DIY Metcal 13.56 MHz RF Supply

[mamalala]

No, the two systems are not compatible, it is a completely different frequency range, and thus the parameters that the 470 kHz hanpieces, cartridges, etc. present do not match to what would be required. Well, to be clear, it's probably possible to somehow match those two together, but this will very likely involve massive losses and thus make no real sense.

Hmm, are the tip heater elements (or materials used perhaps) so different between those in MFR and MX tips that a frequency increase would result in a different curie point? Pardon my ignorance when it comes to these things, but I guess I was hoping that the tips are not really that different, and all that the higher frequency does is allow for more power, faster.

No, the curie point of the alloy does not change, it is a fixed physical property of that alloy. The frequency itself also has little effect on the amount of power that can be transferred.

As far as the tips for the 13.56 MHz system are concerned, please look up the US patents 4,745,264 and 4,877,944. That shows you how they are constructed. You have the copper slug that makes the actual tip. On that slugs stub, inside the cartridge, is a cladding of the alloy with the curie effect. Around that you have a coil of wire, where the RF is fed into.

This means that you have an inductor there, and the RF source must match that, so that most energy is coupled into the alloy (which basically forms a short-circuited winding below the curie point). I don't know the specific construction of the 470 kHz tips. There are two different systems, one that has a handpiece with the coil, into which the tip is inserted, and another which more resembles the MX stuff, where all is in a single cartridge. In any case, assuming the construction is similar, the inductance will most likely not match to what can be used on a 13.56 MHz system.

I mean i have never tried it, i simply don't have any stuff from the 470 kHz system, so i can't try either. But consider this: Take a regular mains transformer that is designed to work on 50/60 Hz mains. Check what voltage ratio you get, and how much power it can deliver at a given input voltage. Now keep the voltage the same, but increase it to several kHz, and see how good it works. Most transformers will degrade rather quickly at higher frequencies. I would think that the same is true here. After all, the RF supply and the tip cartridge are basically a tuned circuit. Changing the parameters of the load will greatly detune it.

But as said, i never tried it. It may work, it may not work. I can's test it either, since i don't have any of the 470 kHz Metcal stuff. If anyone wants to send me a handpiece and tip, be my guest, then i will try it. But no guarantees, and the result might be a damaged tip and/or handpiece.

Plus, at least the cable running to the handpiece must be a coax, otherwise you will have big trouble when you go into the MHz range. After all we don't want the cable to act as an antenna and lose energy that way before it even reaches the tip.

Greetings,

Chris

[AndersAnd]

Curious if something similar might be done for the cheaper metcal/oki MFR units, especially as I have a full set of them (handpieces/tweezers/desoldering) . They do use a different (8 pin din) connector, but if the frequency/power can be boosted up to regular metcal levels via diy, that'd be quite amazing.

The supply circuit for those 470 kHz systems is pretty simple. Gerhard over at the µC.net forum has drawn out the schematics for the SP200 supply unit: http://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/311671#3363592. This one is the predescessor to the MFR1100 unit.

As you can see, a really simple thing.

Greetings,

Chris

Your link  doesn't work, so you might want to edit that

Anyway I understand German, so I could see you asked Gerhard for pictures of the inside of SP200 in that topic. Or SP-PW1 as the power supply for SP200 is named.

Here's some more pictures found on the net. Notice that these just have bypassing jumpers where the EMI line filter is located at the topic above. Instead these units have the EMI filter integrated into the power inlet socket, just like MX-500 has. [MX-500 uses a Delta Electronics 03SEEG3H two stage EMI line filter as mentioned in the MX500 schematic and BOM for MX-500, linked to earlier in this topic].

http://bbs.38hot.net/thread-20460-1-1.html

http://is.gd/z4jvYf

[mamalala]

Hi AndersAnd,

hmm, strange, the link to µC.net works just fine here, but in your quote it looks rather messed up (while in my original post it looks normal). Dunno what i can do...

Edit: Sorry, somehow my browser crapped out and showed me garbage. You are right, the link was screwed up. Fixed it now. Thanks!

Anyways, thanks for the extra pics!

Parak:

BTW, the reason why i don't know how the 470 kHz system cartridges work is because of some other patents that Metcal has on heating technology using materials with a curie effect. Here's a list of some (including the two mentioned above):

US 4,256,945
US 4,623,401
US 4,695,713
US 4,701,587
US 4,745,264
US 4,752,673
US 4,769,519
US 4,814,587
US 4,877,944

So, unless someone opens up one of these cartridges, there is no way to know if there is even a remote chance to mix these two systems.

