chFX Reflow 3.

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FX reflo
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opyright 2009 The Silicon H
Horizon Inc.

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http:///www.The
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Contents
Warninganduseragreementofliability......................................................................................................5
System requirements:................................................................................................................................6
Operatingsystem......................................................................................................................................6
Cablesandpowersupply..........................................................................................................................6
TechFXreflowcontrolleroverview...............................................................................................................7
Hardwarefeatures:...................................................................................................................................7
Softwarefeatures:....................................................................................................................................7
Requiredequipmenttousethiscontroller...................................................................................................8
Optionalequipmentforyourproject...........................................................................................................8
SupportedLCDandKeypadI2Cinterface.................................................................................................8
UsersupportedLCDviaSerialinterface...................................................................................................8
Othermiscellaneous(ifneeded)...............................................................................................................8
Reflowcontrollerdiagram..........................................................................................................................10
IOlinesandhookups...................................................................................................................................11
Onswitch+andterminals(REQUIREDWILLNOTOPERATEWITHOUTIT)........................................11
Ovenrelay+.............................................................................................................................................11
I2Cterminals...........................................................................................................................................11
ThermocoupleIN+,IN............................................................................................................................11
Fanrelay+................................................................................................................................................12
SerialRXandSerialTX.............................................................................................................................12
ICSPport..................................................................................................................................................12
UserIOlines(IO1throughIO5)...............................................................................................................13
Bootloadjumper.....................................................................................................................................13
Choosingathermocoupletouse................................................................................................................14
Choosinganoven........................................................................................................................................15
Hackingtheoven........................................................................................................................................16
HookinguptheMatrixOrbitalLK20425LCDandkeypad.........................................................................19
Usingthebootmodefeature......................................................................................................................20
TechFXReflowTools...................................................................................................................................21
Useofthebootloader............................................................................................................................21
2

Usingtheboardsetupscreen.................................................................................................................23
SettingupPIDgains................................................................................................................................24
Settingupthekeypad(onlywithLK20425MatrixOrbitalLCD)............................................................26
Usingthereflowovenscreen.................................................................................................................27
SettingupaRampprofile.......................................................................................................................28
Programmingaprofile............................................................................................................................29
Loadingaprofile.....................................................................................................................................30
Excelprofiles...........................................................................................................................................31
LoadinganExcel*.XLSprofile.............................................................................................................31
Startingareflowsession.........................................................................................................................32
Monitoringovenfunction.......................................................................................................................33
UsingthecontrollerstandalonewithMatrixOrbitalLK20425LCDandkeypad.......................................34
Custommenufunction...........................................................................................................................35
Profilemenuoption................................................................................................................................36
Monitoringakeypadreflowsession.......................................................................................................37
Devicecharacteristics.................................................................................................................................38
Picturesofourtestsetup............................................................................................................................39
ExampleprofilesandsettingsfortechFXreflow3.0controllerallusingCustomPIDfirmware................43
Shenmaowatersolublewww.SMTsolderpaste.comprofilekp=1,ki=0,kd=3(techFXtoolsv4.0and
techFXreflow3.0controller)forPb(2.5mSperiod)..............................................................................43
Kestersolderpasteprofile(usingmaximumperiods)kp=1,ki=0,kd=3(techFXtoolsv2andtechFX
reflow2.0controller)forPb...................................................................................................................44
Shenmaowatersolublesolderpasteprofile(kp=1,ki=0,kd=3)(techFXtoolsv2.0andtechFXreflow2.0
controller)spreadsheetprofileforPb....................................................................................................45
Kesterderivativeprofile(kp=1,ki=0,kd=3)(techFXreflowtoolsv2.0andtechFXreflow2.0controller)
intendedforPbfreesolderpaste............................................................................................................46
Exampleextendedlengthprofiles..............................................................................................................47
20minutedryingexampleusing3stages(nofan).................................................................................47
45minutedryingexampleusing3stages(nofan).................................................................................48
TechFXReflowTools5.0Examplegraphs(detailsingraphtitles)..............................................................49
Tipsandsuggestionsforassemblyandoperation......................................................................................55
Troubleshooting..........................................................................................................................................56
3

Softwareissues.......................................................................................................................................56
TechFXtoolsdoesntfindmydevice..................................................................................................56
UpgradingtechFXtoolsdoesntwork!...............................................................................................56
Hardwareissues......................................................................................................................................56
Erraticreadingsbetweenatemperaturevalueandzeroongraph....................................................56
Noiseinoutputongraph....................................................................................................................56
Voltageregulatorisrunninghot.........................................................................................................57
Notgettingfullscaleofreadingsupto500degCelsius.....................................................................57
Reflowtechniquesandsuggestions............................................................................................................58

Warning and user agreement of liability

Thisproduct,techFXreflowcontrollerandtechFXreflowtoolsisdesignedtointerfacetoaUSERs
methodofinterfacingtoatoasterovenorothersuchdevice.Therefore,itisYOUtheuserthatisliable
foranysuchfailures,misuseofsaidtargetdevice(forotherthansuchdesignedie:cookingfood)injury,
death,andfirethatmayresult.
Byusingourproduct,youagreenottoholdTheSiliconHorizonresponsibleforliabilityfromthe
applicationofyourinterfacemethod,oranymishapsthatmayhappenasaresultoftheinterfacingto
anovenorotherdevice.
Thismanualrecommendsseveralmethodstoguidetheindividualforsafetyreasonsandshouldonlybe
usedasaguide.
ToasterovenwiringandhousecurrentWILLKILLyou!Ifyoudonotknowwhatyouaredoing,orhave
noexperiencewiththeseitemsorwithelectronics,thendonotusethisdevice.Learnsafetyprocedures
forhandlingandroutingACwiresandwiringoutletspriortodoingthisproject.

