Another toaster oven reflow oven - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: simonmc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 01:32:41 am
content: Well it all started with me wanting to do a 'useful' project and spotting a toaster oven on a Facebook freebies page, as these things do. Well i thought it was worth the £5 petrol to go pick it up, so i did. Its a Hinari tiny top toaster oven available in the UK, and true its name is small.So i decided to try it out and it worked, so i grabbed my k-type thermocouple and placed it in the middle of the rack with some hi-temp tape i use for my 3d printer hotend. After it had cooled down, i turned it on full wack and recorder the temp every 10 seconds to discover its performance.Well it seemed OK, so i set about seeing if i could improve it. I had some 3M self adhesive tape from aldi, so i first stuck that on the door leaving a viewing strip and the performance went up. Not bad i thought so i then covered the crumb try with it. This increased it some more so i thought i would strip it down and cover the interior top, back and remove the metal covers from the elements.Attached is a graph of the improvements achieved with just some bits of shiny tape. I have to say i was shocked.So next is to implement a controller so i can do a proper reflow profile..Simon

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 01:54:14 am
content: Quote from: simonmc on March 04, 2019, 01:32:41 amCheck this outhttps://apollo.open-resource.org/mission:resources:picoreflow

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 03:38:25 am
content: http://www.rocketscream.com/shop/reflow-oven-controller-shield-arduino-compatibleSource is provided and you may want to mess around with the internal profile.

author: simonmc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 07:11:43 am
content: Thanks for those, I have been looking at various solutions, but so far have not picked one. However I will be giving come serious reaserch time. Ideally I will use an Arduino nano or bluepill stm32 as they are what I have on hand.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 02:53:10 pm
content: I'm finishing up a reflow hot plate project based on using a predetermined power sequence each time rather than temperature feedback. I built a controller based on that idea, but ended up not needing it. Just need a stopwatch. The same might work for a toaster oven. I may have a video coming out shortly, but the Github repo is done in case you're interested:https://github.com/gbhug5a/Reflow-Hot-Plate-and-Controller

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 03:21:47 pm
content: Quote from: Peabody on March 04, 2019, 02:53:10 pmI often use a hotplate rather than my converted toaster oven. The control system is fairly simple; I turn the plate fully on and watch the solder. When it is all flowed, I remove the board and place it somewhere to cool. Then I turn off the plate. Tweezers work well here.This process actually works quite well!

author: simonmc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 03:30:42 pm
content: I'm actually doing this as a learning exercise as the needed bits are going to cost less than £20 (using Amazon prime rather than eBay) as I already have most of the bits, and if I get a good reflow oven, which does not take up much space then it's a bonus. I was just surprised that the placing of some aluminium tape and removing the covers over the elements was so effective. Thinking of getting something like s fire blanket to use as insulation, as due to the ovens deminutive size there is not to much room for insulation.Simon

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 04, 2019, 03:31:16 pm
content: There is also this reflow controllerhttps://github.com/UnexpectedMaker/ReflowMasterI bought mine from the creator, as was short on time.

author: simonmc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2019, 10:36:34 pm
content: Well my MAX6675 and SSR turned up, so went with a slightly modified version of the rocket scream sketch as i had all the bits on hand, and well literally just tried it with the default PID values and i,m very impressed. A Bit of PID tuning is now in order, but its not to far out for its very first run..Simon

author: gabinetzabiegowy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 29, 2023, 09:01:24 pm
content: Thank you for the good writeup.