Aktakom ASE-1203 User manual

Intelligent Lead Free Soldering Station
2 IN 1
OPERATION and MAINTENANCE MANUAL
Thank you for purchasing a lead free soldering station. It is designed
for lead free soldering. Please read this manual before operating the
unit. Store this manual in a safe, easily accessible place for future
reference.
www.tmatlantic.com
ASE-1203

TABLE CONTENTS
Safety Instruction………………………………………………………1
1. Summary…………………………………………………………….2
2. Specifications………………………………………………………..3
3. Setting & Operating the Unit………………………………..………3
3.1 Usages of the Sponge and the Iron Holder………………………3
3.2 Connections…………………………………………………..…4
3.3 Temperature Setting……………………………………………4
3.4 Sound Setting………………………………………………..…5
3.5 Sleeping……………………………………………………..…6
3.6 Calibrating the Iron Temperature………………………………6
4. Parameter Setting……………………………………………….…7
4.1 Password Setting…………………………………………….…7
4.2 Sleeping Setting…………………………………………….…9
5. Select a Correct Tip…………………………………………………9
6. Use and maintain…………………………………………………10
6.1 Care and Use of the Tip……………………………………..…10
6.2 Maintenance……………………………………………………11
7. Error Messages………………………………………………….…12
8. Check and Replace the Parts………………………………………13
8.1 Check and Measure the Soldering Iron ………………………13
8.2 Checking the Heating Element and Sensor……………………14
8.3 Broken Soldering Iron Cord……………………………………14
8.4 Replacing the Fuse…………………………………………….15
9. Tips……………………………………………………………….16

Safety Instruction
WARNING
WARNING:
Misuse may potentially cause death of, or serious injury to the user.
CAUTION:
zMisuse may potentially cause injury to the user or physical damage to the
objects involved.
zFor your own safety, be sure to comply with these precautions.
CAUTION
When the power is on, the tip temperature is very high. Since
mishandling may lead to burns or fire, be sure to comply with the
following precautions.
zPlease avoid an abuse of the equipment, use the appliance only in the
described way!
zDo not touch the metallic parts near the tip.
zDo not use the product near flammable items.
zAdvise other people in the work area that the unit can reach a very high
temperature and should be considered potentially dangerous.
zTurn the power off while taking breaks and when finished using the unit.
zBefore replacing parts or storing the unit, turn the power off and allow the
unit to cool to room temperature.
To prevent damage to the unit and ensure a safe working environment,
be sure to comply with the following precautions.
zAppliance shall only be used with rated voltage and frequency. (Refer to the
trademark back of equipment.)
Page 1

zDon’t use or stop the use if the appliance is damaged, especially the supply
cord.
zThis machine is equipped with a 3-wires grounding plug and must be
plugged into a 3-terminal grounded socket. Do not modify plug or use an
ungrounded power socket. If an extension cord is necessary, use only a
3-wire extension cord that provides grounding.
zDo not use the unit for applications other than soldering.
zDo not rap the soldering iron against the work bench to shake off residual
solder, or otherwise subject the iron to severe shocks.
zDo not modify the unit.
zUse only genuine replacement parts.
zDo not wet the unit or use and disconnect the unit when your hands are wet
and without to force the supply cord.
zThe soldering process will produce smoke, so make sure the area is well
ventilated.
zWhile using the unit, don’t do anything which may cause bodily harm or
physical damage.
zChildren don’t recognize the risks of electrical appliances. Therefore use or
keep the appliance only under supervision of adults and out of the reach from
children.
1. Summary
This unit is an intelligent lead free soldering with two workstations. It adopts
LED temperature display and digital calibration, password protection, rapid and
convenience. The temperature induction is very exact and sensitive, the speed of
heating and recovery of temperature is very fast. So it is one of the most perfect
tools for lead free soldering.
Page 2