System requirements:

Operating system
You must have NET 2.0 framework distribution installed to run this software. You can do
a web search for "dotnetfx.exe" or use the following link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en
TechFX tools has been tested to work in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Windows
Vista. To run the software in Vista with UAC on, you must run the program in
Administrator rights mode. You also must right click the program, and run it in windows
XP SP2 compatibility mode. You should also go to the control panel and find the PIC
18f4550 family device driver and go to the power management tab, and disable the
power management feature of Vista for that device driver.
You should also disable power management feature in the driver properties in Windows
XP (control panel / other devices / pic18f4550 family / properties / power management)

Cables and power supply

You will need a free USB 2.0 port, mini-USB cable and an AC/DC wall adapter with 6-9v
DC output, 2.1 mm jack Center positive, regulated output. The board will not run on
USB power alone. You must have the wall adapter plugged in to operate the controller.

TechFX reflow controller overview

Hardware features:

small 1.5"x1.5" size on High Tg PCB 4 layers

upto 500 deg Celsius temp control!
AD597 K-type thermocouple amplifier
256K I2C serial eeprom for storing profiles and settings
I2C interface for matrix orbital LK204-25 LCD and keypad with supported
firmware and software
serial port for low cost LCD solution for users wishing to develop their own LCD
interface
USB fullspeed 2.0 communications
5 volt 800 mA LDO voltage regulator will power your LCD
12 bit A2D
12 MIPS 48 MHz Microchip 18f4553 MCU
USB bootloader for firmware updates
ICSP port for ICD2 or Pickit2 programmers
all screw terminals
2.1mm CP power jack takes 6-9 volts DC
5 IO pins for user expansion which can be used for switches etc (1 INT pin)

Software features:
techFX reflow tools:

setup any keypad on LK204-25 matrix orbital LCD

change PID gains as needed
load and program ramp profiles to/from controller, up to 15 of them, can be used
standalone also
use excel spreadsheets for profiles when controlling from computer
view, print, save reflow graphs in real-time
monitor oven output while operating from keypad
use boot loader to update firmware to add new features
Create profiles from a few minutes in length to two days in length!!! (intended for
drying functions of some components, and curing of composite materials and
other such applications.

Required equipment to use this controller

KtypethermocouplefromOmegaEngineeringInc.www.Omega.com(seethermocouplepage
forrecommendedparameters)
powertoggleswitchratedatwalladaptervoltage(69Vdc,anddebouncingisaccountedforin
firmware)
solidstaterelay(shouldbeabout2025amps)orotherinterfacecircuittoswitchtheoven,2nd
relayneededifyouareusingtheFanoption
AC/DCpoweradapter2.1mmCPjack,69vDCregulated(noACtransients,switchingadapteris
preferredwecarryswitchedadapters!)
sometypeofenclosureforsafetytoshieldallthewiringDONOTmountinortooven
powercordandplugtohandleupto15amps(ormoredependingonyourchoiceofoven)
stronglyrecommendabreakertypewalloutletforsafety(1520amps)orgroundcircuit
interrupterthatyoucanmountinthecase.
donortoasteroven(InfraredpreferredsuchastheBlackandDeckerInfrawave)

Optional equipment for your project

Supported LCD and Keypad I2C interface

MatrixOrbitalLCDp/nLK20425withI2Cinterfacewww.matrixorbital.com(makesureyouget
thebreadboardcablefromthemalso,ithasaconnectorononeendand4wiresonotherend)
KeypadtousewithLCD(connecttoLCDabove)canbefoundonthesamewebsite.Other
keypadsmaybeusedbutmusthavea09,+,keys.
ThisLCDandkeypadoptionisalreadycodedforinourfirmwareandwindowsGUI.Youcan
setupthekeypadthroughtheGUIandprogramprofilestorunonstandalonecontrol.

User supported LCD via Serial interface

AnycheapserialLCDthatrunson5v.YoumustgenerateyourowncodetooutputtothisLCD.

Other miscellaneous (if needed)

DCpanelmountpowerjackfromwww.actionelectronics.com(2.1mmCP)
8

heatsinkforSSRallowsfirmandsafemountingpositionandheatdissipation(minimal
generatedinthisapplication)
MiniUSB2.0panelmountjack
FanSSRorotherrelayfordrivingthesystemdownandcooldownstages

Reflow
w controller diagra
am

10

IO lines and hookups

On switch+ and terminals (REQUIRED WILL NOT OPERATE WITHOUT IT)

Theseterminalsallowthehookupofatoggleorpushbuttonswitch.Debouncingishandledinsoftware,
sotheuserdoesnotneedtohandlethatorbuyaspecialswitch.Cheappanelmounttoggleswitchescan
bepurchasedfromRadioShack.TheswitchshouldbeSPST(singlepolesinglethrow).Simplyhookup
the2leadstothepowerswitchterminals,theycanbeconnectedinanyorder.Theswitchshouldbe
ratedforthewalladapteroutputvoltage(69Vdc)operation.

Oven relay+

ThisistheoutputfromthePIDalgorithm,andisusedtoswitchtheovenonandoff.Thisoutputwillgo
toyourinterfacecircuitry;althoughmostpeoplewoulduseasolidstaterelayforsimplicityandsafety.
Otherinterfacingoptionscanbeatriacwithastandardrelay,butthatisleftuptotheuser.Usethis
outputalongwiththeGNDterminaltointerfacetoyourUSERcircuitryorSSR.

I2C terminals

TheSDA,SCL,+5v,GNDterminalsarethepinsyouneedtoconnecttoyourMatrixOrbitalLK20425LCD
unit(withI2Cinterface).TheI2CinterfaceworksatthedefaultspeedsettingoftheLK20425whichis
100KHz.YourkeypadthenplugsintotheLCD.

