Soldering Iron Controller – The DIY Manual

V1.5
For PCB Code: SY9
hazar@hazarkarabay.com.tr
Thank you for choosing this soldering controller. This document will guide you on getting the
working controller from the populated PCB.
Your populated PCB is electrically and functionally tested using our testbed and shipped in
working condition.
Please use proper ESD handling procedures before unpacking the PCB. The PCB contains
multiple ESD-susceptible devices on it and may become damaged if not properly handled.

What you need

A soldering iron: It is needed for terminal blocks, pin headers and iron handle connector.
Hardware:

• 128x64 OLED screen module with SSD1306 controller

o The controller supports both I2C and SPI OLEDs. Just make sure the
controller is SSD1306.
• EC11 Rotary Encoder with push button
• 6 pin terminal block, 5.08mm pitch
o For iron handle and power connections.
• Male pin headers, 6 + 4 + 4 pins
• Female to female jumper cables, for OLED and rotary encoder.
o Also known as “Dupont wires”
Power supply: Use 9-25V DC supply capable of delivering 9A peak. 24V is recommended
for maximum performance. Don’t use very long power cables for reducing power dissipation
and EMI.
For JBC T245 handles/tips: The mating connector for original handle is Hirose RPC1-
12RB-6P(71). You can get it from Farnell/Newark, Mouser or Digikey if needed.
For Hakko T12/T15 handles/tips: This is bit complicated, because these tips (and even the
handles) are widely copied. If you want to use original handle (FM-2028) you’ll need to get 8
pin DIN connector for it. If you want to explore knockouts, you’ll find that every other seller
use a different connector. And more importantly (and if you don’t notice before plugging it in,
tragically), even for the same connector pinouts may differ. If you see something like “air
head plug” at the description, the connector it is probably GX12-5.
Assembly
• Start with soldering the pin headers, continue with terminal blocks if they are not
already soldered on the PCB.
• Prepare the iron handle connector.
o For JBC T245: We will only use 1st, 2nd and 5th pins. Pin mapping to the PCB
is pictured below:

Connection to the PCB: 1: Earth / 2: + / 5: GND

o For Hakko T12/T15: You must find the correct pinout for your handle,
because there is no standard as described above. The most reliable method is
describing connections from the tip side. You can find which wire is which
easily with a multimeter.

Connection to the PCB: 1: Earth / 2: GND / 3: +

 o PCB-side connections for handle (Also can be found on PCB silkscreen)

• Connect the OLED display.

o If your display has I2C interface:
▪ We are using pins 1-2 and 5-6. Pin 3 and 4 on the OLED connector
should be left unconnected.

On OLED On PCB
GND GND (Pin 1)
VCC or VDD or 5V +5V (Pin 2)
SDA or DAT or DATA SDA (Pin 5)
SCK or SCL or CLK SCL (Pin 6)

o If your display has SPI interface:

On OLED On PCB
GND GND (Pin 1)
VCC or VDD or 5V +5V (Pin 2)
SDA or DAT or DATA MOSI (Pin 3)
SCK or SCL or CLK SCK (Pin 4)
RST or RES SDA (Pin 5)
D/C or DC SCL (Pin 6)
CS (if exists) GND (Pin 1)
 o PCB-side connections for OLED (Also can be found on PCB silkscreen)
o 1: GND, 2: +5V, 3: MOSI, 4: SCK, 5: SDA, 6: SCL

• Connect the rotary encoder.

o Using the breakout board:
▪ Your order will include a complimentary encoder breakout board, but
its usage is not required. If it is not already assembled, first solder the
4-pin male header, trim the legs, and mount the encoder on top of that,
on the component side, as the breakout board is single sided.
▪ When assembled, it should look and connect like this:
 o Not using the breakout:
▪ Connections on encoder side:

o Connection on PCB side:

• Connect the shield link.

o Install a jumper wire between GND and EARTH inputs.

