Air Soldering Gun
Sometimes SMD parts need to be replaced when soldering and a soldering iron with a stinger is too big for this. For this purpose, an air device is used, whose principle of operation is similar to that of an ordinary hair dryer: the air flow is forced through the heated element to the soldering point, contactlessly and evenly warming the solder.
The air soldering iron can be made of an old working device. instead of a sting, insert a tube from the antenna corresponding to the size of the old sting. Make the soldering iron so airtight. The forced air flow is provided by an aquarium compressor, via the drip tubes.
A voltage regulator can be used to adjust the temperature of the air flow. The best option in the absence of an extra working soldering iron. take a non-working tool, rewound to a voltage of 8-12 V. This method is preferable from the point of view of electrical safety. Nichrome for a heater here can act as a piece of wire, a spiral from an electric stove 0,8 mm, which is wound without overlapping about 30 turns instead of the old. Transformer power should be at least 150W.
A more costly method of regulating the temperature at the soldering iron’s tip is to maintain the temperature at the tip. For this purpose an additional thermocouple is installed. Combination of these methods makes it possible to make a universal soldering station. The device will have a voltage regulator, which regulates the input on the transformer, which changes the capacity of the heater.
When you need to unsolder big chips and you need to heat them well and evenly, it is recommended to use a home-made heat gun with a temperature regulator. You can also make an infrared soldering station:
Nichrome is connected to a step-down transformer. The temperature on the surface of the parts is controlled by the thermostat.
Soldering station is a special device that has a wide range of applications in electrical engineering. With this unit you can perform individual or group soldering of parts.
Homemade soldering station can heat to high temperatures metal taps and plastic. It has a very simple design and principle of operation, so you do not need to be a professional to make it.
Materials are softened by blowing hot air on them. For this purpose, a special heating coil is included in the process. Such devices are characterized by high precision of air mass direction. Therefore, soldering station with a hair dryer, made by my own hands, can be referred to the category of semi-professional equipment.
Small soldering station with your own hands v2
Some time ago I assembled a small soldering station, which I wanted to tell you about. This is an additional simplified soldering station to the basic, and of course can not fully replace it.
Soldering iron. The code sets several temperature modes (100, 250 and 350 degrees) between which you can switch with the Solder button. I don’t need smooth adjustment here, I solder mostly at 250 degrees. This is very handy for me personally. To keep the temperature accurately the PID controller is used.
Set modes, pins, PID parameters can be changed in file 3_Solder:
The hair dryer is. Also several temperature modes are set (switch the Heat button), the PID regulator, the fan is off only after the hair dryer cools to a predetermined temperature of 70 degrees.
The set modes, pins, PID parameters can be changed in the file 2_Air:
- Soldering iron used his old station Lukey 936A, but replaced the heating element on the Chinese copy of Hakko A1321.
- The disconnect button turns off everything that was turned on at once.
- Both soldering iron and hair dryer can be turned on at the same time.
- There is 220V voltage on the connector of the hair dryer, be careful.
- Soldering station cannot be disconnected from 220V until the hair dryer has cooled down.
- When the soldering iron or hair dryer cable is disconnected, the display will show the maximum voltage values from the DUT, converted to degrees (not zero). Let me explain: if for example just connect a cold soldering iron cable, it should show room temperature, if disconnected it will show for example 426. If you break a thermocouple or a thermistor wire, the output will be maxed out and the controller will just stop supplying voltage to the heater because it thinks our soldering iron is hot and needs to be cooled.
- No short circuit protection, so I recommend to install fuses.
- Use any available 5V regulator to power the Arduino, taking into account the supply voltage of your PSU and the heating in the case of a linear regulator. As my voltage is 20V I have installed 7805.
- The soldering iron works fine with a 30V power supply, like my main soldering station. But if you use a higher voltage, consider all the elements: the 5V regulator and the fact that the voltage of the fan is 24V.
Nvidia 8800gt Reflow with hair drier, WORK!
