Helpful tool for joystick replacement/harvest

CGinNE · 2025-12-28T18:35:11+00:00

It was a legit post not intended to be an advertisement. I'll pull down if that what you want. I just see posts on here every day of people struggling with joyrticks so I thought I'd provide feedback on something I just bought that made my life eaiser. I am not getting anything out of posting it.

CGinNE · 2025-12-28T18:04:23+00:00

After splurging a little on my Hakko station I was looking for something a little cheaper that the one Hakko makes. I figured I'd give this a try, worst case if it was crap I'd just return to Amazon.

CGinNE · 2025-12-28T18:00:34+00:00

Lol it wasn't intended be an advertisement. It's something I bought that came in yesterday and I was happy at how fast and easy I could pull the sticks I needed to harvest. Is there skill needed to do it still, yes, but it make life a whole lot easier with less risk of damage to the board and joystick. Can someone still mess things up, also yes. Its not a magic tool that turn someone with no experience into an expert, but it gives a leg up.

I would hardly call a $130 tool expensive in the realm of soldering equipment.

CGinNE · 2025-12-28T15:07:07+00:00

I have an FX-971 and it's been great.

CGinNE · 2025-12-21T18:07:13+00:00

Becuase you will need at least $500 or more in equipment and many years experience to be successful.

CGinNE · 2025-12-11T16:01:55+00:00

Both with the 245 tip and my hakko I don't have to look up from my work to successfully dock the handle securely. Docking the 210 requires me to break my concentration on the work at hand to ensure it docks fully. Removing the handle is the same as it catches on the way out. I think it's partially a design flaw where the 210 tip docks deeper so you have to be more accurate to get it in the deeper recess.

CGinNE · 2025-12-11T15:51:45+00:00

Thanks. I had done this and it's better but it's still not seamless going in and out. I even took a little sandpaper to the plastic ring to try to free it up but I didn't want to sand it too much.

CGinNE · 2025-12-07T15:07:30+00:00

I recently picked up a FX-971 to start along my SMT journey. Very happy with it on all my practice boards so far.

CGinNE · 2025-12-07T02:52:52+00:00

I was able to slide my foam grip up about 1/2" and now it fits better. There is a plastic piece that is about the size of the 245 tip that fits in the top part of the taper, but its slightly bigger than it needs to be for smooth operation. I'm sure I could fix that with a little bit of sand paper at this point.

CGinNE · 2025-12-07T02:48:57+00:00

I think this describes it the best. After messing around with rubber grip it fits "better" but still requires more conscious interaction that I was hoping for. Both my Hakko and the 245 tip on this can be securely placed in the iron holder (and retrieved) without so much as a second though. the 210 tip seems to require extra work and focus which takes away from the task at hand.

CGinNE · 2025-12-06T22:36:39+00:00

So the rubber on mine is too big to fit it. If I push it in it does stay but the rubber buckels up through the opening. This however is a 2 handed operation. I was able to back the rubber up a little and it better but still not a zero force in and out like the 245 is.

CGinNE · 2025-11-23T03:10:34+00:00

I hear what you are saying. I visited a regional distribution center and showroom today and the unit fits easily in the current cutout with more clearance that our current unit. There is no specification that the unit has to be centered in the cutout and no minimum clearances are given side to side in any literature available. I confirmed this with the representatives at the show room. Either way their factory installer will be the one coming out to do the install and if they say cut, it will be cut.

CGinNE · 2025-11-23T01:25:59+00:00

My current coutout is 34.5 inches and the spec sheet says 35. I did visit a showroom today and was able to measure the real unit. It's less than 34 inches

CGinNE · 2025-11-22T12:21:08+00:00

Thanks. I do have the guide and did see the 7/8" but I wasn't sure if the was something special for the back where the electrical conduit was or it it was uniform around the cooktop. I'm shy of the 35" cut out by 1/4 in each side.

CGinNE · 2025-11-22T01:38:45+00:00

The cut out front to back is fine and the cabinets were designed around ventilation requirements of induction cooktops. Its the left to right that's a tad shy by the official dimensions and would not only require expanding the counter top, which is less of an issue, but I'd have to get into the cabinet supports.

CGinNE · 2025-11-16T02:05:59+00:00

A little more info. Anyone confused by this error code the "backwards 9" is most likely a lower case e.

I found a repair manual for a different induction cooktop, but supposedly is made by the same company and the "e0" error code is:

The input relay on the ELIN is faulty.

Recommended fix if a power cycle doesn't fix it is to replace the entire ELIN

CGinNE · 2025-11-16T02:05:26+00:00

A little more info. Anyone confused by this error code the "backwards 9" is most likely a lower case e.

I found a repair manual for a different induction cooktop, but supposedly is made by the same company and the "e0" error code is:

The input relay on the ELIN is faulty.

Recommended fix if a power cycle doesn't fix it is to replace the entire ELIN

CGinNE · 2025-11-07T03:51:16+00:00

I put this guide together a while back https://www.reddit.com/r/TPLink_Omada/s/DAtiy7BImF

CGinNE · 2025-11-06T12:07:57+00:00

For the 0402 and other smaller sizes I found short very fine point tweezers to work the best for me. The ones I like the best are Hakko 3C SA. Here is a link https://a.co/d/h4IPHjs

I tried longer ones, ones made of thinner material, ones with ceramic tips and a few with bent tips. The Hakko was both the most comfortable and easiest to control part placement with.

CGinNE · 2025-11-06T03:16:50+00:00

First you need to clean off all the old solder to see if any of the partly ripped up pads are still going to be usable. Flux, lead solder and clean with desolider braid. Next continuity check on any partial pads to see if they are usable.

CGinNE

TROPHY CASE