SDG #307 Miniware TS1C Cordless Soldering Iron

The Miniware TS1C takes the familiar TS80P formula and cuts the cord, storing energy in a 3.8V 750F supercapacitor inside a 140mm, 62g plastic handpiece that drops into a Bluetooth-linked charging cradle. Cartridges are shared with the TS80P, so tip choice and thermal performance are effectively unchanged; the novelty is entirely in how power gets to the tip.

The review covers both halves of the system properly. The cradle teardown shows a USB-C PD input feeding a DC-DC converter and a CH579 ARM Cortex-M0 with an integrated BLE 4.2 radio driving the OLED and current sensing for charge monitoring. Inside the handpiece, a flex PCB carries charge current from the cradle contacts, with a large inductor on the rigid board boosting the supercap voltage up for the cartridge. One genuine build concern is flagged: the flex sits directly across two screw terminals above a ground plane, and Kapton tape is added as insurance against a short across a very high energy store.

Calibration is checked against a thermocouple at 330C and again at 375C, and it tracks the setpoint closely, which is reassuring. The real limitation is energy, not accuracy. On higher thermal mass work the supercap drains fast, triggering a low power warning and eventually shutting the heater off, with roughly 30 seconds in the cradle needed before soldering can resume and about seven minutes for a full charge.

The verdict is pragmatic: not an upgrade for existing TS80P owners, but genuinely useful for automotive or field work, occasional hobby soldering, and anyone who values a real cradle. Note that no PD supply is included and 45W is required.