DIY Portable Soldering Iron

A sizable soldering station is great for when you’re at a permanent workbench. However, if you find yourself in some far-off location, perhaps without access to mains power, this DIY battery-powered soldering iron from Electronoobs may be just what you need.

The device weighs in at just over 100 grams, and while a bit chunky compared to many plug-in irons, it packs a 4.2V battery inside the handle itself. It also features an OLED screen and interface buttons. Power output to the tip is regulated through PWM, using an IRF7424 MOSFET.

Overall control of the device is via an ATmega328 microcontroller, pulled off an Arduino Nano. Using the former Nano µC means that the bootloader firmware is already installed, and the technique could also be a good alternative if you’re having trouble finding what you need due to the current chip shortage. SMD components are applied to the iron’s custom PCB with the help of a solder stencil, and the solder paste is melted using a heavily modified clothing iron that we previously featured here.

Iron tips screw into the device, and the frame is printed in PLA then sanded and painted black. Although there’s still a bit of work to do to make things perfect, the iron looks well on its way to becoming a good alternative when you’re away from your regular work area!