2. Specifications
● The tip temperature is measured using 191 thermometer.
● Specifications and design subject will be changed without notice.
3. Setting & Operating the Unit
CAUTION:
Before setting, please check whether the voltage accords with the rated
voltage on the unit’s nameplate.
3.1 Usages of the Sponge and the Iron Holder
CAUTION:
zThe sponge is compressed. It will swell when moistened with water. Before
using the unit, dampen the sponge with the water and squeeze it dry. Failure
to do so may result in damage to the Soldering tip.
zDuring the work, add water to the holder base if the sponge becomes dry.
9. Tips
12
12
12
17
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
10
10 12
12
12
15
12
2
?2
?4
200- B
200- B
200- I
200- I
200- 1C
200- 2C
200- 3C200- 1.2D
200- 1.6D
200- 2.4D
200- 3.2D
200- 4.2D
200- 4C
200- K
200- SK
200- J
200- H
200- 0.8C
0.5
R0.5
R1
R0.2
R0.2
?1
45°
?3
45°
45°
?1.2
2.5
0.5
?1.6
3
0.5
?2.4
3.5
0.5
0.5
?3.2
3.7
?4.2
4
45°
1.5
1.5
?4.7?3
45°
45°
30°
3.5
R0.2
7.5
25°
1
.2
3.5
?0.8
2
2
2
2
3
3
2
2
2
2
3
1.5
45°
Power 90W *2
Temperature range 80℃~480℃
Max Ambient Temperature 40℃
Temperature Stability ±2℃/Without air flow and no load
Tip to Ground Resistance <2Ω
Tip to Ground Potential <2mv
Heating Element Electromagnetic heater
Power Cord Assembly 1.4m
Sleeping time 1-99min
Housing Material Aluminum
Outer Dimension 160 (L) Χ 130 (W) Χ 100 (H)mm
Weight 1.8kg
Page 3 Page 16

1. Turn the unit ON and set the temperature control knob to highest. Then
wiggle and kink the iron cord at various locations along its length, including
in the strain relief area. If the LED heater lamp flickers, then the cord needs
to be replaced.
2. Check the resistance between the pin of the plug and the wire on the terminal.
8.4 Replacing the Fuse
1. Turn power switch off and take out the fuse holder at the power socket.
2. Open the fuse holder and take out the broken fuse.
3. Install a new fuse and put the fuse holder back in place.
1. Dampen the small cleaning sponge with water and then squeeze it dry. Place
it in the iron holder base.
2. Add water to iron holder base. The small sponge will absorb water to keep
the large sponge above it wet.
3. The large sponge may be used alone (without small sponge & water).
Dampen the large cleaning sponge and place it on the iron holder base.
3.2 Connections
CAUTION:
Be sure to turn off the power switch before connecting or disconnecting the
soldering iron. Failure to do so may result in damage to the soldering
station.
1. Connect the cord assembly to receptacle.
2. Place the soldering iron in the iron holder.
3. Be sure to ground the unit. One end of the unit connects with the grounding
hole at the back of the unit, and the other end connects with the earth.
4. Plug the power cord into a power supply. Turn on the power switch.
5. The heater point (the radix point on the 1’s right side) flickers when the
temperature has stabilized.
3.3 Temperature Setting
CAUTION:
Make sure the temperature of the station can be adjusted (Password is right
or the password is initial “000”). While setting the temperature normally,
the heating element is off.
Heater indicator
Page 4Page 15