Greetings,

Chris

[AndersAnd]

There's a few more SP200 pictures in these albums.

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5726704339957072481

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KfuHpsjK8F3pIb48oPC7sfk5APBYHO-bRtJwxAbZTwc

And some kind of repair video involving a light bulb connected via a wire through a coil: https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5725225535621735938?banner=pwa&pid=5725225535621735938&oid=114369772963211136986

You might be able to find more pictures in some of his albums, there's even pictures of Yellow Metcal soldering stations: https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856874665601731314?pid=5856874665601731314&oid=114369772963211136986

Maybe they were repainted by the owner company as anti theft protection, so they don't end up on ebay?

[Parak]

No, the curie point of the alloy does not change, it is a fixed physical property of that alloy. The frequency itself also has little effect on the amount of power that can be transferred.

As far as the tips for the 13.56 MHz system are concerned, please look up the US patents 4,745,264 and 4,877,944. That shows you how they are constructed. You have the copper slug that makes the actual tip. On that slugs stub, inside the cartridge, is a cladding of the alloy with the curie effect. Around that you have a coil of wire, where the RF is fed into.

This means that you have an inductor there, and the RF source must match that, so that most energy is coupled into the alloy (which basically forms a short-circuited winding below the curie point). I don't know the specific construction of the 470 kHz tips. There are two different systems, one that has a handpiece with the coil, into which the tip is inserted, and another which more resembles the MX stuff, where all is in a single cartridge. In any case, assuming the construction is similar, the inductance will most likely not match to what can be used on a 13.56 MHz system.

I mean i have never tried it, i simply don't have any stuff from the 470 kHz system, so i can't try either. But consider this: Take a regular mains transformer that is designed to work on 50/60 Hz mains. Check what voltage ratio you get, and how much power it can deliver at a given input voltage. Now keep the voltage the same, but increase it to several kHz, and see how good it works. Most transformers will degrade rather quickly at higher frequencies. I would think that the same is true here. After all, the RF supply and the tip cartridge are basically a tuned circuit. Changing the parameters of the load will greatly detune it.

Ah, I see now. That makes sense, of course.

But as said, i never tried it. It may work, it may not work. I can's test it either, since i don't have any of the 470 kHz Metcal stuff. If anyone wants to send me a handpiece and tip, be my guest, then i will try it. But no guarantees, and the result might be a damaged tip and/or handpiece.

I might be able to arrange something, but currently it sounds like a somewhat expensive (I'm in US) proposition that is unlikely to succeed I don't suppose it's possible to non-destructively measure the inductance?

On another note, the MFR units come with two types of tips - those where the heater is inside the handpiece, and those where the heater is inside the tip. The latter is mostly used looking similar to MX types, but MFR-H2-ST handpiece and the desoldering guns use the former. I have both types..

Plus, at least the cable running to the handpiece must be a coax, otherwise you will have big trouble when you go into the MHz range. After all we don't want the cable to act as an antenna and lose energy that way before it even reaches the tip.

..but the whole thing may be moot anyway because of this - the MFR handpieces all use what seems to be a regular multiconductor cable as opposed to a coax.

[mamalala]

Ah, I see now. That makes sense, of course.

Yea, and if you look at the patents, they have a system with a coil around the slug (like the 13.56 MHz stuff uses), but also some system where the AC is basically directly connected to the alloy.

I might be able to arrange something, but currently it sounds like a somewhat expensive (I'm in US) proposition that is unlikely to succeed I don't suppose it's possible to non-destructively measure the inductance?

While i surely like to tinker around with such things, i simply don't think that it is worth the effort if the stuff has to come from the US. Especially considering that there is a chance that thing will get damaged during testing. So unless it is something to throw away, i doub't it's worth the risk.

On another note, the MFR units come with two types of tips - those where the heater is inside the handpiece, and those where the heater is inside the tip. The latter is mostly used looking similar to MX types, but MFR-H2-ST handpiece and the desoldering guns use the former. I have both types..

Yes, i know. There was the PS-800E, which uses the PS-HC2 handpiece, that has a coil assembly in the handpiece. The successor of that is the PS-900 with the PS-HC2 handpiece, from what i know.

