Reflow Oven

This project began as a request from the Northeastern Wireless Club for a group of members to design and build a reflow soldering oven. It would be used to solder small surface mount components as other club projects needed. As a freshman, I volunteered to lead the project and began work on the project with the group. As the project progressed it became a small close knit group. It taught me how to create a BOM, design and analyze circuits, and how to use Arduino. The oven is complete and in use in the club.

My Contributions

  • Created BOM and managed project as Project Lead for 4 semesters.
  • Reverse engineered heating system and controls of the toaster oven.
  • Installed thermocouples inside oven and cabled power and thermocouple wires through the oven's cover.
  • Developed control algorithms to monitor temperature and adjust duty cycle in order to follow a standard reflow profile.
  • Designed a custom base to secure electronics within control box and a custom lid to mount LCD screen and omnidirectional button.

Completed system showing control box and oven.

Custom 3D-printed lid for control box with mounting spaces for LCD screen and omnidirectional button.

Electronics inside control box.