Test the Charging Stand:

The charging stand pins should stick out approx. 1/8″ from the bottom of the base of the plastic pocket they are in.  Use a multimeter set for DC voltage and check the those pins.  They should read around1.6 to 1.8V.  If they don’t read that then the base is bad.

It could be the transformer or the wiring connections.  The transformer can be checked with an ohm meter – if either set of shows an open circuit the transformer is bad.  There are only four connections to test in the base so it should be easy to tell what part of the charging stand is bad.

Test the Iron

If the base is good, place the iron in the stand and press the red button.

If the light does light up while in the stand we know the connections are good and the charge stand is providing power to everything.  At this point it’s most likely the battery – though it could be an issue with the wiring to the tip.  So, you can open it up and check that to confirm that it is the battery.

If the light doesn’t come on then it could be the lamp, the button assembly, the wiring inside the iron or the connection between the iron and the base.

The lamp can be removed and tested with a ohm meter and should read a couple ohms.  (You can also test it on a battery – 1.5V is enough sometimes I use a 9v but only quickly as that’s too much for the light)  We can replace the battery and test the wiring inside as needed.

Please note opening the unit is only for trained professionals and it does void the warranty.    If you open it up  a simple ohm meter walk through of all the connections tell that they are ok.  If there are issues here with the internal wiring we recommend returning the unit for repair here and we can ‘refurbish’ those parts.  If the connections are all good and in working condition the only thing left is to replace the battery.

Charger Main Failure Mode List:

No Power to Base

Transformer Bad

Bad Connection in Wiring

Charging Pins Not High Enough to Contact Iron

Cordless Solder Iron Main Failure Mode List:

Fuse Wire Open

Bad Connection in Wiring

Dead Battery

Dead Light

Red Button Not Activating the “Switch”

Bad Tip

For another project we are working on we have some 1/8″ clear acrylic we are looking at.  As long as it was on the desk I thought I’d try forming it with the Pro50 and the torch head.  Sure enough, after a pretty short time – 15 seconds? I was able to put a nice free form 90º angle in the material.  The ends of the corners swelled out a little with the bend.

I also took a small strip and bent it along the cut axis and again got a little swelling on the inside corner and thinning on the outside corner.  This one didn’t look as nice as  the first one because of the orientation of the bend.  Either way though it was really easy to bend.  I look forward to doing some localized forming and shaping with it too.

So, the question of the day was will the solder paste solder zinc alloy.  Zinc alloy is pretty broad range of materials and so the first answer was – I don’t know.  That’s pretty weak so we found a zinc die cast part we use and tested it.  This was a Zinc AG40A die cast, unplated zinc material.  We tested the solder in some porous sections and between the threads.  In both cases the paste did not adhere well to the zinc die cast.  We tried again on a nickle plated zinc part and got the same results.

I have used Wahl (Editor’s note: Wahl = Iso-Tip) Cordless Soldering irons for many years. But the one issue I notice is the push button to press the contacts together to make a connection to the batteries. It seems that there is no positive contact for that connection. In taking the unit apart, there is a plastic button that pushes the contacts together. In making a connection to supply a large amount of current to heat up the tip, I think a knife blade type of connection would work better. I know space is limited, but it could be done. I am a long-time Solidworks user and thought I might be able to model the connection redesign. Even if the iron was a little higher in height as it lays on a flat surface there would be more room for the improved switch contact. I am presently using a Model 7700 which I have altered slightly. I’ve had it for two years and the batteries are still taking a charge. You do have a good product if only there was a better way of making a connection. I noticed that the contact points get corroded/pitted. I cleaned these with a small flat file. The issue you are dealing with is supplying probably more than two amps to heat up the tip and how to make the best connection in a positive way, but the push button is not the best way. Let me know your thoughts on this. Thank you. – Robert

We agree with Robert on his assessment of the current contact arrangement. But before making any significant redesigns we want to give ourselves a few years of really managing the product line and getting to know how we can best improve it. In the mean time, we’d love to learn of any and all improvements you’d make to the line.

Now, without further ado,  it’s time to find the contact points. Open up your rechargeable soldering iron by unscrewing the casing so that you’re looking at something like this:

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Locate the contact points and then file away any corrosion to keep the connection clean and your iron working like new.
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It’s always the little things that make a difference, isn’t it? Thanks so much for sharing your insight Robert! What do you guys think? Have improvement ideas for the Iso-Tip line? What do you do to maintain your soldering iron?

Good news! (Especially for those of you with older Iso-Tip soldering irons.) We’ve learned that Batteries Plus can rebuild old Iso-Tip batteries. So, if you happen to own a model we no longer manufacture, Batteries Plus may be able to help extend the tool’s life by rebuilding the battery. One of our fellow Wisconsinites passed on that little tid-bit of information after he had his 7500 series rebuilt in November. (Thank you, Steve!) And with more than 380 locations in 43 states, you sure to find a Batteries Plus near you. For location information, visit their website.

Do you have an older Iso-Tip soldering iron? After all these years, how do you keep it maintained and in working order? Inquiring minds want to know.

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The customer, John, was looking for a replacement lamp socket. This is our part #W00176-100.

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He found a really good version of it at Radio Shack.  The Radio Shack version has an isolated mounting tab so it can even be screwed to the housing to secure it better.

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We have not tested it here yet so standard legalease / common sense applies – use at your own risk.  That said we have one on order so we’ll find out soon enough.

Also we are making more and more parts available for folks to fix their own units or for making other stuff. We’ll be selling the W00176-100 at $0.45 each if anybody needs one.