But then there is also the SP200 stuff, that uses the SP-HC1 handpiece, which have "complete" cartridges (no coil assy in the handpiece), which are superseeded by the MFR-1110 with the MFR-H1_SC handpiece. Note the SP/PS fuzzing between those two types...

..but the whole thing may be moot anyway because of this - the MFR handpieces all use what seems to be a regular multiconductor cable as opposed to a coax.

True. Without a proper coax, it's pretty futile to use 13.56MHz. On another note, while the 470 kHz stuff may be a bit cheaper, the 13.56 MHz stuff is far more common. Plus, there is a massive range of tips available. And i mean, really massive. STTC for "normal" stuff, SMTC for rework stuff (you get tips for chip resistor/capacitor packages, IC packages, etc.). And you can find tips rather cheaply on eBay as well, with a little patience. Patience is needed especially if you are outside the US. While the merchandise itself might be cheap, there are many sellers who have insane ideas about shipping cost. For example, i have bought a 6-pack of brand new SMTC-007 tips for 23.49 US$, plus 12.75 US$ shipping. But then you also find stuff like this: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Metcal-SMTC-103-Cartridge-Slot-Chip-1808-1812-/200965267828. 40 US$ for shipping a _single_ tip. And that's not even the worst, i have seen sellers wanting in excess of 50 or 60 bucks, for a 10 bucks soldering tip...

But generally, you can find lots tips and stuff rather cheap on eBay, just keep an eye on it.

Greetings,

Chris

[mamalala]

And some kind of repair video involving a light bulb connected via a wire through a coil: https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5725225535621735938?banner=pwa&pid=5725225535621735938&oid=114369772963211136986

While the video is a pain to watch due to the autofocus going havoc all the time, what is interresting is that he clearly uses STTC tipc connected to the SP200 supply. You can see that he cobbled together the connection to the F connector of the RM3E handpiece to the cable form the SP200 supply through the inductor. So it seems that the "other way around" works. However, without knowing what the heatup and recovery times are, it's impossible to say if that makes sense. And then:

You might be able to find more pictures in some of his albums, there's even pictures of Yellow Metcal soldering stations: https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856874665601731314?pid=5856874665601731314&oid=114369772963211136986

Maybe they were repainted by the owner company as anti theft protection, so they don't end up on ebay?

Yes, they are cleary repainted. But you can also see that he modified one and put an F connector in there, to use the MX series handpieces. So it seems that at least that way they are interchangeable. Which may mean that just maybe the SP stuff can be used on MX series supplies as well. If they would have used a proper coax cable. Which we don't really know unless someone cuts open that cable, but i doubt it.

Greetings,

Chris

Edit: Damn, fell victim to the PS/SP fuzziness... fixed it.

[AndersAnd]

You might be able to find more pictures in some of his albums, there's even pictures of Yellow Metcal soldering stations: https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856874665601731314?pid=5856874665601731314&oid=114369772963211136986

Maybe they were repainted by the owner company as anti theft protection, so they don't end up on ebay?

Yes, they are cleary repainted. But you can also see that he modified one and put an F connector in there, to use the MX series handpieces. So it seems that at least that way they are interchangeable. Which may mean that just maybe the PS stuff can be used on MX series supplies as well. If they would have used a proper coax cable. Which we don't really know unless someone cuts open that cable, but i doubt it.

I'm pretty sure it's a BNC-connector and not an F-connector fitted in the one on the right. Notice the two bayonet lugs if you zoom in.

[mamalala]

I'm pretty sure it's a BNC-connector and not an F-connector fitted in the one on the right. Notice the two bayonet lugs if you zoom in.

Damn, you are right, my mistake.

Greetings,

Chris

[AndersAnd]

Here's a couple of picture with a BNC cable and a coil + light bulb connected to the unit above. He also has a soldering tip connected to it with another set of windings on the coil.
Looks like he uses the coil as an impedance transformer.

