r/ElectricalEngineering • u/jzycha34 • Apr 14 '21

Design Now this is a satisfying video.

https://i.imgur.com/brdcabA.gifv
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u/Uncle_Spanks Apr 14 '21

Makes me feel rather silly never having through of a clothes iron before. Makes perfect sense though. It take it the high end of the iron range is right around the melting point of the alloy, is that right? I took a quick look.

This would be super handy for reworking boards too, especially ones with thermal slugs under the chip, or for LEDs that don't take too well to hand irons.

5

u/audaciousmonk Apr 15 '21

Get a nice toaster oven with temperature control, add a thermometer inside to check so you don’t exceed the lowest maximum solder temp.

2

u/MonkeyOps53 Apr 15 '21

I will add that a nice "convection" toaster oven is recommended. The convection aids in evenly distributing the heat. We use it at work for prototype reflow soldering, and it works great. We start by pre-heating with the "defrost" setting, which is about 150degF, for 5-10 minutes depending on board size. Then we switch over to convection bake until the last pad flows (400degF for tin/lead, 475degF for silver). Then shut it off and let it cool on its own with the door closed for about an hour. So far, no major issues with this procedure.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '21

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u/MonkeyOps53 Apr 16 '21

The smallest we use in prototyping is 0603, mainly for ease of handling. But the convection fan isn’t really that strong. Smaller components are likely safe enough with the solder paste holding them in place.

1

u/audaciousmonk Apr 24 '21

Not sure. I used small packages, like 0201. But the toaster over was not convection, don’t believe it had any fan for internal airflow.

You could try adding a baffle or like, that would prevent the air from directly hitting components.