Alright, thanks. The viewing angles seem fine for sure, then. Iāve had some older thinkpads where the screen was nearly black after like 20 degrees of rotation, thatās all I was really concerned about. Also wow, that boot time is better than I expected.
I checked again, I was clearly counting in hippopotamusā rather than Aligators, so I tested my workings
I dont have an SD card handy to compare boot times, but will dig one out and let you know
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Really compelling indeed!
Thanks for the hint!
They do have some great stuff!
And not having to pay for a shitty OS like Windows or (moneygods forbid) Macā¦ you are sure to get a decent deal!
Thatās one reason I always try to support them!
Also interested in that one, @Pilgrimsmaster:
So thanks for your review!
(which Iāll reply separately not to overflow replies)
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so much so Iām trying to figure out if I want 9 tips 
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Thatās the whole gist of Linux! 
Welcome to the dark side! We got penguins!
It started like that for me. 
Sounds good for the spec!
Also great times from the SD!
Especially if youāre used to windows boot times! 
I recommend you try building an SD based Arch Linux, @Pilgrimsmasterā¦
not only you might reach 12 seconds boot from the SD card on an arch+i3 image.
And more importantly, if you are interested in the inner workings of a Linux system, that ordeal will get you to understand some particularitires of it, one way or another! 
Althoughā¦ it is an ordeal.
Same here!
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Thought Iād throw this here as well for anyone who is ordering the Pinecil:
This is the wiki page with all of the schematics (for the mainboard and the breakout board) and datasheets for every major component used. Some of the info there is really interesting, mainly looking at that breakout board PCB layout and schematic. Looks like it has SPI, I2C, UART, and JTAG, along with spots to tap into the USB data pins. Should be great for tinkering. Iām assuming theyāll add even more info to that page in the coming weeks, too. Iām hoping they publish 3D models for the casing, would be nice to be able to 3D print my own housing (a ton of people did that with the TS100).
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well I just bought one plus all extra tips - thanks to everyone who indirectly pushed me over the edge
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I think that would be a far more appropriate name, tbf!
I do appreciate!! Although my spelling is a mess! I go from US to UK to AU, toā¦ WTF?
ps: I begun replying on the original threadā¦ came back nowā¦ took me a short while to understand you moved it here, @Pilgrimsmaster!
Angerou Things! my favourite band
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Lol, why would you need a smart soldering iron? I solder professionally and all I need is a hot stick. Iāve definitely noticed benefits when I use irons with a quality base station that pumps out more current in response to readings from a thermocouple in the tip, but I kinda doubt a USB-C powered iron can muster enough juice to do that
I guess if you didnāt have an iron at all, and you needed one that was cheap but portable? I still donāt understand the āreprogrammabilityā though. Like, what are you gonna do, improve on the PID equations? Unlikely. Seems like a cash grab.
The extent of soldering iron logic:
If cold then hot
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From Wikipedia:
USB Power Delivery uses one of CC1, CC2 pins for power negotiation up to 20 V at 5 A (or whatever less the source can provide).
So, with the right source, quite doable.
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Thereās always the matter of people using janky USB-C cables not designed for power delivery and dumb or weak USB adapters that canāt support the current spikes. Weāll see how it performs.
If everything goes perfectly it might perform adequately. In which case I would have rather put that deceptively low $25 (and the extra $50 for the tips) towards a better iron.
The success of the TS100 shows that there is indeed a massive market for reprogrammable smart soldering irons. USB-C irons are nothing new, I mentioned the TS80 at times. They pull enough current just fine with USB PD.
As for why someone would want a smart iron:
- Auto cool down when movement isnāt detected, heating back up when picked up
- Being able to hold a button for āboostā mode whenever youāre soldering a larger component
- Saved temperatures
- Can be ran off of 4S or 6S battery packs in the field
The integrated heater design of the TS100 tips increases cost per tip, but they heat up way faster (10-12 seconds to get to full heat). Only the very tip gets hot, making it safer to use as well.
The reprogrammability isnāt necessary, no, but PINE64 is a company that focuses on open source products. Being able to compile my own firmware and flash it is just another extension of what theyāve worked for for the last few years. On my previous iron, I reflashed the firmware with a community version. That allowed me to change the boot logo, get integrated battery readings, and more.
Even if you donāt have a need for a smart iron, for a lot of people theyāre nice to have.
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I have had a play with Kali, Debian, Manjaro, so I will give Arch Linux a spin. Thanks.
I am also āfamiliarā with Retro Arch on my Raspberry Pi, but I donāt really directly interact with itā¦
Also
https://www.redbubble.com/people/DangerousThings/shop
Yeah I set this up a while back but never finished perfecting it
For a second there I thought you said āsuccess of the T1000 showsā and was going to go on about the eradication of the human infestation.
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What soldering iron would you recommend? The size, temperature control and cost of the Pinecil makes it very attractive to me coming from a fixed temperature Goot iron. Especially for lead free / SMD.
Many people start out using 15-40W unregulated irons with ceramic heaters, so I think even just 18W far closer to the tip would work just fine (TS80). Thereās a new one with 30W (TS80P iirc) too. The Pinecil will draw 3A at 12-24V, so 36W minimum.
If you want to learn more about the firmware, see here GitHub - Ralim/IronOS: Open Source Soldering Iron firmware.
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Personally I have an Aoyue 968A+:
Most people donāt need a hot air rework station though, so for a quality budget iron I would probably select something like an AT-937 50W like those sold by Adafruit and SparkFun:
Your call though. Like I said, all you need is a hot stick and the rest is just maintaining best practices. I donāt need technology intended for such a simple purpose to start taking autonomous actions on me, it will just get in the way.
They only work on 110V - Iām in a 240V country. Oh well, Pinecil will be interesting if nothing else.
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