14 DAY TRIAL // The word “doodle” seems to be used a lot these days, from the 3Doodler 3D printing pen to the Solidoodle 3D printer priced at only $100 / €100. Now, the term has become part of the name of a portable solder tool.
Soldering is one of the most important parts of electronic engineering, since it's the way most components and wires are attached to a motherboard, graphics card or anything else that uses a PCB (printed circuit board).
Normally, a soldering gun is a large, heavy thing in need of being plugged into a wall power socket all the time (while it's in use). There are, however, others.
After all, with how efficient energy use has become over the past decade, possibilities opened for smaller, lighter but just as effective tools. Also, it helps that they don't take up so much space anymore, making your workshop tidier.
There's always room for better cordless soldering irons though, so Portland, Oregon-based startup Solarcycle decided to step up and make one.
And here it is, the Solderdoodle, a USB-powered soldering iron that is shaped like a pen and measures 18.8 cm / 7.4 inches in length.
Then again, saying it is USB-powered is not perfectly accurate. Technically, it is battery-powered, but it needs to be connected to a USB 2.0 port for 3 hours in order to restore the charge. Curiously, Solarcycle doesn't say exactly how many hours the charge lasts.
The Solderdoodle is partly 3D printed. The electrical parts had to be put together by hand, but the outer plastic shell was successfully produced through additive manufacturing technology.
A Maxim high-efficiency, high-power charge controller handles the energy, and the soldering iron tip is standard, replaceable with any other you may find in a store.
Solderdoodle can reach 500º F / 260º C, which means that non-leaded solder cannot be melted and used properly. That shouldn't be too much of a shock or problem though, since repairs involving that type of solder aren't usually the sort you can do on the fly during a visit anyway. It takes more time and care, and preferably specialist equipment repairmen have in their workshops or engineering labs.
The Kickstarter campaign is up and ready, and will last until August 1, but you can skip it and make the Solderdoole yourself if you get the plans from Instructables. You might want to hold off, though, since this is still a prototype.
Solderdoorle inner workings