Main board
Note the name of the sensor pads is different from the photo. The thing is that in connection with the refusal of the fan speed control, in the code I reassigned the button to turn on the hairdryer. In the beginning the fan speed regulation was implemented, but since my PSU voltage is 20V (increased by 1V by adding a variable resistor), and the fan is 24V, I decided to give up. The signal from the touch buttons TTP223 (switched in Switch mode, the TOG pin is 3.3V) is read by the Arduino. The display is connected to the restriction resistors to match the 5V and 3V.3V logic. This solution is not quite right, but it has been working for several years in various devices.
The main board is double sided printed circuit board. Metallization left as much as possible to reduce the influence of noise, as well as to simplify the circuit of touch buttons (for TTP223 requires a capacitor at the input to ground to reduce the sensitivity. Without it, the button will be triggered simply by approaching your finger. But since I have a solid metallization this capacitor is not needed). Made a cutout for the display.
On the top side are the touch buttons, glued the front panel, soldered display. The touch button pads and the display are connected to the underside through jumpers with a thin wire. Resistors and capacitor size 0603.
The front panel, according to the dimensions from the 3D model, I first drew in FrontDesigner-3.0_rus, in the project files is the source.
Printed out, cut to contour and also a window for the display.
Then I laminated with a self-adhesive laminating film and attached it to the board. The display is also glued to this foil. Due to the cutout in the board, the display is flush with the main board.
On the bottom side is the Arduino Pro mini and the TTP223 touch button chips.
Amplifier board
As easyJet had noticed there was a mistake in the differential amplifier circuit, there was a resistor R11 missing (highlighted in color). But the error is not critical, it affects at equal resistance of R3 and thermistor in the soldering iron, i.e. at room temperature. If corrected, the soldering iron temperature will need to be calibrated. In my soldering station I decided to leave it as is.
The soldering iron circuit consists of a differential amplifier with a resistive bridge and a field effect transistor.
- To increase “useful” range of output signal with low resistance thermistor (in my case a Chinese copy of Hakko A1321 has 56 Ohm at 25 degrees, for comparison 3D printers usually have 100 kOhm resistance thermistor at 25 degrees) a resistive bridge and differential amplifier are used. To reduce the pickup voltage there are capacitors in parallel with the thermistor and in the feedback circuit. This circuit is only needed for the thermistor, if your soldering iron has a thermocouple, you need an amplifier circuit similar to the one in the dryer circuit. Tuning is not needed. Just measure the resistance of your thermistor at 25 degrees and change the 56 ohm resistor to the measured resistor if necessary.
- The field effect transistor was soldered out of the motherboard. A 100 kohm resistor is needed to keep the soldering iron from turning on by itself because of noise pickup if the arduinoin e.g. shuts down, it grounds the gate of the field effect transistor. 220 Ohm resistors to limit the gate charge current.
- Amplifier: typical circuit. To reduce the pickup currents there are capacitors in parallel to the thermocouple and in the feedback circuit.
- The ME9926 Field Effect Transistor has no winding, so it is no accident. Switching it on is not dangerous, just a fan will be spinning. There is no current limit on the bolt charge either, as the capacity of the bolt is small.
Nuances: using an LM321 op-amp (single channel analog LM358) for the diffuse amplifier is not optimal because it is not a Rail-to-Rail op-amp and the maximum output amplitude will be limited to 3.5-4V at 5V supply and the maximum temperature (at the ratings shown in the schematic) will be limited to around 426 degrees. I recommend to use e.g. MCP6001. But you need to pay attention that depending on the letters at the end different pinout:
Triac module board
The circuit is standard with the MOC3063 optosimistor. Since MOC3063 itself determines the transition through zero voltage 220V, and the load. heater inertial element, the use of phase control makes no sense, as well as additional circuits control zero.
Nuances: you can simplify it a bit if you use a snubberless triac, they say so.
Power supply
I chose the dimensions and power output first. Also I slightly increased the output voltage to 20V. It was possible to make 22V, but when you turn on the soldering iron, the protection of the power supply was triggered.
Case
The case was designed for my PSU, taking into account the size of the board and the subsequent printing on a 3D printer. I didn’t even plan the metal one, a decent anodized aluminum enclosure is too expensive and scratchy, and a lot of other nuances. And you can not bend it by yourself beautifully.
