What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

About two years ago I posted an article. This article aroused the interest of many radio amateurs. But unfortunately, after repeating the IR soldering station, there were some remarks in the plan of the station, which I tried to eliminate in this version of the station:
- used analog amplifiers of thermocouple AD8495 with built-in cold junction compensation, as a result of which the accuracy of temperature readings is increased
- the problem with the failure of the transistors of the lower heater was solved using a triac power regulator
- improved firmware (which is compatible with the previous version of the station). After starting, the thermal profile starts to run from the temperature to which the board is preheated, which saves a lot of time. Special thanks for correcting and adapting the firmware for Chinese displays.
- added vacuum tweezers
- The body of the soldering station has been completely redesigned. The design of the station turned out to be very nice, more stable and reliable, it takes up less space... Everything you need is combined in one housing - the lower heater, the upper heater, vacuum tweezers and the controller itself.

Description of construction

The controller is two-channel. A thermocouple or a PT100 platinum thermistor can be connected to the first channel. Only a thermocouple is connected to the second channel. 2 channels have automatic and manual operation. The automatic mode of operation ensures the maintenance of a temperature of 10-255 degrees through feedback from a thermocouple or a platinum thermistor (in the first channel). In manual mode, the power in each channel can be adjusted in the range of 0-99%. The controller memory contains 14 thermal profiles for BGA soldering. 7 for lead-based solder and 7 for lead-free solder. Thermal profiles are listed below.

For lead-free solder, the maximum temperature of the thermoprofile: - 8 thermoprofile - 225C о, 9 - 230C о, 10 - 235C о, 11 - 240C о, 12 - 245C о, 13 - 250C о, 14 - 255C о

If the upper heater does not have time to warm up according to the thermal profile, the controller pauses and waits until the desired temperature is reached. This is done in order to adapt the controller for weak heaters that take a long time to warm up and do not keep up with the thermal profile.

The controller starts to run the thermal profile from the temperature to which the board is preheated. This is very convenient, and allows you to quickly restart the thermal profile in case, for example, if the temperature was insufficient to remove the chip, then you can select the thermal profile with a higher temperature, and immediately remove the chip from the second attempt.

The diagram uses a combo power unit, consisting of a transistor switch for the upper heater, and a triac switch for the lower heater. Although, for example, you can use 2 transistor, or 2 triac keys.

I used 2 off-the-shelf AD8495 modules purchased from Aliexpress. True, the modules need to be slightly modified. See the photo below.

We do not pay attention to the fact that the module in the second photo is rotated 90 degrees. I had to deploy, since the modules rested against the power unit. Thermocouple connectors are factory-used.

For those who do not plan to use a platinum thermistor in the future, the part of the circuit highlighted with a red dotted line can be omitted.

Printed circuit boards of the power unit and controller.

To cool the power switches, I used a radiator from a video card with active cooling.

Further on the photo you will see the stage of the soldering station assembly as a constructor. All materials were purchased from a large building store. The front and rear panels are made of fiberglass reinforced with an aluminum corner. Basalt cardboard serves as thermal insulation material... The bottom heating consists of 9 halogen lamps (1500W 220-240V R7S 254mm) combined into 3 groups of 3 lamps connected in series.

High temperature silicone wire is used for 220V.

A good vacuum pump can be purchased on Aliexpress for 400-500 rubles. The reference point for the search is in the photo below.

Initially, I planned to use the soldering station together with IR glass over the bottom heater, which gave good advantages:
- beautiful appearance
- a board (on racks you can put it directly on the glass), like at the Termopro stations
But alas, the disadvantages turned out to be more significant:
- very long heating (cooling) of the board
- the body of the soldering station gets very hot, for example, without glass, the body is barely warm during operation. So the glass had to be abandoned.

With the unscrewed tripod, the glass can be easily removed or inserted into the station. Also, instead of glass, you can insert, for example, a mesh.

Appearance of the assembled station.

Accessories, stands, aluminum channel for stands, vacuum tweezers handle, silicone tweezers tube, thermocouple.

