DIY reflow oven - suitable UK/EU candidates

[doobedoobedo]

I've converted one of those. I got it in Aldi branded as 'Crofton'.

It's a little slow to heat up but does the job. I've been thinking about adding a couple more heating elements if I can find another one cheap enough.

[timgiles]

I have one (Gourmetmaxx Infrarot-Ofen 9 L) and it is on the way this morning from Amazon.de to me (in Sweden). I have ordered a 450W element and likely will get a second in addition to the 1000W ish it has as standard. Initially going with the ControLeo2 controller but also wondering about rolling my own later in the year.

I was wondering if I should install the 3rd (and 4th) in the bottom or top or both.

Looking forward to getting it up and running soon - have a four layer board and two 2 layer board coming in end of May that will be perfect for reflow.

[doobedoobedo]

I rolled my own arduino based controller. It was pretty easy really.

[EPLan]

I rolled my own arduino based controller. It was pretty easy really.

Are you getting the 1.5C/s rise the German site displayed?

[doobedoobedo]

I rolled my own arduino based controller. It was pretty easy really.

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.

[EPLan]

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.

Ah, I actually ordered one based on the CCC link, and like you I cannot get anything more than almost 1C/s max no matter what I've tried(I have the insulation etc). Bit confused as to how the guy got that figure - the Chaos Computer Club is pretty well known.

Do you have any elements(any links to products?) in mind? I'm unfamiliar with all this but it seems to be a choice between single elements plus connectors or an all-in-one unit like this(oven seems to be 250mm internally so a tight but possible fit - EDIT: or maybe not, I'll have to investigate).

[timgiles]

Well I dont know about the germans build, but I plan to :

1. Use high temperature sealent to  seal the oven interior
2. Line the inside with car exhaust blanket rated to 1000oC - Ill use exhaust paste to ensure it sticks - I have a few different high temp pastes to try
3. Cover this with gold reflective fabric/tape (Reflect-a-gold) - almost the whole interior
4. Cover most of the glass door with the same gold tape, leaving a viewing slot
5. On the outside, between the over wall and exterior wall - insulated with the same blanket fabric
6. I am installing a normal heating element (not quartz) in the bottom of the over as a booster element (450W) - but I do like the 1kW quartz element you posted.... so this might find its way in there if the 450W is found wanting. I am thinking it might be a good replacement for the 500W quartz top element in it as standard.

My aim is to use the gold tape to reflect as much radiation around the inside and use the internal and external blankets to limit the thermal loss. My oven arrives early this week coming (1st week May). Ill take pictures and post results once the build is complete.

Good luck with your builds.

[timgiles]

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

[nali]

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

I replaced the elements in my oven with quartz elements salvaged from an A4 laser printer fuser unit which were almost exactly the same size. I can't remember their power but I think they're 500-ish W.

For covering the glass door I bought one of those disposable meat roasting trays from the supermarket which are basically alu foil but thick enough to hold shape once you've cut out a template (with holding tabs) from the base and fitted it around the glass.

[doobedoobedo]

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

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.

I'm insulating externally with glass fibre cloth from cheap fire blankets  (ebay search for 'fire blanket' ) I used about 4 or 5 layers on all the metal sides, pop-riveted in place. I'm not bothering with the gold tape.

[blacksheeplogic]

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.

I don't really see the issue you are trying to solve. The bulk time where this would have significant time impact is during the preheat phase and while 1C/s is a little low it's not outrageous, if your target is 150C within an initial temp of 20C  (sensor on the PCB), that's around 130 seconds at 1C/s, and at 1.5C/s it's 87 seconds. The remaining profile lets say is around 400 seconds including cooling your looking at 530 seconds verses 487 seconds which is <10%.

A modified toaster oven is not going to hit 3C/s to 5C/s peek rise during reflow, but thats OK with a 1.5C/s vrs 1.0C/s any component that fails due to that difference was a candidate for early failure anyway and probably a issue in the profile anyway.

[microcircuit]

I already own a T962A oven which has an inaccurate temp/timing controller. I am therefore looking at fitting an accurate controller so that it is a useful SMD oven. Has anyone any information if the ControLeo2 would be suitable for the T962A.
Phil.

[TIOUK]

If you have a T-962 you need to flash the firmware here: https://github.com/UnifiedEngineering/T-962-improvements  I had great results.

[l0wside]

The modification is perfect to spend a relaxed evening, with a DS18B20 (or MAX31820), some Kapton tape, a leftover FET or BJT, and a USB to serial adapter, the T-962 is updated easily within two hours.