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856853583803528258?pid=5856853583803528258&oid=114369772963211136986

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856853723512252370?pid=5856853723512252370&oid=114369772963211136986

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856853867973491346?pid=5856853867973491346&oid=114369772963211136986

https://plus.google.com/photos/114369772963211136986/albums/5708625608608987905/5856875329127444386?pid=5856875329127444386&oid=114369772963211136986

[AndersAnd]

Googled for 'Metcal Sompong Tungmepol' (his name) and found these interesting videos on his YouTube channel.
Unfortunately he speaks Thai, so I don't understand anything he's saying:

Metcal MX 500 MX5000 Tips Operate on Metcal SP 200 http://youtu.be/DDttEAs8pZs

TORIOD FERRITE CORE 470 Khz TEST http://youtu.be/xNBsWEpcTDY

He sure has a lot of toriod's to experiment with and it looks like he has also replaced the toriod's inside the SP200. Maybe he has changed it's operating frequncy:
http://youtu.be/wY8mSnWTlUc

[mamalala]

Googled for 'Metcal Sompong Tungmepol' (his name) and found these interesting videos on his YouTube channel.
Unfortunately he speaks Thai, so I don't understand anything he's saying:

Metcal MX 500 MX5000 Tips Operate on Metcal SP 200 http://youtu.be/DDttEAs8pZs

TORIOD FERRITE CORE 470 Khz TEST http://youtu.be/xNBsWEpcTDY

He sure has a lot of toriod's to experiment with and it looks like he has also replaced the toriod's inside the SP200. Maybe he has changed it's operating frequncy:
http://youtu.be/wY8mSnWTlUc

Hmm, from seeing these videos, i get the impression that he is somewhat blindly trying to get the STTC tips to work on the SP unit, while not really understanding how it works. Looks like a complete trial & error approach. The first video seems to show that the performance of the STTC connected to the SP unit is rather poor, and while he has lots of tips, many of them don't look healthy at all. Sure, i can only guess here, but by the looks of it it seems more that the tips are heated mainly through heating the coil.

The fact that a small area above the tip, where internally the copper slug, alloy and coil sits, is heavily blackened would indicate that. Usually the darkening of that area happens rather slow and is spread out a bit larger than that. I had that effect when i had a too high idle voltage on my DIY supply. It caused the tip to glow dark red at exactly that spot, meaning that the coil itself heats up while no longer inducing (much) energy into the alloy/slug but having mostly resistive losses.

But then, i don't understand what he says either, so this is just guesswork from what i can see combined with my own experience. In any case, kudos to him for being so persistant in trying it all out

Greetings,

Chris

[ee.jmlp]

mamalala I changed the inductors by iron powder toroids, no heat and no heatsinks.

I installed a 16x2 LCD controlled with a psoc and a reset button.
(The position of the HF connector and the reset button is limited by internal space of the box)

The way it works will tell it to you the source code.

Chip: CY8C29466 from Cypress.
Developed in Psoc Designer 5.4 Cypress free software.

This is the main.c

Code: [Select]

//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// C main line
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------

#include <m8c.h>        // part specific constants and macros
#include "PSoCAPI.h"    // PSoC API definitions for all User Modules
#include "stdlib.h"
#include "string.h"

// you must use this lines if you used ljmp instruction at the interrupt .asm files for each module
// in this case PSoCGPIOINT.asm and IDLETIMERINT.asm
#pragma interrupt_handler TipDetectionISR
#pragma interrupt_handler TimeoutISR

unsigned int vforward;
unsigned int vreflect;
unsigned int vregulator;
float vf;
float vx;
float vr;
BYTE barvr;
BYTE idle;
int Statusf;
int Statusx;
int Statusr;


// tip detection interrupt service routine
void TipDetectionISR(void)
{
if (Tipdetector_Data_ADDR & Tipdetector_MASK) RF_EN_On();
else RF_EN_Off();
}

// gets 3 digital values of three conversions made at the same time
void Adc(void)
{
while(TRIADC_1_fIsDataAvailable() == 0){};  // Wait for data to be ready 

vforward = TRIADC_1_iGetData1();          // Get Data from ADC Input1 
vreflect = TRIADC_1_iGetData2();          // Get Data from ADC Input2 
vregulator = TRIADC_1_iGetData3ClearFlag(); // Get Data from ADC Input3 
// and clear data ready flag
}

// timeout interrupt service routine
void TimeoutISR(void )
{
RF_EN_Off();
IDLETIMER_Stop();
idle=2;
}

