This project started out as a simple toaster oven conversion into a reflow oven. My plan was to pull out the old controller and replace it with a solid state relay and an arduino uno. Well the project grew and changed. It was going to be very hard to fit all the electronics inside the toaster oven without having some box stick out the side. So I decided to move the electronics to a separate enclouser.
With the electronics in separate enclouser I can use it for other projects. I can use it for a reflow oven for circuit boards, my anodizing set up, my injection molding setup, ceramic kiln controller and any other project I need. I decided that I could fit 3 solid state relays, an arduino and an LCD display.
I plan to put banana plugs on the front for the AC power, and thermcouple jacks. I will be able to use this as a easy way to monitor thermocouples as well. Down the road I might add in the ability to push the data to a server and graph it.
Well I was working on one of my other projects and needed to heat cure some resin. I only needed to get it up to 150 degrees F, so I pulled out the toaster oven from college. I used to cook frozen pizza in this thing almost every day. But once I got a big boy job I could afford to have it delivered. It had not been used in about 5 years and I was reluctant to throw it out because I knew they could be converted to a re-flow oven fairly easily.
It is a nice little oven. It has 4 heating elements evenly spaced, two on top and two on bottom. It also has a fan which is convenient. I am really hoping that this will be a cheap and fast project. I should have almost all the parts I need and there are quite a few well documented guides out there to follow. But I have thought that before. lol.