How to make an infrared heater with your own hands

How to use the soldering station

Contact equipment is not suitable for soldering modern microcircuits.
New chips have a lot of pins, so it’s simply not possible to deal with them using the usual method. However, many of them are not equipped with “legs” at all - this is the case with microcircuits supplied in BGA packages. They are installed on motherboards and memory modules. Even conventional planar chips are often equipped with a hundred or more pins. It is basically impossible to remove or fix such a part using a conventional soldering iron.

We'll tell you how to work with the station using the example of the Lukey-702 model with a hairdryer. In addition to the latter, it also includes a classic soldering iron.

The device makes it possible to select the most suitable temperature for each element, which allows you to operate as efficiently as possible.

The procedure for working with a hot air gun is as follows:

• the element being repaired is fixed in special clamps;
• the station is connected to power;
• install a suitable nozzle on the hair dryer;
• raise the temperature with the regulator to an average value;
• that the device is ready for operation will be indicated by a special indication on the display;
• serviceable parts are covered with a piece of thick foil for protection;
• a puller is placed under a chip that has become unusable - a steel wire bracket that penetrates into the space under its legs;
• contacts are treated with a special flux using a syringe;
• the microcircuit (to avoid thermal shock) is first warmed up using a hairdryer in a circular motion;
• then the “legs” are blown with hot air;
• as the solder softens, the chip begins to rise;
• when the part is completely removed, the tracks continue to be heated to level the tin layer;
• if necessary, clean the contacts with alcohol;
• before installing a new part, flux is applied to the board again;
• the chip is aligned and fixed pointwise (in each corner) with a soldering iron;
• the leads are again treated with hot air, making circular movements until the microcircuit is immersed in the solder under its own weight.

At the end of the operation, all outputs are checked for short circuits. If it is detected, the problematic “legs” are again lubricated with flux. Then, using a soldering iron and a piece of copper braid, remove the excess tin.

The final stage is washing the microcircuit with alcohol to remove flux residues and other contaminants. To do this, take an old toothbrush.

Features and principle of operation

Unlike oil radiators and “breeches”, ICOs do not use room air as a coolant. When energy is applied, the reflector heats up and emits infrared waves. The air practically does not absorb these waves, so they are transmitted to objects and walls in the house without loss.

Features of infrared heaters:

• Warm air does not accumulate under the ceiling, but is distributed more evenly.
• To create comfort, it is not necessary to warm up the entire room, therefore, energy resources are saved.
• They don't burn oxygen.

There are short-wave and long-wave heaters. Short wavelengths are also called white or light, because. their glow is visible to the eye. Long waves cannot be seen by the eye, so they are called dark.

For a small country house, air heating is an acceptable and economical option. Do-it-yourself air heating of a private house: the pros and cons of the system, choosing a heat generator. Read about how to choose the right circulation pump here.

And here https://microklimat.pro/otopitelnoe-oborudovanie/obogrevateli/ustrojstvo-teplogo-pola-s-tochki-zreniya-effektivnosti-rasxoda-elektroenergii.html you will learn about what electricity costs await you if you want to install warm floor.

Recommendations for assembling a homemade soldering station with a hair dryer

First, let's look at the features of the soldering gun circuit.

At home, the easiest and cheapest way to make a soldering station with your own hands is with a hairdryer on a fan, and use a coil as a heater. A ceramic heater is expensive, and with sudden temperature changes it can simply crack. It is difficult to construct a compressor at home. In addition, you cannot connect the compressor to the hair dryer, so you will also have to run an air tube from the main unit, which causes significant inconvenience.

Any small-sized fan can be used as a supercharger. In our case, the cooler from the computer power supply. It will be located near the handle of the heat gun. A tube will need to be connected to it, in which the air will be heated and released onto the soldered element.

At the end of the cooler you need to cut a hole through which air will enter the tube (nozzle) with the heater. On one side, the cooler must be tightly closed so that during operation the air passes only into the tube and does not escape into the environment. The blower is installed at the back of the hair dryer.