Temperature rising:
Press“▲” key directly. If so, the setting temperature will raise 1℃and the
display window will display the set temperature. When loosen the “▲”key, the
display window will delay the set temperature about 2 seconds. If within 2
seconds, press the “▲”key again, the setting temperature will raise 1℃again. If
press the “▲”key and not loose at least 1 second, the setting temperature will rise
rapidly. Till the needed temperature reaches, then loose the “▲”key.
Temperature dropping:
Press“▼”key directly. If so, the setting temperature will drop 1℃and the display
window will display the set temperature. When loose the“▼”key, the display
window will delay the set temperature about 2 seconds. If 2 seconds later, press
the“▼”key again, the setting temperature will drop 1℃again. If press the“▼”
key and not loose at least 1 second, the setting temperature will drop rapidly. Till
the needed temperature reaches, then loose the“▼”key.
3.4 Sound Setting
1. In the working state and the password is “000”or the inputting password is
right, press the four “▲”and“▼”keys at the same time to turn on or off the
sound.
2. After turning on the sound, the unit will sound “di-di” when click the keys.
3. After turning on the sound, the unit will sound (with alarming work state)
when the setting temperature is high than the real temperature 150℃ during
the heating or the setting temperature is less than the real temperature 80℃
during the cooling.
4. After turning off the sound, the unit will not sound when clicking the keys or
temperature up-limit or down-limit sound.
8.2 Checking the Heating Element
1. Measure the heating element when it comes back to room temperature:
1) Resistance value of heating element under 4Ω.
2) Resistance value of sensor (Red and Grounding wire) under 10Ω.
2. If the resistance value isn’t normal, replace the heating element.
3. Testing heating element
1) Measure the resistance value between pins 4 and 1 or 2, pins 5 and 1or 2,
pins 3 and 1 or 2, pins 3 and 4 or 5. If it is not ∞, the heating element
and sensor or vibrator switch are touching. This will damage the PCB.
2) Measure the resistance value ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ to confirm that the leads are
not twisted and that the grounding wire is properly connected.
3) Make sure the spring hook ⑨has clasped the heater element ⑩.
8.3 Broken Soldering Iron Cord
There are two methods of testing the soldering iron cord.
Page 5
Page 14

Heater error: If power can’t be sent to soldering iron, the display
window will show “H-E”. This indicates the possibility of a heater
malfunction.
8. Check and Replace the Parts
8.1 Check and Measure the Soldering Iron
When there is something wrong with soldering iron, you can check and test it. If it
is broken, replace the broken element.
1. Checking soldering iron: disconnect the plug and measure the resistance
value between the connecting plug pins as follows:
2. If the values of ‘a’ and ‘b’ are outside the value in the following table,
replace the heating element (sensor) and /or cord assembly. Refer to the
following steps.
Note: * The soldering iron must be equipped with tip, when check b and c items.
* The order of the pins in the above picture is as the mark on the handle
socket.
3. Disassembling the soldering iron
1) Turn the nut ①counterclockwise and remove the tip enclosure ②, and
the tip ③.
2) Turn the nipple ④counterclockwise and remove it from the iron.
3) Pull both the heating element ⑩and the cord assembly (11) out of the
handle ⑦. (Toward the tip of the iron).
4) Do not use metal tools such as pliers to remove tip or tip enclosure from
the handle.
3.5 Sleeping
1. When the station is in the setting menu status, the display will be show “OK”.
Press the “▲”and“▼”keys at the same time to enter in the sleeping time.
And if select”0”, it is no sleeping.
2. If sleeping time is selected 1-99, and the soldering iron is not used for 1-99
minutes, the power to the heating element will be decreased, and the display
shows . This state is sleeping mode. Press the “▲”and“▼”keys to
select the sleeping time.
3. When in sleeping mode, the tip temperature will decrease to 200℃(if the set
temperature is more than or equal to 200℃) or 50℃(if the set temperature is
less than 200℃) and remain the temperature until resuming the iron.
4. If the soldering iron is not resumed more than 60 minutes after it comes to
sleeping, the power supply will be shut off automatically, and the display
window will not show anything.
5. To resume soldering, there are several ways as follows:
1) Turn off the power switch, and then turn on again.
2) Take up the iron hand of the sleeping station.
3) Click any button among the keys“▲”,“▼”and “ON/OFF” of the
sleeping station.
3.6 Calibrating the Iron Temperature
The Soldering Iron should be recalibrated after changing the iron or replacing the
heating element or tip.
Method of recalibrating temperature: Use the thermometer to calibrate.
1. Set the iron’s temperature to a certain value.
2. When the temperature stabilizes, measure the tip’s temperature with
thermometer and write down the reading.
3. Press the “ ▲”and “ ▼” keys not loose and press “ON/OFF” key
simultaneously, the soldering iron enters into calibration mode.
a. Between pins 4&5 (Heating Element) Under 4Ω(Normal)
b
. Between pins 1&2 (Sensor) Under 10Ω(Normal)
c. Between pins 3& Tip Under 2Ω
Page 6
H - E
163
54
2
Page 13

