I use $20.00 toaster oven. Solder paste for some of my surface mount. TQFPs and other fine pitch devices.
Dab a bit of solder paste on a "reference" pad and watch for the solder paste to melt. Easier to keep track and when you see it melt immediately turn off the oven, wait about 20 seconds and pop open the door. poor mans way of trying to mimic the reflow temperature profile.
Have a dedicated toaster oven and do not use it to heat food!!.
One of my project is to build a simple controller to do this. so I can actually meet the reflow temperature profile. It's easy but have too many other things right now.
--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Harvey White <madyn@...> wrote:
>
> On Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:54:41 -0500, you wrote:
>
> >Hi all,
> >
> >Anyone have any thoughts about using this to solder pcbs - it would
> >seem easy to hack the controls of the cooktop to create soldering
> >profiles. But, would the "inductive" heater damage the ics?
> >
> ><https://www.nuwavepic.com/?ref_version=PPC-ADWORDS-PN07&gclid=COKKu_WqxbQCFcuZ4Aod9h4AxQ>
>
> If it's a true inductive heater, then it's got KW of RF running
> around, causing eddy currents in iron or steel sufficient to make the
> metal get to 300 or 400 degrees F.
>
> Roughly as nice as a microwave oven is to a transistor radio, I'd
> think.
>
> I suspect that's why people use radiant heating for this kind of
> thing.
>
> Harvey
>
> >
> >Mark
>