Keep in mind, however, that it is still an IR oven which does not have a sensor on the PCB. After setting the peak temperature to 250°C, my PCBs turned black. The smell is still hanging in my basement. Even if the temperature at the sensor may have been 250°C, it must have exceeded 300°C on the board itself.

[microcircuit]

Thanks for the response, I am aware of the mod and the problems that you both mention (TIOUK & IOwside) I was looking at completely replacing the controller to prevent the problem IOwside mentioned.
There was a controller available from ESTechnical which solved the problems with the T962 and T962A and turned it into a reliable SMD oven unfortunately this is no longer available for the foreseeable future due to their premises catching fire.
I was therefore looking at other controllers and the ControLeo2 seemed to be the best solution but before committing to this controller I was hoping to find further information from anyone that had experience in converting a T962A with a ControLeo2.   

[l0wside]

microcircuit, I do not think the controller hardware is bad. The oven has three issues: First, it is infrared, which will never be able to provide proper heat distribution. Look for hot air reflow or vapor phase to improve on this. Second, the included firmware sucks, but this can be fixed (see the link which TIOUK mentioned). Third, the sensor is not on the board, but somewhere off. This might simply be a mechanical issue, but I have not yet investigated in detail. Replacing the controller board will not solve the third problem.

[bit.cyber]

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.

Some candidates are:

• Spice 1380W 16L - 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
• Techwood 1200W 18L - 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

(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.)

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.

[mikeselectricstuff]

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.

Some candidates are:

• Spice 1380W 16L - 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
• Techwood 1200W 18L - 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

(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.)

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.

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.

[IconicPCB]

Convection ( fan forced ) is very important.
The effect of the fan is to increase effective thermal mass of the oven and provide a better distribution of heat to the product being soldered.

[jgfrm]

Hi Guys,

I want to build an oven based on the ControLeo2.
However, here in The Netherlands, the Boom Mat seems to be unavailable.
The mat has a reflection part that ensures that the heat is spread over the board.
Does anyone has a recommendation to buy the Boom Mat in NL/Europe, or a similar product?

Best,

-- Jaap

[plazma]

Is this model any good?


It's less than 40€ at Lidl.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk

[Mark]

I used a Cookworks mini oven from Argos, the models may change slightly but it's very similar to the Cookworks KR-107-23 (C), see manual for KWS1525R-F2U:

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/4234834
It is 4 element 1500W, fan assisted. 




Other parts:
0.9mm thick aluminium sheet for the shelf (ebay)
6" boost element Cartridge Heater, 350W, RS components # 860-7081
Kudom 10 A Solid State Relays x3 KSIM380D10-L
ControLeo 2 (ebay USA). 
Reflect-a-gold for oven interior (ebay)
Ceramic wool for insulation (ebay)

Using Multicore MP200 solder paste and a 215C peak, I get good results. 

[Lomax]

Using Multicore MP200 solder paste and a 215C peak, I get good results.

You do indeed - impressive! Is that a "weapon of mass destruction" (Weller WMD) I see in the background?

Edit: "Weapon of mass desoldering"?

[floobydust]

I use the OsPID, Open Source PiD controller for DIY reflow oven http://ospid.com/blog/
Arduino doing the control, so it's easy to make changes.

[jmelson]

I got a Philps P&P machine in 2007 and came up with my own reflow oven scheme.  I got the biggest GE toaster oven they had at our WalMart store.  It will hold a board up to 8 x 11" or so, which I occasionally do.  I got a ramp and soak temperature controller on eBay and some really small thermocouple extension wire.  When I tried to do the reflow with the thermocouple just in the air, it fried the boards black.  So, I poke the thermocouple into a through hole in the board, and it controls the actual board temperature.  I do both leaded and lead-free soldering, and adjust the final temp for the solder being used.  The ramp and soak controller can be set for degrees at start and end of the ramp and time of the ramp.  So, I have it programmed for ramp to 180 C, hold for 1 minute, ramp to desired temp, hold 1 minute, then cool down.

The oven has 4 heating elements that run horizontally, two above the rack, two below.  The elements run the full length left to right.  I made some rectangular rings out of stainless steel rod that sit on the racks.  As I usually have parts on both sides of the boards, I do the backs first (usually just decoupling caps and small passives) then do the top side with the chips.  The wire rings keep the back side components from touching the rack.

I have had very good results with this, and have done over 1000 boards.

Jon