Thermocouple IN+, IN

Thisterminalisthe+andofyourthermocouplethatyoupurchasedfromwww.omega.com.The
yellowleadis+andtheredleadis(pleaserefertoyourthermocoupledatasheettoverifypolarityand
colorsofleads).YoucanuseanyKtypethermocouple,butitissuggestedthatyouuseaqualityone
withaninsulatedsheath.Yellowis+,RedisminusforKtypethermocouples.

11

Fan relay+

Thisterminalprovidesthecontroloutputfordrivingthesystemdownandalsowhenthesystemisin
thecooldownmode.Afantobringincoolair,ortakeouthotair(thussuckingcoolairin)canbeused.
Donotconnectafandirectlytothepinasitcanonlysink25mA,youmustusearelayanddependingon
theFancurrentdrawyoumightbeabletousethe+5vlineaslongasthecurrentconsumptiondoesnot
exceed600mAforthefan.

Serial RX and Serial TX

ThesearetheseriallinesforUsercodesupportedLCDsandotherserialdevices.TheTXterminal
connectstotheRXpinontheMCU,andtheRXTerminalconnectstotheTXlineontheMCU
therefore,noswitchingisrequiredbetweenthesepinsandthedevice.Theselinesoperateon3.3volt
digitalTTLbut

ICSP port

TheICSPportallowsuserstoprogramthedeviceusinganICD2orPickit2programmer.Notepin1is
denotedonthecontroller.Bootloaderjumpermayceasetofunctionifyouoverwritethebootloader
programinthebootblockofthedevice.Tofixthis,youmayreprogramthedevicewiththebootloader
usingtheICSPport.

12

User IO lines (IO1 through IO5)

Theselinesallowausertoaddswitches,buttonsorLEDstotheirproject.
TheIOpinsaremappedtotheMCUpinsasfollows:

IOlineMCUpin

Typeofpinconfigurable

PORTA1

Analoginput1,Digitalinput/output

PORTA2

Analoginput2,Digitalinput/output

PORTA3

Analoginput3,Digitalinput/output

PORTA5

Analoginput4,Digitalinput/output

PORTB2

Analoginput8,Digitalinput/output,Interruptpin2

Bootload jumper

ThebootloadjumperallowsyoutousethesoftwarebootloaderinsteadoftheICSPprogrammingport
touploadanewfirmwaretothecontroller.SetthistoOFF(textisboot)toenablenormaloperating
mode.IfyouusetheICSPporttoprogramanewprogram,youmayoverwritethebootloader
accidentallyifprogrammingstepsarenotfollowed.SetthistoON(ONtext)andpowercyclethe
boardtoenterbootloadermode.

13

Choosing a thermocouple to use

Werecommendyouuseanungroundedthermocouple.Thisishandledonthecontroller.Ifyouare
usinglongthermocoupleleads(36inchesormore)youmayneedtoputa1Kresistorbetweenground
andNegativethermocoupleleadtohandlebiasgeneratedintheleaddotoexcessivelength.
Youshoulduseanopenelementthermocoupleastheopenelementoneshavealowertimecoefficient.
Thetimecoefficientisthetimeittakestoabsorbthetemperatureintheelementandthuswewantthis
tobeasshortaspossibleinourapplication.
Wirediameteralsoplaysaroleintimecoefficientandhavingonetoothickwillhurtyourabsorption
times.
Leadlengthshouldnotbetooexcessive,howeverItcanbecompensatedforwiththe1Kresistorand
alsothereisanADCsoftwaremiddlefiltertohandlenoisegeneratedintheleadsduetounknown
sources.
Pickasheathingtypesuchasglassbeadastheyareprettycheapanddurable.Dontrubthe
thermocoupleagainstbaremetalasitislikelytocutthesheathingandcauseshortsbetweenthetwo
lines.

Thislinkwillassistyouinlearningaboutthermocouples.
http://www.omega.com/thermocouples.html

Thislinkisthe5TCseriesandcomesinapackageof5thermocouples.Thisiswhatweuseonourreflow
ovens.
http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=5TC&Nav=tema02

14

Choosing an oven

Choosingtherightovencansaveyoualotoftrouble.Thetestsetupforthiscontrollerwasdoneusinga
BlackandDeckerInfrawavetoasteroven.Thisovenisidealsinceitiseasytohack,andprovidesuswith
aquickheatingresponseusingtheinfraredelements.
Somequestionstoaskyourselfwhenpurchasinganovenare:
1) Howeasyisittohackthesafetydooropenshutoffswitch
2) Howeasyisittorewiresoelementsareonallthetime
3) Howeasytodrillholeinovenchamber
Thewattageoftheovendeterminestheamountofampsyouwillberunningthroughit.Dividethe
wattagebythevoltageandthatisyourmaximumamperage.Thisiswhatyouneedtodesignforinyour
circuitbreakers,andthepowercordsyouuse.Trytofindthehighestwattageyoucangetforthe
cheapestmoney.RememberifyouaredoingLeadfreesolderpastework,thenyouneedtohitahigher
tempthanLeadbasedproducts.Alsomorewattagewillgiveyoufasterrisetimesathighertempswhile
lowwattageovensmaystruggle.Chambersizeandambienttemperaturesallplayafactorinthat.

15

Hackin
ng the ove
en

Warning!Housecurren
ntwillkillyou
u!Youwillasssumeallliabi lityforanythingbadhapp
peningasaresult
ofyourinexperienceand/oraccidentsthatmayoccur.Youw
willnotholdusresponsibleeforyour
ntationofthissprojectasittisyourproje
ect.
implemen

Basicallyaallwehaveto
odotoatoassterovenism
maketheelem
mentsworkallthetimeitispluggedin,and
disableth
hedooropencutoffswitch
h.

UsingourrBlackandDe
eckerInfrawaave,weusedaamachinesc rewtotakeccareofthedo
ooropenswittch.

