Soldering gun - Weller

Bob Scott · Post by **Bob Scott** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:16 pm

Hi all.

I've had this 100/140 watt Weller soldering gun since I bought it for repairing the wiring to my car's rear window toaster (defogger).

I know that the guts contain a transformer with a very high current/low voltage secondary winding and a 2 position trigger switch. Yesterday I was curious what exactly the secondary voltage was and checked it. To my amazement, the first position of the switch is the higher voltage/wattage.

1. half trigger: 285mV
2 trigger full on: 250mV

This is counter-intuitive to me. All these years I thought that full-in on the trigger was the high power setting.

Note: voltage varies 5% or so depending on tip temperature.

Learn something new every day!

Bob

dacflyer · Post by **dacflyer** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:33 pm

weller did that on purpose...hi power in 1st click, then lower on 2nd click
i guess it is to save the tips, they do wear out fast..
i actually hated it that way, and switched the wiring around..

MicroRem · Post by **MicroRem** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:58 pm

Well, lets see, I bought my first of several Weller 8200's in 1970 when I was 11. In 2008 I learn how to properly oprate it.

That hurts,

Thanks for the info though.

Tom

Dean Huster · Post by **Dean Huster** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:12 pm

Huh? I've had my Weller 8200 since around 1967 and it's always been HIGH output with trigger pulled all the way in, low power with the first click. Hooking a current probe around the tip will show arc welding currents through that tip.

Dean

MicroRem · Post by **MicroRem** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:56 pm

I had to check, and my cheapo home dmm doesn't show any voltage on either setting, but then again my lowest ac setting is 200v. On another note, does any one any idea where to get the 120 volt wedge base lamps these things use? I haven't had a lamp in mine for years because I could never find one.

Best regards

Tom

jwax · Post by **jwax** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:43 am

How odd- One of mine, a Weller 8200 Universal (also has a sticker saying Model 8200 "The Cooper Group") is rated 140/100 watts. First click high, full trigger is low power.
The other is a Weller-Apex 8200 N, rated 100/140, first click low, full trigger high power.
Different applications, I suppose.
All their newer guns are 140/100 watts.

Dean Huster · Post by **Dean Huster** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:03 am

They must have changed then, to "greener" guns where the normal grip-it-with-all-your-life (the normal position) is the less power-hungry position and you have to release it a bit for kicking in the turbo. Probably saves on tips that way, too, especially if you're like me and use #12 copper wire for the tips rather than paying a fortune for "real" ones.

"Wedge base" lamps? I assumed that they still used the submini candelabra #222 for the headlight(s).

Dean

Bob Scott · Post by **Bob Scott** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:44 pm

Lessee, my investigation of the soldering gun started because I was trying to fix an overpriced plastic set of stereo headphones. The plastic head band broke.

So I was thinking of replacing the head band with some coat hanger wire, but that wire bends too easy. Then I thought of hardening the coathanger wire by heating it up and quenching in water. I've used a car battery and jumper cables to send a high current through iron picture-frame wire before. This worked OK for cutting styrofoam when I was making model airlplane wings.

But since then Wikipedia has told me that soft iron can't be hardened because it isn't an alloy, and the soldering gun can't provide enough power anyway.

So that's how my mind flips around on a typical day.

MicroRem · Post by **MicroRem** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:07 pm

Dean, I seem to recall that the lamp in at least one of my 8200's is a wedge base. I'm on the road right now, so I'll check later in the week when I get home.

regards

Tom

dacflyer · Post by **dacflyer** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:06 am

the lamp in the gun is not 120 volts, its a low voltage lamp..i cannot remember if it is 8 volt or 12 volt...
but here is a link if you need to order one..

http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/C ... 7103475671

Dean Huster · Post by **Dean Huster** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:42 pm

The #222 lamp is something like 1.5 - 3.0 volts with a built-in lens, often also used to be used as the lamp in cheap penlights before high-brightness LEDs came along.

Dean

MicroRem · Post by **MicroRem** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:13 am

Thanks Folks,

I will take a look at the beasts when I get back home. Be nice to have a lamp again. I think I may have one which is 100/140, and one which is 140/100.

Tom

Ken1 · Post by **Ken1** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:32 pm

Hi, I have a Weller model 8200 soldering gun and when the lamp burned out, I got a #243 lamp from Radio Shack. It's rated at 2.33V 270mA and works perfectly with the exact brilliance of the original. I don't remember the number of the original as it's been at least 5 years since I replaced it.

Robert Reed · Post by **Robert Reed** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:45 pm

Well I guess I'll toss my hat into the ring also. I have a Weller Model D550 rated 240/325 watts. Half trigger-low power. Full trigger- full power. Uses #222 screw base headlights.

MicroRem · Post by **MicroRem** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:19 pm

OK, My semi faulty memory only slightly betrayed me. I have a Weller 8200, 100/140 which uses a wedge base 120 v lamp. I have an " Archer" model 64-2190 which is identical to the Weller units, except the red side sticker has the Archer name (Radio Shack). This one lists the wattage at 140/100. It also uses a wedge base lamp. number on the lamp looks like 194 or maybe 1194. I look that up sometime, but i measured the voltage at the terminals and its 120 (wired parallel to the primary windings).

The amazing thing to me is how much this matters to me.

best to all

Tom

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Soldering gun - Weller

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