Any novice radio amateur and home craftsman should know all the subtleties - how to solder correctly with a soldering iron. The main conditions for high-quality soldering are ensuring that parts are cleaned and maintained before joining, as well as the necessary heating during the process itself. For many elements - microcircuits and some transistors - a special soldering iron is suitable, which will ensure safe soldering and protect against overheating. You can learn about the features of this tool here.

The heater is much more difficult to assemble. Nichrome wire is wound in the form of a spiral onto the base. The spiral turns should not touch each other. The length of the spiral is calculated from the condition that its resistance should be 70-90 Ohms. As a base, a base with poor thermal conductivity and good resistance to high temperatures should be selected.

To construct a hot air dryer, many parts can be taken from old hair dryers. In every hair dryer, even the simplest and cheapest, you can find mica plates. From such plates you need to assemble a cross-shaped base for the spiral.

You can also use a base made from old soldering irons or halogen floodlights. The base of 5-7 centimeters should remain unoccupied by the spiral. We draw the ends from the spiral along the base, in the form of a wire. Then we wrap this N-centimeter part tightly with heat-resistant fabric.

After this, you need to make a tube (nozzle) from porcelain, ceramics, etc. We calculate the diameter so that there is a small gap between the inner walls of the nozzle and the spiral. Thermal insulation materials are glued to the top of the tube: asbestos layer, fiberglass, etc. Such insulation will ensure greater efficiency of the hair dryer, as well as the ability to safely handle it with your hands.

The heating element and nozzle are separately attached to the blower so that air enters the tube and the heater is located exactly in the middle inside the nozzle. The place where the nozzle is connected to the supercharger must be insulated to prevent air from escaping.

Before you connect the LED strip in the car, you need to select it correctly. To do this, you should consider the following device parameters for LED vehicle lighting: type, density, power, color and moisture protection. When turning on LED strips at home, use a 12-volt power supply, which serves as a current stabilizer in the diode circuit. LED chandeliers are installed in residential premises not only to improve the design and interior, but also as a convenient lighting device that can be controlled by a remote control.

We ended up with a design that is shaped a bit like a pistol. For convenience, you can attach all kinds of handles and holders to the body. Special attachments can be purchased or made by hand from heat-resistant metal.

There should be 4 wires going from the manufactured hot air gun to the main unit. They will come out from the back of the hair dryer. It's better to put them together and re-insulate them.

After making the hot air gun, you need to make the main block, which will serve as a regulator and switch.

We place two rheostats in the block body. One will regulate the power of the air flow, the other will regulate the power of the heating element. It is better to make a common switch for the heater and blower.

Then we attach a hot air gun so that the wires match the required rheostats and switch. All that remains is to make an outlet for the socket, and the hot air soldering station will be ready.

Making a contact soldering iron

This option can be considered the simplest and cheapest. This design regulates the voltage on the soldering iron by changing the heating temperature of the tip. The performance of the heater and the position of the regulator are determined experimentally.

The soldering process can be customized to suit your needs and specific production times. A dimmer for a chandelier can act as a voltage regulator. The only disadvantage of this idea is the small range of possible outlet temperatures. That is, for soldering it would be better to make the voltage range 200-220 V, and not 0-max. Most likely, you will need to modify the circuit, adding a “fine-tuning” resistor to the main resistor.

Assembly diagram at home

The rectifier bridge in this circuit will allow you to increase the voltage from 220 V at the input to 310 V at the output. This option is relevant for home craftsmen whose home has low electrical voltage, which does not allow the soldering iron to heat up to operating temperature. If you don't have a dimmer, you can do it yourself.

Method number 2. Contactless soldering station

As practice shows, it is not always possible to heat the tip to influence any elements of the board; for example, it is extremely difficult to get close to SMD parts. In such situations, a soldering gun is used to direct a stream of hot air onto the legs.