Next,wedrillaholeinthebackofttheovenforo
ourKtypeth ermocouplettoprotrudetthrough,itis
recommendedyouuse
esometypeo
offittingsoth
heedgeswill notwearoutttheprotecteedsheathingof
thetherm
mocouple.

16

Next,wemodifythecircuitboardto
oallowourelementstoruunallthetimeetheplugisp
pluggedin.O
Onthe
e,thisisdone
ebybypassinggtherelaysfo
orboththetoopandbottomelementsw
whichcanbeseen
Infrawave
bylookinggatthecircuiitboard.Youcansolderin
nawiretobyppassit,oryou
ucanperman
nentlymaketthe
relaygoo
onbyprovidin
ngagroundto
othegroundpin.Wechossethebypasssmethodsinccewehadpleenty
of16gauggezipcord,w
weused2piecesjustforgo
oodcurrentfflow.Notethaatyoushould
duseprotecteed
heatshielldingonanyw
wiresyouadd
dinhereasth
heydoheatuup.Hightemp
psolderisalsoagoodideaa.

17

Notetheabovepicture
esonlyshowthetopelem
mentrelaybyppassing.Theb
bottomrelayismarked
bottomandisonthe
eotherside.

Thatsitfo
orovenhacking!Ifyoudriillstraightthrroughthebacck,thenyourreallydontevenhavetottake
thisovenapartatall.TThatswhatm
makesitagoo
oddonorovenn.

Onceagaiin,whateverovenyoucho
oose,becarefful!Thisamp eragewillkilllyounoquesstionsasked.Ifyou
dontknowwhatyouaaredoing,the
enpleasegetsomeonewhhodoesknow
w.Thereisnotoleranceforr
mistakesinworkingwithhousecurrrent.

Makesure
etheovenisunpluggedw
whenworkingonitorwhenneveranypanelsareoff,o
orwiresaren
not
protected
d.Makesureyyouusecomm
monsense.

18

Hooking up the Matrix Orbital LK20425 LCD and keypad

TheI2CLCDandkeypadoptioncurrentlyforthiscontrolleristheLK20425LCDwithanykeypad(8or10
pin)thathasa09,+,keysonit.
WhenyougettheLCD,youmayhavetoremovetwosolderbridges(orSMDzeroohmresistors)to
changetheconfigurationfromserialRS232toI2CmodeforthismodelLCD.Pleaserefertomatrix
orbitalsdocumentationonwheretofindthemandhowtodoit.
TheLCDotherwiseshouldcomewithadefaultI2Cbaudrate100KHz.Justleavethatsettingandothers
alone!AllyouneedtomodifyistheI2Chardwaremodeofoperationdescribedabove.
Youwillalsoneedtheboardconnectionwirethattheysellontheirwebsite,ithasa4pinconnectoron
oneend,and4wiresontheother.
Toconnectthewirestothereflowcontroller,connectSCL,SDA,+5volts,andgroundtotheappropriate
terminalsandscrewthemdowntightly.
Youmayuseanykeypad8or10pinastheLK20425allowssinceoursoftwaretechFXreflowtools
allowsyoutosetupthecodesforeachkeypriortousingit.Itthenstoresthatsetupinformationinthe
controller.Thatbeingsaid,youcouldhookupthekeypadconnectorupsidedownandjustdoanew
setupintechFXreflowtools,itwillreadandprogramthedifferentvaluesaccordingly.
Matrixorbitalalsosellsthekeypadandthebreadboardcablethatyouwillneedtosplitupthe4pin
connectortoitsrespectivewires.

19

Using the boot mode feature

The controller has the feature to upload a new program to the chip through the USB
port. No special programmer or other device is needed. You may use the software
techFX tools to upload your new program to the board if you are writing you own
firmware or have found one on the web.
To put the controller into boot mode, locate the jumper marked boot. Move the jumper
to the on position (to the inside of the board) and cycle the power switch. Once the
controller restarts, it is now in boot loader mode and awaiting a new program to be
uploaded to it.
Now you must use techFX tools to upload that firmware into the controller.
Once that is complete, move the jumper to the off boot position and then cycle the
power switch. Note that once you cycle the power switch, your newly uploaded firmware
will start to run.

20

TechFX
X Reflow T
Tools
Use of tthe boot lo
oader

Program
mming a firrmware he
ex file into the contro
oller
m
sure the
t status bar shows
s your conttroller in "b
boot mode
e" as above.
Note: make
1. Open file
Click open file to lo
oad a Hex fiile into the program. T
The screen is updated with the
contents
s of the hex
x file. If it is invalid an error
e
messa
age is displlayed.

2. Connect controller in boot lo

oad mode
Connectt the contro
oller to a US
SB port. Ma
ake sure yo
ou set the bo
oot load jum
mper to the
e on
position and cycle the
t power switch.
s
The
e status barr indicates ""techFXreflo
ow in boot
load" if it is in boot load mode. If the statu
us bar indiccates "techF
FXreflow in
n normal mo
ode"
then you
u must set the
t boot loa
ad jumper to on and re
eset.
21

3. Program controller
Once a controller is connected and in boot mode, then the program button will become
enabled. Press the button and the controller will be programmed. Do not disconnect or
reset the device until the status says "write completed". If it fails, then reset controller
and try again (cycle power switch). Once complete, move the boot load jumper to off
position and cycle the power switch. Then it will be in normal mode.
Other options
Erase device
Erase device allows you to erase the program space before programming. It is
recommended but not necessary before programming a new firmware to the controller
to do this.
Read device
Read device reads the contents of the controller into the current display window, thus
allowing you to save it to a file for backup purposes.

22

Using th
he board ssetup scre
een

Note:makesurethesstatusbarsho
owsyourconttrollerin"normalmode".Youshouldh
haveagreen
checkmarrknexttoI2C
CandConfig.

