Model | Volume | External | Internal | Power | Type | U/B | Fan | Price | Glass | Inside | Outside | |
Dualit DMO1 (https://www.dualit.com/support/mini-oven-old) | 14L | 45x33x25 | 30x26x18 | 1.5kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | n/a | Double | Coated | Stainless, some plastic | |
Dualit 89200 (https://www.dualit.com/products/mini-oven) | 18L | 42x36x25 | 30x25x17 | 1.3kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | £100 | Double | Alu | Stainless, some plastic | |
Abode AMO1801 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abode-Grill-Ideal-kitchen-students/dp/B00NC39YBS) | 18L | 43x35x23 | 32x28x19 | 1.3kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | £50 | Double | Alu | Painted, much plastic | |
Steba KB11 (http://www.steba.co.uk/themen/backofen_grill/246/) | 9L | 36x29x22 | 25x23x14 | 1.0kW | Quartz | 1/1 | No | £60 | Double | Alu | Painted, much plastic | |
Steba KB14 (http://www.steba.co.uk/themen/backofen_grill/294/) | 14L | 40x35x25 | 27x26x19 | 1.2kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | £70 | Double | Coated | Painted, some plastic | |
Steba KB19 (http://www.steba.co.uk/themen/backofen_grill/120/) | 19L | 43x36x26 | 30x28x22 | 1.3kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | £100 | Double | Coated | Stainless, some plastic | |
Brandt FC160MW (http://www.brandt.fr/mini-four-fc160mw) | 16L | 45x37x32 | 1.4kW | Yes | £80 | Double | Coated | Painted, much plastic | ||||
Brandt FC215MW (http://www.brandt.fr/mini-four-fc215mw) | 21L | 46x37x29 | 1.4kW | Yes | £100 | Double | Coated | Painted, much plastic | ||||
Moulinex OX110E30 (http://www.moulinex.fr/c/mini-four-easy-toast-9-l/p/1500578006) | 9L | 0.5kW | Quartz | No | Coated | Painted, much plastic | ||||||
Moulinex UNO OX130230 (http://www.amazon.fr/Moulinex-OX130230-Four-Uno-Silver/dp/B0051ZC4YO) | 15L | 43x36x31 | 1.3kW | No | £70 | Double | Coated | Painted, much plastic | ||||
Ariete Bon Cuisine 210 (http://www.ariete.net/en/catalog/Forni/Bon-Cuisine-210) | 21L | 45x33x23 | 32x | 1.5kW | Quartz | 2/2 | No | |||||
Bon Cuisine 210 Metal (http://www.ariete.net/en/catalog/Forni/Bon-Cuisine-210-Metal) | 21L | 44x33x26 | 32x25x20 | 1.3kW | Metal | 2/2 | Yes | Double | Alu | Stainless, little plastic | ||
Lakeland Mini Oven (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/17171/Lakeland-Mini-Oven) | 18L | 42x37x26 | ? | 1.3kW | ? | ? | Yes | n/a | Double | Alu | Stainless, some plastic | |
Efbe-Schott SC MBO1000 (http://www.amazon.de/Efbe-Schott-SC-MBO-1000-SI/dp/B00PW53D0C) | 13L | 46x36x21 | 32x30x11 | 1.4kW | Metal | 2/2 | No | £50 | Double | Steel | Painted, much plastic | |
Dema 1500W pizzaofen (http://www.dema-handel.de/pizza-ofen-1500-watt.html) | 18L | 46x42x20 | 34x34x6 | 1.5kW | Metal | 4/4 | No | £75 | Double | Steel | Stainless, some plastic | |
Roller Grill FC 260 (http://www.rollergrill-international.com/en/produit/stainless-steel-convection-oven-26-l-257.html) | 26L | 47x48x28 | 33x30x23 | 1.5kW | Metal | Loop | Yes | £400 | Double | Stainless | Stainless, little plastic |
Steba KB11 (http://www.steba.co.uk/themen/backofen_grill/246/) 11L 36x29x22 25x23x14 1.0kW Quartz 1/1 No £60 Double Alu Painted, much plastic
I'm using the Steba KB11 as reflow oven in combination with a reflow controller. It ramps up round about 1°C/sec. The thermal switch is a bit annoying on multiple runs because you have to let it cool down quite a bit or it will stop heating while ramping up. Btw your Volume is wrong it 8 L (so 125 W/L). But i have to admit that i'm only using this oven to reflow my own PCBs and not for repairing motherboards.Many thanks Owen, interesting to hear about the KB11 - I included it as I thought it looked really good and I love the small size! It's also the only one on my list that uses quartz heating elements. And thanks for the volume correction - I'll update my table to reflect this. If the only reason for getting an oven was to do my own boards, then it would be my model of choice, but for other uses it's just a little bit too small. I also worry that even if a given laptop MB would fit (and many probably would) the absence of a fan and the single elements might mean that to reach reflow temperature on the problem chip (usually the GPU) other areas of the board might be overheating.
