<![CDATA[“Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.”]]>“Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.”

“How’s he doing.”

“Take a seat.”

“Oh no.”

“Unfortunately, and there is no easy way to say this, we looked at your Iron, and, well, we found something.”

“Please, just give it to me straight.”

“Ok, well we found, and I’m so sorry, we found, firmware.”

“It has firmware?”

“Yes.”

“But it’s a soldering iron?”

“Yes.”

“So there is nothing you can do for it?”

“Unfortunately, when a tool has firmware, it’s always fatal. There is nothing we can do. I am very sorry.”

“But, it’s so young. I only got it like a month or so ago?”

“Sadly, we often see firmware on younger tools.”

“But it was fine yesterday, like totally fine?!”

“With any kind of firmware, it can just, you know, stop working.”

“What am I gonna tell the kids?!”

“Obviously you know your kids better than me, but as a general rule, I always tell people that kids appreciate honesty, and are more resilient than you might think. Be honest.”

“But how?”

“Just tell them, you were drawn in by the features, rather than just a functional thing, so that’s why you got it.”

“Ah man this is going to be rough.”

“Would you like to see him?”

“Not like this.”

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/bea285eb-4593-4cdf-8c2e-95b62d03d39e/hi-my-name-s-david-i-m-one-of-the-repair-techs-here-i-v-been-looking-after-your-broken-soldering-iron-today.RSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 01:51:09 GMTSun, 10 May 2026 19:42:09 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 16:52:40 GMT]]>@Walruths @SecureOwl fantastic reply

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/jfaulken/statuses/116556979305251162https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.gamedev.place/users/jfaulken/statuses/116556979305251162Mon, 11 May 2026 16:52:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 14:48:47 GMT]]>@SecureOwl And there's me still using Dad's WWII 1ft long
(ex RN?) soldering iron - the only repair to which has been to replace the original cloth covered cable a couple of years ago. What have I been missing!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://cupoftea.social/ap/users/116476523199603842/statuses/116556492172387482https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://cupoftea.social/ap/users/116476523199603842/statuses/116556492172387482Mon, 11 May 2026 14:48:47 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 13:35:34 GMT]]>@guenther @SecureOwl
My first soldering iron as an electronics mad lad was made for me by a toolmaker.
He worked at a leading research centre.
They hadn't even thought of firmware then.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/markhburton/statuses/116556204243717271https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/markhburton/statuses/116556204243717271Mon, 11 May 2026 13:35:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 12:24:30 GMT]]>@SecureOwl that last line is so cruel, who says something like that

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/guenther/statuses/116555924819220363https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/guenther/statuses/116555924819220363Mon, 11 May 2026 12:24:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 09:11:48 GMT]]>@SecureOwl PID

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.treehouse.systems/users/felipe/statuses/116555167074940385https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.treehouse.systems/users/felipe/statuses/116555167074940385Mon, 11 May 2026 09:11:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 08:56:59 GMT]]>@SecureOwl But wait, there's something that can be done: Open Source Firmware. https://ralim.github.io/IronOS/

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/preya/statuses/116555108788544787https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/preya/statuses/116555108788544787Mon, 11 May 2026 08:56:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 05:50:46 GMT]]>@_aD @SecureOwl
You have to understand, denial is the first stage of grief.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://det.social/users/otter_linnus/statuses/116554376581425772https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://det.social/users/otter_linnus/statuses/116554376581425772Mon, 11 May 2026 05:50:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 01:11:01 GMT]]>@SecureOwl
"Please, paw, don't put old Weller down!!"

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Walruths/statuses/116553276544455550https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/Walruths/statuses/116553276544455550Mon, 11 May 2026 01:11:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 01:07:11 GMT]]>@WiteWulf @SecureOwl if you aren't using a soldering iron with some firmware on it, you really are missing out on the benefit of modern temperature control loops.

Generic T12 stations seem to be the best value for the buck, the precise temperature control makes a lot of otherwise tricky soldering job a piece of cake, such as surface-mount work or using lead-free solder. I don't think Hakko even makes a T12 station anymore, though they do still make T12 tips.

