Electronics > Beginners
What is the standard for reflow soldering in Late 2019 for hobbyists?
soFPG:
--- Quote from: rstofer on October 25, 2019, 04:14:32 pm ---Somewhere above the toaster oven is a selection of low end reflow ovens. In my view they are unlikely to be demonstrably better than my toaster oven and are really nothing more than lipstick on a pig. Real reflow ovens are out of my price range so I use what I have.
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What would be the cheapest "real" reflow oven? Didn't find a lot of information, mostly about the T962 which probably falls into othe category "low end" reflow oven.
--- Quote ---The hot plate only works on one side of the board and is incompatible with through-hole devices. Sometimes this limitation drives me toward my toaster oven.
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Honestly, that's a major problem for my PCB. I often put decoupling caps at the bottom side of the PCB. Hot plate probably works for some use cases but not for all (as you already pointed out).
--- Quote ---I have no idea whether it meets the manufacturer's specs for reflow soldering
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If BGAs come into play I really want to make sure that the required temperature is met (that means that I would want to use a specific controller, such as the "Tiny Reflow Controller v2") so that the solder paste melts.
@jmelson
Because you set up your gear 12 years ago I doubt that the oven is still available but can you give me the rough dimensions (volume) it has and how much power?
The maximum I was able to find on amazon was 9L with 1000W and max. 230°C.
--- Quote from: jmelson on October 25, 2019, 07:00:50 pm ---The part of the board closest to
the heating elements does get hotter, and sometimes the board or the silkscreen darkens a bit.
Jon
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I don't think that should happen if you are working with a PID?
rstofer:
--- Quote from: soFPG on October 25, 2019, 07:06:12 pm ---
--- Quote ---The hot plate only works on one side of the board and is incompatible with through-hole devices. Sometimes this limitation drives me toward my toaster oven.
--- End quote ---
Honestly, that's a major problem for my PCB. I often put decoupling caps at the bottom side of the PCB. Hot plate probably works for some use cases but not for all (as you already pointed out).
--- End quote ---
I do the same thing, of course, but I hand solder them. I apply solder paste, place the component, hold it with tweezers and hit the joint with my iron. Works well. Slow, but well.
On my toaster oven, the thermocouple hangs loose inside. I stuff the end into a via on the PCB to get a good reading of board temperature, not cavity temperature.
tggzzz:
--- Quote from: Peabody on October 25, 2019, 05:25:24 pm ---
--- Quote from: rstofer on October 25, 2019, 04:14:32 pm ---
Don't laugh at the hot plate. It is my preferred method because I can watch the solder flow and I know exactly when to remove the board from the plate. I buy PCBs from ExpressPCB and they are of a standard size. These fit on the flat portion of my hotplate so I don't need a heat spreader.
I simply put the board on the hot plate, turn the dial to max and wait. When the solder has flowed, I use tweezers to take the board off the hot plate and set it anywhere else. Then I can turn off the hot plate. I don't allow the board to ramp down on the plate.
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Indeed. A slightly more elaborate hotplate setup (but still under US$20) uses a circular saw blade mounted a bit above the hotplate to even out the heat, and to provide a more stable way to remove the board at the end - by removing the blade. And a two step heating algorithm can also approximate the reflow curve without risking any overshoot, but still with no thermocouple or controller. You just need a watch.
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I find a few mm of sand in the bottom of a saucepan works well, provided there are components on only one side.
Gas hobs are controllable w.r.t. temperature profiles. If the saucepan has a glass lid, watch the progress through that, optionally removing it when using a non-contact thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature.
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