19 Mar
2015
19 Mar
'15
4:30 p.m.
On 03/19/2015 09:29 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
I used to think of BGA as not possible for home
construction. Then I read a nice article ?
https://www.beta-estore.com/download/rk/RK-10001_76.pdf ?
about reflow soldering using what amounts to a
toaster-oven with a temperature control added, which
apparently does the job just fine. There are some details
to get right, which the article explains.
I reflow boards in a modified toaster
oven, not too
different from the one in the picture. But, it did NOT work
well when I first tried it. I just hung the thermocouple in
the air, and the boards were burnt to a crisp! The IR from
the heating elements is absorbed VERY well by the boards,
and they heat much faster than the air. So, my trick is to
poke a
very tiny thermocouple into a plated through-hole in the
board, and then it reads the actual temperature of the
board. I still have some problems with hotter and cooler
areas of the oven, but you can usually find a good compromise.
Jon