Elektor GREEN and GOLD members can download their digital edition here. Not a member yet? Click here. Digital Load for High-Current TestingFrom Necessity to Innovation Vocal RemoverInstant Karaoke Circuit Audio A/B Selector With Gain ControlSwitches from Microphone to Line Inputs Better Charging for the LIR2032Be Kind to Your Coin Cells Touch Sensing Made SimpleA DIY Guide for Any Microcontroller Universal Infrared Remote SwitchA New Life for Old Remotes Microcontroller-Powered Moo BoxMaking Playful Sounds With a Microcontroller USB Battery Interface Powering Low-Draw Devices With Power BanksA “Stay Alive” Solution Small Class-A Audio Amplifier With Current OutputDrive Speakers with Current Instead of Voltage Pseudo-Balanced ModuleHigh CMRR with Unbalanced Audio Links Ni-MH Cells Automatic ChargerRefill All Your Battery Packs in One Go! Thyristor-Based Power Supply Protection Fingerprint Sensor SwitchA Useful Proof-of-Identity Device DC-DC 3-A Power ConverterUpgrade Your Fixed-Voltage Sources Remote Water Heater MonitorVoltage and Current Detection for AC Lines Attenuators for Audio Signals (1)Adjustable Via Jumpers Pimp My Car Battery Charger (Part 1)Don’t Throw It Away, Mod It! A Board for the Blue OnePCB for Alps Motorized Potentiometer with Feedback 50-Hz Reference from 60-Hz Mains VoltageHow to Use 50-Hz Electronics in 60-Hz Environments Digital IsolatorsRealizing Galvanic Isolation Easily Compact 12-W Hi-Fi Mono AmplifierSmall But Powerful LM386 Ramp Generator Three-Phase GeneratorWith Raspberry Pi Pico Door Opener for the Musically Talented Elektor Classic: Surf SynthesizerOcean Watersports Background Sound Generator (OWBSG) Pimp my Car Battery Charger (Part 2)Don’t Throw It Away, Mod It! Lamp Current MonitorWith a Raspberry Pi Pico Infrared Telegraphy Fnirsi SWM-10Repair Battery Packs With This Portable Intelligent Spot Welding Machine Stereo Audio Codec for the ESP32 and Co.No Need to Be Afraid of Audio Measurement Technology Tin Soldering TechniquesMake Them Well Right Away! Attenuators for Audio Signals (2)Switching Via Relays USB-C PowerDrawing Power from USB-C Power Adapters Three Circuits with Two and Three Counter ICs4017 ICs Working Together Active Components – The Diode A Timer For Ultra-Long DelaysSet It, and Forget It! Jack In and Jack OutA Useful Insert Option for Audio Circuits Power an ESP32 from a Single Li-ion Cell Hexadoku

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Over 45 Builds for the Legendary 555 Chip (and the 556, 558) The 555 timer IC, originally introduced by the Signetics Corporation around 1971, is sure to rank high among the most popular analog integrated circuits ever produced. Originally called the IC Time Machine, this chip has been used in many timer-related projects by countless people over decades. This book is all about designing projects based on the 555 timer IC. Over 45 fully tested and documented projects are presented. All projects have been fully tested by the author by constructing them individually on a breadboard. You are not expected to have any programming experiences for constructing or using the projects given in the book. However, it’s definitely useful to have some knowledge of basic electronics and the use of a breadboard for constructing and testing electronic circuits. Some of the projects in the book are: Alternately Flashing Two LEDs Changing LED Flashing Rate Touch Sensor On/Off Switch Switch On/Off Delay Light-Dependent Sound Dark/Light Switch Tone Burst Generator Long Duration Timer Chasing LEDs LED Roulette Game Traffic Lights Continuity Tester Electronic Lock Switch Contact Debouncing Toy Electronic Organ Multiple Sensor Alarm System Metronome Voltage Multipliers Electronic Dice 7-Segment Display Counter Motor Control 7-Segment Display Dice Electronic Siren Various Other Projects The projects given in the book can be modified or expanded by you for your very own applications. Electronic engineering students, people engaged in designing small electronic circuits, and electronic hobbyists should find the projects in the book instructive, fun, interesting, and useful.

