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mbrulla 8.4K Views
Jan 7, 2021 9:33 AM

PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron $37

$37

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A new soldering iron running Ralim firmware, which is familiar to many thanks to it's popularity with the TS100 and TS80 crowd.

Supports DC, USB-C PD and QC3.0. Fully open source. Compatible with TS100 tips (afaik).

This is the second run, so sadly no free breakout board this time.

This is NOT a clone. It offers a familiar form factor with both lower options at half the price. Ordered mine this morning and was shocked that it wasn't posted here already.

$24.99
$11.99 Shipping

https://pine64.com/product/pineci...46c16e2e66
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A new soldering iron running Ralim firmware, which is familiar to many thanks to it's popularity with the TS100 and TS80 crowd.

Supports DC, USB-C PD and QC3.0. Fully open source. Compatible with TS100 tips (afaik).

This is the second run, so sadly no free breakout board this time.

This is NOT a clone. It offers a familiar form factor with both lower options at half the price. Ordered mine this morning and was shocked that it wasn't posted here already.

$24.99
$11.99 Shipping

https://pine64.com/product/pineci...46c16e2e66

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33 Comments

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Jan 7, 2021 11:43 AM
3.8K Comments
Joined Oct 2017

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Jan 7, 2021 12:36 PM
151 Comments
Joined Jan 2007
teststripsJan 7, 2021 12:36 PM
151 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

PINE isn't exactly a well known brand, but it is popular in certain circles, like with open source developers and hardware tinkerers. This particular soldering iron has been reviewed by several folks, with great reviews. Here's a link to a review on hackaday - https://hackaday.com/2021/01/05/r...ore-454937

This is a real-deal product. Will it be shipped from the US - no. Will it take a few weeks, or possibly months to deliver... yes. (that's just the state of shipping from oversees). Did I order one - yes!
1
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Jan 7, 2021 1:15 PM
3.3K Comments
Joined Aug 2011
forumzJan 7, 2021 1:15 PM
3.3K Comments
What's the reasoning for a "smart" soldering iron other than to just change temps? What other purposes does it serve? I'm legit curious cause I can't think of any reasons why it would be open source and also have a breakout board where I need to modify anything..

edit: also, PINE is relatively well known to electronics hobbyists..
Last edited by forumz January 7, 2021 at 05:19 AM.
Jan 7, 2021 2:05 PM
373 Comments
Joined Apr 2018
UpbeatJuice8080Jan 7, 2021 2:05 PM
373 Comments
Quote from SeikenDensetsu View quoted comment :
This sounds like a disaster in the making. A chinese no-name brand portable welding device made of plastic. Thank goodness for DC chargning so I can get that extra special lead poisoning on-the-go. Wonder which would melt first, the screen, the plastic, or the unmentioned battery which I assume to be li-ion going to explode from the heat being that this is a soldering iron.

Whole website looks suspicious with no mention of physical location and made with a website builder. The only way to contact these people is through email. Way too shady.
It doesn't have a battery. You need one of the listed power sources connected to use it. According to the site, the handle only weighs 20g, so any battery you could fit in it would be rapidly discharged generating heat. Also, basically every soldering iron has a plastic (or rubber covered) handle.
2
Jan 7, 2021 2:21 PM
16.6K Comments
Joined Nov 2006
psycttoJan 7, 2021 2:21 PM
16.6K Comments
Quote from SeikenDensetsu View quoted comment :
This sounds like a disaster in the making. A chinese no-name brand portable welding device made of plastic. Thank goodness for DC chargning so I can get that extra special lead poisoning on-the-go. Wonder which would melt first, the screen, the plastic, or the unmentioned battery which I assume to be li-ion going to explode from the heat being that this is a soldering iron.

Whole website looks suspicious with no mention of physical location and made with a website builder. The only way to contact these people is through email. Way too shady.
man...
it must be painful to be so very VERY wrong about every single thing.
2
1
Jan 7, 2021 2:23 PM
6.1K Comments
Joined Aug 2016
duckeggsJan 7, 2021 2:23 PM
6.1K Comments
A soldiering kit?
2
Jan 7, 2021 2:34 PM
183 Comments
Joined Apr 2009
luegvhJan 7, 2021 2:34 PM
183 Comments
I love how confident you are while being completely wrong. :shake

Quote from SeikenDensetsu View quoted comment :
This sounds like a disaster in the making. A chinese no-name brand portable welding device made of plastic. Thank goodness for DC chargning so I can get that extra special lead poisoning on-the-go. Wonder which would melt first, the screen, the plastic, or the unmentioned battery which I assume to be li-ion going to explode from the heat being that this is a soldering iron.

