iFixit Starts Making Its Own USB-C Soldering Iron

Soldering iron technology has not seen any innovation that can make it unique. The most popular soldering iron options look and work like they are from decades ago. 

That is about to change now. The engineers at iFixit, an electronic repair startup, have come up with the new FixHub devices. iFixit has launched a new and standalone Smart Soldering Iron and portable Soldering Station. Both the devices are compact, lightweight, and are powered by USB-C. 

The USB-C soldering iron is not a new idea or concept but the iFixit’s take on this is interesting. The company says that the FixHub project resulted from the personal frustration of the founder, Kyle Wiens. One time he had to run an extension cord through a parking lot just to fix a car stereo. 

The Smart Soldering Iron from iFixit is available for just $80. That is the average range of the traditional soldering irons available in the market. Smart Soldering iron from iFixit comes with a USB-C port on the end that allows you to connect to any high-wattage USB power delivery source, including a wall plug or battery. 

It comes with a heat-resistant magnetic storage cap to safely put it away after use. It also has an LED light to indicate that it’s blistering hot and also has motion sensors to automatically shut it off If you set it down for a while or it falls from your hand. The triangular grip at the end makes sure that it does not roll on a surface. 

There is also a power switch at the top of the soldering iron to turn it off completely without having to remove the cable. 

If you want a power supply for your portable soldering iron, you can also go for the $250 kit that includes a 55-watt-hour battery. The battery provides 100W of power required to hit the melting point of lead-free solder in four seconds. 

The new FixHub from iFixit is now available for pre-order in the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe. They will start shipping the product from Oct 15.

Alap Naik Desai

Tech Journalist