and it doesn't have a convection fan
You have to be careful with fans as I have found that they can move the small SMD components around.
I guess that I can disable the fan for all or part of the cycle if this becomes a problem.
I've seen it mentioned in several places that having a convection fan is a good way to avoid hot spots
You can reduce the fan speed to approx half speed by just adding in a 1N4004 diode in series (if it is a 240Vac fan that is).Depends on the type of fan. I've not taken apart a convection oven but small fans tend to be shaded-pole motors, which can't be speed-controlled like this. You'd probably be better off controlling it by blocking part of the airflow.
I'll be interested to see what you go for and how well it works. When I was looking I found there was hardly anything available in the UK. I ended up going for something 9L and very cheap from Robert Dyas.I was in my local Robert Dyas a few days ago, specifically to look at mini ovens, but they only had two models and one of them had hobs on top (I don't want this). You're right that the options available in the UK are quite limited, but I've looked in France (http://www.amazon.fr/b/ref=amb_link_197472367_41?ie=UTF8&node=57898031) and Germany (http://www.amazon.de/Mini-%C3%96fen-Kochen-Backen-Frittieren/b/ref=dp_bc_4?ie=UTF8&node=3169541) as well, where you can find many models not available here - often with surprisingly low shipping costs (e.g. I can get the Steba KB 14 from France (http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Steba-Miniofen-KB-14-schwarz-silber-/401040080825?hash=item5d5fd9ffb9:g:SSQAAOSwv-NWajbt) for £75 including shipping, while it's £90 on Amazon UK (http://www.amazon.co.uk/KB-14-Steba/dp/B00V3RYORO))
Don't forget the Severin series, e.g. TO 2034: https://www.beta-estore.com/rkuk/order_product_details.html?wg=1&p=16 (https://www.beta-estore.com/rkuk/order_product_details.html?wg=1&p=16)I did look at Severin after seeing the EEVblog videos about the reflow kit from Beta Layout, which is based on the Severin TO 2034. This oven doesn't have a fan though, and it's a little big (20L), and it has a painted exterior with a lot of plastic. In my mind an Arduino controlled oven can be useful for many things - not only reflowing PCBs - some of which may require much higher temperatures than it was designed for. For this reason I'd prefer an oven that has a stainless exterior with few plastic parts, and a plain aluminium or steel interior that isn't coated (or has a ceramic coating). It may be an ambitious goal but it is my plan to buy preciesly one device to serve as "that box I can put stuff into to heat it up real good". For this reason I am now leaning towards the Dualit or Lakeland ovens (see below).
I bought one from Currys a while back. At the time it was the cheapest one they did (£24.99) and was branded as LOGIK (their own brand). It looks exactly like the Abode one you listed except the middle knob doesn't have the fan selection as mine doesn't have a fan.Yeah, I've seen that one, and it is indeed very similar! As with so many things these days, doing product research is greatly complicated by the fact that no-one makes anything any more; the label on the product bears no relation to where and by whom it was made. There's probably an entire city in China somewhere which only does mini ovens, with whole families spending their entire lives inside in a giant factory/labour camp churning out flimsy junk that is then stamped with Brand X for consumption by gullible westerners. Bosch, Black & Decker, Severin, Steba, Dualit, Breville - they are only brands today and the actual manufacturer is probably the same anonymous state-owned sweatshop.