// sets the active status
void Isidle(void )
{
if (RF_EN_GetState())
{
//if regulator voltage does not reach 9.6V you are not soldering, you must change this value for other tips.
//or make a tip menu, as I only use 1 this is my threshold.
if (vr<9.6)
{
IDLETIMER_WritePeriod(5493);  // timeout period.
  IDLETIMER_WriteCompareValue(0); 
  IDLETIMER_EnableInt();
IDLETIMER_Start(); // stats timeout timer.
idle=1;
}
// if you are soldering automatically changes active status.
else
{
  IDLETIMER_DisableInt();
IDLETIMER_Stop();
idle=0;
}
}
else if (idle<2)
{
idle=3;
}
}

// numerical conversions
void Traduce(void)
{
vf=5.00*((float)vforward)/1023.00; // do the conversion you like here
vx=5.00*((float)vreflect)/1023.00;
vr=29.1644172*((float)vregulator)/1023.00; // 29.1644172 constant adjusts value to match true rms voltage of the regulator
barvr=(BYTE)((int)(40.00*(((float)vregulator)/772.00))); //772.00 for 21V max, 1023 for 28V max.
}

//manages the LCD
void Actualizar(void)
{
    if (idle==2) // timeout reached, press reset
{
LCD_1_Position(0,0);
LCD_1_PrCString("Apagado         ");
LCD_1_Position(1,0);
LCD_1_PrCString("pulsa reset     ");
}
else if (idle==3) // no tip detected, insert it
{
LCD_1_Position(0,0);
LCD_1_PrCString("Cartucho        ");
LCD_1_Position(1,0);
LCD_1_PrCString("desconectado    ");
}
else
{
LCD_1_DrawBG(1,0,8,barvr);
// "0123456789abcdef"
// "On f=1.23 x=1.23"
LCD_1_Position(1,10);
LCD_1_PrCString("V=");
LCD_1_PrString(ftoa(vr,&Statusr)); //prints a float to string conversion
LCD_1_Position(0,3);
LCD_1_PrCString("f=");
LCD_1_PrString(ftoa(vf,&Statusf));
LCD_1_Position(0,9);
LCD_1_PrCString(" x=");
LCD_1_PrString(ftoa(vx,&Statusx));
LCD_1_Position(0,0);

// prints the active status
if (idle==0)
{
LCD_1_PrCString("On ");
}
else if (idle==1)
{
LCD_1_PrCString("Id ");
}
}
}


void main(void)
{
//adc temp variables
vforward=0;
vreflect=0;
vregulator=0;

//float adc converted variables
vf=0.0;
vx=0.0;
vr=0.0;

//active status 0 ON, 1 IDLE, 2 OFF, 3 tip disconnected so OFF too.
idle=0;

//power bar filler
barvr=0;

//ensures timeout timer is off
IDLETIMER_Stop();
RF_EN_Start();

// first test, if tip connected rfON else rfOFF
if (Tipdetector_Data_ADDR & Tipdetector_MASK) RF_EN_On();
else RF_EN_Off();

M8C_EnableIntMask(INT_MSK0, INT_MSK0_GPIO); //enable interrupt for GPIO pins
M8C_EnableGInt;                 // Enable global interrupts  CAMBIAR

LCD_1_Start();
//bar graph on lcd, only ram configuration, this line does not show a bar by itself
LCD_1_InitBG(LCD_1_SOLID_BG);

//set the power status of the gain amplifiers/buffers
PGA_1_SetGain(PGA_1_G1_00);
    PGA_1_Start(PGA_1_HIGHPOWER);
    PGA_2_SetGain(PGA_2_G1_00);
    PGA_2_Start(PGA_2_HIGHPOWER);
    PGA_3_SetGain(PGA_3_G1_00);
    PGA_3_Start(PGA_3_HIGHPOWER);

TRIADC_1_Start(TRIADC_1_HIGHPOWER); // Turn on Analog section 
TRIADC_1_SetResolution(10);       // Set resolution to 10 Bits 
TRIADC_1_GetSamples(0);           // Start ADC to read continuously 

//let's start
for(;;)
{
Adc(); // triple analog digital converter 3 inputs at the same time
Traduce(); // numerical conversions
Isidle(); // configures active status
Actualizar(); // screen information
}
}


This is PSoCGPIOINT.asm

Code: [Select]