Recommendations for assembling a home-made soldering station with a hair dryer
The key requirement to a home-built soldering station with a hair dryer is to have a flow of air heated to a temperature of at least 850°C. At the same time the power of heating element in the soldering station should not exceed 2.6 kW.
In addition, all components of this soldering machine with a hair dryer should not have a high cost and be available. By the way, household hair dryers do not meet any of this requirement. often than not, home craftsmen tend to make either a manual or a stationary heat gun.
Surprisingly, the stationary product to assemble easier. This is caused by the following reasons. no one limits the master in dimensional. weight characteristics. There is no need to make a pistol grip, which is needed to control the device.
Thermofen, in a stationary version works in the following way. the heat emitter is stationary on the workbench, and to move the necessary detail. This solution leads to complications during the soldering process. To increase the efficiency of soldering, it is advisable to use a manual soldering iron (heat gun). Such a device should be small, and can be operated with unprotected hands.
One of the main questions that will stand before the master, who decided to assemble a soldering station with his own hands, sounds like this, what heating tool is advisable to use. As already noted, the components that make up a household hair dryer do not meet the requirements that apply to devices of this type. Therefore, it is unacceptable to use them when making a home-made soldering station.
Practice of making makeshift stations suggests that the best option. is to make a heater from nichrome wire. Its cross-section must be in the range of 0.4 to 0.8 mm. It is necessary to understand that using a wire of larger cross section will provide a larger power reserve, but it will be quite difficult to get the temperature necessary for work.
Heater’s helix made of nichrome wire
By definition, the heater should not be too large. For this purpose, the heating coil must not exceed 4. 8 mm in external diameter. As the base, which will be fixed heating element must be used material with high resistance to high temperatures. It can be ceramic. By the way, a part of such a plan, installed in a household hairdryer, may be quite suitable.
As a blower, you can install a small fan. By the way, it can also be removed from an old hair dryer.
The fan should provide an air flow of 20-30 liters per minute. Another option. an air compressor for aquariums. To increase its performance, you need to supplement it with a receiver. An ordinary plastic bottle can be used for it.
There are several options for making a case for a hair dryer. You can use materials that show high resistance to temperature, such as ceramics, but this solution will make the construction more expensive. You can make it cheaper, using partial insulation of the channel through which the hot air moves.
For the body of a self-made heat gun you can use the housing from a household appliance. There are some conditions. for example, the body must be sufficiently voluminous, and the nozzle must be made of heat-resistant materials or metals.
Another concern that will confront the craftsman is to ensure the operability of the device. In particular, the construction of the homemade device should include a starting mechanism (switch) and an element responsible for adjusting the parameters of the air flow, namely its speed and temperature. To solve these problems, the electric circuit must have rheostats, which allow smooth adjustment of the power.
The assembly of the product begins with making the coil. When winding it, it is necessary to take into account that its resistance must be in the area from 75 to 95 Ohm. The coil must be wound on a reliable insulator, and the top of it must be covered with an insulator, such as asbestos or fiberglass. After assembling the node the coil ends must go out.
The finished element must be installed in the pre-prepared channel of the enclosure, i.e. it must be lined with a layer of thermal insulation. Once the coil is in place, it can be connected to the power harness, which includes a switch.
IMPORTANT ! Keep thermal insulation in mind at all times when working.
An air heater must be installed on the back of the case. If the dimensions of the blower do not allow it to be installed in the enclosure, it is possible to fix it on the outside. A duct must be connected for air supply.
Non-contact soldering station
As practice shows, not always the heat of the tip can affect any of the elements of the board, for example, to the same smd parts is extremely difficult to get. In such situations, a soldering iron is used, directing a stream of hot air at the feet.
In spite of the similarity, it will not be possible to convert an ordinary hair drying device into an infrared station, because the operating temperature must reach 500,800ºC. To build such a soldering station you need a compressor for air supply, a heating element, a housing for controls, a nozzle, a step-down transformer, a rectifier, an air speed control unit.
