Quote:
Originally Posted by SiriusHardware
I use a Metcal all the time at work and one of their few downsides is that the tip / cartridge is also the 'element'. The most common failure mode for the cartridges, apart from the tip becoming physically worn out, is for the cartridge to start running merely quite hot, rather than very hot. This symptom is, on my Metcal station, accompanied by the green LED being lit as usual, but the amber LED also coming on. To my frustration, this often starts to happen while the physical tip is still in good condition.
If you had this problem with just one tip I would be adamant that the tip / cartridge was your problem: But in light of the fact that you have this problem with a number of tips including a new one I am somewhat mystified.
As always, a major suspect with any cable connected hand tool should be the cable which gets wriggled around constantly in use, especially where it exits the base station and where it enters the handpiece.
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The normal iron's cable shows continuity at DC even when waggled about, and the fact the tweezers which have their own co-ax seem to have the same problem makes the cable seem unlikely, sadly. I have read two opinions on the base unit's functionality. Some say it outputs full power all the time and only the Curie effect of the tips affect their running temperature. Others, with who I tend to side, say ther's circuitry that regulates the voltage to the output FET for the purpose of temperature control. Whether that control is linear or a simpler two state, full power or idling, I do not know. Does anyone know what the RF connector type is? Or if the things can be powered up out of their case, I suspect the case is also the heat sink for some semiconductors. Thanks!