My DIY solder reflow oven

[kitatit]

Hi Guys,

I thought I'd show you my DIY solder reflow oven I made.

Quiet a while back I bought 10 Die4drive Pro laser driver boards from Robin at www.die4laser.com Thanks Robin

Robin didn't have any finished boards at the time but was happy to sell me the unpopulated boards and gave me a parts list so I could build them myself.

Well.... lets say I took the scenic route to building the boards

I got all inspired to make my own reflow oven after seeing Robin's instructions on turning a toaster oven into a reflow oven. It took me a while and I spent way too much in the process but I learn't about and how to use solid state relays, thermocouples and how finer diameter ones respond much quicker than lager ones.
How to program PID Temp controllers this one has ramp/soak so you can program a temp profile over time.

I bought a great little multi channel temperature data logger called a TC-08 from Picotech in the UK. What a dream it is. So simple to use and it will come in handy for understanding the thermal issues in laser modules and projectors.

I bought a new donor toaster oven that was 1500w at 240v. in hindsight I would have used a second hand ones as in the end almost non of the original hardware was left intact

Lets say, non of the front knobs are left and due to it not heating up fast enough It may have an extra element added, it may have a 15amp power lead.

Kind of a pity I cant use it for toasting foodstuffs anymore, this Frankintoaster could cook up a mean snack in no time.

Anyway enough talk.

Here are some pics of the process and the YouTube link will show you a vid of the oven in action with a realtime temp profile being displayed via the Picolog software interfaced with the logger. It's not action packed but it will give anyone who is interested in having a go at themselves an idea.

I'm no electronics guru or even know how most of the driver works so I was pretty happy that i managed to pull it off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbOnXJN2IcI

Some sites/links that people might find helpful are;

www.die4laser.com

http://www.e-f-w.com/community/conte...215040ee6c491e

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?ma...&products_id=4

http://www.picotech.com/thermocouple.html


There is a little bit more info on these pics in my PL photo album.

enjoy

Kit

[dnar]

Good work Kit! I like how you open the door to drop the temp quickly. Cool.

How did you make your solder paste stencil?

A few parts moved by the looks, what caused that?

If you even need to do anything more complicated, AT&M in Osborne Park have both leaded and RoHS ovens, pick and place and they also offer good hand re-work ($45/hr). They are populating a 30-chip PCB for me tomorrow.

Love your work.

[dave]

Sweet as man, looks pro

[kitatit]

Thanks for the props guys,

Robin gave me the gerber file (I think thats what its called) and put me onto a real helpful bloke called Andy Nicol from
smtstencil.co.uk
Its a stencil that is made of what looks like overhead transparency film.
It worked great and they made three stencils on an a4 sheet for only 12pounds.

The parts moved due to my less than robotic hand placement of parts. It took me 20mins to apply the paste to 10 boards, 9hrs to place the parts and 6mins to reflow the first and 6mins to reflow the other 9 boards.

Wow that facility in Ozzy park sounds like a cool place to visit.
Man it opens up some great possibilities having that sort of service just around the corner..... hmmmmm schemes for more gadgets

[Stoney3K]

Man it opens up some great possibilities having that sort of service just around the corner..... hmmmmm schemes for more gadgets

Well, the ideal fabrication workshop toolkit would, IMO, consist of one of these, a RepRap 3D printer, a small CO2 laser cutter and a CNC milling machine. PCB etching machine optional, since ordering PCB's is more economic when you buy them in large quantities.

Most of those will sell for under $1000 each brand new, and if you have a full complement of things like that, you can pretty much make *anything*. Including new fabbers that can do even more interesting stuff (e.g. upgrade your CNC to 5-axis or build a lathe).

[dnar]

I have been eyeing off the Roland PCB routing machine for quick protos....

Kit, those stencils look good for small qty use. I pay big $$$ for production stainless stencils... But that is what your need when you produce 80,000 units a year.

Kit, take a look here http://atmwa.com.au/

[kitatit]

Well, the ideal fabrication workshop toolkit would, IMO, consist of one of these, a RepRap 3D printer, a small CO2 laser cutter and a CNC milling machine. PCB etching machine optional, since ordering PCB's is more economic when you buy them in large quantities.


Most of those will sell for under $1000 each brand new, and if you have a full complement of things like that, you can pretty much make *anything*. Including new fabbers that can do even more interesting stuff (e.g. upgrade your CNC to 5-axis or build a lathe).

MMMM..... Ideal fab shop... I can't stop tampering with myself dreaming about these puppies The Syil X7 for about $15K or the V7 with enclosure and 10 tool Automatic tool changer for around$22K. They run on single phase too! I'll keep watching this space. Things are starting to get pretty exciting in the entry level CNC market

I have been eyeing off the Roland PCB routing machine for quick protos....

Kit, those stencils look good for small qty use. I pay big $$$ for production stainless stencils... But that is what your need when you produce 80,000 units a year.

Kit, take a look here http://atmwa.com.au/

I wouldn't mind coming to visit this place with you some time Wayne.

[dnar]

I wouldn't mind coming to visit this place with you some time Wayne.

Kit, my parts delivery didn't make in on Friday, so I will be heading up there Monday or Tuesday. If your still in town, we can arrange to meet there when I drop my job off and I'll show you around the plant. Pretty amazing.

[kitatit]

Sweet! It's a date, it a geeks bromance waiting to happen....call me....

[dnar]

Sweet! It's a date, it a geeks bromance waiting to happen....call me....

Sure, will do.

BTW, did you know that there is a Hackerspace now just around the corner from my office and your place? The have a home made CNC too! And you can use the space/tools for $20 a day!

http://artifactory.org.au/

I am thinking this place will be perfect for the 1st Perth LEM, I don't think they will have a problem with smoke machines either.

Saturdays are "General Hacking Days". You should drop in to take a look.