Question 1

What makes it smarter than other soldering irons ?

Accepted Answer

Where to start?  Everything, it punches so far beyond its weight class.  Short list;
-RISC-V processor (open source aswell)
-Temperature monitoring takes place from the tip and reads back to the microcontroller.  This allows for almost instant compensation when working in different condition, say you dab the iron on a wet sponge, etc,
-Custom functions, power/sleep/so many options to list
-It heats up insanely fast and obviously usb-c is a huge plus as well
-The iron cost 30 bucks, Amazon marks it up a bit but my god this is a dollar store price for an iron that works as well if not better than the Sainsmart offerings (ts100 & ts80/p). I know because I own them all.
-Accepts standard and readily available ts 100 tips.
-again, it’s 30 dollars stop thinking just buy trust me.

Compare this to a “soldering station” most beginners buy which would be 2 in specific:
-Hakko FX888
-Weller (something something) they are both about 100 bucks.  They both also operate off of completely archaic methods, you have no control over your tip besides the temp limit you set on the supply; I.e. there’s no feedback from the tip itself to the power- they’re so primitive and clunky.  I have those irons as well and the only only only thing they are good for is slapping a big honkin tip on to solder a lug or desolate a large area of components quickly.  
Other than that they are inefficient and don nothing more than get hot. Slowly too I should add.

Only way to level up from here is getting into the big names intelligent irons from jbc, Hakko and weller of course sell high end proper stations but way way expensive.  Funny thing is they all work the way the 30$ pinecil does, with a little more power(a lot actually) and nice big stations to rest the iron, clean it, change handles, yadda yadda.

Pinecil=dirt cheap bare bones version of a professional soldering station with an Mcu running open source software and has great features.

Cons: no holder/ tip cleaning tools/ power supply.
Con #2:  you may feel bad after buying it that you didn’t get one sooner and wasted lots of money on other way overrated units.

Grab your usb c wall watt for your MacBook or whatever is lying around and plug her in. (Note some usb-c pd/qc devices will not support full power or power at all, but it’s not nearly as big of an issue as some make it out to be!)

Whoops that was a long answer

Question 2

Are extra tips available to buy for this solder?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it uses a standard TS100 tip. You can also order them from the Pine64 website.

Question 3

Is a 12 volt lifepo4 battery compatible with this solder?

Accepted Answer

This thing really needs a good amount of juice. I had a ZeroLemon ToughJuice for my previous protable, and it wouldn't push enough to power the Pinecil. If your battery bank can support PD at 65W it should work. If not, I wouldn't count on it.

Question 4

Can i use ts100 tips on this unit?

Accepted Answer

Yes

Brand	PINE64
Specific Uses For Product	Residential Use
Power Source	Corded Electric
Wattage	36 watts
Special Feature	Portable
Included Components	USB
Handle Material	Stainless Steel
Style	Pencil
Item Length	155 Millimeters
Item Weight	60 Grams
Upper Temperature Rating	400 Degrees Celsius
Head Style	soldering tip
Burner type	Ceramic
UPC	850796007840
Manufacturer	PINE64
Part Number	PINECIL-BB2
Item Weight	2.12 ounces
Item model number	‎PINECIL-BB2
Size	Small
Material	stainless_steel, pine, iron, carbon
Item Package Quantity	1
Special Features	Portable
Batteries Included?	No
Batteries Required?	No

PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron, Small

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