Uyue 946c Phone Repair / SMD Reflow Hot Plate Review and Upgrade

[@nogthree]

I was considering buying one of these, looks like there's plenty of room inside the case to replace it with a more intelligent reflow profile controller. Thanks for the review!

[@NearFarMedia]

Good idea, that could be a good mod. Lots of room for an Arduino etc.

[@SeanBZA]

@@NearFarMedia You get some pretty good multipoint PID controllers in that standard 48x48 industrial format, and then you just have to either program in a temperature profile, or just change to the preset profiles as needed. Often they are USB programmable as well these days, meaning you can have a PC do the work for you.

[@personalPickle]

Nice work guys, really thorough teardown.

[@danieldieterle5574]

Mine had 100V AC on the hot plate. After disambly all (inclusive the heating element) and reassemly again it was gone for what so ever reason. Good review!

[@NearFarMedia]

Ooh, measured on the exposed metal of the hotplate itself? Ouch. If you fixed it, good gob! They do work well after a couple mods like I showed. I still use mine from time to time.

[@danieldieterle5574]

@@NearFarMedia Yes, directly on the soldering surface of the hotplate. I first recognized it during rework due to a prickling on my arm. Then I took my multimeter and found that there is AC with respect to GND. I think I had a defective device from production, because the company logo was removed. It was only 40EUR or so all incl. I came here to see if the fault was a design or production issue. Something learned again, thanks to you.

[@TKDbruce]

I really like the switch idea on the heating elements. It would come in handy when during reflow. thanks bud

[@danieldieterle5574]

Apparently you can switch the heating output off and on by holding down the Up-Key (most right at mine).

[@DarianCabot]

01:34 Quick comment on the switch: It is double-pole and switches both the active and neutral which is great, but it also needs both the active and neutral to power the neon indicator. If a cheaper switch without the neon indicator was used instead, they'd probably go for a single-pole switch for the active only.

[@Dark_Jaguar]

I wonder how possible it would be to install a digital dial to replace the up/down arrow controls for temp. That's about the only thing I'd want to change on this, since I absolutely love dial controls for sheer speed of altering things like airflow and temp changes.

[@pgchem]

Nice work and great review. Did you test how it behaves at the maximum temperature?

[@petrikko]

Good morning I have a UYUE 946 2030 device. Are you able to help me find all kinds of instructions for the device menu, which is available after holding the SET key for a long time? Then we have several parameters for the heating itself. p.s. The UP button, holding it longer ... stops heating :-) I will be grateful. Thank you in advance. Regards Peter.

[@casey2984]

Great job , what kind of adhesive you used to attach thermocouple to surface please

[@Mpx-fw9ii]

common capton tape

[@IonRoux]

Wish I could find one of these. I got one but it uses the small round elements like on a 3d printer hot end. It uses one in each corner so the middle takes a long time to heat up. thermocouple is in the middle so the edges overshoot by a LOT before it sees the temp in the middle. going to return it and try another one, figure I'll get lucky eventually.

[@2BIG2H8]

Bought one for cell phone screen and back glass cover removal as well some reflow work....had it about six months or so now....and i usually keep it set at right around 100 degrees F....and i have noticed recently that the set temperature is not staying where i set it at....and its spiking up out of control....any fix to this...or part replacements that i can order?

[@seanrmartz]

Do you have a diagram of how you wired the heating element switch addition?

[@satcomhdtv]

would it be more comprehensive instead of PID controller rocker switch to install solid state relay which is pretty cheap in China these days.

[@torinwalker]

Many vendors show photos of their hot plate with the PV/SV display (either UV-C100-220V or Rex C100), but then ship the version with the plain 3-digit display (i.e. no rex C100 controller.) Can't trust many of the vendors on Aliexpress. Can you provide a link to the store/vendor from which you purchased this unit? Thanks.

[@NearFarMedia]

Hi, here's a link to the exact listing I purchased mine from. :) www.aliexpress.com/item/33016355254.html

[@FixDaily]

I rather prefer the infrared ceramic heaters, because the heat transfers better and keep the PCB evenly hot

[@prashkd7684]

why not go for an oven ? top and bottom heating elements working in tandem will give a nice reflow i presume.

