WARNING: WHEN PLUGGED IN, THERE ARE HIGH VOLTAGES INSIDE THE CASE THAT CAN CAUSE FIRE OR FATALITIES. ALWAYS UNPLUG AND WAIT FOR CAPACITORS TO DISCHARGE BEFORE OPENING THE CASE.

I recently bought a AmazonBasics 1800W induction cooktop for making hot pot in the winter. While inexpensive, the cooktop only comes with basic functionality (I guess the AmazonBasics brand is fitting). Even its existing functionality like constant-temperature mode doesn't seem to work very well. That's when I got the idea of hacking the cooktop to improve and extend its functionality. Right now, the vision is to be able to monitor and control the cooktop from my phone.

A quick search on the web revealed several similar projects:

• Reparing And Adding Bluetooth to my Electrolux EHD7660P Induction Cooker
• Hacking IKEA 2kW induction hob
• 1800W Induction Cooktop Teardown
  

I'm sure these resources will come in handy during this project.

Opening the cooktop only involves unscrewing four screws. Once opened, there are three major components inside:

• Control board that contains buttons, LEDs, the 7-segment display, etc.
• Inductive coil that transfers energy to the cooking pan.
• Driver board underneath the coil that drives the coil.

On the other side of the control board is a BYD BF6912AS11 microcontroller. On the other side of the driver board is a CHK S011 controller, designed specifically for induction cooktops. Between the control board and the driver board is a 4-conductor ribbon cable, which seems like a good point to start reverse engineering. That'll be the focus for the next post!