;  Generated by PSoC Designer 5.4.2946
;
;;*****************************************************************************
;;*****************************************************************************
;;  FILENAME: PSoCGPIOINT.asm
;;   Version: 2.0.0.20, Updated on 2003/07/17 at 12:10:35
;;  @PSOC_VERSION
;;
;;  DESCRIPTION: PSoC GPIO Interrupt Service Routine
;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;;  Copyright (c) Cypress Semiconductor 2013. All Rights Reserved.
;;*****************************************************************************
;;*****************************************************************************

include "m8c.inc"
include "PSoCGPIOINT.inc"

;-----------------------------------------------
;  Global Symbols
;-----------------------------------------------
export   PSoC_GPIO_ISR


;-----------------------------------------------
;  Constant Definitions
;-----------------------------------------------


;-----------------------------------------------
; Variable Allocation
;-----------------------------------------------


;@PSoC_UserCode_INIT@ (Do not change this line.)
;---------------------------------------------------
; Insert your custom declarations below this banner
;---------------------------------------------------

;---------------------------------------------------
; Insert your custom declarations above this banner
;---------------------------------------------------
;@PSoC_UserCode_END@ (Do not change this line.)


;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;  FUNCTION NAME: PSoC_GPIO_ISR
;
;  DESCRIPTION: Unless modified, this implements only a null handler stub.
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;
PSoC_GPIO_ISR:


   ;@PSoC_UserCode_BODY@ (Do not change this line.)
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert your custom code below this banner
   ;---------------------------------------------------
ljmp _TipDetectionISR
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert your custom code above this banner
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ;@PSoC_UserCode_END@ (Do not change this line.)

   reti


; end of file PSoCGPIOINT.asm


This is IDLETIMERINT.asm

Code: [Select]

;;*****************************************************************************
;;*****************************************************************************
;;  FILENAME: IDLETIMERINT.asm
;;   Version: 2.6, Updated on 2013/5/19 at 10:44:39
;;  Generated by PSoC Designer 5.4.2946
;;
;;  DESCRIPTION: Timer16 Interrupt Service Routine
;;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;;  Copyright (c) Cypress Semiconductor 2013. All Rights Reserved.
;;*****************************************************************************
;;*****************************************************************************

include "m8c.inc"
include "memory.inc"
include "IDLETIMER.inc"


;-----------------------------------------------
;  Global Symbols
;-----------------------------------------------
export  _IDLETIMER_ISR


AREA InterruptRAM (RAM,REL,CON)

;@PSoC_UserCode_INIT@ (Do not change this line.)
;---------------------------------------------------
; Insert your custom declarations below this banner
;---------------------------------------------------

;------------------------
; Includes
;------------------------


;------------------------
;  Constant Definitions
;------------------------


;------------------------
; Variable Allocation
;------------------------


;---------------------------------------------------
; Insert your custom declarations above this banner
;---------------------------------------------------
;@PSoC_UserCode_END@ (Do not change this line.)


AREA UserModules (ROM, REL)

;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;  FUNCTION NAME: _IDLETIMER_ISR
;
;  DESCRIPTION: Unless modified, this implements only a null handler stub.
;
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
;

_IDLETIMER_ISR:

   ;@PSoC_UserCode_BODY@ (Do not change this line.)
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert your custom assembly code below this banner
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ;   NOTE: interrupt service routines must preserve
   ;   the values of the A and X CPU registers.
   
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert your custom assembly code above this banner
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert a lcall to a C function below this banner
   ; and un-comment the lines between these banners
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   
   ljmp _TimeoutISR
   
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ; Insert a lcall to a C function above this banner
   ; and un-comment the lines between these banners
   ;---------------------------------------------------
   ;@PSoC_UserCode_END@ (Do not change this line.)

   reti


; end of file IDLETIMERINT.asm


[ee.jmlp]

And some pics of the final unit.
This is the configuration file for the CY8C29466 config. (two formats, open XPS and XPS).

I have to say the controller, after timeup, it cuts power waiting you with "press reset" message. I don't use VLIM.

My reason for this is if I stop using  the unit for a while, it stops working alone, needing my intervention. As the tip takes less than 5 sec for heating up, I don't care about the restarting.

It's like to play chess, once you move you hit the clock, but only if I don't use the tip for a while in this case.

You can add a DAC to control the power with the PSoC, it's really easy. (I know you have your software mamalala I was talking to the other readers in this line).

