If you are going to use the iron to solder cables a cheap iron will do as long as it has enough power, say 40 W . If the iron has too little power you will have to hold it in contact with the work for too long and the wire insulation will begin to melt. For larger cables 80W is better. The faster you can heat the solder and wire to the necessary temp the less heat is transferred to the insulation.
If you want to solder ics a grounded, temperature controlled iron is a must for long term reliability. If the legs of the chip get too hot they expand too much and break the bond with the plastic encapsulation material. The part will still work but moisture will begin to migrate through the gap and damage the wires connecting the legs to the ic die. ( ics with ceramic encapsulation don't have this problem because the ceramic and metal have similar thermal expansion coefficients). Power is still important for the same reasons as soldering cables. When the temperature of the iron is controlled, each leg should take about the same amount of time to solder. When it takes longer you know that you don't have good thermal contact between the iron and the leg. By removing the iron from contact quickly the ic leg doesn't get too hot and a clean tip will solder it properly on the retry.
I've been designing and building computers systems full time for 30 years and I wouldn't consider any iron other than a Weller. I still use one I bought 25 years ago. I bought another Weller 4 years ago because it has a dial to set the temperature ( rather than changing the tip which is a pain when the iron is hot and you are the impatient type) and a light weight narrow soldering pencil. I hand solder ics with .007" wide legs and .008" between. The new pencil makes it a lot easier to move precisely and there is much better visibility. It's a model WES51 and I paid $110 on sale. List price was $145. They have several less sophisticated models but all allow you to solder properly.
@Rich, So you're saying that one of the countries that still have a monarchy does not have the infamous Royal w/ Cheese from Pulp Fiction fame? Is it poor marketing or would it be considered insulting?
Can I get .11 kg with fries and drink , oh don't forget the badonkadonk butt I need that too.
If you are going to use the iron to solder cables a cheap iron will do as long as it has enough power, say 40 W . If the iron has too little power you will have to hold it in contact with the work for too long and the wire insulation will begin to melt. For larger cables 80W is better. The faster you can heat the solder and wire to the necessary temp the less heat is transferred to the insulation.
If you want to solder ics a grounded, temperature controlled iron is a must for long term reliability. If the legs of the chip get too hot they expand too much and break the bond with the plastic encapsulation material. The part will still work but moisture will begin to migrate through the gap and damage the wires connecting the legs to the ic die. ( ics with ceramic encapsulation don't have this problem because the ceramic and metal have similar thermal expansion coefficients). Power is still important for the same reasons as soldering cables. When the temperature of the iron is controlled, each leg should take about the same amount of time to solder. When it takes longer you know that you don't have good thermal contact between the iron and the leg. By removing the iron from contact quickly the ic leg doesn't get too hot and a clean tip will solder it properly on the retry.
I've been designing and building computers systems full time for 30 years and I wouldn't consider any iron other than a Weller. I still use one I bought 25 years ago. I bought another Weller 4 years ago because it has a dial to set the temperature ( rather than changing the tip which is a pain when the iron is hot and you are the impatient type) and a light weight narrow soldering pencil. I hand solder ics with .007" wide legs and .008" between. The new pencil makes it a lot easier to move precisely and there is much better visibility. It's a model WES51 and I paid $110 on sale. List price was $145. They have several less sophisticated models but all allow you to solder properly.
@Rich, So you're saying that one of the countries that still have a monarchy does not have the infamous Royal w/ Cheese from Pulp Fiction fame? Is it poor marketing or would it be considered insulting?
You got the film reference I was making
Yep, we have a royal family but we still call a quarter pounder a quarter pounder
I've had a Weller for years and years its the TCP1 and 48 Watt I must admit its the best IMHO