Despite the similarity, it is not possible to convert a conventional hair drying device into an infrared station, since the operating temperature must reach 500 - 800ºC. To assemble such a soldering station, you will need an air compressor, a heating element, a housing for controls, a nozzle, a step-down transformer, a rectifier, and an air speed control unit.

The schematic diagram of such a soldering station is shown in the figure below:

Rice. 2: electrical circuit of a hot air gun

The operating principle of the soldering station is based on the influence of infrared radiation from the heating element directly into the soldering area. The compressor supplies air from the heater through a tapering nozzle, creating a turbine effect; it is advisable to ensure pump performance in the range of 20 to 30 liters per minute.

When making an infrared station, there are two ways to do it - a manual model or a stationary one. The first option is suitable in situations where the IR soldering body is expected to be relatively small in size and will fit comfortably in the hand. The second method is suitable for large-sized devices in which the station is installed motionless and the workpiece moves under the nozzle.

Let's consider this example of manufacturing a non-contact soldering station:

• Wind a heating coil made of nichrome wire, in this case it is used with a diameter of 0.8 mm.
  You can take another option, for example, from an electric stove. Rice. 3: Wind up the heating element
• For winding, use a rigid frame, lay the turns close together, but do not overlap, and be careful not to short-circuit the winding. The smaller the diameter of the wire you get, the more efficient the heating will be; a spiral with an outer diameter of 8 - 10 mm will be enough.
• In this example, several spirals are made, connected in parallel to increase the heating temperature.
• Install the resulting spiral on a cylindrical frame made of non-flammable material.

Figure 4: place the spirals on the dielectric element. First remove all excess from the frame, but if it is already ready, you can immediately wind it.

• Make a metal cup for the heating element, in this example of making a soldering station we will make it from the body of a AA battery.
• Make a nozzle from a piece of a telescopic antenna from a radio receiver, one edge of which should be splashed and put on the washer.
  Rice. 5. Put on the washer
• Screw the nozzle washer to the battery cup using appropriate bolts.
  Rice. 6: Screw the nozzle to the glass
• Place thermal insulating material inside the glass between the spiral and the walls to prevent overheating of the external parts.
• Assemble a diode bridge from four semiconductor elements; if you already have a ready-made assembly at hand, you can use that too.
• Make a power supply from a step-down transformer and a rectifier unit; your task is to obtain a low voltage at the output to reduce the likelihood of electric shock. In the example under consideration, it turns out to be about 10 - 15V, the transformer power is 150W. A similar model can be taken from ready-made equipment.
• We will make the case for the soldering station from an ordinary plastic bottle.
  In this example, we need transparent plastic, since it is easier to connect the power supply, air blower and control board. Rice. 7. connect all elements in the housing
• Connect the cooler and heating coil to the power supply terminals, connect the voltage regulator.
  Rice. 8. install the cooler

The heat flow power can be adjusted either by the air supply speed or by the voltage level supplied to the heater.

Connect the power cord to the transformer terminals - the soldering station is ready for use.

Rice. 9: Soldering station is ready

Air soldering iron

Sometimes when soldering you need to replace SMD elements, and the soldering iron with the tip is too large for this. For this purpose, an air device is used, whose operating principle is similar to that of a conventional hair dryer : an air flow is forced through a heated element to the soldering site, contactlessly and evenly heating the solder.

An air soldering iron can be made from a working old device - instead of a tip, insert a tube from the antenna that matches the old tip in size. Make the soldering iron so sealed. Forced air supply is provided by an aquarium compressor through dropper tubes.

To adjust the temperature of the air flow, you can use a voltage regulator . The best option if you don’t have an extra working soldering iron is to take a non-working tool and rewind it to a voltage of 8-12 V. This method is preferable from the point of view of electrical safety. The nichrome for the heater here can be a piece of wire, a 0.8 mm spiral from an electric stove, which is wound without overlaps of about 30 turns instead of the old one. The power of the transformer must be at least 150 W.