Required "ingredients" for making a vacuum tweezers handle. Used a mixer from epoxy glue Moment in a double syringe. Aluminum tube (in which a hole must be drilled) and a suitable diameter connector for the silicone tube. Everything is glued into an aluminum tube with epoxy glue.

Controller setup
Resistor R32 must set the voltage to 5.12V at the output of U4. Adjust the display contrast with resistor R28. If you do not plan to use a platinum thermistor, then the station setup is completed.
The description of channel calibration with a platinum thermistor is described in the article of the first version of the station.

Recommendations
The upper heater must be installed at a height of 5-6 cm from the board surface. If, at the time of the thermal profile, the temperature runs out from the set value by more than 3 degrees, we lower the power of the upper heater (turn on the station with the encoder pressed and set the maximum power of the upper heater). A run-out by a few degrees at the end of the thermoprofile (after turning off the upper heater) is not terrible. This affects the inertia of the ceramics. Therefore, I choose the required thermal profile 5 degrees less than I need. Before removing the chip using the probe, you need to make sure (by gently pressing on each corner of the chip) that the balls under the chip have floated. When installing, we use only high-quality flux, otherwise the wrong choice of flux can ruin everything. Also when installing the BGA chip necessarily need to cover the crystal aluminum foil rectangle with a side size equal to about ½ from the BGA side, in order to reduce the temperature in the center, which is always higher than the temperature near the thermocouple (see the photo of heat spots of ELSTEIN IR heaters in the article of the first version of the station).
In general, watch the video below.
Below you can download the archive from printed circuit board in LAY format, source code, firmware.

List of radioelements

Buy IK-650 PRO soldering station by installments / in parts

IK-650 PRO is not a dream, but a reality. Realizing the program of availability of high-quality soldering technology, TERMOPRO tried to split the purchase of a BGA repair station into several small and quite feasible steps.

Option number 1

Buy IK-650 in installments - pay 50%, and the rest will be earned by your new infrared Soldering Station, and we will wait a little.

The conditions are simple:

• Desire and ability to honestly and on time fulfill their obligations under the supply contract.
• The organizational and legal form of the enterprise is an individual entrepreneur or LLC.
• Business registration at least six months.
• Confirmed availability of a service point or other premises.
• No tax arrears, no court penalties and no bankruptcy or liquidation decisions.
• Prepayment 50%, and the rest in installments for 6 months in equal shares without%.

Before making a decision, we ask you to once again correctly assess your capabilities. Remember the simple rule of return - you must be guaranteed at least 10 BGA re-soldering per month plus income from other types of service work.

Option number 2

IK-650 PRO is modular equipment - start with purchasing the NP 34-24 PRO thermostat with a TP 2-10 KD PRO regulator, and immediately get a huge advantage: you will have access to uniform heating of boards without deformation, and the BGA temperature will now be under your control. Start earning and you will quickly acquire the rest of the blocks.

Software application "TERMOPRO-CENTER"

Infrared soldering station TERMOPRO IK-650 PRO works really well. This is largely due to the multifunctional software application "TERMOPRO-CENTER". The main difference between the IK-650 PRO and other infrared soldering stations is its fabulous soldering capabilities in not fabulous environments.

"TERMOPRO-CENTER" provides automatic thermal profiling of BGA soldering with temperature feedback on a printed circuit board. BGA soldering algorithms, with several degrees of protection, are built in such a way that nothing overheats, even with operator error.

The Termopro-Center application solves the problem of maintaining high reliability and ease of use, as well as guaranteeing the repeatability of the soldering process with maximum accuracy with optimal flexibility of technological equipment.

The software package "ThermoPro-Center" contains the answer to almost any technological situation, the maximum possible number of "hardwired" functions has been implemented with the help of ThermoPro tools.

Without exaggeration, a program armed with equipment is a powerful not only production, but also a research tool. The tools included in it can be used both for the implementation of the thermodynamic process of soldering, and for its fixation, visualization, analysis and adaptation to environmental conditions.

The infrared soldering station IK-650 PRO provides a double advantage for small-scale and single-piece mounting of boards. You get your hands on not only the ability to solder BGA and other complex microcircuits, but also an excellent tool for group soldering of SMD components on printed circuit boards using a thermal profile. The quality of soldering is ensured at the level of chamber and conveyor reflow furnaces, and even in the feedback mode on the board temperature. (you can solder immediately with little or no tuning, of course with a little practice).