[ee.jmlp]

Googled for 'Metcal Sompong Tungmepol' (his name) and found these interesting videos on his YouTube channel.
Unfortunately he speaks Thai, so I don't understand anything he's saying:

Metcal MX 500 MX5000 Tips Operate on Metcal SP 200 http://youtu.be/DDttEAs8pZs

TORIOD FERRITE CORE 470 Khz TEST http://youtu.be/xNBsWEpcTDY

He sure has a lot of toriod's to experiment with and it looks like he has also replaced the toriod's inside the SP200. Maybe he has changed it's operating frequncy:
http://youtu.be/wY8mSnWTlUc

Hmm, from seeing these videos, i get the impression that he is somewhat blindly trying to get the STTC tips to work on the SP unit, while not really understanding how it works. Looks like a complete trial & error approach. The first video seems to show that the performance of the STTC connected to the SP unit is rather poor, and while he has lots of tips, many of them don't look healthy at all. Sure, i can only guess here, but by the looks of it it seems more that the tips are heated mainly through heating the coil.

The fact that a small area above the tip, where internally the copper slug, alloy and coil sits, is heavily blackened would indicate that. Usually the darkening of that area happens rather slow and is spread out a bit larger than that. I had that effect when i had a too high idle voltage on my DIY supply. It caused the tip to glow dark red at exactly that spot, meaning that the coil itself heats up while no longer inducing (much) energy into the alloy/slug but having mostly resistive losses.

But then, i don't understand what he says either, so this is just guesswork from what i can see combined with my own experience. In any case, kudos to him for being so persistant in trying it all out

Greetings,

Chris

I think the same mamalala.

What about this?

467,5862KHz * 29 = 13.56MHz
29th harmonic. With a 467,5862KHz square wave (with ns rise fall times) and a  13.56MHz bandpass you could theoretically achieve the goal. (jaja not to mention the power output/input relationship)

LOL

Yeah buddy!

[CristopherD]

hi there Chris;
The names Chris; From the OZ.
Been keeping an eye on this discussion for a while now,
First of all i would like to say a big thanks for the research you have done and the time you have put in.
i've recently had the chance to use a thermaltronics iron and i've fallen in love with the inductive technology; the only thing keeping our love apart is the price ($550 in AU for the 13.56mhz machine), although i am now thinking about purchasing the original metcal tips if what you referred to in a previous post is true about efficiencies of the two manufactures tips.

With that being said;
Whenever you change something in regards to the schematic/adjust a value of a component, have you been updating your zip data with the changes?
I've read all 20 pages of this thread and you've made quite a few changes since your original files but shy of printing the 20 pages out and highlighting every change is there a way to get all the current files including eagle, girber, and parts list?

also, further to that point, if there is anybody here from Australia who has had these boards produced, and have some spare, if you could drop me a PM that would be appreciated.
regards. Christopher

[ee.jmlp]

hi there Chris;
The names Chris; From the OZ.
Been keeping an eye on this discussion for a while now,
First of all i would like to say a big thanks for the research you have done and the time you have put in.
i've recently had the chance to use a thermaltronics iron and i've fallen in love with the inductive technology; the only thing keeping our love apart is the price ($550 in AU for the 13.56mhz machine), although i am now thinking about purchasing the original metcal tips if what you referred to in a previous post is true about efficiencies of the two manufactures tips.

With that being said;
Whenever you change something in regards to the schematic/adjust a value of a component, have you been updating your zip data with the changes?
I've read all 20 pages of this thread and you've made quite a few changes since your original files but shy of printing the 20 pages out and highlighting every change is there a way to get all the current files including eagle, girber, and parts list?

also, further to that point, if there is anybody here from Australia who has had these boards produced, and have some spare, if you could drop me a PM that would be appreciated.
regards. Christopher

The circuit works as is in the .zip with eagle files. Only increase the capacitance in the C47 zone with multiple capacitors (I put 4*100nF x7r + 4*10nF x7r + 1*100nF epcos X2 rated, stacked in two rows).

The notes in the schematic are ok. You only have to take care about the bypass capacitors named in one post (mamalala named them with it's RS code):

as for the caps, the parts that i use are from RS-Online:

100n, 50V, X7R, 0805         264-4416
4µ7, 25V, 1206            723-6679

Besides those, in the power supply section i have:

100µ, 50V, Electrolytic         758-1272
10µ, 50V, X7R, 1210         723-6824
150µ, 16V,             716-7100

And if you can install an smd heatsink in the mosfet driver sticked with thermal bond.

For the part list, I exported one with eagle, you can do it too in a txt file.