A more expensive method of regulating the temperature at the soldering iron tip is to maintain the temperature at the soldering iron tip. For this purpose, a thermocouple is additionally installed. Combining the described homemade products will allow you to make a universal soldering station. The device will have a voltage regulator that adjusts the input to the transformer, which changes the power of the heater.

When you need to desolder a large microcircuit, and for this you need to warm it up thoroughly and evenly, it is recommended to use a homemade thermal hair dryer with a temperature controller. You can also make an infrared soldering station, for which you need:

• nichrome spiral;
• ceramic lamp socket.

Nichrome is connected to a step-down transformer. The temperature on the surface of the parts is controlled by a thermostat.

Types of installations

Depending on the number of soldering irons connected to the power supply, the stations can be single- or dual-channel. The kit of the last of these samples may include both main and additional (dismantling) soldering irons, differing in their power and operating temperatures.

Sometimes one of them has a function for quickly changing the working tip (“tip”), which allows you to use it for soldering various types of radio components.

The appearance of some of the soldering machine models can be seen in the photo.

When classifying equipment of this type, a distinction is also made between digital soldering stations, in which the soldering operating modes are controlled using special electronic modules.

Of particular interest is the compressor soldering installation, equipped with a special air blower used when working with a hair dryer.

In such soldering stations, an air flow focused using a special device is first heated in a thermal channel and then directed through the outlet nozzle to the soldering zone.

The presence of a built-in temperature control system ensures the formation of a more uniform stream of hot air.

In addition to samples with compressor pumping of an air stream, turbine-type units are produced, which, due to their high cost, are very rare and are not in consumer demand.

Making an infrared soldering iron

Soldering stations operating on infrared radiation, with rare exceptions, are used to warm up a soldered processor, bridge or processor on a video card. As is known, processors do not tolerate overheating very well, and often, under intense load and poor heat dissipation, the low-temperature solder contacts are soldered away from the pad.

One of the barbaric ways to restore contact is to warm up the “body” of the processor with dosed thermal radiation. This can be done with a regular hairdryer or even an iron, but after such procedures a positive effect is achieved in one out of three cases. Therefore, DIY specialists prefer to build infrared heating soldering stations.

Manufacturing of housing and heating elements

Structurally, the soldering station consists of four main elements:

• Bottom heating block;
• Upper heating block;
• Tripod and heater control unit.

The computer motherboard is placed between the upper and lower cases so that the infrared flux from the upper heating system is directed primarily at the target - the processor case. The rest of the board is protected from heat by an aluminum plate or foil with a cut-out window for the processor.

The lower housing of the soldering station is used to create a heat shield, in other words, for additional heating of the board in order to reduce heat loss due to air convection.

Important! The whole trick of the soldering station is to make the heating not only efficient, but also controllable, that is, the case cannot be allowed to overheat, so the design uses a thermocouple and a halogen control interface. As heaters, you can use an ordinary nichrome spiral placed inside quartz tubes or R7S J254 halogens

As heaters, you can use an ordinary nichrome spiral placed inside quartz tubes or R7S J254 halogens.

To make the body of the lower block, you can use any suitable sized steel box on which connectors for lamps are installed. As a result, after assembling and connecting the wiring, the design of the soldering station is obtained, as in the photo.

The upper heating block is made in a similar way.

The entire device and control are mounted on a tripod from an old Soviet photographic enlarger, which has a height adjustment for the upper block. All that remains is to assemble the soldering machine control system.

Thermocouple and control

In order to prevent overheating, the soldering station uses two thermocouples - for the processor case and the rest of the surface of the motherboard. To control the soldering station, an Arduino MAX6635 interface board is used, which is connected to the serial port of a home laptop or PC, for which you have to look for the appropriate software or make it yourself.