23

Setting up PID gains

APIDalgorithmusesproportional,integral,andderivativegainstoadjusttheoutputofthesystem.Our
modifiedPIDalgorithmadaptsthistoaslowrespondingtoasterovenformaximumcontroland
accuracy.

Theproportionaltermisthegainmultipliedbythecurrenterror.Ie:kp*(targettempcurrenttemp)

Theintegraltermistheaccumulatederrorsaddedupmultipliedbytheintegralgaintermki.
Thederivativetermistheslopemultipliedbythederivativegain.
Asyoucansee,thegainsdeterminehowmuchofafactoreachelementcontributestothesystemsince
theoutputisdeterminedby:

Output=proportional+integral+derivative

Aproportionalonlysystemwillhavebigovershootsandslowtimetotargettemperature.Andmay
oscillatewhenthegainissettohigh.
Aproportionalintegralsystemisbetter,butmayhaveoscillationswhentheaccumulatederrormaxes
out(asitmayinslowrespondingsystems).
APIDsystemisthebestofall,asitachievesthetargettempinthequickestamountoftimeandwiththe
leastamountoferror.
Generallyyoushouldstartwithallgainsequalto1.Thenaddproportionalgainuntilthesystem
oscillatesinthesteadystate,thenbackoffuntilgoodagain.Notethatthereisaninherenterror
associatedwithtoasterovencontrolthatisabout+/5degreesCelsiusonourtestovenandmayvary
dependingontheovenyouuse.
Youshouldaddderivativenext,asyoushouldnotethatyouwillnowachieveaclosevaluetoyour
desiredtargettemperaturewithlessovershoot.
Keepyourintegralvaluelow,(preferablytoone)becauseintegralwindupisaprobleminslow
respondingsystemssuchasthis.
Derivategainmaygenerallybeasmuchas5timestheproportionalgain,howeverisverymuch
dependentontheovenresponseandtheovenyouareusing.
Youmayfindthatalowproportionalgainworksbestforyou,asthiscontrollerisprettyfastandscales
thevaluesreallyquickly.

24

YouhavetokeepexperimentingontheSAMEreflowcurvewithdifferentPIDvaluestofindtheones
thatbestfitsyourneeds.
Pressingtheprogrambuttonwillsetthegainstothecontroller.Thecontrollerwillautomaticallyload
thesevalueseverytimeitstartsup.
Pressingtheloadbuttonwillshowyouwhatiscurrentlyinthecontroller.

NOTE:inthenewertechFXtoolsversion(2.0andabove),allofthesefunctionsareavailableinthepull
downmenu.

25

Setting up the keypad (only with LK20425 Matrix Orbital LCD)

Pressingthesetupkeypadkey(ormenuitemdependingonversion)willbringyouthroughthe
processofsettingupthekeypad.Youmustonlypressthebuttonittellsyoutoonetimeanditwillshow
thecorrespondingASCIIvalueinthebox.Ifitdisplayserror,thenmostlikelythekeywasnotpressed
hardenough.Ifanerrorhappened,youmustgothroughthewholesetupagainuntilnoerroroccurs.
Onlythenwillyoubeabletoprogramthekeypad.
Onprogrammingthekeypadvaluestothecontroller,thecontrollerresets,andthecontrollerisnow
capableofstandaloneoperationfromthekeypadandLCD.
SeeLCDsectionforwhattypesofkeypadyoumayuse.

26

Using th
he reflow oven screen

Note:makesurethesstatusbarsho
owsyourconttrollerin"normalmode"YYoushouldh
haveagreen
checkmarrknexttoI2C
CandConfig.

27

Setting up a Ramp profile

Youshouldtrytoemulatetheprofileforyoursolderpasteorcomponentascloselyaspossible.Thismay
befoundinthedocumentationforitontheirwebsite.
Rampprofilesarecomposedofthefollowingstages:
1)
2)
3)
4)

Preheat
Soak
Reflow
Cooldown

Thepreheatstagebringstheovenuptothedesiredsoaktemp.
Thesoakstagebringsthepartuptotemperatureandremovesanymoisture,etc.
Thereflowstageisthemostimportant,itbringsthesolderpastetotherequiredtemperatureforthe
requiredamountoftimetocausereflow.
Thecooldownstageisofthemanualvariety,yousimplyopentheovendoorandanaturalcooldown
curvebegins.TheLCDwilldisplaycooldownuntilitreachesapprox60degCelsius.

YoumayspecifythedesiredmaximumtemperaturesinCelsiusforthegivenstageinthecomboboxes
picturedabove.Youmayalsospecifythemaximumtimeallowedforthatstage.Iftheovenfailsto
achievethattemperatureinthattimeperiod,itwillgoontothenextstageandtrytoachievethenext
desiredtemperature.

NEWinversion4.0!!
Nowyoumayselectwhethertheunitsdisplayedinthepulldownboxesaresecondsorminutes.This
allowsyoutocreateextendedprofilesofupto2daysinlengthwhenusingminutesasyourupdate
interval.
Notethattherefreshrateboxalsousesthisselectionmethod,andthatistheintervalforeachdata
pointonthegraph.

28

Programming a profile

Afterselectingallofthemaximumstagevaluesfortimeandtemperature,wethenselectaprofile
numberfrom1to15.
Wecanthentypeinanalphanumericnameinthenameboxupto8characterslong(thisnamewillbe
displayedontheLCDifyouhaveanLCDconnected).
Pressingtheprogrambutton,theprofileisprogrammedintotheaccordingprofilenumberslot,anda
confirmationmessageappearsonthestatusbarindicatingsuccessorfailure.
NewertechFXtoolsversion2.0andabove:

Allofthesefunctionsareavailableinthepulldownmenus.
Additionally,youmayloadalloftheprofiles#115fromthecontrollertotechFXtoolsatonceor
programalloftherampprofiles#115fromtechFXtoolstothecontrolleratonce.

