How do you guys feel about a switch mode soldering iron????


The reason I am asking because

but that's just my opinion of putting a microprocessor in everything you can fit one in.

But many years ago I picked up one of these

Sad to say but it died and only ran for a short time ... But I opened it up and what a nightmare ... The PCB was a complete hack job at best...

 

Perhaps this is one of the reasons...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-24707337

 

Please pardon the " Compu-yell " I HAVE BEEN SAYING WHAT NERDEGUTTAS' LINK SPELLS OUT FOR YEARS !!!

Regardless of who makes the item, chip design engineers can put anything they want into those things, and your innocent cell-phone turns into a venue to listen in on you, or track you whether "E-911" is turned on or not... and how does one go about detecting the snoops...??? Not to mention, that "they" can find you with one of the literal millions of random "surveillance" cameras extant everywhere !!!

I don't want to come across as a " Paranoid Pete " nonetheless, I find it hard to trust these 'miracle makers'

 

How do you guys feel about a switch mode soldering iron????

Nothing wrong with that. A few watts of energy not wasted by a line powered transformer seems completely harmless.

 

Nothing wrong with that. A few watts of energy not wasted by a line powered transformer seems completely harmless.

Seems like a good idea - but how robust is it?!

 

How robust is a switching supply? Thousands of them are working properly at this moment.

Of course, there are ways to do it poorly. I guess it depends on who built it.