[@unitecast]

Hi There. Hi There: I bought a UYUE 946C recently. It works fine but I did not receive a decent manual that identifies what the PID parameters do. The PID label on the unit is UY-C100-220V. I need to change the settings but without the parameter information that isn't possible. Any info (a link to a guide?) that explains what these parameters are and what the their defaults should be would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

[@NearFarMedia]

I have added links to the manuals in the video description. I hope it helps. :) Some of the controllers have a cut down feature set depending on what the manufacturer decided to include so your mileage may vary depending on which specific controller you got.

[@unitecast]

That's great. Thanks. I did find those guides but I think I got a Rex knock-off version as the parameter labels did not match. I will take a second look though and I'll see if I can line them up so to speak!

[@skrame01]

I ordered a very similar 946C but the instruction manual sent was only in Chinese. Do you happen to know if the English version is available online? I have searched but not found it.

[@NearFarMedia]

Did you check the video description?

[@rosi6144]

Hi, i want to buy this unit to replace bad LED's on TV backlight LED strips. Do you still have the unit? If so, is it still working good? Are you still satisfied with it? Hope to hear from you soon. Many thanks in advance

[@NearFarMedia]

Yep, I still have it and it works great. 🙂

[@rosi6144]

@@NearFarMedia many thanks for you're reply

[@stefanominozzi3168]

Is that insulation asbestos or simple fiberglass?!?! The first could be lethal

[@NearFarMedia]

It's just normal fiberglass matting.

[@stefanominozzi3168]

@@NearFarMedia thank you… I’ve bought it and was worrying. Now I can restart to Breath

[@sloopycat1954]

Hi is this heat plate 7 inches or 14 inches etc please, and is it useable in the United Kingdom 230volts I believe we use and is the 1 you purchased in the link in the comments section useable in the United Kingdom please again is it 230 volts what I think we use in the United Kingdom please. Great video management thanks.

[@NearFarMedia]

This one is 200mm x 200mm square. It might work on 230V if you connect the heater elements in series instead of parallel, but you'd have to make sure the temperature controller is rated to 230V too.

[@sloopycat1954]

@NFM Thankyou for replying back, my electrical knowledge is basic so maybe I will have purchase a heat plate from the United Kingdom, I was hoping to purchase one from from China because possibly they might be cheaper because times are difficult in the United Kingdom and Europe at the moment. Great video thankyou.

[@nickgames1892]

Mine branded Uyue comes with heatingelements that look like 3d printer heating elements. also isnt double switched. (Edit: Altough mine whas only 51 Euro's)

[@arpitchauhan8119]

Can you tell me what kind of heating element is used in this?

[@NearFarMedia]

As stated in the video........ it is nichrome wire wrapped around a mica former.

[@gabrielvezina-boucher159]

What temperature do you set the plate to reflow?

[@viclorenz2522]

Your board needs to be 185c then use hot air to break free.

[@nazrainrosli3795]

Hi. Can I know what the top plate material?

[@NearFarMedia]

It's made from aluminium, around 5-6mm thick I think from memory.

[@kekekeernest8920]

How can I convert my hot plate from 110v to 220v

[@NearFarMedia]

You might be able to do it by rewiring the two elements from parallel to series connection.

[@SarveshKumar-oq8uj]

Ho tpletcirkit

[@juliusvalentinas]

6mm and that's thick? Are you crazy? The controller is like 4USD, the case is like PC PSU case, the heating elements are not even ceramic, and all that costs 40USD and shipping 40USD?

[@NearFarMedia]

There's no need for ceramic heaters in this application, and the 6mm plate spreads the heat evenly enough so a thicker plate will only add thermal mass and cause it to take longer to cool down. The steel for the case is much thicker than a PC PSU case, it's physically larger too. The controller may be cheap, but here you are paying for a completed product, not a few loose parts. It might, maybe work out cheaper to DIY, but certainly not when you factor in your own labour costs to build something.

[@juliusvalentinas]

@@NearFarMedia Nobody factors in own labour cost as nobody is that busy.

[@semaphor3]

@@juliusvalentinas I guess you speak for everyone and how import their time is... what an asinine comment to make.