NEWinversion4.0!!
Nowyoumayselectwhethertheunitsdisplayedinthepulldownboxesaresecondsorminutes.This
allowsyoutocreateextendedprofilesofupto2daysinlengthwhenusingminutesasyourupdate
interval.
Notethattherefreshrateboxalsousesthisselectionmethod,andthatistheintervalforeachdata
pointonthegraph.

29

Loading a profile

Firstyoumustselectaprofilenumber,thenyoucanpresstheloadbuttontoloaditfromthecontroller.
Theconfirmationisthendisplayedinthestatusbarindicatingsuccessorfailure.

30

Excel profiles

Loading an Excel *.XLS profile

SelectingtheLoadspreadsheetmenuitemwillbringuptheopenfiledialogbox.Pleasethenselecta
*.XLSexcelfiletoopen.NotethatXML*.XLSXfilesarenotsupportedatthistime.
Thegraphisupdatedwithyourexcelfilevaluesandthedataisdisplayedintheboxattheright.Ifyou
haveyourcontrollerconnected,thenyoumaynowselectStartspreadsheetprofilereflowsession
fromthepulldownmenu.
Ifyourspreadsheetproduceanerror,pleaseuseourexamplespreadsheetontheCDROMasaguidein
producingyourownspreadsheetandfollowthefollowingrules:

1. The1stcolumnstartsatA,0andgoesdownusingintegers(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10etc)andeach
numberstandsfor1second.Youmaynotputanyotherdataintheseboxes,justnumber
integers.Pleasenumbersequentiallyforyourentirereflowprofile;ie:ifitis300secondsthen
youshouldhaveincolumn1startingatA,01,2..299,300.
2. The2ndcolumnwillcontainthetemperature(inCelsius)from1to460degC.theRow
correspondstothetimeinsecondsyouwantthattemperaturetobeinyourprofile.Therefore,
ifwehave20nexttoa1inA,0thenthatmeanswewanted20degCelsiusattime=1second.
3. Nootherdataorstringscanbepresentonthespreadsheet.Allothercellsmustbeblank.Donot
usespecialformattingorfonts.
PleaseseetheexampleontheCDROMorintheimagedistributionwhichcanbedownloadedfromthe
forumssectionofourwebsite.

Note:

Excelspreadsheettimevaluesareunitless.Youchoosewhetherthetimevalueissecondsorminutes
AFTERloadingthespreadsheetintechFXtools.

31

Starting a reflow session

Tostartareflowsession,firstyoumustconnectyourcontroller,anditwillappearinthestatusbaras
techFXreflowinnormalmodewithtwogreencheckmarksindicatingagoodstatus.

Ifwearedoingarampreflowsession,thenwemusteitherselectnewvaluesforthemaximumtemps
andtimes,orloadaprofilefromthecontroller.
Ifthedatadisplayedforthestagetimesandtemparesatisfactory,wethenpressthestartrampprofile
reflowmenuitemtoproceed.
Ifwearedoinganexcelspreadsheetreflowsession,wehavefirstloadedourexcelfileanditisdisplayed
inthegraphinblue.Wecanthengotothemenuitemstartspreadsheetreflowsessionfromthepull
downmenuanditwillthenbegin.Beforeyoubeginthespreadsheetreflowsessionitisagoodideato
selectavalueforreadaheadinthespreadsheetbox.Thisvaluewillbetailoredforyourparticular
ovenandwilldrasticallyimprovetheresponseofyouroventotheXLSspreadsheetfile.
Thegraphwillnowupdateandtheovenwillturnon.Thegraphupdatesinrealtimeapproximatelyonce
every3secondsandthedataisdisplayedasaredline.
Thecurrentreflowstagewillappearinthestatusbaronthebottomofthescreen.
Whenthecooldownstagehits,youshouldopenthedooroftheoventoaidincooling.Notethatthe
coolingstagewillstopwhenthetemphits60degreesCelsius.WARNING!Thepartsandovenisstillvery
hot!Thereasonthissettingwassetto60Cisthattheovensretainaresidualheatforaverylongtime,
andwesetthisvaluealittlehigherforpeoplewhowantedtoconductmultiplebatchesrepeatedly.You
shouldwaitanadditionalamountoftimeuntilitcoolssoyoudontburnyourself.
Thecurrentmaximumtimelimitforallstagestogetherisabout10minutes.Thiscanbechanged
throughacustomfirmware,pleaseemailtechsupportifyouneedagreaterlengthoftime.Thisisdone
forsafetyreasons.
Aftercooldowniscomplete,youmayrightclickonthegraphtosaveorprintoutthegraphedresponse
oftheoven.
Whendoingacomputerinitiatedreflowsession,theLCDwilldisplaycomputeronit.

32

Monitoring oven function

Themonitorovenfunctionisusedwhenyouareusingthekeypadtoinitiateareflowsession.Thiswill
giveyouabetterideaoftheresponseoftheoventhattheLCDcantellyou.Itcangraphupto10
minutesinlengthandhasmanyofthesamefeaturesasthestartreflowfunction.

33

Using tthe contro

oller stan
ndalone w
with Matriix Orbitall LK2042
25 LCD an
nd
keypad
d

Thecontrrollermaybeusedstandalonewithram
mpprofilesonnly,andano
ontheflyparrameterentryy.
Excelproffilesarenotssupportedwh
hennotconne
ectedtoacom
mputer.Theccurrentfirmw
waresupportthe
MatrixOrrbitalLCDand
dKeypadoptiiononly.Allo
otherLCDsm
mustuseusermodifiedfirm
mwaretoworrk
properly.
AfteryousetupthecorrectPIDvalu
uesforyourtargetoven,ssetupyourkeypad,andpro
ogramsome
profilesin
ntothecontro
oller;thenyouarereadytoruninstanddalonemodeewithoutaco
omputer.
Itisstrongglyrecommendedthatyoutestallproffilesoutonthhecomputerfirsttovisualllyverifythe
correctre
esponseneededforthesolderpasteor partyouare using.Onlytthenisitsugggestedthatyo
ou
usetheco
ontrollerinsttandalonemo
odefromasto
oredprofile.TThismethodwillkeepyou
ufromwastin
ng
parts.
Themainmenuappearsasfollows:

TheMainmenuallowssyoutochooseacustomrreflowsessionn(enteringvaaluesfromth
hekeypad)or
choosingastoredproffileprogramm
medfromthecomputerussingtechFXreeflowtools.

