Yihua Solder Station Made on the Cheap

The cheapest soldering irons simply plug into the wall, and heat and heat, resulting in a temperature that is likely inconsistent, and definitely not adjustable. On the other hand, if you want a good digital soldering station, that will cost quite a bit more money. At the end of the day, however, you’re just applying power to an iron’s tip in a more controlled manner, and perhaps there’s a cheaper DIY option that would get the job done.

This, in fact, is what hacker Maddox Lab came up with, using an ATX-style power supply and an inexpensive Yihua handle assembly. The handle plugs into a five-pin aviation-style connector attached to the PSU, offering some interchangeability if needed. Power input is via two of its five pins, while the opposite two provide the thermocouple reading, and the fifth acts as a shield ground.

Power to the iron is regulated by an Arduino Pro Mini, along with an IRLZ44N MOSFET. This responds to temperatures measured by the iron’s K-type thermocouple read with the help of a MAX6675 driver. An encoder and a small OLED I2C display are implemented as the user interface. It’s an ingeniously simple solution, and a great way to reuse that PSU that's been hanging around in your parts bin!