The soldering station is controlled as follows. The computer, through an interface and a thermocouple, receives information about the temperature and changes the power of the heat flow using on-off pulses of the station’s halogens. As the lamp overheats, the duration of the lamp's burning period will be reduced, and as it cools, on the contrary, it will be increased.

When assembled, the soldering station looks like in the photo. The cost to build was just over $80.

DIY soldering station diagram, element base

The key tool of a soldering station is the soldering iron. If, when assembling the station yourself, you can use some elements removed, for example, from household appliances that have expired. Then the soldering iron should be new without any dispute. Many craftsmen prefer Solomon products and some others.

Soldering station diagram

After selecting a soldering iron, you can begin to select a diode bridge for the electrical circuit and transformer. In order to obtain a voltage of 5 V, a linear stabilizer with good cooling is needed. As an alternative, you can consider using a transformer that has a winding available that is necessary to service the digital unit.

A schematic diagram of a homemade device can be found on specialized forums.

DIY hot air gun assembly

Heating the plastic

Assembling a hot air gun with your own hands begins with creating a heating coil. The spiral is wound onto a steel wire with a cross-section of 4-7 mm under tension. It is advisable to wind the spiral with wire made of fechral or nichrome with a cross section of 0.5-0.6 mm. The size of the spiral is calculated taking into account the condition that its electrical resistance will be approximately 75-95 Ohms.

The assembled heating element is installed in the internal channel of the hot air gun body. But first you need to pave the installation site with quartz plates, mica or asbestos for additional thermal insulation. The outputs of the spiral, using a screw fastening, are connected to the electrical power wire. This electrical wire must have heat-resistant insulation - fiber insulation or fluoroplastic. The wire must be routed through the starting switch and rheostat to regulate the voltage supplied to the coil.

An air blower is fixed in the back of the housing precisely coaxial with the opening of the heating element. If the compressor or blower element cannot fit into the housing, it can be fixed outside the end of the housing. In this case, you need to attach a guide tube for air flow to it. This tube must pass to the heating element from inside the housing and be installed clearly coaxially with its channel.

Wires for electrical power come out from the supercharger, which are connected to the wire for the heater so that the switch can simultaneously control the power of two elements. The air flow control rheostat must be inserted into the electrical wiring circuit for the supercharger - its operation does not depend on the heater being turned on.

The power supply cable is routed out at the bottom of the housing handle, and the switch key or button and rheostat levers are mounted in a convenient location on the outside of the housing. Afterwards, the housing halves are connected and fastened together. The end part is made of thermal insulating material in the shape of a cone or cylinder. A metal nozzle is attached. It is best to provide replaceable nozzles with different outlet diameters in the design.

Operating principle of a hot air gun

A DIY soldering hair dryer works this way. When you press the shutter button, the heater and fan turn on. The heated air moves in a narrow stream to the required point. When the set temperature is reached, the air flow melts the flux and solder, and also heats the parts being connected. Thus, soldering of parts occurs.

Soldering microcircuits

increase to 750-800С

The requirement for thermal stability of the material of the device body increases significantly, and the handle must have a temperature that is comfortable for human hands so that soldering does not turn into flour. In some hair dryer designs, a rubber coating on the handle is installed for ease of use and as additional thermal protection.

Hot air gun assembly tool

When making a hair dryer with your own hands, you will need the following tool:

• jigsaw;
• scissors;
• pliers;
• hacksaw for metal;
• electric drill;
• vice;
• brush;
• screwdriver;
• calipers;
• soldering iron;
• taps;
• dies;
• ohmmeter;
• tester.

A hot air gun can help in many jobs that involve soldering microcircuits and small parts. Using it you can solder linoleum, polymer films and do many other useful things. A hot air gun can be assembled with your own hands at low cost.

Main types

Soldering stations have significant differences in functionality and, of course, their cost. The classification of such devices is determined by several basic parameters.

Contact stations

Traditional soldering equipment, characterized by direct contact with the working surface. The device has a special electronic unit for controlling and adjusting the temperature regime. The soldering device is represented by a couple of subtypes, which are designed to work with lead and lead-free solders. Non-contact soldering machines come in three varieties, differing in their operating principle.

