IFixit announced a USB-C "smart" soldering iron for precision work away from the mains, and a cellphone-sized 100W battery/control box to go with it. Together, they're the Fixhub, but the iron will work from any USB-C power source that provides at least 35W (65W is recommended).
The ultimate soldering toolkit for precision work, wherever you are.
The Soldering Toolkit has everything you need to solder at home or on the go, housed in a durable tool roll. This kit is ideal for professionals and hobbyists alike, with high-quality tools designed for precision and convenience.
Take your workbench with you with the Soldering Toolkit. At its core is our Power Series Portable Soldering Station, an innovative 100W Power Station, and Smart Soldering Iron combo that offers 8 hours of continuous benchtop-level soldering without access to wall power.
It's the "last soldiering iron you'll ever need," writes Hackaday's Tom Nardi in a very positive review—a big improvement on existing battery-powered models.
Fixit really blew me away with the Portable Soldering System. I knew they would put a solid effort into the product from their reputation alone, but even still, I wasn't expecting the hardware and software to be this polished. iFixit didn't just raise the bar, they sent it into orbit.
But all this comes at a price. Literally. The Smart Soldering Iron alone will set you back $79.95, and if you want to get the Power Station along with it, the combo comes in at $249.95. You could get a nice soldering station from Weller or Hakko for half the price. Then again, it's hard to compare what iFixit is offering here to anything else on the market.
It even has a serial interface!
There was no mention of this terminal interface in any of the documentation I received from iFixit, but thanks to the built-in help function and tab completion, I was able to make my way around the various tools and functions. I never knew how badly I yearned to adjust the temperature on my soldering station from the command line before this moment. There's clearly a lot of potential here, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the community can come up given this level of control.
