EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Crowd Funded Projects => Topic started by: engineertype on November 05, 2014, 04:38:25 am
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ControLeo2 is available as just the controller, an oven build kit or the complete reflow oven. The software used for the reflow oven is open-sourced.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1471240030/controleo2-reflow-oven (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1471240030/controleo2-reflow-oven)
There’s also a comprehensive reflow oven build guide.
http://whizoo.com/reflowoven (http://whizoo.com/reflowoven)
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Looks nice :) :-+
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I think this one is a lot nicer. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1070729460/zallus-oven-controller (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1070729460/zallus-oven-controller)
Another plus is that the Kickstarter's not even finished and he's already starting to assemble them. He's further along than plenty of other projects are months after funding's complete.
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Assembly has started on ControLeo2 too. Check the updates.
Zallus looks very nice, and it is very clear that a huge amount of work has gone into it. While the display looks pretty amazing, at the end of the day what matters most is how the boards turn out.
I've looked at both projects, and I think these are the important differences:
- Zallus has an amazing display. ControLeo2 uses a 2x16 LCD display
- ControLeo2 has 4 outputs. Zallus has 1, but next year's V2 will add fan control
- ControLeo2 is $55 Vs Zallus with 2.4" screen at $80
- ControLeo2 is open-source (the software has been posted already).
Sorry if I missed something. Please correct me if that is the case.
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Years ago I bought a Chinese reflow oven from Ebay. I think all cheaper versions contain a quartz-lamp and some type of temerature controller. I found that it was essentially impossible to achieve a correct reflow temperature curve, with the result that many boards simply were burnt when they came out (really burnt, like black...).
Currently, I simply hand-solder my prototype boards and have my factory reflow larger orders. I suppose, if one has, say, 10 boards that need to be assembled, a DIY approach with a toaster may work.
I sold my reflow oven and has not missed it since...
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John, you probably had the T962 oven. So many reports of problems with these ovens! The issue is that they have infrared elements directly over the boards being reflowed. Heat absorption is based on color, with black components getting the most heat. The J-STD-20 standard for reflowing boards states that infrared can be used to hear the air but must not heat the components. The other issue with elements above the boards is that large components (CPU, GPU etc.) are essentially shading the board underneath. It isn't too surprising that your boards burnt.
I get great results with a modified toaster oven :)
By the way, I took a long look at your USB analyzer on Kickstarter. I didn't back you since I don't work with USB much but thought you had done a great job with the product.