4. At the moment, the digit of LED display temperature is flashing. Press the
“▲” and “▼” keys to input the value on the thermometer and then press the
“ON/OFF” key about 1second. Here, the calibration operation has been
finished.
5. If the temperature still has deflection, you can repeat calibration in
accordance with above steps.
zRecommend using the tip thermometer for measuring the tip temperature.
zIf the unit is locked by password, it will not be able to calibrate and you must
input the right password.
4. Parameter Setting
The station has the following parameters setting. Before adjusting the parameter
of the unit, it needs to input the right password.
4.1 Password Setting
The unit’s password is one and only and the initial password is “000”. The setting
temperature is admitted in this status. If need to restrict the setting temperature,
the password must be changed and turn off the unit, then turn on.
zEnter into setting password
1. Turn off the power switch, Press and hold the “▲”and “▼” buttons
simultaneously, then turn on the power switch.
2. Continue holding down the “▲”and “▼” buttons until the display
shows “ ”.
3. When the LED shows , the unit is in parameter setting mode.
zInput previous password
4. Press the“ON/OFF”button, the LED shows “ ”, and the leftmost
digit (the 100’s digit) in the LED will flash. This indicates the iron is in
password setting mode and the 100’s digit can be adjusted.
1. Remove scale and oxides from the timed area of the tip with 80-grit abrasive
polyurethane foam stock or a 100-grit emery cloth.
2. Wrap rosin core solder (φ0.8mm diameter or larger) around the newly
exposed iron surface, insert the tip into the handle, and turn on the power
switch.
NOTE: the de-tinned tips are preventable by proper daily care!
6.2.4 Extending Tip Life
1. Tin the tip before and after each use. This protects the tip from oxidizing, and
prolongs tip life.
2. Do the job at the lowest temperature. Lower temperatures decrease tip
oxidation and are easier on the components being joined.
3. Use fine point tips only when necessary. The plating on fine precision tips is
less durable than the plating on blunter tips.
4. Do not use the tip as a prying tool. Bending the tip can cause the plating to
crack, shortening tip life.
5. Use the minimum activation flux necessary to do the job. Higher activation
flux is more corrosive to the tip plating.
6. Extend tip life by switch the system off when not in use.
7. Don’t apply pressure to the tip. More pressure does not equal more heat. To
improve heat transfer, use solder to form a thermal bridge between the tip and
the solder joint.
7. Error Messages
Various error messages will be displayed when there is something wrong with the
unit.
Sensor error: If there is a failure in the sensor or anywhere in the
sensor circuit, “S-E” will be displayed and power to the soldering
iron will be cut off.
6.2 Maintenance
Page 7
S - E
Page 12