[mamalala]

... although i am now thinking about purchasing the original metcal tips if what you referred to in a previous post is true about efficiencies of the two manufactures tips ...

Hi Christopher,

sorry for the late reply. Please be aware that whatever i meassured is _not_ representative. I simply lack the proper tools to do suitable testing. What i was refering to is that the Thermaltronics tips do behave a bit different compared to the Metcal tips. This does _not_ mean that they are worse, it only means that my supply may need slightly different adjustments as far as idle power, etc., is concerned. The TT tips work just fine, that is, on a original Metcal supply as well as my DIY supply. The only real "problem" i had was that one type of TT tip started to glow dark-red when idling compared to the same Metcal tip. But this was easily fixed by simply lowering the idle supply voltage to the RF stage (the adjustable R's are on my board for a reason... hehe...)

However, that being said, there is a vastly larger supply of used and new Metcal tips for cheap on eBay than there is for TT tips. But this may very well change in the future.

Greetings,

Chris

[mamalala]

Hi all,

since i get eMails about PCB's for the DIY unit, i am considering to have a new batch made. However, the question is what to do and how many. Since my original design consisted of two boards (the main RF board, and the rather optional supply/µC board), there are are several ways. One is to only make the RF boards, and have you folks do your own supply/µC boards (since other people prefer other choices of µC, if any at all). Note that the RF board works just fine on it's own, all that is needed are the supply voltages. The whole µC stuff is just bling-bling (well, OK, plus the sleep/etc. stuff).

So, here i am wondering what to do. Just get a batch of the actual RF boards done. Or make another batch of the µC board as well. But then, i'm also wondering if a slightly bigger board that contains all the sections would be preferred. The latter means that the PCB will become a bit bigger, so that it will have the power supply sections as well, plus a header for whatever µC control is wanted (that is, the actual µC would be a plug-in-module thingy, up to you what you plug in there). It would be Euro-Card size (160mm x 100mm) or slightly smaller, so it should fit in the many available encloures for that.

Please let me know here, and i'll se what i can do. In any case, i see demand for the circuit as PCB's, and i'm just wondering how to proceed.

Greetings,

Chris

[CristopherD]

hey Chris
let me be the first to say i would love a set of these boards, i was just about to get a couple made when i saw this post.
i also know a couple of people here who would get a set as well, depending on time frame.
i think the current board arrangement suits most well, that way people can choose weather they want the UC or not.
regards. Christopher

[richard.cs]

Hi Chris,

I would be interested in buying a PCB, but probably just the RF board. Any idea of the price per board?

[mamalala]

hey Chris
let me be the first to say i would love a set of these boards, i was just about to get a couple made when i saw this post.
i also know a couple of people here who would get a set as well, depending on time frame.
i think the current board arrangement suits most well, that way people can choose weather they want the UC or not.
regards. Christopher

In that case it would probably be better if you get a batch done. In the next weeks i won't be getting to it, and then there is the long shipping time from China. If i would do them, then some time and cost is added to get them shipped to your place. So i think it's more cost efficient and faster if you get them done, since you have some people who also want some.

If you do, and there should be some leftovers, i'm sure that some folks here would be interrested in them. Just announce it here then.

Greetings,

Chris

[mikeselectricstuff]

I think the most useful option would be a board that has enough onboard to be useable standalone with maybe just a couple of LEDs as the user interface (maybe RGB), but that people can add their own add-on if they want anything clever like a display etc.

[mamalala]

Hi Chris,

I would be interested in buying a PCB, but probably just the RF board. Any idea of the price per board?

Hi Richard,

as i just mentioned in my reply to Christopher, it will still be some time before i get another batch ordered. Last batch was done at iTead, the 10x10cm service @ 10 pcs. So it would be that price, plus shipping from them to me, divided by 10, and then plus shipping from me to whereever it would go. Too lazy to look it up right niw, but rather cheap.

Greetings,

Chris

[mamalala]

I think the most useful option would be a board that has enough onboard to be useable standalone with maybe just a couple of LEDs as the user interface (maybe RGB), but that people can add their own add-on if they want anything clever like a display etc.

With the power supply section included, you mean? If so, that is basically what i had in mind. Make it a bit bigger to put the rectifier and voltage regulators there, so it can be used stand-alone, plus the header to connect to some more fancy stuff if one wants.

Greetings,

Chris