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The FNIRSI HRM-10 is a portable, high-precision battery internal resistance and voltage tester. This device offers true four-wire measurement and is designed for both accuracy and ease of use. It automatically measures internal resistance and voltage values simultaneously, displaying the results on its HD color screen. Users have the option to manually adjust voltage and resistance ranges to suit their needs. The device also includes a sorting mode that automatically filters the good and bad batteries based on user-set thresholds. Additionally, it supports the storage of historical data and allows for exporting measurement records in table format. Features High Measurement Accuracy Tabular Data Export Auto-Evaluate Measurement Results 8 Threshold Settings HD Color Screen Folding Stand 1000 mAh Lithium Battery Specifications Voltage Resistance Measuring range 0-100 V (DC) 0-200 Ω Accuracy ±0.5% ±0.5% Gear Automatic, 1 V, 10 V, 100 V Automatic, 20 mΩ, 200 mΩ, 2 Ω, 20 Ω, 200 Ω Instrument test signal frequency 1 Khz (AC) Rechargeable USB-C (5 V/1 A) Built-in battery 1000 mAh lithium battery User calibration Yes Sorting mode Yes History record Yes Recorded data export Yes Working environment –10°C to +45°C, relative humidity <80% Storage environment –20°C to +80°C, relative humidity <80% Dimensions 158.7 x 80.5 x 28.4 mm Weight 225 g Included 1x FNIRSI HRM-10 Internal Resistance Tester 1x Clip Test Line 1x USB-C data cable 1x Manual Downloads Manual Firmware V0.3

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This bundle includes both volumes of "KiCad Like a Pro" (4th edition 2024). In Fundamentals and Projects (normal price: €39.95), you'll learn how to use KiCad through a practical approach, helping you quickly become productive and start designing your own boards. Advanced Projects and Recipes (normal price: €34.95) allows you to practice your new KiCad skills by challenging yourself with a series of real-world projects. The latest iteration of KiCad, the world’s best free-to-use Printed Circuit Board tool, is packed with features usually found only in expensive commercial CAD tools. This modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors, with auxiliary applications is a stable and mature PCB tool. KiCad 8 is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to customize KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more Python scripting API Improved integrated SPICE circuit simulator Multi-sheet schematics Filters define selectable elements Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Advanced interactive router Built-in bill of materials generator Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Customizable teardrops Plug-in manager for quick installation of themes, libraries and functionalities such as autorouters and BOM generators The first book KiCad Like A Pro – Fundamentals and Projects will teach you to use KiCad through a practical approach. It will help you become productive quickly and start designing your own boards. Example projects illustrate the basic features of KiCad, even if you have no prior knowledge of PCB design. The author describes the entire workflow from schematic entry to the intricacies of finalizing the files for PCB production and offers sound guidance on the process. The second book KiCad Like A Pro – Advanced Projects and Recipes will help you to practice your new KiCad skills by challenging you in a series of real-world projects. The projects are supported by a comprehensive set of recipes with detailed instructions on how to achieve a variety of simple and complex tasks. Design the PCBs for a solar power supply, an LED matrix array, an Arduino-powered datalogger, and a custom ESP32 board. Understand the finer details of the interactive router, how to manage KiCad project teams with Git, how to use an autorouter on 2 and 4-layer PCBs, and much more.

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This bundle includes both volumes of "KiCad Like a Pro" (4th edition 2024). In Fundamentals and Projects (normal price: €49.95), you'll learn how to use KiCad through a practical approach, helping you quickly become productive and start designing your own boards. Advanced Projects and Recipes (normal price: €44.95) allows you to practice your new KiCad skills by challenging yourself with a series of real-world projects. The latest iteration of KiCad, the world’s best free-to-use Printed Circuit Board tool, is packed with features usually found only in expensive commercial CAD tools. This modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors, with auxiliary applications is a stable and mature PCB tool. KiCad 8 is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to customize KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more Python scripting API Improved integrated SPICE circuit simulator Multi-sheet schematics Filters define selectable elements Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Advanced interactive router Built-in bill of materials generator Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Customizable teardrops Plug-in manager for quick installation of themes, libraries and functionalities such as autorouters and BOM generators The first book KiCad Like A Pro – Fundamentals and Projects will teach you to use KiCad through a practical approach. It will help you become productive quickly and start designing your own boards. Example projects illustrate the basic features of KiCad, even if you have no prior knowledge of PCB design. The author describes the entire workflow from schematic entry to the intricacies of finalizing the files for PCB production and offers sound guidance on the process. The second book KiCad Like A Pro – Advanced Projects and Recipes will help you to practice your new KiCad skills by challenging you in a series of real-world projects. The projects are supported by a comprehensive set of recipes with detailed instructions on how to achieve a variety of simple and complex tasks. Design the PCBs for a solar power supply, an LED matrix array, an Arduino-powered datalogger, and a custom ESP32 board. Understand the finer details of the interactive router, how to manage KiCad project teams with Git, how to use an autorouter on 2 and 4-layer PCBs, and much more.

