How To Build A Solder Reflow Oven - The Byte Sized Engineer | DigiKey

If you want to assemble a batch of PCBs with surface mount components you have a few options. You could use a regular soldering iron and magnification and do it all by hand. Or you could use a hot air reflow station to heat up the board and components until the solder melts. But if you have a lot of components or a large batch of PCBs to assemble this could get tedious. In this video I use an Arduino board, a thermocouple, and a solid state relay to build a solder reflow oven using a standard toaster oven. I use a TFT display with a touchscreen display to create a user interface that plots the solder reflow profile.
Read more on the DigiKey Blog: www.digikey.co...
Links:
Arduino Board - www.digikey.co...
Thermocouple Amp - www.digikey.co...
Thermocouple - www.digikey.co...
Solid State Relay - www.digikey.co...
TFT Display With Touchscreen - www.digikey.co...
NEMA 5-15R Power Receptacle - www.digikey.co...
IEC 320-C14 Power Receptacle - www.digikey.co...
Power Cord - www.digikey.co...
Learn More:
Github project - github.com/byt...
Byte Sized Engineer channel - / @bytesizedengineering
Maker.io - www.digikey.co...
Digi-Key’s Blog - TheCircuit www.digikey.co...
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[@emmettturner9452]

The knob is to keep you from putting it directly against the wall where it might overheat or start a fire.

[@randycarter2001]

My very first thought on the knob. There's only a single steel wall separating 400° inside with 72° outside.

[@minime9400]

And possibly to avoid bend the power cord too sharply against the wall.

[@AdamIannazzone]

That UI is really slick, especially the graph-view.

[@greg4367]

If you are looking for a KZbin idea, I'd love a tutorial on tuning and programming a PID loop in the real world. Taht, after all, is where the magic is in this project. Without it there is nothing.

[@danielmatthews8475]

Very nice Zach! I really like the fact that you didn't over engineer it. Last week I almost threw away the one I started a number of years ago because I still haven't finished it. I tried to make it too complicated. Yours is just right!

[@bytesizedengineering]

I make everything over complicated too. It's what makes us engineers! On an unrelated note, I have been wanting to try powder coating and this oven could also work for baking powder coated parts! Now you have a second use for that oven that you almost threw away!

[@BeckyStern]

Awesome project and video, thanks Zach!

[@bytesizedengineering]

Thanks Becky!

[@AmateurRadio-2PW]

Very cool indeed. Probably gonna make this! THANKS

[@BerndFelsche]

Heat sink is usually required on the SSR when switching larger loads. See the device data sheet and read the nameplate on the appliance being switched. I'd rather gut the controls from the oven completely and just wire directly so that the over can't be used for food.. But keep the controller outside the oven enclosure where it's cooler. Mount to the outside with a hole for an inverted U duct with a pwm fan for the cooling profile.

[@smlgd]

That kind of oven heats very unevenly though, whenever I bake something in it the middle parts get much more browning than the borders due to higher IR exposure. Using this for reflow you might either get cold joints in the edges or overstress components near the middle. Also you should consider that the thermocouple might not accurately measure the temperature the PCB will be in since the board will be receiving direct IR radiation in a large area, and the thermocouple has a very small area footprint. A larger convection oven or one with multiple, spread out heating elements would be much more adequate for this, and I'd maybe using a plate head thermocouple in order for it to receive more IR so you get more accurate readings

[@robmurg]

Perhaps that knob is to prevent the hot back of the oven touching the wall behind?

[@larrysmall3521]

Or something to wrap the cord around. My oven has two knobs for storing the cord.

[@emmettturner9452]

Definitely for wall clearance.

[@FlyingWhales13]

Awesome project and video. Cheers!

[@slabua]

I would add a vertical moving axis on the plot to know the current time of progress

[@xX12VincEXx]

It's hard to see, but the line gets bigger

[@near--zero]

that is actually amazing

[@JEFFREYDOHNER]

PID measures and produces an analog input/output. Therefore the light would not turn on and off but would dim and brighten. My guess is that your using some modification of on-off control which is traditionally used for controlling thermal systems.

[@MrMaxyMahdia]

The files in github are missing the wiring diagram, good work, i appreciate it 😊

[@JonathanRansom]

I need to build one of these!

do you have a schematic or wiring diagram available that shows how everything is connected

[@gsha6887]

What "code" did you use to "rotate" the resistive touch panel so it matches up with the buttons? I put you code in my Mega and the resistive touch (per the parts supply list), but the touch coordinates are not "rotated" with the screen. The touch is un-movable and x/y is in the portrait position, but the graphics (buttons etc.) are in land scape. Could you post your code that you used to fix this?

[@haoo22]

is this a real PID controller? or is it just an on/off controller?

[@jOoomOooo]

heating is generally just on/off

[@Tree2Tool]

Is there a schematic for this project?

[@ohararp]

Is there a manufacturer and part # for the oven you chose that you can share for this project?

[@StuffWithKirby]

I think any toaster oven that doesn’t have digital controls would work. I use an cheap 20$ walmart brand one with quartz heating elements. I mightve missed him mention it. But basically you just turn timer off on toaster and set it to max temp. The relay will keep rapidly turning it on off to regulate the temperature

[@nothingnewhere6551]

Need a schematic pretty please

[@augurelite]

Awesome :)

[@TheQuinto2010]

Temp control would be more stable if you epoxied the thermocouple to a small mass like a penny or even a small piece of scrap PCB.

[@AlienRelics]

That can be solved by adjusting the PID.

[@richdobbs6595]

I think I'll buy a new toaster oven for my food, and down grade my old toaster oven for this purpose.

[@KoRntech]

But what if we like tedious? The management thinks I'm amazing firnturning PWBs into PCB assemblies.

[@michaelfischer6984]

Knob is a spacer to keep the hot metal from touching the wall. You shouldn't be messing with hot objects if you can't figure that out.

[@ChuffingNorah]

Its flipping SOUL-der not SOD-der for flip's sake! Good little example of PID Control though!

[@emmettturner9452]

How do you pronounce Salmon?

[@Bill_N7FTM]

Uh, no. The "L" is silent. The name come from the old English word, souder.

[@ChuffingNorah]

@@Bill_N7FTM Sorry to disabuse you, but back home in dear Old Blighty, solder IS pronounced with an 'L'. For those who don't know, Blighty is that quaint little island off the coast of Europe which err... invented the English language! See Polder (Dutch Land reclaimed from the sea)!🤣😂😁

[@emmettturner9452]

@@ChuffingNorah You also corrupted it. ;)

[@ChuffingNorah]

@@emmettturner9452 Yawwwnnnnn! 🤔🥱😫😩😞😣😖