Whole website looks suspicious with no mention of physical location and made with a website builder. The only way to contact these people is through email. Way too shady.
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Original Poster
Jan 7, 2021 3:49 PM
1.5K Comments
Joined Jun 2009
mbrulla
Original Poster
Jan 7, 2021 3:49 PM
1.5K Comments

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Quote from SeikenDensetsu View quoted comment :
This sounds like a disaster in the making. A chinese no-name brand portable welding device made of plastic. Thank goodness for DC chargning so I can get that extra special lead poisoning on-the-go. Wonder which would melt first, the screen, the plastic, or the unmentioned battery which I assume to be li-ion going to explode from the heat being that this is a soldering iron.

Whole website looks suspicious with no mention of physical location and made with a website builder. The only way to contact these people is through email. Way too shady.
This is a form factor that is tried and true in the soldering world. Look up the TS100 and TS80 for examples. Some of the most widely recommended irons available on the market for electronics solder work.

Some benefits include selectable voltage, auto-shut off when stationary, selectable idle temp, travel ability, and more. As I said, look at TS100/80 reviews if you've never used one.
1
Jan 7, 2021 5:00 PM
151 Comments
Joined Jan 2007
teststripsJan 7, 2021 5:00 PM
151 Comments

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Quote from forumz View quoted comment :
What's the reasoning for a "smart" soldering iron other than to just change temps? What other purposes does it serve? I'm legit curious cause I can't think of any reasons why it would be open source and also have a breakout board where I need to modify anything..

edit: also, PINE is relatively well known to electronics hobbyists..
So a few benefits of a smart iron. First you can heat up your tip at a REALLY high wattage, and then just slow it down once the desired temp reached to maintain. The heat up time on these is like 15-20 seconds (vs 5 minutes on my old weller iron). Second you KNOW that your iron has reached the correct temp and is ready - no more touching your solder to the tip to see (and hope) that it melts. It's super easy to switch between normal temps for board work, and super high temps for thick wire splicing. Lastly, leaving your iron on for long periods can damage them - the board has a gyro in it, and will lower the temp when not used for a duration you can set. It's smart enough that when you pick it back up, it heats back up (within 10 seconds which is huge).
2
Jan 7, 2021 7:34 PM
69 Comments
Joined Apr 2010
vinc3l3Jan 7, 2021 7:34 PM
69 Comments
the TS100 (similiar to this) is one of the best soldering iron i've ever used and i've used hakko and other mid end one at work. That guy above can't be more wrong, it heat up in seconds, can maintain its temperature and shutoff when you don't use it.
Jan 7, 2021 7:56 PM
150 Comments
Joined Jan 2020
RespawnRestrictedJan 7, 2021 7:56 PM
150 Comments
i have a ts100 and ts80 and compared to my ksger t12 clone its night and day difference only get the ts style if you never plan to solder thick wires
Jan 7, 2021 8:25 PM
5.2K Comments
Joined Feb 2006
Azrael_the_CatJan 7, 2021 8:25 PM
5.2K Comments
This looks like a cool tool. Anyone who solders professionally have input i.e. comparing it to Metcal or Hakko (Hakko's real stuff not their $100-$200 units).
Jan 7, 2021 8:25 PM
52 Comments
Joined Nov 2010
elbennyJan 7, 2021 8:25 PM
52 Comments
You can add a free Pinenut module, too (although you'd probably want the $2 programmer to go with it):

https://pine64.com/product/free-p...per-order/
Jan 7, 2021 9:45 PM
1.1K Comments
Joined Mar 2006
iamverycrazyJan 7, 2021 9:45 PM
1.1K Comments
Shipping costs $12 is too steep. Half price of the product. Does it include tracking number and insurance?
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Jan 7, 2021 10:46 PM
661 Comments
Joined Nov 2006
tdicolaJan 7, 2021 10:46 PM
661 Comments
Quote from gallymimus View quoted comment :
This looks like a cool tool. Anyone who solders professionally have input i.e. comparing it to Metcal or Hakko (Hakko's real stuff not their $100-$200 units).
totally different markets--pro soldering by hand isn't really a thing anymore, it's all pick and place robots and ovens, wave soldering for through-hole things, etc. nice expensive irons like metcal are good if you're working on stuff with a big thermal mass, like heating up a giant board ground plane. however at that point IMHO a good hot air rework station is a more versatile purchase vs. an expensive soldering station. these small ts100 style irons are great for 99% of hobbyist tasks, especially if you get a few different size tips for different uses.
Last edited by tdicola January 7, 2021 at 02:48 PM.
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