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IronOS supports a variety of soldering irons from different manufacturers. Each device has unique characteristics and capabilities that affect its performance and compatibility.

Supported Devices

TS100

The TS100 was the first supported soldering iron and remains fully supported.
  • Voltage Range: 9-25V DC
  • Power: Determined by input voltage
  • Performance: Voltages below 12V don’t work well for substantial mass
  • Status: Generally not recommended for new purchases as other devices offer more features at similar prices
  • Connector: DC barrel jack

TS101

Direct replacement for the TS100 with the same tip compatibility.
  • Voltage Range: Supports up to 28V EPR under both IronOS and official firmware
  • Power Delivery: USB-C PD support
  • Tip Mechanism: Spring pressure holding (easier swapping, less secure than screw)
  • MCU: STM32 clone with quirks affecting screen performance
  • Bootloader: Programming can be challenging; updates needed less frequently
  • Note: Miniware bootup logo is burned into bootloader and cannot be removed

TS80

Successor to TS100 with custom smaller tips optimized for lower wattages.
  • Voltage: 9V/2A
  • Protocol: Quick Charge 3.0 (QC3) only
  • Max Power: 18W
  • Connector: USB-A (older power banks)
  • Important: Does NOT support USB-PD and will not work with USB-C power supplies in most cases

TS80P

Direct successor to TS80 with improved power compatibility.
  • Quick Charge: 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A (18W max)
  • Power Delivery: 9V/3A & 12V/3A (30W max)
  • Connector: USB-C
  • Tip Removal: Faster mechanism than TS80
  • Note: Requires valid PD device supporting 12V/3A to achieve full 30W potential; otherwise falls back to 9V/18W

MHP30

Mini Hot Plate with different internal architecture.
  • Accelerometer: MSA301 (mounted in middle of unit)
  • USB-PD: FUSB302 chip
  • I2C Bus: Hardware I2C on PB6/7 for MSA301 and FUSB302
  • Display: SSD1306 OLED on bit-banged bus
  • DC/DC: Contains buck DC/DC converter (unlike other devices)

Pinecil

First model from PINE64 with full schematic availability.
  • Schematics: Available on Pine64 Wiki
  • Support: Only vendor providing financial support and direct engineering team contact
  • Voltage Range: Wide input voltage support via USB-C PD
  • Special Features: Unpopulated hall effect sensor footprint (U14) for optional auto-sleep
  • Firmware: Designed with IronOS in mind

Key Technical Notes

No DC/DC Converters (Except MHP30)

All devices except the MHP30 do NOT contain DC/DC converters. This means:
  • Power at the tip is a direct function of supplied voltage
  • Higher voltage PSU = higher performance
  • Always use voltage near the upper limit where possible
  • PD adapters are highly recommended as they allow the iron to know supply limitations

Power Control Mechanism

Irons can only turn the tip on and off in software (PWM control). They cannot control maximum power drawn from the supply. When using PD, the iron may select a lower voltage than your power supply’s maximum to prevent over-current failures. For more information about power management, see the Power documentation.

Vendor Support

Miniware (TS100/TS80/TS80P)

No longer provides source code, schematics, or support for open source firmware. Only TS100/TS80/TS80P are “open” to any extent. This can slow support for issues or new features.

Sequre (S60)

Has provided schematics, showing support for the open source community.

Pine64 (Pinecil)

  • Provides downloadable schematics on Pine64 Wiki
  • Only vendor with financial support for IronOS project
  • Direct access to engineering teams for hardware issues
  • Devices designed with IronOS in mind
  • Results in generally better and faster support

Tip Resistance Values

Tip resistance affects power delivery (P = V² ÷ Ω):
  • 6.2Ω: Pine64 short tip
  • 8.0Ω: TS100/Pinecil long tip
  • 4.5Ω: TS80(P)
Higher voltage with same resistance delivers significantly more power due to the squared relationship.

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