Arduino noob

[TorqueRanger]

I am looking to build  my own reflow oven controller .. My problem comes I never played with arduino before..So I was looking to pick up a arduino clone to play with .. But I had a thought of using a Teensy instead of the arduino uno..What do you think would be the best course action here ??

[Seekonk]

There are PID controllers for less than $15 shipped, that would be a better choice.  I use nothing but the minis, same pinout spacing without unwanted junk for most things.  An extra layer of difficulty for a first timer though.  Likely you would want to use on screen data display too.

[alsetalokin4017]

Since you are new to Arduino I highly recommend that you start with a plain Arduino Uno R3 and work your way through the basic examples that come with the Arduino programming IDE. This is the simplest way to start.

I use ProMinis a lot lately too but they require an additional FTDI interface module so that they can be programmed and/or send serial data to/from the computer. (You only need the one FTDI module.) The Uno R3 has built in usb interface for programming and serial data transfer, plus you don't need to solder anything in order to begin using it.

It is also easy to add various displays like LCD to your Uno project. The PID application is rather complex programming though, so if you want immediate results for your reflow oven you might look at using one of the pre-built PID controller modules that Seekonk is suggesting.

[TorqueRanger]

I was looking at the pid controllers and I might get one just to play with
.The code I am using is from Rocket scream uno shield and then just mod and tweak the code to fit my purpose .. I am new  coding so my plan was to learn and write and see what happens or post code and see if someone will help out with pointers..

[VK3DRB]

Reflow oven? PID controller? Low cost?

Check out the ControLeo2. The designer has done all the hard work. It works well!

www.whizoo.com

But if you want to roll your own and play around with your own PID algorithms and have heaps of spare time, go ahead.

[TorqueRanger]

There are PID controllers for less than $15 shipped, that would be a better choice.  I use nothing but the minis, same pinout spacing without unwanted junk for most things.  An extra layer of difficulty for a first timer though.  Likely you would want to use on screen data display too.

How do you reflow with a pid controller??

[TorqueRanger]

Reflow oven? PID controller? Low cost?

Check out the ControLeo2. The designer has done all the hard work. It works well!

www.whizoo.com

But if you want to roll your own and play around with your own PID algorithms and have heaps of spare time, go ahead.

I love his design but it's to much money for my blood hence why ai am building one and plus rocket scream is sold out

[hamster_nz]

If cost is an issue, strip it down... an oven, a microcontroller , a SSR, a thermocouple and an interface for the thermocouple is all you need. (Unless you want a product, that is).

Log the temperature on your pc or laptop over RS232 if you want to, no need for a screen.or usea cheap 7seg dusplay.

And don't worry about PID. Following the profile closely doesn't really need PID. The thermal lag is so long, that the system is stable enough if you just use an simple program.

Just run this logic at 4Hz: based on a few second of history, does it look like I will be hotter than I want it to be in two second given the current rate of change? If so switch the element off, else switch it on.

(The definition of "I want it to be" changes depending where in the profile you are... it might be a rate of change during the ramp up, or an absoulte temperature for soak or peak).

[IanJ]

For what it's worth........here's mine. Arduino based, and the wiring, code etc is available to download on my site.

http://www.ianjohnston.com/index.php/videos/18-video-blog-008-home-built-smd-reflow-oven

I didn't use PID, I just used a setpoint system which you can adjust yourself (edit the code) in terms of timing and temperatures. If I remember correctly it's set up such that the user can select from 1 of 2 profiles from the front panel of the oven.

Have fun!

Ian.