trouble. It stopped working. when I dismantled, I found the element was O/C. Ordered new iron, quickly glowing red. Faulty power unit, and so far i have not fixed it. It was a useful station, but I have had to return to a TCP until I get round to actually diagnose the fault. I think the output device (power FET) has gone S/C in to out. Must find time to FIX it.
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Old 12th Feb 2020, 11:52 pm   #4
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

I too have bought one of these Duratool stations and can't say I very impressed with it. As my mother used to say "Buy cheap, buy twice".


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Old 16th Feb 2020, 1:56 pm   #5
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

As a relatively inexpensive tool for occasional use I find mine to be just what I want.
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Old 16th Feb 2020, 2:26 pm   #6
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Hi!

I've had no trouble at all with mine, altho' a colleague has reported trouble with the front panel "up" and "down" control buttons on his!

Me thinks that's an unspoken hint that a circuit diagram is going to be wanted soon, so I'll make a start on drawing out mine this week!

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Old 17th Feb 2020, 2:28 pm   #7
Skywave
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Thumbs down Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

As much as I hate to be negative on such matters, I have long since learnt to avoid anything whose brand name has the prefix 'Dura'.

Al.
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Old 17th Feb 2020, 2:35 pm   #8
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skywave View Post
As much as I hate to be negative on such matters, I have long since learnt to avoid anything whose brand name has the prefix 'Dura'.

Al.

I agree, Dura-n Dura-n were terrible
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Old 17th Feb 2020, 6:32 pm   #9
ColinTheAmpMan1
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skywave View Post
As much as I hate to be negative on such matters, I have long since learnt to avoid anything whose brand name has the prefix 'Dura'.

Al.
The metal-polishing wadding called "Duraglit" was fine, as is "Duralex" for drinking glasses. Slightly OT, I realise, but a well-known condom brand was originally going to be called "Duralex", but they found that name had already been taken by the French company making glasses and so had to change.

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Old 17th Feb 2020, 8:43 pm   #10
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Slightly?
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Old 18th Feb 2020, 1:01 am   #11
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Bought one. Not fit for purpose. Sent it back for a refund.
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Old 18th Feb 2020, 8:39 am   #12
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

In what way was it not fit for purpose?
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Old 18th Feb 2020, 9:16 am   #13
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

It very quickly stopped sucking up properly, maybe because the tip acquired deposits which couldn't be shifted and inhibited heat transfer - and yes I did clear out the bit with the tool provided. Even when working initially, it gave results no better than sucker-pop and wick, and one removal of the glass tube was enough to persuade me that this was cheap tat, so back it went.

YMMV, but frankly I doubt it.
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Old 18th Feb 2020, 9:46 am   #14
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Interesting. I have come across the problems you mention, but the white filter was next to the spring making it get clogged with solder very quickly. I reversed the order so that the shaped metal piece was next to the spring to protect the filter from the sucked in solder.

I cannot totally remember now but I think that mine came with only one or two tips. I bought a variety and found one among them that works ok.

I don't use it intensively at all but it is ok for what I want. The main problem is that it takes ages to warm up.
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Old 18th Feb 2020, 11:03 pm   #15
MotorBikeLes
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Mine is the dual type, desolder and solder. It is out of action as mentioned above, but I must say I was VERY pleased with the solder sucking action. What you must not do is start sucking with it before it is PROPERLY up to temp. If you do, and it blocks, you need to use the normal iron to help heat the solid solder inside it well away from the heating part.
A PSU circuit would be VERY useful.
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Old 19th Feb 2020, 6:07 am   #16
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Duratool Duratech Desolder Unit.

I had this problem as per OP, and fixed it in a slightly different manner, and carried out some other work.

ZD915 80 Watt De-Solder Station Jaycar Duratech TS1513 Modifications.

On mine, removing the (Jaycar TS1386 gun) clear tube for cleaning was a bit difficult, so I removed a cable tie from the air tube at the top of the gun, inside, so as to allow a little more rear movement of the back plastic pull back thing. You must check that there is no vacuum leak here; maybe trim 1.0 cm of top tubing for a better seal.
This internal tie is not really needed, as there is another at the gun bottom.
I coat the tube internally with a wipe of spray silicone to facilitate later cleaning.

For info, when new, I measured the vacuum at the station front inlet at 25 inches of Hg, or about -12 PSI, and 21 inches at the gun tip.
I used an auto vacuum gauge.


I got fed up with the high fan noise level (about 199 dBA).
Neighbours were complaining.

