Summary of OTTER-IRON: POWER YOUR SOLDERING IRON OVER USB-C PD
The TS-100 soldering iron is limited by low power output. Jan Henrik's "Otter Iron" project replaces the original PCB with a USB-C PD compatible board, enabling up to 100W of power for portable use. This upgrade allows the iron to run off standard USB-C power banks while costing less than the stock unit. The firmware and GUI are functional, though tasks like current measurement and UI improvements remain in progress.
Parts used in the Otter Iron:
- Drop-in replacement PCB
- TS-100 case
- TS-100 tip
- USB-C PD power bank
- Fuse holder (recreated by Timon)
- Barrel jack (planned addition)
Okay, you’ve probably seen 20 different TS-100 hacks, for example, this, this and this but this improvement by Jan Henrik is on another level. For a soldering iron, the TS-100 seems to work quite well and its popularity, having only debuted 3 years ago, speaks volumes of this. It is relatively inexpensive, comes with temperature control, light-weight and portable, but a somewhat noticeable shortcoming is its inability to deliver as much power as most regular irons in the market, and while another version with higher power delivery, the TS-80 exists, it comes at a way higher price.
To improve this, Jan Henrik, developed an entirely new drop-in replacement PCB that converts the TS-100 into a USB-C PD powered soldering iron, making it absolutely awesome for soldering on the go, since you could power the iron from a normal USB-C PD power bank and also attain higher power since the USB-C PD is capped at 100W, which is 5 times the regular product!
Jan calls this upgrade the “Otter Iron” as he notes in a tweet, where he shared details of the project along with the cost slash features which puts his PCB + the TS-100 case + the TS-100 tip + some other parts combined, at a price cheaper than the original TS-100.
According to Jan, a bulk of the tasks around the project has been done, with the firmware all sorted, along with the GUI and temperature regulator. His demonstrations of the Iron handling a desoldering task with ease shows the functionalities are good, and its replicability has been confirmed by a few individuals who reported successfully building their own version of the Otter-Iron.
The project as most of Jan’s projects is properly documented on his Github page with some of the few remaining tasks highlighted. Some of the tasks include:
- Current measurement
- Better Fonts/UI for Display
- PD-Profile cycling
- Adding a barrel jack
- Adding a grounding solution
The Project is already receiving contribution from several hobbyists like Timon who has already recreated the fuse holder for the TS-100, which was the only part missing from Jan’s PCB.
Read more: OTTER-IRON: POWER YOUR SOLDERING IRON OVER USB-C PD
- What is the main improvement of the Otter Iron?
It converts the TS-100 into a USB-C PD powered soldering iron capable of delivering up to 100W. - How much power can the upgraded iron deliver?
The USB-C PD interface caps power delivery at 100W, which is five times the regular product. - Can the Otter Iron be powered by a portable battery?
Yes, it can be powered from a normal USB-C PD power bank for on-the-go soldering. - Is the cost of this upgrade cheaper than the original TS-100?
Yes, the combined cost of the PCB, case, tip, and parts is cheaper than the original TS-100. - Are there any remaining tasks for the project?
Remaining tasks include current measurement, better fonts/UI for the display, PD-profile cycling, adding a barrel jack, and a grounding solution. - Has anyone successfully built their own version?
Yes, replicability has been confirmed by individuals who reported successfully building their own version. - Where is the project documentation located?
The project is documented on Jan's Github page. - Who contributed a missing part to the project?
Timon recreated the fuse holder for the TS-100, which was the only part missing from Jan's PCB.