Download the application "Thermopro-Center" and other useful information

Delivery set of infrared soldering station IK-650 PRO

You can select an individual complete set of the IR station by retrofitting it:

video camera,

video installer,

thermostat of a different size,

3-channel temperature meter,

frame card holder

Connection diagram for infrared soldering station IK-650 PRO

Other heating systems for IR Station

The infrared soldering station can be equipped with different board heaters for your tasks.

The infrared station, complete with bottom heating, is an excellent equipment for the repair of TVs, laptops, computers, of course, it is widely used as equipment for the repair of electronics, as well as modern equipment for the repair of car blocks, CNC machine tools.

Additional devices and accessories for IR Station

	The device expands the capabilities of the infrared soldering station IK-650 PRO for monitoring the temperature of the board. The THERMOSCOPE is certified as a measuring instrument for military purposes. (production of TERMOPRO)
	BGA Stencils The BGA reball kit is a necessary addition to the infrared soldering station. The set includes a mandrel and 130 BGA stencils (made in China)
	Holder for direct heating BGA stencils. Captures stencils from 8 x 8 mm to 50 x 50 mm. Clamping wrench included.
	The holder is convenient for soldering BGA on small and medium-sized boards (manufactured by TERMOPRO)
	PK-40, PK-50, PK-60 3D IR concentrators An infrared rework station can have even better performance if 3D concentrators are used instead of flat diaphragms. (production of TERMOPRO, the product is patented) Improves the uniformity of the thermal field in the BGA soldering area Reduces the size of the heat spot in the BGA soldering area Improved visibility of the BGA soldering area
	Additional 45 ° diaphragms to the upper heater of the IR station, (manufactured by TERMOPRO)
	When working with an infrared soldering station, it is often necessary to carefully apply flux or solder paste. The ND-35 series digital programmable solder paste and liquid dispensers are designed to accurately dispense small portions of flux, solder paste, heat transfer paste or sealants. Models with vacuum tweezers (manufactured by TERMOPRO) are available.
	USB microscope eScope DP-M15-200 When working on an infrared soldering station, a visual inspection of the BGA soldering area is required. The eScope DP-M15-200 digital USB microscope with a 5MP matrix, up to 200x magnification, LED illumination and a built-in polarizing filter makes observation easier. Metal stand included. The polarizing filter removes glare, reflections and allows for sharper and sharper images when observing complex objects such as BGA at the moment of reflow. (made in China, delivery of other models is possible)
	Magnetic holders of printed circuit boards are quickly installed on any thermostats of the NP series and provide convenient and quick fixation of printed circuit boards over the heating surface.

ASC and TERMOPRO wish you Health! If it is not technically possible to take harmful soldering products outside, then we recommend using a local smoke extractor, for example, in Moscow, courses on training to work on an infrared soldering station when repairing laptops, game consoles, and cell phones. TERMOPRO provides warranty and technical support for the entire fleet of IK-650 PRO stations and thermostats within the service life, even if they are purchased on the secondary market. NOT SUPPORTED, not repaired, not provided with consumables only CHARGED EQUIPMENT FROM THE "BLACK LIST" - it is blocked by the manufacturer In 2019, there has been an increase in cases of fraudulent attempts to sell encumbered equipment and equipment, which will be automatically blocked in the near future. Locked equipment disassembled for parts can also be offered. Don't fall victim to scammers! Do not buy untested used equipment and spare parts on the secondary! Contact the manufacturer for spare parts! TERMOPRO does not bear any responsibility to the persons who bought the encumbered equipment. How to avoid becoming a victim of scammers? TERMOPRO renders all possible assistance to all who apply. To do this, it is recommended to do the following before purchasing: 1. Find out who was the first owner of the equipment, in which city and the year the equipment was manufactured. 2. Ask the seller for serial numbers (they are stuck on the bottom of the thermostats). 3. Report serial numbers to TERMOPRO for authorization for the absence of devices in the BLACK LIST. 4. Before paying, be sure to connect the thermostats to the computer and, using the Thermopro-Center application, check the glued serial numbers (they are sometimes re-glued) with the electronic ones (for this, contact TERMOPRO and we will tell you how to do this). If the numbers do not match, it is better to refuse the purchase (something is not clean here). 5. Be sure to check the complete operability of the equipment both in stand-alone mode and under the control of the Thermopro-Center application. At the same time, no error messages or other warnings should appear on the equipment display or on the computer screen. The heaters should reach the mode quickly, smoothly, without jumps, and when the temperature stabilizes, it should keep within + -2 degrees from the set one.