It doesn't seem to have any problems following the profile for lead free solder I programmed into it apart from the cooldown phase where I have to open the door.When I get round to replacing the controls on my oven I'll look at including a mechanism that can open the door programatically - I reckon a linear actuator (not a solenoid!) like this one (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Linear-Actuator-High-Torque-Controller-Device-/121743222728?hash=item1c587627c8:g:R0oAAOSwgQ9V3xGJ) should be able to push open the top of the door wide enough for cool-down without disturbing the soldered board(s).
A lot of this depends on how much heating is actually being done by infrared. The fan helps with convection, but not direct infrared. You will find by experimentation which way to place your boards in the oven to avoid the larger components "shadowing out the infrared heat" from the smaller components.That makes perfect sense, good point! I guess this explains why it's so hard to find a convection oven with quartz elemets, which (I think) produce more radiated heat than the metal type elements?
Depends on the type of fan. I've not taken apart a convection oven but small fans tend to be shaded-pole motors, which can't be speed-controlled like this. You'd probably be better off controlling it by blocking part of the airflow.To be honest I'm not that worried about the fan; I know I would prefer an oven that has one, but should it turn out to cause problems I can probably modify it somehow to fix this - or in worst case not use it at all during the reflow phase. A fan will be useful during the other stages, as well as for many other things (e.g. for drying silica gel pouches, which I have and use tons of!).
P.S. If you're having trouble with the thermal switch, why not just bypass it?
Don't forget the Severin series, e.g. TO 2034: https://www.beta-estore.com/rkuk/order_product_details.html?wg=1&p=16 (https://www.beta-estore.com/rkuk/order_product_details.html?wg=1&p=16)I did look at Severin after seeing the EEVblog videos about the reflow kit from Beta Layout, which is based on the Severin TO 2034. This oven doesn't have a fan though, and it's a little big (20L), and it has a painted exterior with a lot of plastic. In my mind an Arduino controlled oven can be useful for many things - not only reflowing PCBs - some of which may require much higher temperatures than it was designed for. For this reason I'd prefer an oven that has a stainless exterior with few plastic parts, and a plain aluminium or steel interior that isn't coated (or has a ceramic coating). It may be an ambitious goal but it is my plan to buy preciesly one device to serve as "that box I can put stuff into to heat it up real good". For this reason I am now leaning towards the Dualit or Lakeland ovens (see below).
I don't think you'll regret your choice, it looks like a nice oven. Just a heads up on the Severin though: the only plastic it has are the knobs, the handle and the feet. Pretty much like the other ovens you listed. I don't know what to think regarding convection vs. just heating rods. Maybe it doesn't matter since there is so little volume and I remember some claiming that the heating ramp was not fast enough compared to pure rod ovens. No idea.Thanks Neganur - it's a silly thing to get exited about I guess, but I'm really looking forward to having the ability to "cook" things in the workshop. There have been times when I've had to use my (not very clean) kitchen oven for non-food jobs, and I've been equally worried about the burnt gunk it's covered with contaminating my projects and the possibility that the next pizza I make might kill me :) Not to mention not having the faintest idea what the actual temperature is, or the over-powerful convection fan at the back disrupting things and splattering them with all sorts. I do a lot of spray painting of small parts, and the ability to "bake" what I've painted in a clean environment is very welcome. And I've got a MacBook Air 11" with a glitching GPU that I hope to fix by reflowing the motherboard. And I've got a whole bag of 25g silica gel pouches which have been "used up" and need drying out (living by the coast I'm dependent on these). In short; I'm sure this oven will prove a valuable addition!
If your oven uses calrods ( 6 to 8 mm diameter heater rods ) consider adding cooling fins onto the rods to improve effectiveness of the fan.
These cooling fins often come as a sheet metal spiral to enhance the heat transfer from rod to air. If unavailable attach aluminium strip to the rod to improve heating effectiveness.
Do not be worried by increased thermal mass of the heater. IT IS ALL GOOD. You need an oven with decent thermal mass to ensure proper process window. You achieve good effective thermal mass by controlling temperature which is further enhanced by the action of convection fan.
At 1.3Kw the oven will not be able to handle a multilayer board. You will be lucky to process a double euro format double sided board in the oven.
Seriously double and triple installed power or at least increase installed power to reach the limit of the householed power socket ( may be 2.5Kw).