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Enhance your Raspberry Pi 5 with the Pironman 5, built with sturdy aluminum, superior cooling, NVMe M.2 SSD support, OLED display, RGB lighting, standard HDMI ports x2, and a secure power switch. It is perfect for NAS, Home Assistant, Media and Game Centers. The Pironman 5 is not just a case; it’s an upgrade that transforms your Raspberry Pi 5 into a powerful, efficient, and stylish device. The Pironman 5 includes the Pi 5 NVMe PIP (PCIe Peripheral Board), a PCIe adapter board specifically designed for NVMe solid-state drives. This board supports four sizes of NVMe SSDs: 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280, all of which can be installed in an M.2 M key slot. The connection is certified for Gen 2.0 speeds (5 GT/sec), but can be forced to Gen 3.0 (10 GT/sec) for faster performance. Expandable NVMe M.2 SSD Slot Boost your Raspberry Pi 5's performance with the Pironman 5's NVMe M.2 SSD slot, supporting multiple sizes (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280) for increased storage and faster system response. Advanced Cooling System Keep your Raspberry Pi 5 cool and stylish with the Pironman 5's tower cooler and dual RGB fans, featuring dust filters for durable, low-maintenance operation. OLED Display for Instant Insights The Pironman 5 includes a 0.96" OLED display, providing immediate updates on CPU and RAM usage, temperature, IP address, and more. Enhanced Functionality and Safety The Pironman 5 secures your Raspberry Pi 5 with features like safe shutdown, customizable RGB LEDs, HDMI ports, an IR receiver, and an external GPIO extender, enhancing functionality and connectivity. Features Raspberry Pi 5 mini PC 0.96" OLED Display showing Raspberry Pi’s CPU usage, temperature, disk usage, IP address, RAM usage etc. Tower cooler can cool a 100% CPU load Pi to 39°C at 25°C room temperature 2 RGB Fans, with GPIO control 1 PWM Fan on the Tower Cooler is controlled by the Raspberry Pi system. Supports four (PCIe Gen 2.0 / PCIe Gen 3.0) NVMe M.2 SSD sizes: 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280. 4 WS2812 Addressable RGB LED light up the whole case with cool light effect IR Receiver for multi-media center like Kodi or Volumio Retro metal power button for safe shut down External GPIO extender with pin name label, for easy access Equipped with a spring-loaded socket for easy card removal Aluminum main body with clear Acrylic side panel Features two standard HDMI ports Downloads Documentation

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Elektor GREEN and GOLD members can download their digital edition here. Not a member yet? Click here. Small Thermal Imaging CameraAn Arduino UNO-Based DIY Solution Project Update #3: ESP32-Based Energy MeterIntegration and Testing with Home Assistant 2024: An AI OdysseyEnhancing Object Detection: Integrating Refined Techniques Raspberry Pi Goes AINew Kit Incorporates M.2 HAT+ With AI Accelerator Weather Station SensorsWhich One Should You Choose? AI-Based Water Meter Reading (1)Get Your Old Meter Onto the IoT! A GSM AlarmHarnessing GSM Technology for Remote Garage Safety Low-Power Thread Devices Optimized and ScrutinizedLow Power … Low Effort? From Life’s ExperienceThe Gender Gap DIY Cloud ChamberMaking Invisible Radiation Visible SparkFun Thing Plus MatterA Versatile Matter-Based IoT Development Board IoT RetrofittingMaking RS-232 Devices Fit for Industry 4.0 Enabling IoT with 8-Bit MCUs Technology Drives SustainabilityAdvances Lead to More Efficient Use of Energy in Many Applications AWS for Arduino and Co. (1)Using AWS IoT ExpressLink in Real Life Airflow Detector Using Arduino OnlyNo External Sensors Needed! Water Leak DetectorConnected to Arduino Cloud CrystalsPeculiar Parts, the Series Universal Garden LoggerA Step Towards AI Gardening Analog 1 kHz GeneratorSine Waves with Low Distortion Miletus: Using Web Apps OfflineSystem and Device Access Included! From 4G to 5GIs It Such an Easy Step? Starting Out in Electronics……Balances Out