A schematic diagram of such a soldering station is shown in the figure below:
Soldering station principle is based on infrared radiation from heating element directly to the soldering area. The compressor supplies air from the heater through a tapering nozzle, creating a turbine effect, it is desirable to provide the pump capacity in the range of 20 to 30 liters per minute.
There are two ways of operating an infrared soldering station. as a handheld model or as a stationary model. First option is suitable in those situations when the body of infrared soldering station is relatively small and will fit comfortably in your hand. The second method is suitable for large-sized fixtures, in which the station is installed still and the workpiece is moved under the nozzle.
Soldering hot air gun/Паяльный фен своими руками
Let’s look at an example of making a no-contact type soldering station:
- Wind the heating coil of nichrome wire, in this case using a diameter of 0.8mm. You can take another version, for example from an electric stove. Fig. 3: Wind the heating element
- Use a rigid frame for winding, stack the coils close together, but do not overlap and take care not to short the winding. The smaller diameter you make the wire, the more efficiently it will heat up, a coil with an outside diameter of 8 to 10mm would be enough.
- This example makes several coils, connecting them in parallel to increase the temperature of the heating.
- Position the coil on the cylindrical frame made of non-flammable material.
Remove any extra material from the cage beforehand, but if it is already assembled you may rewind it at once.
- Make a metal cup for the heating element, in this example of making a soldering station we make it out of a thumbtack battery case.
- From a piece of telescopic antenna from a radio receiver, make a nozzle, one edge of which should be splayed out and put on the washer. Figure. 5. Put the washer on
- Screw the nozzle plate to the battery sleeve with the necessary screws. Figure. 6: Screw the nozzle to the cup
- Put some thermal insulation material inside the cup between the coil and the walls to avoid overheating of the outer parts.
- Build the diode bridge with the four elements of semiconductors, if you have a prefabricated diode bridge at hand you can use that as well.
- Make power supply from step-down transformer and rectifier, your task is to get low voltage at the output to decrease possibility of electrocution. In this example it is about 10 to 15 volts and the transformer power is about 150W. A similar model can be taken from off-the-shelf equipment.
- Case for the soldering station we will make from an ordinary plastic bottle. In this example we need transparent plastic, because it is easier to connect the power supply, the air blower and the control board. Fig. 7. Connect all the elements in the housing
- Connect the cooler and heating coil to the power supply leads, connect the voltage regulator. Fig. 8. Install the cooler
You can adjust the power of the heat flow either by the airflow rate or by the voltage level supplied to the heater.
Soldering station with their own hands
Modern microcircuits are characterized by miniature size. To carry out repair and installation work in them, craftsmen need a special tool with the ability to adjust the modes of soldering. A soldering station is used for this purpose. It is not cheap, so craftsmen are faced with the question of how to make a soldering station with their own hands. It will not take much effort for an experienced craftsman. The main difficulty is in the proper setting of the device made.
Soldering station with your own hands
Today, I will tell you how to make your own soldering station from available radio components. This construction is repeatable for experienced hams and beginners alike.
For quality soldering, its constructions, in house conditions, it is required to set exact temperature of soldering iron tip. This is one of the most important parameters for the soldering iron. The temperature of a tip should be lower, than temperature of burning of rosin and above temperature of its boiling, and melting of tin. Radio amateurs, who have a low-voltage electric soldering iron with built-in thermocouple and four-wire cable for connection to the temperature control device, I recommend to make a simple stabilizer of the temperature of the sting. I have chosen for this purpose the soldering iron from the HAKKO 907 soldering station.
About Soldering iron tip temperature: The tip temperature determines the quality of soldering. The temperature is usually regulated by the melting of the rosin. It should be boiling but not burning. At the tip of a well adjusted soldering iron the rosin is boiling but not burning. The boiling rosin smells good, evaporates quickly, but does not leave a black residue on the stinger.
Some soldering station data: 1. Output on rb.temp. 225 deg.- 50 sec. 2. Supports temp.(interval between on/off). and off.) 4 deg. 3. Adjustment scale 26-320°C (if adjuster is on minimum, soldering iron cools down to room temp. and off) 4. Calibrate the soldering iron thermocouple against a multimeter reading of 3 to 4 degrees. 5. Soldering iron 24v/50w HAKKO 907, with interchangeable tips (almost any copper, ceramic or eternal can be inserted)
Widespread components are used in the device. No restrictions for changing the low-signal part of the circuit.