34

Custom
m menu fun
nction

Choosingthecustomfunctionwilllbringyouin
ntotheparam
meterentrysccreenswhereeyouwillenteerthe
valuesforrthemaximumtemperatu
uresandtimesforeachof the3stages(preheat,so
oak,andreflow
w).
Thefourthstage(cooliing)isdoneb
byopeningup
ptheovendooorandmonittoringthetem
mperature.
Whenaskkedforavalue,youmuste
entera3num
mbervalue.
IE:80seco
ondswouldb
be080
And80de
egreesCelsiusswouldbe0
080
Tocanceloutofthispaarameterenttry,presstheminuskey.

Thenafterbeingpromptedtopresssminuskeyto
obegin,thesstagesaredissplayedasfollows,showing
currenttime(insecond
ds)inthatstaage,andtemp
peratureinceelsius.

Whencoo
oldowniscom
mplete,theco
ontrollerrese
etsandbringssyoubacktothemainmeenu.
35

Profile menu opttion

ChoosingtheProfilem
menuoptionw
willallowyoutochooseappreprogramm
medprofilefrromtechFXreeflow
tools.
Youmayp
pressthe+an
ndkeystosscrollthrough
hthe15ramppprofileslotsonthecontrroller.Thepro
ofile
nameisdisplayed.Tou
usethatprofiile,pressthecorrespondinngnumerickeeynexttothaatprofilenam
me.It
promptyoutopressthem
minuskeytob
begin,andtheenthereflow
wsessionwillstartasinthee
willthenp
customm
menufunction
n.

36

Monitoring a keypad reflow session

YoucanusethemonitorovenfunctionoftechFXreflowtoolstomonitorakeypadinitiatedreflow
session.

37

Device characteristics

Itisstronglysuggestedthatyouuseaswitchingregulatedpowersupply.Theycostaboutthesame
money,butitwillkeepoutanyunwantedACsignalsandnoisefromthecontroller.!!
ThecontrolleronlyworkswithaAC/DCadapterpluggedintoit,itwillnotworkonUSBpoweralone
sinceitdrawstoomuchcurrentforthattask.
Maxcurrentconsumption:800mA
DCinputvoltage:69volts
MaxmAperIOpin:25mA
TotalmAforallIO:200mA
Forotherspecifications,pleaserefertoMicrochipsPIC18f4550datasheet.

38

Picture
es of our ttest setup
p

Thesepicssweretakenwithourtech
hFXreflow1.0controllerttestsetup.
Makesure
eyouuseabigenoughen
nclosure!Hadtotrimthekkeypadupaliittletomakeeverythingfitt.
Dontmin
ndtheelectriccaltape,wen
needtoemployametalw orker

39

Thisisrigh
htbehindthe
efaceplate.Yo
ouseethebaackoftheLK220425LCDunitwiththekkeypadconneector
inthebotttomofit.The
eyellow,red,,green,andb
blackwiresruunfromtheLCDtothecon
ntroller.Youccan
seethepo
owerswitchw
washookedu
upusing16gaaugezipcordd.TheUSBconnectorisfro
om
www.dataacorp.net(re
eflow2.0conttrollerneedsaminiUSBcconnector).Th
heDCpowerrunstoaDC
panelmountpowerjacckonthebacckplate.Make
esuretheco ntrollerisscrreweddownggood.Youdont
wantanyshorts.

40


Hereisthebusinesspaartofthings,TTheOmronSSSRandtheb reakertypew
walloutlet.Alllwedoisbreeak1
wiretoth
herelay.Note
ethatwehave
ethegroundhookedupoonthewallou
utletforsafetty.Thiswallo
outlet
ould
hasa15aampbreakeriinit,andwillturnoffthep
powerincaseesomethingggoeswrong.TTheoutletsho
haveame
etalboxaroundit,conside
erthisanone
exampleofhoowtodoitsaafely.Makesureyoumount
theSSRre
eallyfirmly.Theheatsinkismoreforagoodmountiingpointthan
nforheat.No
otmuchheattis
generated
dinthisapplication.

41

Thisisthe
ebackendoffourexample
e.Theoutleth
hasabreakerrinittoshuto
offthecurren
ntifsomethin
ng
goeswron
ng,itisareallygoodideafforsafety.Th
hewireontheeleftisourth
hermocouple,youmustussethe
thermoco
oupleallthew
waytothecontroller,youcannotsoldeerotherwiresstoit!

42

Examp
ple profile
es and setttings for techFX re
eflow 3.0 controlle
er all usin
ng
Custom
m PID firm
mware

Shenma
ao waterssoluble ww
ww.SMTso
olderpaste
e.com proffile kp=1, ki=0, kd=3
(techFX
X tools v 4..0 and tech
hFX reflow
w 3.0 contrroller) forr Pb (2.5 m
mS period))

TheShenm
mao(Mannco
orp)atwww.SMTsolderpaaste.comisallowcostalterrnativetoKessterproductss.This
reflowpro
ofileiswhatw
weusemostoftenonPbp
paste.Itsashhorttimelenggthprofileco
omparedto
traditionaalKesterprofilesresultsintheinfamousnoburnp rofilewhichyyouwillfindo
onyourcontrroller
initially.TThisprofileisw
welltestedonthewaterssolublePbve rsionsolderp
pastes(asPbsolderpastehasa
lowerreflowstagetem
mperature)

43

Kester solder passte profile

e (using maximum p
periods) kp
p=1, ki=0,, kd=3
(techFX
X tools v2 a
and techFX reflow 2
2.0 controlller) for Pb
b

Kesterpro
ofilescanvaryyalot!Thisp
profilehasan
normalreflow
wstagetime.Thisisintend
dedforPb
applicatio
onsaswedon
notgoabove 220.