Note that on JBC cartridges, the shield is not always GND because of the T245
cartridge design. This is normal.
 • Connect the power wiring and power switch
o Wire your preferred connectors for powering the unit. Power input terminals
marked with “9-25V Input” on PCB and it is positioned at top left. Please
connect the + and GND. Note that there is no reverse polarity protection.
Reverse polarity will result instant destruction of PCB. So please double
check your supply polarity and wiring.
• Assembly is now completed.

Powering on
For the first power on, start with your soldering iron unplugged. Connect a 9-25V DC (with
correct polarity) supply. Use a current limited (200mA is enough for testing) lab supply if you
have and/or want to be extra cautious. In a second the screen should light up and say “Iron
unplugged”. If that’s the result; congratulations, the controller is alive! Let’s start some basic
tests and settings:

• Try the rotary encoder. If you press it, settings menu should open. Rotate it to left and
right in the menu and observe the screen. If you rotate right (clockwise) menu should
select the next item & scroll to bottom. If you rotate left (counterclockwise) menu
should select the previous item & scroll to top. If all works, the encoder performs
properly.
• Set your temperature unit. Controller ships with Celsius preselected. If you prefer
Fahrenheit, select it from the “Temperature Unit” menu.
• Set your iron tip type. Choices are JBC C245 and Hakko T12/T15, select it from the
“Tip Type” menu.
Now connect your soldering iron. It should detect it and starts to heat immediately. If that’s
the result; congratulations again. You now have a fully working unit.
Note for T12/T15: If you use a brand new T12/T15 tip, the controller may show erratic
temperatures and jumps up/down. Especially if you use a non-original Hakko tip it almost
certainly will happen to you.
This is not a controller problem. It is caused by the tips itself. Set it to highest
temperature, tin the tip and leave it for 5 minutes (or you can actually use it by the meantime)
and it’ll fix itself. You need to do only once for a tip.
Troubleshooting
Symptom Possible cause and solution
Dead with on-board LED off No power. Check the power supply.
Less than 3V supply voltage. Use 9-25V.
No display but iron heats up Check display wiring.
For SPI: Ensure the CS pin tied to LOW.
Displays are very fragile and can easily be
damaged via ESD. Try with another display.
Buzzing noise is heard It is normal, to the some extent. Here is the
suggestions to reduce it.
Use thicker supply wires and heavier duty
screw terminals. Screw tightly.
Clean iron tip and iron handle contacts.
Secure iron tip to handle tightly.
Temperature jumps up and down Read the note if you are using T12/T15.
Clean handle and tip contacts with isopropyl
alcohol. Do not touch the contacts with your
bare hand after you cleaned it.
Improper supply error with voltage reading Make sure that input is between 9-25V DC.
Input power may not be sufficient. Make
sure your supply can supply 8A peak.
Use the “Power limit” setting on the menu.
Improper supply error with 0V voltage Check R7 & R8 on board
reading
Iron unplugged error shows when iron is Check connections, iron handle contacts,
plugged, iron tip is not heating measure iron tip resistance, change tip.
Iron unplugged error shows when iron is MOSFET failure. Immediately unplug the
plugged, iron tip is heating controller for prevent damaging the iron tip.
Needs repair, contact us for your options.

Hacking
The controller is hackable. We decided to use Optiboot bootloader and that makes it Arduino
compatible out of the box. You can develop a custom firmware and upload it to the board
with an USB/Serial converter. Select “Arduino Uno” for uploading. Remember to back up the
original firmware before all of this, if you want it back after some time.
Here is the MCU pin map for your convenience. MCU is ATMega328P @ 16MHz.

OLED ROTARY ADC’s PWM

3: PB3 (MOSI) 1: PD2 Iron temperature: Heater: PB2
4: PB5 (SCK) 2: PD3 PC0 (ADC0)
5: PC4 (SDA) 3: PD4 Input voltage:
6: PC5 (SCL) PC1 (ADC1)