Reflow Soldering Basics

[@NeodenUSA]

8:20 -- In addition to the obvious color difference, it should also be noticed that on a board that doesn't reach the specified temperature, you may notice that the parts aren't completely embedded in the solder

[@magjagmagjag]

Very good explanation...

[@MitchDavis2]

Excellent video! Do you have any pointers on how to get components to “snap” into place? When I reflow boards by hand with a heat gun, they tend to “snap” in place, even if they were slightly crooked. With the IN6 reflow oven, they tend to solidify in place, which is pretty annoying if something like a microcontroller is slightly crooked.

[@NeodenUSA]

Thanks for the feedback, Mitch! The rapid snapping action when using a heat gun comes from the rapid liquefaction of the solder, which is caused by very high air temperature. The oven will heat more gently to assure that components don’t get damaged. This tends to cause less pulling. While the snapping action is satisfying, it isn’t good for yield, so accurate placement is important.

[@paulgallagher2937]

@@NeodenUSA Yes. There is a fallacy that components will magically float into the correct position. A little of that will happen, but only if you are lucky. You need to assume the components will not move during reflow, and in fact it is preferred that they don't move. Accurate placement is essential.

[@ahcalori2]

I have a Neoden IN6, but the settings menu confuse me a little bit. How can I set the temperatures in the six zones. For instance, zones 1 and 2 must have the same temperatures as you shown on video? And zone 3 equal to zone 4; and zone 5 equal to zone 6? Thanks for the excellet video!

[@NeodenUSA]

In the display for the IN6 the zones are not numbered at all. There are three top zones and three bottom zones. You can use the built in profiles as a starting point for temperature settings, but you should follow the procedure in the video for checking the profile graph to get a consistent result.

[@ahcalori2]

​@@NeodenUSA Thanks! I think I'm getting consistent results on profile simulation! I'll test it with a pcb!

[@paulgallagher2937]

The guy applying the solder by hand on the stencil looked like he was buttering toast. Worst technique possible.

[@aisivan]

🤒😀