First off, let's briefly explain a circuit board is assembled. To aid in the explanation, let's take the analogy of baking a pizza. First of all you'll need the crust, which for us is a bare printed circuit board (PCB) made with different layers of a plastic substrate and copper traces that make the electrical connections. Next, we'll need the cheese that holds everything together, which for us is solder paste (yes, solder in the form of a paste) which "reflows" (solidifies or cures) at a high temperature. The solder paste is applied to the exposed copper pads on the PCB by way of a stencil that is aligned over the PCB. Then we'll grab some toppings, the electrical components, and place them in their appropriate locations on top of the solder paste. The final step is to bake our "pizza" so that the "cheese" holds all the components in place to yield our final assembled board! This is where the Reflowduino project comes in...
The Reflowduino project is an entire do-it-yourself (DIY) reflow ecosystem consisting of open-source hardware specifically built to make it easy to control reflow appliances and apply PID temperature control while maintaining full flexibility in programming and usage while offering a bunch of features.
Since I'm a firm believer of great online resources having learned everything on my own aside from my Mechanical Engineering degree, I'm sharing all of this as completely open-source for everyone to enjoy, including EAGLE PCB files, Arduino IDE example code, sample Android app for Bluetooth control, and full tutorials on how to modify a toaster oven to start cookin’!
That being said, I do offer the boards listed below for sale on my website. Each order helps me out a little bit in creating and sharing new projects with everyone! :)
Don’t forget to check out the comprehensive Github wiki! I also posted this Instructable as a quick 'n dirty summary of everything here as well as on Hackster.io!
All PCB design files and hardware are released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 license.
All other software is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
If you are a beginner in electronics or don't have the proper experience to work with mains voltage, I would suggest that you either don't mess with it, consult a professional, or keep learning until you're proficient enough! I am not liable for any mishaps that may occur due to misuse of the Reflowduino or its associated components or electrical system (including mains power). Take all safety precautions as necessary, such as gloves and certified safety glasses. Moreover, it is not recommended that you use the same appliance to reflow PCB's and also to cook food for consumption, which may result in food poisoning, especially with leaded solder. You are fully responsible for your actions, and perform them at your own risk!
That being said, DIY away my friends... have fun and stay safe!