Nowadays, all electronic devices contain a complex filling of many components in their design. From time to time there is a need to repair such devices.

Repair usually consists of replacing defective parts with new ones. And if earlier it was possible to just do it with a soldering iron, then with the advent of components in BGA cases, even the use of hot air soldering is not always successful.

Experts use an IR soldering iron or one that emits infrared waves.

The problem with BGA components is the need to heat and melt a large amount of solder balls at once.

When they are heated, some heat is transferred to the circuit board due to the thermal conductivity of the materials. The heat provided by the soldering station becomes insufficient.

An increase in heating time or an increase in temperature does not have the best effect on the microcircuit. It can overheat and fail.

The solution suggests itself - you need to preheat the circuit board from below, without affecting the microcircuit with heat. It can be warmed up both with a stream of air and with calm infrared radiation.

As a result, when the temperature of the board material rises, the heat dissipation from the contact pins will decrease and less temperature and less exposure time will be needed to melt the solder balls.

When using infrared soldering, special devices are used for bottom heating - thermo tables. This is how the infrared soldering station works.

Infrared soldering has many advantages over hot air soldering. If during hot air soldering it is possible to control only the speed of air outflow from the nozzle and the temperature of the heating element, and it is completely impossible to control the outflow of air, then with infrared soldering the temperature of the solder is controlled throughout the entire cycle of work.

The use of an infrared soldering station allows a more precise effect on a specific area of ​​the board, which is difficult when soldering with hot air.

And when repair work the task is precisely to replace one or several components of the circuit without affecting the others at all.

Model IK-650 PRO

One of the most common professional-grade infrared soldering stations is the IK-650 PRO. In Russia, this device became one of the first capable of successfully repairing equipment with BGA circuits.

The soldering is done so well that there is a strong opinion about the absolute reliability of the devices, the boards of which were mounted using this infrared soldering station.

The software allows you to very accurately maintain the temperature profile, which is important for creating strong, reliable contacts. Indeed, for high-quality soldering, it is necessary not only to create a temperature sufficient to melt the solder, but also to raise it smoothly and then gradually lower it, avoiding a sharp cooling of the contact.

Only then will a strong crystal lattice be created in a drop of solder, connecting the contact of the microcircuit with the mounting patch.

The infrared station has a modular design and allows you to assemble many possible configurations for the production of preliminary and auxiliary works:

• possible use different types thermostats;
• connection of an electron microscope;
• automatic regulation of heating and cooling temperatures;
• there are additional modules for restoring BGA pins (this is called reballing).

The complete set of the soldering station also includes a vacuum tweezers, which are convenient for placing small parts on the board.

The cost of the infrared soldering station IK-650 PRO is currently over 150,000 rubles. It is professional equipment and, of course, is practically inaccessible for amateur use.

Parts for a homemade appliance

Commercially available infrared soldering stations of domestic and foreign production are very widely available for sale, but their prices start at 20,000 rubles. And at the minimum price, it will not be the best quality tool.

If you need to work with BGA-cases in a tight environment, a home-made infrared soldering station can be the way out.

It can be assembled from commercially available parts of infrared stations, as well as from scrap materials and old devices that have served their life.

The soldering station thermostat can be made from a lamp or heater with halogen lamps, which will heat the board to the required temperature. The upper heater will have to be purchased from spare parts, buying them new or used.

The tripod for the upper heating block can be made from a support from an old table lamp.

For a thermostat, you need to stock up on halogen lamps and reflector reflectors. They are placed in a housing that you can make yourself from an aluminum profile and sheet metal.