I moved the internal air pump and PSU unit to the front by 15mm, by drilling new base mount holes, so as to get space for mounting a new fan.
I installed an 80mm 12 volt 80mA silent fan (and finger guard) Jaycar YX2570, by re-using the original top left mount hole, and by cutting a new hole in the rear panel.
I used some small rubber edge trim for aesthetics.
The main unit air extraction now works; the original vent holes were far too small, and contributed to the noise.

As the original fan was a 24 volt 40mm unit running on approx 18 V DC, I installed a 7812 +12V TO220 plastic case regulator on the top side of the PCB (which only has two R1 5W resistors), in the fan feed only, in the little plastic box at the rear.
This means that the 7812 has two ohms off 18 volts, and maybe generates about 0.5 watts heat.

I lashed the modified box to the front of the PSU with cable ties.

While I was working on this unit, I raised the angle of the solder gun holder to 55 degrees by cutting the original fabrication welds and using two small pop rivets.
I threw away the sponge and tied a kitchen stainless steel scrubbing pad (with no soap) to the sponge tray with 0.6 mm iron wire to use dry as a tip cleaner.
Much better than a wet sponge.

Amazing transformation, very quiet, and more effective in use.

I have lately carried out two more mods.

First is to add a 50 deg C normally open thermal switch, physically screw mounted on the power supply heatsink, and placed electrically in the DC fan positive supply.
This turns the fan on only when required, to keep noise down.
These devices probably don't need the fan on except when in constant use.
Jaycar cat ST3831 or Altronics similar.

Second is to add a rear mounted toggle switch in the heater circuit, so the tip doesn't heat up.
This allows testing of the vacuum with a rubber hose and meter on the tip.
I use an old auto vacuum meter from my carburettor days.
My ZD915 (TS1513) unit vacuum reads 21 inches of Hg when it is clean and not clogged.

Two other small things I have done is screw mount a small round strong magnet on case top rear corner to hold the tips which are not in use, and a long "U" shaped metal strip on the rear to hold
the "tip cleaner rod things", so that I always know where they are.

When these guns and tips are clean and not clogged, they are very good indeed. Good vacuum pressure is the key.

This desolder unit (and others like it) is worth its weight in gold when working on valuable or rare "Heritage Equipment".

I still use SolderWick at times; horses for courses.

Photos
Gun internals for my type, with original top cable tie, before removal.
Magnet on case corner is for tips.
"U" shaped rear holder for cleaner rods.
New rear switch is for for heater ON/OFF.
Stainless steel kitchen scourer tip cleaner pad in lieu wet sponge.
Fan regulator mod with 7812
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Old 20th Feb 2020, 11:02 am   #17
Welsh Anorak
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Good grief - you've rebuilt the thing!
This is the second one I had and is really an ornament. I'm reluctant to get a new gun assembly for it as it's really a bad design as outlined above. To be honest I use wick for most things, and for a fraction of the price you can get a heated traditional desolder tool - great for old school PCBs. They don't last too long, but are fine for occasional use.
As with most Duratool things - not meant for serious use, but that's reflected in the price.
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Old 20th Feb 2020, 7:29 pm   #18
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

How interesting. Such a lot of disappointed people.
However, I have used one of these tools on quite complex jobs for many years. It's my main desoldering device, for everything from large tags under caps on pcbs right down to small through-hole wires. Mine still works fine and I regard it as a solid tool, despite its cheapness. I tried an expensive Pace desolderer and it was not as good. You just have to remember to extract the solder debris regularly. With the smallest tip I can work incredibly close to smd devices when mixed through-hole/smd boards need repairs.
But... the noise is ridiculously loud. anf the handset is cumbersome.
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Old 21st Feb 2020, 1:10 pm   #19
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

Not a tool to use late into the night if you want to stay on speaking terms with the neighbors!

It does need careful handling to get the best out of it. On a 2 sided TH board you can quick remove a DIL16 parts in a minute - undamaged. I could never do it that quickly with wick! Very useful for removing useful components from a scrap board. On multi-layer boards things are going to be get more difficult, a modern thick motherboard with lead-free solder - don't even bother trying!

It does have a tendency to block if you are not careful. The thermal control seems slow and inaccurate so on mine I need to wind the temp way up Another tip is to keep your finder on the trigger AFTER you pull back from the solder pool or you will be unblocking it next!

I needed to do a lot of experimentation.

dc
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Old 21st Feb 2020, 1:51 pm   #20
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Default Re: Duratool desolder gun mod.

I haven't used the Duratool, but it looks very much like a knock-off of the Hakko 470, which I do have. As Dave attests, the 470 will happily do 2-layer PCBs with leaded solder, but more layers - particularly if PB-free, will be a challenge. The more expensive Hakko Fr300 will just about do PB-free 4 layer stuff, but you will really need to keep on top of cleaning it.
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