Pinecil V2
The Pinecil V2 is a $26 portable USB-C PD soldering iron from Pine64 built around the RISC-V Bouffalo BL706 chip with BLE 5.0 for OTA firmware updates. It runs IronOS, the open-source soldering firmware, hits 300°C in 6 seconds, and supports up to 60W with a 20V USB-C PD supply.
Best portable iron for makers — if you have a real 20V PD supply.
Where to Buy
Pros
- $26 price puts it under half the cost of comparable TS101 and Hakko stations
- USB-C PD 3.0 up to 60W heats the tip to 300°C in just 6 seconds
- 0.69-inch OLED + IronOS firmware shows real-time temperature, power, and tip resistance
- BLE 5.0 OTA firmware updates via the IronOS app keep features current
- TS101-compatible tips give a wide selection of conical, chisel, and bevel shapes
Cons
- Needs a true 20V PD supply for full 60W — most laptop chargers cap at 15V/45W
- Tips wear out every 100-200 hours of use and need replacement
- Some bundles ship without a USB-C cable, forcing a separate purchase
- BLE OTA updates require the IronOS Android app — no iOS support yet
USB-C PD Power Delivery and the 60W Reality
The Pinecil V2 negotiates USB-C Power Delivery up to 20V at 3A, drawing a peak of 60W when the supply can provide it. This is the headline number, but the reality is that most USB-C chargers people already own do not deliver 20V. A typical 45W laptop charger negotiates at 15V/3A or 9V/3A, which limits the Pinecil to roughly 25W — enough for through-hole work but slow on heavy ground planes. To unlock the full 60W, you need a charger labeled 65W or higher with explicit 20V/3A support. Anker, RAVPower, and UGREEN all sell 65W+ PD chargers in the $25-35 range that work flawlessly.
The BL706 chip handles PD negotiation natively without needing an external trigger module. When you plug in, the OLED shows the negotiated voltage, current draw, and resulting wattage — you see immediately whether your charger is supplying full power. This is genuinely useful diagnostic feedback that no other iron in this price range provides. If you see 15V/45W, you know the charger is the bottleneck rather than the iron.
For cordless operation, USB-C PD power banks rated at 65W or higher (such as the Anker 737 or Baseus Blade) provide hours of full-power soldering on a single charge. This is the killer feature: a cordless soldering iron that hits 60W with no compromise versus AC operation. Carry one battery and one Pinecil and you have a complete soldering setup that fits in a small pouch.
IronOS Firmware and Real-Time Tip Diagnostics
The Pinecil runs IronOS, an open-source soldering iron firmware (5K+ GitHub stars) that turns the iron into a programmable tool. The 0.69-inch OLED shows live temperature in 1°C increments, real-time power draw in watts, tip resistance, input voltage, and a temperature graph. When the tip is heating up, you watch the wattage spike to 60W and back down as the PID controller stabilizes the temperature. This visibility into what the iron is actually doing teaches better soldering technique — you learn to read tip wattage as a proxy for thermal mass on the joint.
Firmware updates ship over USB or BLE. The IronOS Android app (no iOS yet) connects via Bluetooth 5.0 and lets you flash new releases without a cable. Updates have added genuinely useful features over time: improved PID tuning for faster tip response, sleep mode that drops to 150°C after 90 seconds of inactivity, motion-sensing wake-up, and customizable temperature profiles for leaded versus lead-free solder. The IronOS GitHub repository accepts community pull requests, so the firmware keeps evolving with user contributions.
Motion detection uses an onboard accelerometer to wake the iron when you pick it up and put it to sleep when it sits still. Default settings sleep at 90 seconds and shut off at 5 minutes, dramatically extending tip life and battery runtime. The motion-wake means you can leave the iron in a tip stand between joints without losing readiness time — it climbs from sleep temperature back to working temperature in about 2 seconds.
Tips, Heat-Up Time, and Bench Performance
The Pinecil V2 uses TS101-compatible tips, the same form factor as the Miniware TS100/TS101 ecosystem. This means hundreds of compatible tips are available from Pine64, Miniware, and third-party sellers — conical for fine pitch, chisel for through-hole, bevel for drag soldering, and bent-tip variants for awkward angles. A 5-pack of mixed tips runs about $15. The tip is the heating element: each tip contains its own resistive cartridge and thermocouple, so swapping tips swaps the entire heating system. This delivers excellent thermal response (no thick mass between heater and tip) but means tips are consumables that wear out at the heater interface every 100-200 hours.
Heat-up from cold to 300°C takes about 6 seconds with a 60W supply, climbing to 400°C in roughly 10 seconds. This is comparable to the Hakko FX-888D bench station ($110) and faster than nearly every other portable iron at this price. Recovery time during continuous soldering is excellent: when you press the tip into a heavy joint and the temperature dips by 20-30°C, the PID controller drives wattage back to 60W and the temperature recovers in 2-3 seconds. For continuous work on large ground planes, a bench station with higher peak wattage maintains temperature better, but for typical hobbyist tasks the Pinecil is functionally identical.
The 32g weight (without cable) makes long sessions comfortable. The grip is silicone-wrapped aluminum with a heat shield that prevents accidental burns even after extended use. Compared to a corded bench iron, the lack of a stiff cable to manipulate makes fine-pitch SMD work noticeably easier — the iron moves naturally with your hand instead of fighting cable tension.
Common Gotchas
The biggest gotcha is the 20V PD requirement. People buy the Pinecil expecting 60W from any USB-C charger and discover their MacBook charger or phone charger only delivers 15V/45W or even 9V/27W. Read your charger label: it must explicitly list 20V/3A or 20V/5A in its PD profile. Anker calls this out as "PD 65W" or "PD 100W" — anything below 65W rated capacity will not provide the full 20V profile. The OLED shows the negotiated voltage so you can verify on the iron itself.
