Just a idea, I don't know how tight the tolerance for over temperature or under the parts could take, from when I looked into this before there was ramp up times, time profiles for different stuff/size of boards etc. lots of pretty graphs so im guessing its a bit more complex than turn the timer on for 10 mins and hope?
Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
Yup - it would take a few days to get the software up and running, but that's all part of the fun!
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
I've got this all together now, hardware-wise.
There is a fly in the ointment however. After some initial testing it seems that the heat from the heating elements takes about 120 seconds to be fully picked up by the thermocouple. I assume that this is because the large thermal mass of the big metal probe that it's encased in. Probably made for taking temperatures anally or something.
It's a bit useless for negative feedback on the heating element with a delay like that since the entire soldering operation is only supposed to take 240s - I might need to look for a different one that can heat up quicker before I can use this thing without setting all my boards on fire.
There is a fly in the ointment however. After some initial testing it seems that the heat from the heating elements takes about 120 seconds to be fully picked up by the thermocouple. I assume that this is because the large thermal mass of the big metal probe that it's encased in. Probably made for taking temperatures anally or something.
It's a bit useless for negative feedback on the heating element with a delay like that since the entire soldering operation is only supposed to take 240s - I might need to look for a different one that can heat up quicker before I can use this thing without setting all my boards on fire.
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
OK, I got a "low mass" thermocouple and the response time is very good now. I've put everything together and covered the whole inside with heat-reflecting tape. I did a quick "manual" test with some random blobs of solder on old PCBs and it seems to work pretty well!
Now I just have to make the software a bit more automatic, and, I guess, make up a little bracket for the screen and buttons (low priority).
Now I just have to make the software a bit more automatic, and, I guess, make up a little bracket for the screen and buttons (low priority).
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
Nice work @Smonson. Thats quite a hack going on there.
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:12 am
- Contact:
Re: Smonson's poorly-thought-out toaster oven reflow experiments
Fascinating project you have going on here @Smonson.Smonson wrote: ↑Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:12 pm Yep. Me again with another hare-brained scheme.
I impulse-bought one of these $29 ovens at K-Mart and decided that the almost impassable mountain of junk in my garage could be bigger.
toaster-reflow.jpg
It is packed with features:Perfect for soldering!
- Low flammability sheet metal construction
- Dial goes all the way to 230C
- Satisfyingly loud DING! noise
When it comes to household appliances, Alan Nguyen knows his stuff. As a writer and product reviewer at HealthyKitchen101, he's always on the lookout for innovative and practical gadgets that can help home cooks save time and effort.
Alan Nguyen
Alan Nguyen