In addition to the lamps, it is necessary to provide a place in the housing for attaching a thermocouple, which will "supply" information about the temperature of the lamps to the control module.

The temperature must be maintained precisely so that the boards do not crack from excessive heat and sudden changes in temperature.

Assembly

An infrared head with a power of about 400-450 W, must be fixed on a tripod using fasteners, the elements of which are easy to purchase in the retail network; a second thermocouple must be used to control the temperature of the upper heating unit.

It must be installed together with the heater. The cable can be laid in a flexible metal hose. The soldering station tripod must be fixed in such a way that the IR head can move freely over the entire surface.

On the thermostat case, it is necessary to provide brackets for fixing the board. It should be positioned a few centimeters above the halogen lamps. Suitable aluminum profiles can be used for the brackets.

The controller for the infrared soldering station is placed in a housing that you can make yourself from sheet metal, preferably galvanized steel.

If necessary, the same cooling fans can be built into the case as are used in the computer case.

After assembling the structure itself, the entire circuit of the infrared soldering station will be debugged. This is done empirically, repeatedly running the circuit and making measurements. The process is not easy, but after setting it will give its results - the soldering station will work correctly.

Non-contact soldering iron

If there is no urgent need to use an infrared soldering station, then an infrared soldering iron can be successfully used for soldering. Outwardly, it looks like a regular one with the difference that instead of a sting it has a heating element.

Application and device

The infrared soldering iron is used in an environment where contact with the component leads is unacceptable. It is also convenient to use it for soldering radio components, since carbon deposits often form on the tip of a conventional soldering iron, and the connections are of poor quality. The carbon deposits have to be cleaned off, and these actions sometimes take quite a lot of time.

In a home workshop, you can make a simple homemade infrared soldering iron from a car cigarette lighter. The heating element of this device is perfect for making tools.

Since for the normal operation of the cigarette lighter, a direct current of 12 volts is needed, corresponding to the on-board electrical network of the car, an electrical converter will be needed so that you can use the household AC network. For these purposes, you can successfully use a power supply for computer cases.

Manufacturing

To assemble an infrared soldering iron, it is necessary to remove the heating element from the cigarette lighter housing. Further, supply wires must be connected to its contacts. Any copper wire in isolation.

A single-core copper wire with a cross-section of at least 2.5 square meters must be connected to the "jacket" of the element in contact with the mass in the car. mm. Another flexible copper conductor can be soldered to this wire.

The connection must be insulated at a distance of about 2-3 cm from the heating element by putting a heat-shrinkable tube on the connection. Pvc insulating tape not worth using, as it may melt.

For the body of the infrared soldering tool, any refractory rod must be used. You can even use a faulty soldering iron by attaching the cigarette lighter heating element to the tip.

For this purpose, steel tightening clamps are used. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the two supply wires do not come into contact with each other with bare sections. The device is connected to the power supply unit with a flexible cable or power cord of sufficient length.

It is obvious that the use of such a soldering iron is possible only when soldering irrelevant connections, since it is extremely difficult to control the characteristics during work.

When reballing and soldering BGA chips, it is recommended to use infrared soldering stations. They are characterized by a selective thermal effect: first, the metal elements of the microcircuit are heated and only then the non-metallic ones. This process is directly related to the wavelength (approximately 2-8 microns) and avoids mechanical damage to the components, since the concentration of infrared radiation at the desired point ensures uniform heating and excludes overheating. A modern IR soldering station, which is not difficult to buy today, will help to cope with even the most difficult case of PCB soldering.

If you need high quality, reliable and modern solution for BGA soldering - we recommend that you pay attention to the infrared soldering stations presented in our online store. With an ideal price / performance ratio, our IR Rework Stations are highly popular and provide a cost-effective turnkey solution for gentle repairs for professionals and hobbyists alike.

In the online store "Superice" are collected as budget options trade marks YIHUA and Ly, as well as more expensive soldering and repair complexes, such as ACHI IR6500 and Dinghua DH-A01R soldering stations.