Tip wear is real and surprises new owners. After 100-200 hours of use, the tip's heating element degrades and either fails outright or develops poor temperature stability. Order a 3-pack of replacement tips ($10) when you buy the iron — you will need them within a year of regular use. Tips also fail if you leave the iron at 400°C+ for hours; the IronOS sleep mode helps but doesn't eliminate the wear.
BLE OTA updates need the IronOS Android app, which is unofficial and not on Google Play. You sideload the APK from the IronOS GitHub releases page. iOS users have no BLE update option — they must update via USB-C with a computer. This is a real limitation if you only have an iPhone.
Some Pinecil bundles do not include a USB-C cable. Pine64's website is honest about this in the product listing, but Amazon third-party sellers sometimes obscure it. Check the bundle contents before ordering, or buy a known-good 100W rated USB-C cable separately for $8.
Full Specifications
Processor
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Architecture | RISC-V |
| CPU Cores | 1 |
| Clock Speed | 144 MHz |
Connectivity
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| bluetooth | BLE 5.0 (OTA firmware updates) |
I/O & Interfaces
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Display | 0.69-inch OLED with menu UI |
Power
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| power_input | USB-C PD 3.0 / QC 3.0 |
| max_power | 60W (with 20V PD supply) |
| dc_input | 12-24V DC barrel jack |
Physical
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| weight_g | 32 g |
| Dimensions | 123 x 16.5 mm |
Who Should Buy This
$26 portable iron with 6-second heat-up handles 90% of maker soldering tasks. Works off any laptop charger or USB-C battery bank. Pairs perfectly with development board projects.
Run it from a 20V/100W USB-C battery bank for hours of cordless soldering. The 32g weight and ~10cm length fit in any toolkit. Better than butane irons because temperature is precisely regulated.
Pinecil handles 60W max. For continuous large-mass joints (ground planes, RF shielding cans), the TS101 hits 65W and the Hakko FX-888D station provides unlimited duty cycle. Pinecil is fine for 90% of jobs.
Better alternative: ts101
A bench station like the Hakko FX-888D ($110) gives you a stand, sponge holder, sleep timer, and ESD-safe grounding. Pinecil is portable-first; a station is bench-first.
Better alternative: hakko-fx-888d
IronOS firmware shows temperature, power draw, and tip health in real time. The tactile buttons and clear OLED make calibration obvious. At $26 it's a low-risk way to start.
Ecosystem & Community
Pinecil V2 runs IronOS (5.4K GitHub stars), the gold-standard open-source soldering firmware. TS101 tip compatibility opens up a massive aftermarket. Pine64's community contributes firmware features and custom accessories.
Compatible Software
What to Build First
Pair the Pinecil V2 with a 100W USB-C PD power bank, a magnetic tip stand, and a 5-pack of mixed tips in a small zippered pouch. The complete cordless soldering kit fits in a backpack pocket and handles ESP32, Arduino, and 3D printer wiring repairs anywhere.
View tutorial →Must-Have Accessories
Video Reviews & Tutorials
Tutorials & Resources
- Pinecil WikiOfficial Pine64 documentation covering specs, firmware updates, and accessoriesdocs
- Setting Up the Pinecil V2 for the First TimeCalibration, firmware flashing, and tip break-in proceduretutorial
- IronOS FirmwareOpen-source firmware for the Pinecil and TS-series irons — 5K+ stars and active developmentgithub
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Pinecil V2 work with any USB-C charger?
It works with any USB-C PD charger, but maximum power depends on the charger's PD profile. For full 60W you need a charger that explicitly supports 20V/3A (typically labeled 65W or higher). Lower-power chargers limit the iron to 25-45W, which is still usable for most hobbyist tasks.
Pinecil V2 vs TS101: which should I buy?
The Pinecil V2 ($26) is the budget pick — same firmware (IronOS), TS101-compatible tips, and 60W max. The TS101 ($45) hits 65W, has a metal body, and includes a USB-C cable. For 90% of users the Pinecil is the better value. For heavy continuous work, the TS101's slightly higher peak wattage makes a small difference.
Can I use this iron with a power bank?
Yes. Any USB-C PD power bank rated 65W or higher delivers full 60W to the Pinecil. Examples: Anker 737 (140W, $80), Baseus Blade (100W, $90). At 60W draw, a 25,000mAh / 90Wh power bank provides about 90 minutes of continuous full-power soldering.
How often do tips need replacement?
Tips last 100-200 hours of active soldering depending on temperature, technique, and tinning habits. Signs of wear: temperature instability, poor solder wetting, visible erosion of the tip surface. Keep a 3-pack of spare tips on hand; a worn tip is the most common cause of bad joints.
Does Pinecil V2 work on iPhone or iPad?
The iron itself is platform-agnostic and runs from any 20V PD source. However, the BLE OTA update feature requires the IronOS Android app — there is no iOS app. iOS users must update firmware via USB-C using a computer running the IronOS desktop flasher.
Is the Pinecil V2 ESD-safe?
Pine64 does not market it as ESD-safe. The metal grip is connected to ground through the USB-C cable, which provides reasonable ESD protection in most environments. For ESD-sensitive work (RF circuits, expensive ICs), use a grounded mat and wrist strap regardless of which iron you use.
Can I solder a Voron 3D printer's wiring with this?
Yes. 24V stepper wires, JST connectors, and CAN bus toolhead boards all solder easily at 350-380°C. The Pinecil's portability is a real advantage for printer work — you can take it to the printer rather than disassembling wiring to bring to the bench.