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Mastering PCB design with real-world projects This book builts on KiCad Like a Pro – Fundamentals and Projects and aims to help you practice your new KiCad skills by challenging you in a series of real-world projects. The projects are supported by a comprehensive set of recipes with detailed instructions on how to achieve a variety of simple and complex tasks. Design the PCBs for a solar power supply, an LED matrix array, an Arduino-powered datalogger, and a custom ESP32 board. Understand the finer details of the interactive router, how to manage KiCad project teams with Git, how to use an autorouter on 2 and 4-layer PCBs, and much more. KiCad 8 is a modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors. This stable and mature PCB tool is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. With KiCad 8, you can create PCBs of any complexity and size without the constraints associated with the commercial packages. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to fully customize the look of KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more An improved and tightly integrated SPICE circuit simulator Autorouting with the Freerouting plugin Filters define which elements of a layout are selectable Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Enhanced tool for creating filled zones A customizable coordinate system facilitates data exchange with other CAD applications Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Differential pair routing Rich repositories of symbol, footprint, and 3D shape libraries Python scripting API for programmatic customization and extensions Improved footprint wizard for fast custom footprints

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Mastering PCB design with real-world projects This book builts on KiCad Like a Pro – Fundamentals and Projects and aims to help you practice your new KiCad skills by challenging you in a series of real-world projects. The projects are supported by a comprehensive set of recipes with detailed instructions on how to achieve a variety of simple and complex tasks. Design the PCBs for a solar power supply, an LED matrix array, an Arduino-powered datalogger, and a custom ESP32 board. Understand the finer details of the interactive router, how to manage KiCad project teams with Git, how to use an autorouter on 2 and 4-layer PCBs, and much more. KiCad 8 is a modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors. This stable and mature PCB tool is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. With KiCad 8, you can create PCBs of any complexity and size without the constraints associated with the commercial packages. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to fully customize the look of KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more An improved and tightly integrated SPICE circuit simulator Autorouting with the Freerouting plugin Filters define which elements of a layout are selectable Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Enhanced tool for creating filled zones A customizable coordinate system facilitates data exchange with other CAD applications Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Differential pair routing Rich repositories of symbol, footprint, and 3D shape libraries Python scripting API for programmatic customization and extensions Improved footprint wizard for fast custom footprints

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Getting started with the world’s best open-source PCB tool The latest iteration of KiCad, the world’s best free-to-use Printed Circuit Board tool, is packed with features usually found only in expensive commercial CAD tools. This modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors, with auxiliary applications is a stable and mature PCB tool. KiCad 8 is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to customize KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more Python scripting API Improved integrated SPICE circuit simulator Multi-sheet schematics Filters define selectable elements Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Advanced interactive router Built-in bill of materials generator Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Customizable teardrops Plug-in manager for quick installation of themes, libraries and functionalities such as autorouters and BOM generators This book will teach you to use KiCad through a practical approach. It will help you become productive quickly and start designing your own boards. Example projects illustrate the basic features of KiCad, even if you have no prior knowledge of PCB design. The author describes the entire workflow from schematic entry to the intricacies of finalizing the files for PCB production and offers sound guidance on the process. Further full-fledged projects, of incremental difficulty, will be presented in a second book, together with a variety of advanced recipes.

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Getting started with the world’s best open-source PCB tool The latest iteration of KiCad, the world’s best free-to-use Printed Circuit Board tool, is packed with features usually found only in expensive commercial CAD tools. This modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors, with auxiliary applications is a stable and mature PCB tool. KiCad 8 is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and makers. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 8, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versions Improved and customizable electrical and design rule checkers Theme editor allowing you to customize KiCad on your screen Ability to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and more Python scripting API Improved integrated SPICE circuit simulator Multi-sheet schematics Filters define selectable elements Enhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precision New or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc. Advanced interactive router Built-in bill of materials generator Realistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewer Customizable teardrops Plug-in manager for quick installation of themes, libraries and functionalities such as autorouters and BOM generators This book will teach you to use KiCad through a practical approach. It will help you become productive quickly and start designing your own boards. Example projects illustrate the basic features of KiCad, even if you have no prior knowledge of PCB design. The author describes the entire workflow from schematic entry to the intricacies of finalizing the files for PCB production and offers sound guidance on the process. Further full-fledged projects, of incremental difficulty, will be presented in a second book, together with a variety of advanced recipes.