Generic C245 and C210 stations seem to be where it's at, assuming you are willing to spend a bit more, and are willing to spend more on tips. Still way less than a genuine JBC station, though.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ioc.exchange/users/leon_p_smith/statuses/116553261504129946https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ioc.exchange/users/leon_p_smith/statuses/116553261504129946Mon, 11 May 2026 01:07:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 00:56:55 GMT]]>@katzenberger @SecureOwl "A candle?... A candle!"

"Luxury!!"

"We 'ad to generate t' heat by rubbing our hands together, and... let me tell ya... that was pretty rough on little 'One-hand Billy'. "

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/level98/statuses/116553221094584668https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/level98/statuses/116553221094584668Mon, 11 May 2026 00:56:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 00:39:52 GMT]]>@FritzAdalis @SecureOwl @Viss nothing. It's one that does the "has firmware" business right. It's the closed products that get you.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bitbang.social/users/overeducatedredneck/statuses/116553154044519756https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://bitbang.social/users/overeducatedredneck/statuses/116553154044519756Mon, 11 May 2026 00:39:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 00:15:18 GMT]]>@Guillotine_Jones @SecureOwl 😥

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/mek2600/statuses/116553057453247745https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/mek2600/statuses/116553057453247745Mon, 11 May 2026 00:15:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Mon, 11 May 2026 00:03:07 GMT]]>@mek2600 @SecureOwl
Too soon?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/Guillotine_Jones/statuses/116553009530678463https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/Guillotine_Jones/statuses/116553009530678463Mon, 11 May 2026 00:03:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 23:25:52 GMT]]>@aburka @FritzAdalis I have a 1st generation Pinecil, and it's always worked well. But, I've also never updated the firmware, because it's always worked well.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/GamesMissed/statuses/116552863064928372https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/GamesMissed/statuses/116552863064928372Sun, 10 May 2026 23:25:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 23:15:34 GMT]]>@FritzAdalis @SecureOwl @Viss firmware

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/aburka/statuses/116552822601064832https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/aburka/statuses/116552822601064832Sun, 10 May 2026 23:15:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 23:13:29 GMT]]>@SecureOwl but he can't be dead, he's still sending me e-mails!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://avatastic.uk/users/avatastic/statuses/116552814412981885https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://avatastic.uk/users/avatastic/statuses/116552814412981885Sun, 10 May 2026 23:13:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 21:22:39 GMT]]>@SecureOwl

When I was young, we didn't have "soldering irons". All we had was a rusty nail that we held between our finger tips, a candle, and old pewter mugs…

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/users/katzenberger/statuses/116552378610117231https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tldr.nettime.org/users/katzenberger/statuses/116552378610117231Sun, 10 May 2026 21:22:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 21:21:36 GMT]]>@SecureOwl "I'd also advise you not to post about this on social media. We've found that strangers will clamour to this sort of news and will try to tell you that their devices have firmware and they're great, they work fine, the firmware improves them. You'll want to reply, to try to help them understand, but they'll resent you and you'll exhaust yourself."

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/_aD/statuses/116552374420415454https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/_aD/statuses/116552374420415454Sun, 10 May 2026 21:21:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 21:01:59 GMT]]>@SecureOwl @Viss
Wait, what's wrong with the Pinecil?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/FritzAdalis/statuses/116552297334014629https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/FritzAdalis/statuses/116552297334014629Sun, 10 May 2026 21:01:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 20:51:03 GMT]]>@SecureOwl lots of nerds have soldering irons with firmware. Let me tell you, they are marvellous devices!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://cyberplace.social/users/WiteWulf/statuses/116552254336729516https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://cyberplace.social/users/WiteWulf/statuses/116552254336729516Sun, 10 May 2026 20:51:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 20:15:53 GMT]]>@mek2600 @SecureOwl

At least it's a merciful and fast death. Some gadgets suffer way longer on creeping featurism. It's unbearable to watch.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://det.social/users/otter_linnus/statuses/116552116051687909https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://det.social/users/otter_linnus/statuses/116552116051687909Sun, 10 May 2026 20:15:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to “Hi, my name’s David, I’m one of the repair techs here, I’v been looking after your broken soldering iron today.” on Sun, 10 May 2026 19:55:56 GMT]]>@SecureOwl I really don't think people should be making jokes like this. This is how my meat thermometer died. 😢

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/mek2600/statuses/116552037603277279https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/mek2600/statuses/116552037603277279Sun, 10 May 2026 19:55:56 GMT