Btw, for anyone who want to regulate the temp
This sensor is also used in 3d printer
It’s 3d temperature sensor
And the price, of coure, is very low
It can handle up to 300*C, and more
With basic coding, arduino, an oled 128*64, it will be”plug and play”, and cool
“Wow” is what I said after I watched your video djozz! First as to how fast the heat block reflowed the LED and second, how you made it look so easy.
Is djozz is good. 
:sheepish grimace:
… so my mini heatblock is not as pretty as djozz’s, please forgive me, it is still being beta tested, and I gave zero thought beforehand on how to layout the wood block components and run the wires lol.
But it works great. Like the poster above said, it will reflow stuff quickly but without burning it up. I’ve used it for LEDs reflowed to MCPCB, MCPCB soldered to copper pill, and reflowing all the components at once on a from-scratch driver build (WAAAAAY better than the way I did it the first time, soldering by hand each component the size of a speak of dust)
My workstation temporarily next to wife’s… So glad we have a dedicated dining room, lol.
Ill have to look this back up if I ever get brave enough to re-flow.
sweet!
Of course your’s is the proper way to do it, rough and functional! But to my defense, my workspace is one small table in the corner of the living room and my wife does not have a comparable hobby (I’m jealous of you!), so my first thought with everything is: how to make it small (even my flashlights are usually small ). Two years ago I gained some ‘lebensraum’ with a rather large integrating sphere next to that table, which is still hardly tolerated. 
i gotta have one of these, lol… looks like once it is SET UP… its pretty much “automated” the process of reflowing…
You guys are so dedicated, kudos!
Yesterday my new ultra-small ultralight Gophert powersupply was delivered, which I was eying for a year now because it is such a neat thing, this little heatblock was the perfect excuse for buying one.
Its small size suited this heatblock and a small test at the for led reflows perfect 2.8A showed that also functionally it suited the heatblock well
Fortunately ( :confounded: ) I forgot to switch it off and so it stayed heated overnight. So this morning I found the heatblock and power supply like this:
Perfectly unaltered, ps at 2.8A and pleasantly warm to the touch, heatblock going strong at 216 degC. I’m impressed, and glad that it even is forgiving for my forgetting mind.
Huh. Would this cheap little thing work?
EDIT — disappointing, its range of output measures 3.49 to 10.3V
I wonder if there’s an adjustment screw inside if I pop the case open ….
Might still be adequate for heating, I dunno. Time will tell.
Maybe I do really need a better power supply. Yeah, that’s the answer ….
EDIT, June 14th: BG promised to replace the first one with one tested to actually put out 12v.
The replacement has never arrived. I imagine they’re still testing trying to find a good one.
Meanwhile, I bought one of the good Gophert models.
Very cool & creative, thx for sharing!
If two of those heaterelements are wired in series (on my device they are parallel) that thing could be just right and way cheaper than my Gophert power supply which makes the total materials cost for the build next to nothing (but it is less fun than the Gophert 
)
djozz, why do you want two elements, either in series or parallel? Or was that just how you built it up? I build one prototype with two, and then my second version has just one and it will easily get way hotter than needed.
I’ve been meaning to update you / my thread on this. My latest change (I’ll try to get pics tonight) was two things:
1. I removed the PWM module. It was nice to be able to turn a knob, but it was mostly unnecessary wires and extra components for how infrequently I needed to adjust temperature. Using a small screwdriver to adjust the pot on the power supply works fine for the occasion that I need to change it.
2. I added one of these for $4.99:
Note that you can buy cheaper thermometers, but they are thermister-based and max out at 110*C, you need at least 180*C for solder reflowing.
I have the thermometer permanently wired to the power supply, but the reflow block (heater element) is on a 5x2.1mm barrell quick connector. So when I’m done reflowing, I can easily unplug the heater, but leave the unit (including thermometer) powered on. That way the block can start to cool down, but the lights on the power supply and the thermometer are still reading - and I can use the lights as my indicator: LIGHTS ON = HOT DO NOT TOUCH!!!
One other thing that I like about my version (that I would recommend for people considering to build their own) is that it does not have any exposed metal other than the top reflow surface. With your version I can predict with 100% certainty that I will eventually someday forget that it’s hot and try to pick it up by some metal part, lol. With the completely encapsulated version, the only hot surface is the top.
Also, your workbench might be messier than mine, congrats.
Agree on all points, including the workspace. My wife is visibly annoyed every time she looks in the direction of my hobby-corner.
That is a neat little thermometer. With all that cheap but well-working stuff you can go completely wild on making the perfect heatblock for little money. I almost feel like making my version 3 now
Thanks for spending more of the wifes well earned money djozz and sac. :+1:
Parts will be here in a month or so. Its funny as l dont need a heating plate but who knows. One day.
After seeing this i had to upgrade my soldering iron hotplate version.
I ordered some printer heating elements and i wanted to order the k-type thermometer but i found something more interesting http://www.ebay.de/itm/172242220658?\_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT.
It is a simple 2 point temp regulator that uses a k-type thermocoulpe. And the best it cost only ~8€. Now i have to wait for the parts. Time to work on my Aluminium profile.
The printer heating elements are nice. Cant wait to put all things together!
i know right, these heating elements are designed to work in long time, some printing may takes up to 1 day long
Thanks for the link, very interesting thing, that finishes a complete build. I ordered one too, so that eventually I can make yet another heatblock :person_facepalming:
Excellent find! I will order one as well plus a solder pot from Aliexpress that has a temperature range from 100-550 °C. That should heat up quite a bit faster and no need for a high current power supply.
Does that temp control switch function like I think it does?
Is the DC power supply output routed to the switch, and then the switch output goes to the heater? (Basically, the temp control switch is in-line on the heater circuit?)
If so, can it handle 20W continuous? Possibly more?