Fnirsi HS-02 Analysis: Maintain soldering on!

The Fnirsi HS-01 was a bit out of the blue in 2023. After a slew of the biggest soldering irons and soldering stations passing all through my desk, the HS-01 provided a reasonable and fixed experience. Optimistic it was barely greater than a Pinecil or TS100, nevertheless that’s okay, on account of it was comfortable.

Now in 2024, Fnirsi has launched the $29 HS-02 in two configurations, the HS-02A and what I’ve for consider, the HS-02B. The excellence? The HS-02A makes use of barely longer (9cm) soldering ideas and takes spherical 5 seconds to get to a working temperature. The HS-02B makes use of shorter 6.6cm ideas and claims to heat up in 2 seconds (one factor that I cowl afterward).

Will the HS-02B make it to the biggest soldering irons net web page? Will I favor it to my Pinecil v2 or devoted Yihua soldering station? To know this, and additional, I’ll need to dig out some electronics kits and get soldering!

Fnirsi HS-02B Specs

Fnirsi HS-02 Look and Actually really feel

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The HS-02 is a much bigger, chunkier soldering iron as compared with the HS-01. When as compared with the Pinecil or TS101, it is a hefty beast. Nevertheless it is light inside the hand, and feels comfortable to utilize, as quickly as you uncover your hottest grip stage..

The “grip to tip” ratio is temporary, in distinction to with totally different smart soldering irons. Now we have now a rubber guard / grip which is decrease than 2 inches from the tip of the iron. The rubber is knurled and grippy. The buttons and LCD show are out of one of the best ways, and we obtained’t by probability press one thing as soon as we’re soldering.

The 0.96-inch LCD coloration show is vibrant and clear. The interface is easy to understand, and by no means too cluttered. The addition of coloration is used sparingly, and truly all you may uncover is the pink highlight determining the channel (CH) in use.

Included inside the package deal is a generic stand, useful to keep up your soldering iron from touching the desk. Moreover included is a fairly good “silicon” type USB Variety-C power lead which retains out of one of the best ways when soldering, in distinction to PVC cables which twist and snake throughout the desk. It moreover has some weight to it, which signifies that it retains nonetheless on the desk.

Powering the HS-02B

To power the HS-02, we’re in a position to make use of each USB Variety-C or DC power by means of a DC to USB Variety-C adapter. The included 100W adapter provides better than ample power to get the soldering iron as a lot as temperature. Should you not be near a USB Variety-C power provide, the USB Variety-C to DC adapter is a viable risk. You’ll desire a 19V 2A or adapter with a view to get an similar effectivity. At 19V 2A, the DC power present will drop the voltage proper right down to spherical 14V (confirmed with my Yihua 3005D III bench power present). In order to keep up the voltage at 19V, I wished to supply not lower than 2.5A.

Most of us will power the Fnirsi HS-02B by means of the 100W USB Variety-C power present. Chances are you’ll as effectively use a 19V USB Variety-C laptop computer laptop charger, or in my case, I moreover examined with a Pine64 PinePower desktop power present, which geared up 20V to the iron.

Soldering with the Finirsi HS-02

Let’s get to the meat of it. The Fnirsi HS-02B heats as a lot as 360 ranges Celsius in 3.6 seconds! This makes it the quickest soldering iron that we have examined! Merely 3.6 seconds to get to a working temperature is excellent! I used the HS02B-Okay pointed chisel tip and it provided a great deal of thermal mass to place down the heat. It moreover gives us a sharp tip for precision.

Swapping ideas is tool-less and we don’t must unscrew a collet to loosen the tip. The concepts have a 22 x 2.5mm half which is gripped by the iron. A 1.5mm thick half is used to make a connection to the ability pins contained within the soldering iron’s cope with. This does suggest that the HS-02 is incompatible with the HS-01’s ideas, a rattling shame as I already have a complete set for every soldering state of affairs.

I went by the use of my customary soldering check out. First I grabbed a 555 monostable swap package deal, a primary package deal to get to know the Fnirsi HS-02B. The HS-02B felt good inside the hand, and my hand didn’t ache or slip all through use.

The smaller elements had been soldered into place with no effort. The lead based solder merely melted into place. For the larger joints, similar to the mounting pins of a 9-pin D-sub connector on a PIC microcontroller programmer board, it took barely under a number of seconds to melt the solder into place. I’m assured that this little iron would possibly solder up thicker cable, nevertheless you’ll want to bump up the temperature to 450C to get the job achieved.

I mentioned earlier that I chosen the HS02B-Okay soldering tip. I even have the HS02B-I (precision) and the HS02B-IS (precision hook). I tried out the HS02B-I and it was actual, however it moreover lacked thermal mass. Use this tip, or the HS02B-IS for flooring mount soldering.

In my opinion, the HS-02A has a better variety of ideas. Two knife ideas (HS02A-Okay and KU), a hook tip (HS02A-JS), precision tip (HS02A-I), a standard objective conical tip (HS02A-B) and ultimately my personal favorite mannequin of tip, the conical bevel edge (HS02A-C2). Why do I like that mannequin of soldering iron tip? It provides the simplest of every worlds: loads of thermal mass, and easily ample precision for a lot of jobs.

Fnirsi HS-02 Software program program

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With smart soldering irons, they generally have a config file on a small “drive” contained within the iron. We be a part of the iron to a laptop and it turns right into a mass storage system, with a config file that we’re in a position to edit. This is not the case with the HS-02B. In its place we press every arrow keys to enter a configuration menu. From this menu we’re in a position to set options similar to the sleep timer and calibrate the iron.

The “Cope with set” menu is the place we’re in a position to configure three preset temperatures, listed as CH1, CH2 and CH3. Using the arrow keys we select the temperature; pressing OK strikes to the next CH. An prolonged press of OK will return us to the Cope with menu, and as soon as extra to the first menu. After a short time, the soldering iron will revert once more to the OK, flashing to level that it is ready to start soldering.

The particular person interface when soldering is pressing the okay button to alter between CH1, CH2 and CH3. The arrow keys could be utilized to tweak the temperature in 5 diploma increments. This can be tweaked within the main menu, for finer or additional coarse increments.

Firmware upgrades are handled by means of the System menu, beneath firmware. This items the soldering iron up as a mass storage system. Merely be a part of it to your laptop computer, get hold of the model new firmware from the Fnirsi website online, and drop the file on the drive. The next time you power up the HS-02B, it ought to have the most recent firmware. I updated my consider unit to v1.7 firmware, nevertheless I couldn’t see any distinction to v1.6.

Bottom Line: Who’s Fnirsi HS-02 For?

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The Fnirsi HS-02 is an environment friendly “enhance” from the HS-01, and I can see it being utilized by hobbyists and professionals alike. Its fast heat up time makes it final for quick jobs, however it moreover has the ability to cope with lots greater initiatives. The worth of the iron, $29 with out a power present makes it a reduction as most of us could have a compliant USB Variety-C charger. Steady {{hardware}}, good software program program, and a low worth make this a wonderful iron for the workshop and the package deal bag.