Great article! One of the best I've read in a long time.
I'ma DIY'er of audio amps, DACs, other audio related items likephonostages and volume controls. I'm active on the diyAudio and headphone forums. The global DIY audio community seems very similar to the DIY Drones community, we just make different end products.
My specialty is reusing old vintage equipment or surplus equipmentas the chassis and cases. I try to buy non-functional gear that was destined for a land fill. I properly recycle the old electronics outof the donor gear and minimize the amount of new raw materials that gointo my designs.
Right now I build amps on PCBs designed and run by others but planto design a few of my own in the future. I can handle that aspect and have the resources to get the PCBs made. I do commissioned builds for others who want the lower cost of entry DIY provides, but they do not have the confidence, skills or space to make their own gear. I'm at a point where demand is greater than I can assemble by hand soldering, but too low in volume and too diversified in products to outsource.
What reallycaught my attention was the comment about the DIY reflow oven using amodified toaster oven. It's just what I need! I can pick and place one, two, or three PCBs at a time and "bake" them all at once to have finished boards ready for case work.
I'm assuming the design removed the stocktemperature controls in favor of a much more reliable and accuratesingle-loop temperature controller with a thermocouple or RTD inputfeeding a SSR to cycle the heating elements, then a small fan was added topull off the fumes. Are there any timing circuits involved? I have single loop controllers, thermocouples, SSRs, digital panel timers, and fans already, all I need to buy is the appropriate toaster oven.
Can anyone share any additional information? I can easilypick and place my components and I can mod the toaster oven, but areyou using anything to hold the components in place other than theirleads and spring pressure? Do you put the solder paste on the top pads, then insert the component? Are the leads trimmed after the solder is set? Any online resources you can share would begreatly helpful.
Thank you,
Brian
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I haven't seen the article in Wired yet so I hope this isn't repeating any information but...this is a controller with software I've had my eyes on, seems inexpensive enough and the demo video on the site shows it in action.
http://www.thesiliconhorizon.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&a...
I've located the recommended Black & Decker Infrawave toaster oven at Big Lots of all places.
Can anyone help point me in the right direction for time/temp curves for lead solder? I already found the lead-free curves.
I also have a large air tank and air compressor, so a DIY fluid dispenser is also on the list of items to build!