![Handle](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185428-300x169.jpg)
When I ordered the tiny USB soldering iron, I decided a proper iron upgrade would be a good idea. Looking around for something that didn’t require AC mains power turned up the TS100, a Chinese design, that unusually is actually very good! Above is the handle itself, with it’s small OLED display & two operation buttons.
This iron is controlled by a STM32 ARM microcontroller, the firmware & schematics are completely open-source.
![DC Input Jack / USB Port](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185413-300x169.jpg)
The bottom end of the iron has the main DC input jack, designed with laptop chargers in mind (DC input range from 10v-24v). Above that is the micro USB port for programming.
![Heating Element Socket](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185438-300x169.jpg)
The iron tips slot into the other end, many different tip types & shapes are available. The one supplied was the simple conical tip.
![Standby Screen](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185616-300x169.jpg)
Plugging the iron into some power gets a standby screen – it doesn’t just start heating immediately, for safety.
![Heating](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185628-300x169.jpg)
The left hand button starts the heater, which on a 24v input voltage gets to operating temperature well within 10 seconds.
![Temperature Stable](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185635-300x169.jpg)
The right hand screen icon changes when the temperature has stabilized. The control PCB has an integrated accelerometer, leaving the iron hot for a few minutes triggers a timeout & it powers down. Once picked up again, the heater instantly restarts.
The operating temperature is adjustable with the pair of buttons, from 100°C to 400°C.
![Different Bits](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_191636-300x169.jpg)
Here’s a selection of bits for the iron. The design is very similar to the Hakko T15 series of irons, but these are a much shorter version. Like the Hakko versions, the actual tips aren’t replaceable, once the bit burns out, the entire assembly is replaced.
![TS100 Soldering Iron](https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160529_185457-300x169.jpg)
Here’s the iron fully assembled. The entire device is about the same length as just the heating element from a Hakko T15!