How to turn on preset mode for the Hakko FX-888D soldering station

The Hakko FX-888D soldering station is a terrific, high-quality, low-cost soldering station. It has a preset mode that allows up to five preset temperature settings to be stored and easily switched between. However, the preset mode is disabled by default. Here’s how to enable it.

Have you ever seen a soldering hatchet?

You have now.

Maybe someday I will be worthy of a soldering hatchet but, for now, I just bought a new Hakko FX888D-29BY/P soldering set, for about $110. Have yet to try it out, but it’s well-reviewed and I have known many techs who preferred Hakko tools.

In the past, I have used a lot of Weller sets, like the WES51 and the WESD51, both of which I liked very much. I always preferred the feel of the analog dials. Everything is digital now, and there are definitely some advantages to them. But that smooth feel of a high-quality analog potentiometer, or a good encoder, is something I miss.