You can buy an IR soldering station wholesale and retail for your enterprises, laboratories and personal needs! You can pay for the order upon receipt, and we will deliver you an IR soldering station for free to any city in Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Bryansk, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk , Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Samara, Volgograd, Barnaul and other cities!

In the workshop of any radio amateur, there is one, or maybe several soldering irons at once. But a soldering station, especially an infrared one, is just a dream for many.

The fact is that this is professional equipment used for high-quality soldering of such complex elements as BGA chips (from the English abbreviation Ball grid array, which in translation can sound like "Ball array", the full Russian analogue is "surface-mounted integrated circuits" ).

To make it clearer - a picture.

Rice. 1. An example of a BGA chip

It is impossible to solder or even unsolder such a chip with an ordinary soldering iron. With a certain degree of probability, a soldering hair dryer can help, but only for desoldering and only if the microcircuit can then be thrown away ...

The fact is that in this case it is required:

1. Heating from both sides at once;

2. Uniform penetration of heat through the body of the microcircuit (this makes infrared radiation possible);

3. Accurate temperature control during work.

And all this is directly related to the complex logic of the device and expensive heaters and sensors.

This is probably why ready-made IR soldering stations cost from 30 thousand rubles. (even when ordering from China).

Even if you collect all the necessary parts for the IR station, their total cost will turn out to be not much lower. finished version... So, if you have a limited budget, the material below is for you.

On the forums, such a device was affectionately nicknamed "cigarette lighter", since it is a soldering iron with a cigarette lighter instead of a tip.

It looks something like this:

Rice. 2. Infrared soldering station from the cigarette lighter

In fact, the soldering iron is used rather simply as a holder (there is no longer a heating element inside, the decoupling of copper and steel is made on purpose).

The heater control circuit is based on simple and inexpensive elements. It looks like this.

Rice. 3. Heater control circuit

If you don't have a 555 timer at hand, you can take the UC384x series. Then the diagram will look as follows.

A + 12V power supply can be made from a transformer and a diode bridge (the most elementary, diodes are best mounted on a radiator).

As you can see from the diagram, there is no temperature control.

With so many elements, you can do without a printed circuit board. The prototype will do an excellent job, and with a certain skill and the presence of free space in the case, installation by weight is suitable.

Rice. 5. Board assembly

The bottom heater must provide the correct thermal profile for the solder. The graphs for lead-free and lead-free solders are shown below.

Rice. 6. Graphs for lead-free and lead-free solders

Of course, regulating the temperature and keeping it at a given level - difficult task(normally requires a thermocouple, data processing logic from it, etc.).

But let's make a simple move - we will regulate heating with an ordinary dimer (from lighting fixtures), and as a heat source we use a ready-made 150 W halogen lamp.

The temperature can be set by an external thermometer, or "by eye" (experimentally).

Rice. 7. Bottom heater option

Here, an old printed circuit board with copper foil is used as a platform (turned upside down with pure textolite).

Thus, as the end result:

1.Heating from below is carried out by a halogen lamp connected to the 220V network. Its power is regulated by a dimer.

2.Soldering is done with a cigarette lighter. Its heating power is regulated by a variable resistor (see diagram).

The process looks like this.

Rice. 8. Soldering process

Of course, for conventional microcircuits, soldering can be carried out without bottom heating.

It is possible to work only with the lower platform (for example, if you need to dismantle a large number of radio elements at once), but you should be especially careful, since if the tracks are too overheated, the tracks may peel off from the PCB.

Such a soldering station is suitable only for short-term work in everyday life.

Other ways to implement

On the net you can find many other variations on the topic of creating an IR station with your own hands, but they all have a budget of 10 thousand rubles +, which negates all efforts.

That is, if we take into account the possibility of an error in the installation process (through negligence or inexperience) or the supply of low-quality parts (which often happens when interacting with foreign sellers), as well as other nuances, it is easier and more reliable to purchase ready-made solution.

Date of publication: 23.02.2018

Readers' opinions

• Yuri / 10/31/2018 - 11:26
  Try to put on this station a controller like IR101 http://tehnostation.ru/kontroller/ or IR102 from and you will get a full-fledged soldering station with adjustable profiles.