44

Shenma
ao waterssoluble solder paste
e profile (k
kp=1,ki=0
0,kd=3) (te
echFX toolls v
2.0 and
d techFX re
eflow 2.0 ccontroller)) spreadsh
heet profile for Pb

Excelspre
eadsheetproffilesallowustomodifythe
erateofclim
mb,howeverittwillonlymaaxoutatthe
ovensheattransferfu
unctionwhich
hwilldifferovverdifferentttemperaturess.Thereadah
headvaluegiives
usanothe
erderivativettermtoseefu
uturechangesandaccounntfortheminsoftware.

45

Kester derivative
e profile (k
kp=1,ki=0
0,kd=3) (te
echFX reflow tools v
v 2.0 and
techFX reflow 2.0
0 controlle
er) intended for Pbfree solde
erpaste

Thisisjustakesterderrivativewithaalongerthan
nnormalrefloowstagewith
hahigherpeaaktemperature.
Whenusingahigherpeaktemperatture,youmayywanttodeccreasethesoakstagesoyoudonotburn
anyboard
ds.Consultyo
oursolderpasstedatasheettforyourPb freereflowsttageparametters.

46

Examp
ple extend
ded length
h profiless

20 minu
ute drying
g example using 3 sttages (no ffan)

Thisexam
mpleuses3stages(samere
eflowstages)todryacom
mponent.Noteetheselectio
onoftheminutes
radiobuttton,andtheu
unitsontheggrapharenow
winMinutes insteadofseeconds.

47

45 minu
ute drying
g example using 3 sttages (no ffan)

48

TechFX
X Reflow T
Tools 5.0 Example
e graphs ((details in
n graph titles)

49

50


51

52

53

54

Tips and suggestions for assembly and operation

Useaswitchingregulatedpowersupply!Ifyoudontyourvoltagemaybemuchhighersincethe
loadisprettylow(thatisacharacteristicofcheappowersupplies).Youmaybuyacheapgood
switchingpowersupplyfromusorwww.digikeycomforaround10dollars.Measuretheoutput
voltageofyourpowersupplybeforeconnectingit.
Ifyouareusingalongthermocouplelead,youcancompensateforbiasgeneratedintheleads
byputtinga1KresistoracrossNegativeleadandground.
Useanungrounded,openhead,sheathedthermocouple.Trytomakeleadsasshortaspossible
(underafoot).Trytogetonewiththelowesttimecoefficientaspossible.MakesureitisKtype!
BuythehighestwattageovenyoucanfindpreferablyIR.
Usesafetydeviceslikegroundfaultinterruptersandcircuitbreakers
Donotmountthecontrollerandelectronicsinorattachedtotheoven!Youdontwantthe
electronicsandcontrollertoheatup.

55

Troubleshooting

Software issues

TechFX tools doesnt find my device

Ifyouhaveinstalledthedrivercorrectly,thenthisismostlikelydotothepowersavingsfeaturein
WindowsXPandWindowsVista.Todisablethisfeature,gotoControlPanel/System/Hardware
devices/Otherdevices/pic18f4550family/powersavingstab/anddisablethatfeature).Ifyouareusing
WindowsVista32,youmustbrowseto<installdir>whichismostlikelyc:\programfiles\thesilicon
horizoninc\techFXreflowtools\techFXcontroller.exeandrightclickonit.Thenchooseproperties.Now
selectruninWinXPSP2compatabilitymodeandrunasadministrator.

Upgrading techFX tools doesnt work!

Didyouuninstallthepreviousversion?Gotothecontrolpanel/addremoveprogramsandselect
techFXreflowtools.IfinWindowsVistayouwillneedAdmininUACmode.

Hardware issues

Erratic readings between a temperature value and zero on graph

Thisismostlikelydotoshortedthermocouplewires(diditrubonbaremetalandbreakthesheathing?)
orthethermocoupleisnotmountedgoodintheterminals.Youmayalsoverifythatthethermocouple
leadsareconnectedcorrectly.

Noise in output on graph

Noisemaybecompensatedforinlongerleadthermocouplesbyusinga1Kresistorbetweenthe
negativeleadandground.Youmayalsotryreseatingthethermocoupleleadsintheterminalblocks,and
makingsurethereisnoshortintheleads.Youshouldalsocheckforothersourcesofnoisesuchas
devicesnearbythatmaycauseinterference.Youshouldalsomakesureyouareusingaqualityswitching
56

powersupply.CheapunregulatedpowersuppliescanoutputACtransientswhichmaysaturatethe
thermocoupleamplifierandaddnoisetoyouroutputsignal(sinceitaffectsthevoltagereference
signal).

Voltage regulator is running hot

Thevoltageregulatorcanhandlefrom6to9voltsDC.Eventhoughyourpowersupplysaysitis9volts
DCitmaybeoutputtingamuchhighervaluesuchas14or15volts.Thatiswhyyoushouldpurchasea
switchingDCwalladapterwhichwesellonoursiteandonwww.digikey.com

Not getting full scale of readings up to 500 deg Celsius

Areyouusingatleasta6voltDCpowersupply?Makesureandmeasuretheoutput.Ifyouusea5volt
powersupplyyouwilllosesomeofthetopendofthescaleandthuswillnotbeabletoreachthe500
degCelsiusmark.

57

Reflow techniques and suggestions

Thiswillbeupdatedshortly.

58