You must have heard of soldering or done soldering using bulky soldering pins, holders, tip cleaners and fume extractors. Until a few weeks ago, M5 had bulky and immobile soldering stations in the Pi Room and the SMT Lab, looking something like this:

Soldering station in Pi Room at M5 Makerspace

These stations have a designated spot and appliances that will be perfect for any project, including thin and thick solder. But what if we made soldering portable? M5 just got 20 kits of the Pinecils - a smart portable soldering pen that is easy to assemble and comes with a mat, flux, a tip cleaner, a desoldering pump, and desoldering wick!

Pinecil is plugged into the power cable through the wall. It starts heating up and reaches about 375 ° C in a few seconds. You can rest the Pinecil on the holder or start soldering with the solder. Use flux for better connections, and if solder accumulates on the tip, use the tip cleaner. Tip Tinner can be used to clean and smooth the tip after excessive use. If you want to desolder, first use the pump and then the wick - your component will come right out! Always use a fume extractor and safety glasses for your safety.

Pinecil is perfect for practicing soldering, or bring your PCB to life! Come in to M5 and ask a Staff Member about the Pinecil kit. We can locate the kit for you and help you solder - through hole or surface mount!

M5 now has the capability to host many soldering stations at once with the help of Pinecil. This weekend, I led a workshop with over 20 students learning to solder at once - and now it’s your turn! Soldering events are held weekly at M5 and you can acquire this new and fun to learn skill too!

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