As the meter (indicator) of temperature, I used a chip ICL7107 (KR572PV2A) and seven-segment indicators SA04-11 (red with osmosis). anode)
It is better to use power elements with tolerance on voltage and on current, corresponding to supply voltage and power of user of soldering iron heater (50 W).
That’s pretty much it. I look forward to your feedback and Комментарии и мнения владельцев on the site or forum.
The simplest air-heater soldering station can be assembled from an ordinary soldering iron. Below you will find instructions in pictures on how to do this. The following components will be needed for the entire assembly process:
- soldering iron with a wooden handle;
- aquarium compressor;
- electric screwdriver;
- drill bit;
- a medical dropper;
- foil;
- part of the antenna;
- stranded wire.
The process begins by taking the soldering iron apart. The screw is unscrewed and the sting is released.
Паяльный фен (станция) своими руками
The next step is to remove the handle, which will be needed later. Unscrew the wires that connect the power cable to the heating element.
The wire is removed from the handle and a small hole is drilled on the side.
Insert the power wire through the hole you made. To make it easier to do this, you can tie it to a piece of wire and thread it through.
Now we need the previously prepared drip tape. The part with the rubber band on it must be cut in half, as shown in the photo.
Then the remaining part with the tube is inserted into the handle, where the power wire used to come from.
The connection is quite strong and tight. Then the heating element that was removed earlier is connected to the power wire that was inserted through the drilled hole.
It is important to insulate the wires well, so as not to get an electric shock. Install the heating element in its place. After that a piece of foil is wrapped around the holes in the heating element, which are designed for cooling, as shown in the photo.
To keep the foil in place, it is necessary to fix it with a copper wire, wrapping it around the foil.
Nozzle, which will provide a directed flow of air, is made from a piece of tube from the antenna. It is simply inserted in place of the stinger, as shown in the photo below.
The hole through which the power wire, you need a good seal. The usual sealant for this purpose will do. Next, the connection is made aquarium compressor to the second part of the tube from the dropper.
It can be considered that the heat-air dryer is ready, the temperature which it develops during operation reaches about 300 degrees.
Such a result will be enough to work with small components on the boards. The power of such a hair dryer can be increased by winding a nichrome thread on the heating element, as well as putting a compressor with a higher output. A regular soldering iron can be used with a hair dryer. These products can always be taken with you.
The process of assembling a product with a more complex structure is described in the video below.
From the soldering iron and dropper
A simple soldering iron with a protective cover removed can be used to make a soldering iron with your own hands.
When taking it as the basis for the future heater, it is necessary to make a refinement of the design, which consists of the following:
- First the sting is removed from the working part of the soldering iron, after which the mica tube with the nichrome winding placed under it is completely pulled out of the wooden handle-holder.
- Then disconnect the mains wires that are suitable for the heating element and also pull them out of the wooden holder, but from the other side.
- After that, the desired size hole is drilled in the side of the handle, into which the previously disconnected mains wire is pulled (towards the working part).
- On the next step of soldering iron production a dropper is taken, from which a tip is cut off in the area where the rubber skirt is located. Then the stripped part of the tube is inserted into the network opening of the wooden handle.
- Then the rubberized seal (skirt) of the dropper is pressed firmly to the end part of the holder, ensuring reliable sealing of the junction zone.
- After completing these actions, the ends of the pulled out feeding wire are reconnected to the nichrome winding and reliably insulated.
- In the hole, where previously the soldering iron tip was located, a suitable diameter piece of telescopic antenna is inserted and carefully clamped with a retaining screw.
Tightness of the inlet hole in the handle will ensure efficient pumping with cold air from the compressor station.
At the final stage of the soldering iron assembly, the heating tube with the nichrome coil should be returned to its place, having previously wrapped it with several layers of aluminum foil.
Then the heater prepared in this way is sunk into a wooden handle and fixed firmly by means of a flexible copper wire, wound around the whole length of the protective covering.