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An Introduction to Circuit Simulation LTspice, developed by Analog Devices, is a powerful, fast, and free SPICE simulator, schematic capture, and waveform viewer with a large database of components supported by SPICE models from all over the world. Drawing a schematic in LTspice is easy and fast. Thanks to its powerful graphing features, you can visualize the voltages and currents in a circuit, and also the power consumption of its components and much more. This book is about learning to design and simulate electronic circuits using LTspice. Among others, the following topics are treated: DC and AC circuits Signal diodes and Zener diodes Transistor circuits including oscillators Thyristor/SCR, diac, and triac circuits Operational amplifier circuits including oscillators The 555 timer IC Filters Voltage regulators Optocouplers Waveform generation Digital logic simulation including the 74HC family SPICE modeling LTspice is a powerful electronic circuit simulation tool with many features and possibilities. Covering them all in detail is not possible in a book of this size. Therefore, this book presents the most common topics like DC and AC circuit analysis, parameter sweeping, transfer functions, oscillators, graphing, etc. Although this book is an introduction to LTspice, it covers most topics of interest to people engaged in electronic circuit simulation. The book is aimed at electronic/electrical engineers, students, teachers, and hobbyists. Many tested simulation examples are given in the book. Readers do not need to have any computer programming skills, but it will help if they are familiar with basic electronic circuit design and operation principles. Readers who want to dive deeper can find many detailed tutorials, articles, videos, design files, and SPICE circuit models on the Internet. All the simulation examples used in the book are available as files at the webpage of this book. Readers can use these example circuits for learning or modify them for their own applications.

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An Introduction to Circuit Simulation LTspice, developed by Analog Devices, is a powerful, fast, and free SPICE simulator, schematic capture, and waveform viewer with a large database of components supported by SPICE models from all over the world. Drawing a schematic in LTspice is easy and fast. Thanks to its powerful graphing features, you can visualize the voltages and currents in a circuit, and also the power consumption of its components and much more. This book is about learning to design and simulate electronic circuits using LTspice. Among others, the following topics are treated: DC and AC circuits Signal diodes and Zener diodes Transistor circuits including oscillators Thyristor/SCR, diac, and triac circuits Operational amplifier circuits including oscillators The 555 timer IC Filters Voltage regulators Optocouplers Waveform generation Digital logic simulation including the 74HC family SPICE modeling LTspice is a powerful electronic circuit simulation tool with many features and possibilities. Covering them all in detail is not possible in a book of this size. Therefore, this book presents the most common topics like DC and AC circuit analysis, parameter sweeping, transfer functions, oscillators, graphing, etc. Although this book is an introduction to LTspice, it covers most topics of interest to people engaged in electronic circuit simulation. The book is aimed at electronic/electrical engineers, students, teachers, and hobbyists. Many tested simulation examples are given in the book. Readers do not need to have any computer programming skills, but it will help if they are familiar with basic electronic circuit design and operation principles. Readers who want to dive deeper can find many detailed tutorials, articles, videos, design files, and SPICE circuit models on the Internet. All the simulation examples used in the book are available as files at the webpage of this book. Readers can use these example circuits for learning or modify them for their own applications.

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The ZD-8965 is a digital temperature-controlled desoldering station equipped with ground protection and an LCD screen for temperature display. Despite its compact and robust design, this high-power desoldering station is easy to operate with just one hand. The ZD-8965 features a soldering gun with an integrated filter that captures any extracted material, allowing for continuous operation by simply replacing the filters. Additionally, a temperature sensor is embedded in the tip, enabling rapid response to temperature fluctuations for consistent performance. Features Effortlessly adjust the temperature between 160°C and 480°C using the convenient up/down buttons on the front panel. LED display to indicate the temperature in °C/°F Features an ergonomic pistol grip with a trigger for quick and efficient solder waste removal. The upgraded soldering gun includes a rear trigger, making it exceptionally convenient for replacing and cleaning components. Comes with a high-quality soldering gun and a sturdy holder. Equipped with a heavy-duty heater that ensures optimal desoldering performance every time. Specifications Station Voltage supply 220-240 V Power 140 W Vakuum pressure 600 mm HG Desoldering Gun Power 140 W (18 V DC)Heat up rating: 140 W Temperature 160-480°C (320-896°F) Heating element Ceramic heater Included 1x ZD-8965 Desoldering station 2x Spare soldering tips 3x Cleaning needles for desoldering tips 3x Spare filter for desoldering gun 1x Spare filter for desoldering station 1x Manual

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