International Shipping now offered! I haven't used it before, so if there are any issues please bear with me. Enjoy!

What is it?

A small but powerful PCB based reflow soldering solution for use with low temperature (<200°C) solder paste at home

Why did you make it?

I did not design this PCB, you can check out the design here: https://github.com/DerSpatz/PCB-reflow-solder-heat-plate.git

However, I am selling this because at the moment, it is basically impossible to buy one of these for cheap. The closest thing is a $100 one on Adafruit or a similar vendor. These plates can be sold for much cheaper, but no one is doing it! I am here to fill that hole in the market, selling these boards for cheap to the masses.

What makes it special?

It's small or even portable, and effectively can reflow solder without damaging or moving components (possible with hot air reflow). With an ATMega4809 microprocessor on board, it can follow 2 preset reflow curves and can have a target temperature between 140°C and 200°C for your soldering needs. It can also be programmed for custom curves, though it is certainly difficult and I have no experience doing it. It's a really cool open-source project that hasn't come to mass market, which I hope to help with!

Features (From Github)

• PCB size 100x100mm, heat plate size 81x69mm
• DC barrel plug (5.5x2.5mm), runs with 12V/5A power supply
• Resettable 5A PTC fuse
• Inrush current limiter to protect power supply when capacitors are discharged
• 2.7mF input power filter for smooth current draw
• Capacitor discharging resistors
• ATMEGA4809 MCU, can be programmed via UPDI header
• high power NMOS with gate driver circuit
• flyback diode connected to the heat plate
• AMS1117 LDO
• additional diodes for protection
• dual buttons
• status LED
• 0.91" OLED display
• LMT85 analog temperature sensor as main sensor
• option to add additional digital sensors for calibration purposes

TLDR it's easy to use, has lots of safety measures, large, and fast!

Includes:

• The board, pre programmed and tested
• 4 brass standoffs with screws/nuts, to be attached and lifted off your work surface as shown
• OLED display with headers pre-soldered, to be attached as shown (make sure it's pointed the right way)

Does NOT Include:

• 12V 5A power supply with a DC5525 barrel jack output (It would not be economical for me to resell these, you can buy them off Amazon for about $10. The one I used is this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CW2PJQLJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) THIS IS REQUIRED. I have been informed by a customer that the board tends to draw more than 5 amps, which can cause the fuse to trip and it may not reach full temperature. Although it's a bit of an indirect workaround, using a 5A supply will ensure that it can operate as expected, at least in my experience.
• 3 pin male header for UPDI re-programming (you shouldn't need it, and if you do they're super cheap at any local electronics store or online)
• a UPDI compatable programmer (you can use an Arduino Nano or Uno if you have one, follow the instructions on the Github above)

Recommended solder paste:

Any low temperature paste should work, I bought this for super cheap: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D14KSQ48/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Setup Instructions:

1. Unbox your board and make sure all components listed in the Includes section are there
2. Attach the 4 standoffs to the corners of the board, as you can see in the images above
3. Connect the OLED screen into the 4 female pins in the middle of the board. Ensure the orientation is correct to avoid frying the screen (match it to the images as well)
4. It's already programmed, so plug in your 12V 5A power supply and begin your soldering!

NOTE: Known Issues

The temperature sensor tends to underestimate somewhat. My 138°C melting point solder paste reflowed when it read about 110°C on the display. If you have a similar product, simply set the target temperature to 140°C and when you can see that the solder has melted, cancel the reflow by pressing one or both buttons (or unplug the board). I like to cool it down with a fan, but it's not necessary. I'd also recommend leaving the board being soldered on the heat plate until both are cool enough to handle. The larger total mass should help with possible thermal shock for components.

Also, as mentioned above, a 12V 5A power supply is strongly recommended. The code created for this product is not very well implemented, and I personally lack the skill to properly amend it. In short, the calculations for current draw aren't done well, so it can draw more than 5 amps and trigger the fuse on the board, included to protect the end user from electrical issues. The easy way around this is to simply use a 5 amp power supply so that the input current is at the right level without the calculations from the board. I haven't had any issues with the boards I have tested so far using the $10 I linked above in the description.

No Warranty Included.