Gourmetmaxx Infrarot-Ofen, 9 L
(http://i.imgur.com/TJbaJPQ.jpg)
1000 watt, 9 litre, two quartz elements - delivered to the UK from Amazon Germany for £32.85
Link (http://www.amazon.de/TV-Original-04403200100-Gourmetmaxx-Infrarot-Ofen/dp/B00CBWWIKU?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=AYSVGQQ89W56K)
I rolled my own arduino based controller. It was pretty easy really.
I rolled my own arduino based controller. It was pretty easy really.
Are you getting the 1.5C/s rise the German site displayed?
Are you getting the 1.5C/s rise the German site displayed?
No. That's why I want more heating elements. I've already insulated using fibreglass from fire blankets. I'd say I get ~1C/s.
If you need an additional heather element - you could try these cartridge elements:
ebay search for: heating element cartridge
and add in your voltage (ie. 240V or 110V)
As mentioned, I went for a 450W element. The advice I got was to add it to the bottom of the oven. I will add a section of 0.8 or 1mm aluminium directly underneath the element so it does not burn the additional insulation. Proximity can be an issue for insulation even when it is rated much higher than the temperatures you'll get to in the oven.
If you are looking for the gold reflective tape - ebay search for: Reflect A Gold reflective tape
If you need an additional heather element - you could try these cartridge elements:Cheers for the tip on the heating elements. They're cheap enough to just take a punt. I went for 3x300W ones. I might add some fins to aid in heat transfer if they need it.
ebay search for: heating element cartridge
and add in your voltage (ie. 240V or 110V)
As mentioned, I went for a 450W element. The advice I got was to add it to the bottom of the oven. I will add a section of 0.8 or 1mm aluminium directly underneath the element so it does not burn the additional insulation. Proximity can be an issue for insulation even when it is rated much higher than the temperatures you'll get to in the oven.
If you are looking for the gold reflective tape - ebay search for: Reflect A Gold reflective tape
No. That's why I want more heating elements. I've already insulated using fibreglass from fire blankets. I'd say I get ~1C/s.
So I've been looking at suitable toaster ovens that are easily available in France (four électrique / mini four). Amazon is easy and so this is where I've been looking.If you can, it's worth going into a big store where you can actually see them, so you can check details like how the door opens, visibility etc.
Some candidates are:(The last one doesn't have the size listed but looks small'ish based on the external dimensions of 28 x 41 x 27 cm. But it looks OK and should be easy to mount the door opener as part of the ControLeo2 controller I intend to use.)
- Spice 1380W 16L - https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B01LCOZPIE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A1JKIK5AIR193Q&th=1 (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B01LCOZPIE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A1JKIK5AIR193Q&th=1)
- Severin 2034 1500W 20L - https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B003HD7YJC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96 (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B003HD7YJC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96)
- Techwood 1200W 18L - https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00H8BPQM6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96 (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00H8BPQM6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96)
- Kooper 1400W ??L - https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B01LZHXNPI/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96 (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B01LZHXNPI/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X6FK5RDHNB96)
Any thoughts on what would work best?
Should I focus on smaller size rather than power, given I'll modify the oven with one of more additional heating elements? And is convection something that is advantageous or not, and given the price point likely not available. Or do they all fall into the 'much the muchness' category?
Thanks in advance.
Using Multicore MP200 solder paste and a 215C peak, I get good results.
I figured the fan would be better. Stir up and distribute the hot air better, as long as it doesn't blow off SMT parts.I have a toaster oven that I use for reflow soldering. It has 4 linear elements, 2 above and 2 below the rack. It also has a fan for convection. I really have NOT noticed the fan does anything, and generally do not use it. It is probably way too low volume. Certainly NO WAY it would ever blow parts off the board!
John....I've used the fan, and NOT used it. I can't find ANY DIFFERENCE in the finished boards. I was hoping it would even out temp variations in the oven, but I don't see that. it is a TINY little fan outside the oven, and may end up blowing a lot of outside air into the oven.
Use the fan ....
even though it does not have the force especially since the elements are probably shorter wave length IR elements.
Did you applythe gold reflective tape onto the glass door?
What is that product?