Parkside soldering iron secret calibration mode A1 model

Note that this only applies to the A1 version. A newer B version may not have this feature, but there will be a way to regulate the heat.

After my video showing the circuitry of the Lidl Parkside soldering iron, and how a physical component change could allow the default ferocious 500 Celsius tip temperature to be customised, a few viewers got in touch and described a calibration mode that you can access via the single button on the front. Here's how it seems to work:-

Allow the iron to come up to temperature so the LED lights green.

To lower the tip temperature, press and hold the button until the LED turns red.
Press the button repeatedly with roughly one press per 4 degrees Celsius.
During the pressing the LED will light solid green to show that it is registering the presses.
When finished, wait for the LED to go red again and then press and hold the button until it goes back to normal mode with the static green LED.

To increase the tip temperature, press and hold the button until the LED first turns red and then starts flashing green.
Press the button repeatedly with roughly one press per 4 degrees Celsius.
During the pressing the LED will light solid green to show that it is registering the presses.
When finished, wait for the LED to start flashing green again and then press and hold the button until it goes back to normal mode with the static green LED.

Some experimentation may be required, as I got variable results suggesting that button press timing may be critical. (fast presses seem to work best.)

I'm not sure if this adjustment is documented somewhere or if someone worked it out by using the "press and hold to see if something happens" trick. Kudos to the person who discovered this.

Using this technique can bring the tip temperature down from the default 480/500C to a more suitable tin/lead soldering temperature with about 26 presses in "red" mode. If your iron is "smoking" the solder and making it dark and crusty very quickly, then doing this will extend the life of the bits greatly, and also result in a much faster warm-up time of just 30 seconds.

If you go too far and the solder isn't melting correctly (lead free?) you can nudge it up again by entering "green flashing" mode and doing three clicks to nudge it up about 12C at a time as needed.

If you have a soldering iron temperature tester, then the unit does seem to respond in real time when in the calibration mode, allowing for the irons thermal inertia. So you can theoretically leave it in calibration mode while nudging the temperature up or down one click at a time before exiting calibration.

Let me know if this works for you, noting that later models may change the software or default temperature over time. This version has model number PLSA 20-Li A1


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