Controller For 946C Hotplate Adds Reflow Profile Upload Over BLE

Reflow hotplates are a great resource for PCB assembly if you can hold your types single-sided. The 946C hotplate in specific has been on hackers’ radar for a though – a 200x200cm doing the job surface hotplate offered for below $100 is a decent financial investment. As with other reflow equipment, it was a make any difference of time until eventually anyone made a substitute controller for it. This one particular, you’ll want to keep in mind – it is a substitution controller challenge by [Arnaud Durand] and [Elias Rodriguez Martin], identified as Reflow946.

Preserving to finest procedures, the board is a fall-in substitute for the inventory controller – swap cables around and go. The host processor is an ESP32, and it lets you can application reflow profiles in using BLE, with a Python application to assistance. The whole style and design is open up-resource and on GitHub, of system – keeping with ideal 3D printing traditions, you can now get the components and PCBs, and then assemble them utilizing the hotplate you’re about to improve. As much as aftermarket controllers go, here’s no question this board gives you way extra control in reflow and lets you compensate for any probable subpar calibration although at it.

Since the casing of the hotplate is metallic, [Arnaud] suggests an ESP32 module which has an exterior antenna connector. You also will need to check out out for compatibility – turns out, only some hotplates bought as 946C will in shape this board, so communicate to your vendor if you’re about to purchase a hotplate able of this update. Practically can make us wish that these ovens had revision quantities, maybe a letter at the conclude of the design number or anything!

Hotplate reflow has been a single of our favourite PCB assembly procedures for a when, and hacker ingenuity has supplied us distinctive techniques to do it – frying pans entire of sand, PTC heaters with flat surfaces, and even PCBs built to reflow PCBs. Not yet common with what reflow signifies? Let’s get you up to velocity!

We thank [Abe Connelly] for sharing this with us!

Open-source #Bluetooth reflow controller for the 946C sizzling plate employing #ESP32. This controller replaces the primary board. https://t.co/zbGDrLhWYW pic.twitter.com/iHjVU38IiW

— Arnaud Durand (@DurandA23) September 20, 2022