A few weeks ago, after doing some extensive research, I decided to purchase the ControLeo2 reflow oven controller kit from whizoo.com. I've been doing reflow by hand since the beginning, starting with a pie tin on the oven, then going to hot air, then to a hot plate (and combination of hot air, depending on the parts). What I was after was a solution that not only reflowed automatically and consistently, but that also reflowed correctly (most cheap ovens and PID kits do not). The ControLeo2 self-tunes and adjusts itself to conform to the J-STD-020 reflow profile. It will not allow you to reflow if things aren't within the appropriate parameters.
The kit came well packaged and there are instructions and build pictures on the website. Even with the instructions I spent a full day building the oven and getting things running. There is a lot of time involved in this project (to do it right). You have to be meticulous in your insulation of the oven and high-voltage wiring.
As with most complex DIY projects, you can expect to run into a few snags along the way. Once I got everything put together I ran into some problems getting a reflow to complete. After some e-mails back and forth with Peter everything was solved. He helped me understand what was going on and what to look for. His expert advice was exactly what I needed to get everything running 100%.
After using the oven for over a week now I can say that I am very satisfied with it. Recommended!
Whizoo sells just the bare controller (add your own relays and other parts), oven build kits, and complete ovens.
I'm thinking about buying a second one and programming in profiles for my pop-tarts, breakfast burritos, and other pastries. It will go through the full pre-soak, soak, reflow, and cool down phases.
What an oven, just watched the video on the build. Best of all the reflow oven is still covered by the Black and Decker warranty.
Now you have me wondering if you reflowed my driver in the new oven? I'm still in awe how tiny the components are and the soldering is perfect on the driver.
I hope you dont mind Richard but just how good are you with a hot air and soldering iron setup? I've posted this elsewhere but for those that missed it he is this good. Astoundingly good in my book.
I hope the reflow oven streamlines things a lot for you as I guess thats what you have it for as I cant see how you could improve on the above. Thanks.
Lots of practice thanks to you guys. You get a feel for it after a while and you learn what tips to use, how much heat, how much solder, how much flux, what angle to hold at, etc.
Here is the 17mm MTN-MAXlp HP (also hand reflowed):
I’ve wanted a reflow oven for years. Good commercial options are too expensive/big for me. DIY has been possible for a long time, probably at least the timeframe Arduino has been on the market… but that brings many unknown factors and I never had the time/wherewithal for it. This looks like a really good compromise, thanks for sharing.
What’s the deal with double sided boards? Do you just use different temp solder with different ControlLeo2 profiles for each side? When the high temp side is done you just flip the thing over, populate everything, put it on the PCB tray, then fire up the low-temp profile?
Did you use a toaster oven with convection?
You got the “kit” with SSRs, insulation, etc, right?
Were there added and/or unexpected costs beyond the cost of the toaster oven and the PCB tray?
This is still a little rich for me considering how badly I need it (not very badly), but it’s definitely on the list.