6.2.1 Inspect and Clean the Tip
Caution: Never file the tip to remove oxide.
1. Set the temperature to 250℃.
2. When the temperature stabilizes, clean the tip with the cleaning sponge and
check the condition of the tip.
3. If there is black oxide on the solder-plated portion of the tip, apply new solder
(containing flux) and wipe the tip on the cleaning sponge. Repeat until the
oxide is completely removed. Coat with new solder. The solder protects the
tip from oxidation and prolongs the life of the tip.
4. If the tip is deformed or heavily eroded, replace it with a new one.
6.2.2 A De-tinned Tip
1. Why a “de-tinned” tip fails to work?
A de-tinned tip is one which cannot wet with solder. This exposes the plating to
oxidation and degrades the heat transfer efficiency of the tip.
2. The de-tinning is caused by:
1) Failure to keep the tip covered with fresh solder while not in use.
2) High tip temperatures.
3) Insufficient melting in soldering operations.
4) Wiping the tip on dirty or dry sponges and rags. (Always use a clean, wet,
industrial grade, sulfur-free sponge.)
5) Impurities in the solder, iron plating, or on the surfaces to be soldered.
6.2.3 To Restore a De-tinned Tip
Remove the tip form the solder handle and allow the tip to cool down.
Use the “▲”and “▼” button to change displayed value. Set the
password value in the same way described in “temperature setting”. After
selecting the password of three digit, press the“ON/OFF”button.
zThe input password is error
5. If the iron enters into normal work state after display shows the current
setting temperature for two seconds, this indicates the input password is
error, and the temperature setting can’t be done.
zThe input password is correct
6. If the window shows , this indicates the inputting password is
correct. After displaying about 4 seconds, it comes into the normal work
state, and the temperature setting and parameter setting will be admitted.
zInput new password
7. When display window is showing , press the“ON/OFF”button, and
shows , it indicates the iron comes into inputting new password
state. Press “▲”and “▼” button to change displayed value. See
“temperature setting”.
zRepeat the new password
8. When three digits are selected, press“ON/OFF”button, the display
window shows , again. Now input the new password once again.
Repeat the same steps.
9. If the latest two passwords are the same, pressing“ON/OFF”button will
modify the password successfully. The new password is stored into the
memory.
10. If the latest two passwords are not the same, pressing“ON/OFF”button,
and the display window shows , it needs to rewrite new password.
(See the last 8~9 step). The changing of password is successful until the
latest two passwords are the same.
Note:
zThe word of password is 0 to 9, ten figures. If not, the input password is
invalid.
zBecause the password of the two work stations is one and only, after setting
the password of one station, the parameter setting of other station is locked
too.
Page 8
Page 11

4.2 Sleeping Setting
1. When the window displays , press “▲”and “▼” buttons at the same
time, the window displays the current sleeping time, which means the
soldering iron has been into the sleeping time setting mode. Click to “▲”
or“▼”button change the displaying value, the digit changing order is as the
followings:
0 1 2 ... 90
2. After select the sleeping time, click the “ON/OFF” button to save the value
into the memory.
3. The sleeping settings of the two work soldering irons are separate and both
need to set. After finishing one setting, it needs to repeat the same steps to
setting the other.
5. Select a correct tip
1. Select a tip that maximizes contact area between the tip and solder joint.
Maximizing contact area gives the most efficient heat transfer, allowing
operators to produce high quality solder joints quickly.
2. Select a tip that allows good access to the solder joint. Shorter tip lengths
allow more precise control. Longer or angled may be needed for soldering
densely populated boards.
6. Use and maintain
6.1 Care and Use of the Tip
Tip’s temperature
High soldering temperatures can degrade the tip. Use the lowest possible
soldering temperature. The excellent thermal recovery characteristics ensure
efficient and effective soldering event at low temperatures. This also protects the
sensitive components from thermal damage.
Cleaning
Clean the tip regularly with a cleaning sponge, as oxides and carbides from the
solder and flux can form impurities on the tip. These impurities can result in
defective joints or reduce the tip's heat conductivity.
When using the soldering iron continuously, be sure to loosen the tip and remove
all oxides least once a week.
This helps prevent reduction of the tip temperature.
When not in use
Never leave the soldering iron sitting at high temperature for long periods of time,
as the tip's solder plating will be covered with oxide, which can greatly reduce the
tip's heat conductivity.
After use
Wipe the tip and coat it with fresh solder. This helps to prevent tip oxidation.
Page 10
Page 9
Table of contents
Other Aktakom Soldering Gun manuals