The device consists of an electronic unit for temperature control and monitoring

Hot air devices

Modern hot-air hair dryers that operate on the basis of a strong air flow generated by a compressor and then heated by a heating coil to the desired temperature. Hot air stations allow you to perform effective soldering in the most inaccessible areas with simultaneous heating of several surfaces.

In this installation, a compressor generates an air flow, which is then heated to the desired temperature

Infrared devices

Infrared models are characterized by the presence of a special heating quartz or ceramic IR emitter, which allows soldering of complex profile elements with uniform heating of the working area.

Infrared stations are represented by a quartz or ceramic emitter

The design of combined soldering stations very successfully combines several types of equipment at once, and the presence of an encoder knob makes it easy to set the optimal temperature regime.

Currently produced soldering stations or installations are represented by mounting and dismantling, as well as combined and repair models:

• mounting installations are designed for soldering parts;
• dismantling stations allow you to unsolder elements;
• combined devices are capable of performing installation and dismantling work;
• repair soldering stations carry out one-time or autonomous operations related to soldering.

Depending on the features of the mechanism that stabilizes the temperature regime, as well as the typical characteristics of control units, soldering stations are presented in analog and digital models.

Analog models have a heating element that is in the on position until it warms up sufficiently, after which the power to the unit is turned off. After the temperature has been lowered to the set values, the heating element is heated again. This type is distinguished by a very affordable price, but the disadvantages include the low accuracy of the soldering performed.

The disadvantage of analog stations is the not very precise soldering of elements

Digital soldering stations are characterized by monitoring and control of the heating process using a PID controller and a program embedded in a microcontroller. Such devices perfectly stabilize temperature conditions and are the most accurate compared to any analog models.

Digital devices are equipped with a special regulator and program that allows them to be controlled

Manufacturing recommendations

Without modification, a hair dryer device for drying hair will not bring success in operation, so it is recommended to use only a motor with a fan and a spiral that will be wound taking into account the requirements for a homemade device. Strong heating, together with a decrease in fan rotation and a decrease in the diameter of the nozzle, leads to burnout of the spiral and melting of the plastic case, and also, if the insulation is poor, a short circuit can occur.

By installing an additional power button for the fan, you can speed up the cooling process of the soldering iron. If you turn off the heating element and leave the cooler on, the heated part of the device will be blown through with air, thereby cooling the entire system. For convenience in working with the device, it is recommended to make a stand with a metal base, as well as using magnets. Thanks to the use of a neodymium magnet, the hot air gun will be securely held in the desired position.

Design features

Soldering guns allow you to melt plastic and various metals with a low melting point. Softening of alloys is carried out by blowing hot air, which is heated by a special spiral. What can you use to create a soldering station with a hair dryer yourself? Atmega328, for example, like any other similar device, consists of the following elements:

• frame;
• a heating element;
• air blower;
• pen;
• switch.

Some devices can also be equipped with a sensor and a heat level regulator, as well as special attachments that allow you to perform soldering work of various levels of complexity.

Assembling the kit using Hakko tips

A simple soldering station, or rather kits for assembling it on special Hakko tips, popular on the Aliexpress trading platform. The sellers' websites also have instructions and wiring diagrams. The user will only have to find the body and connect the parts.

A special feature of the installation is the innovative HAKKO T12 tips, which heat up extremely quickly and do not burn out.

You will need a switch, a connector for the power cord type AS-Euro plug. These elements may be included in the kit or they can be ordered along with the main parts. The front side has connectors for a soldering iron, a remote control for temperature and other parameters.

On the board, the track (“test”) for controlling the settings is not connected; to access the adjustment, its contacts must be soldered.

In the settings it is possible to set the t° adjustment step and do its software calibration. This function is available directly while the soldering iron is in operation - dir. P10, P11. How to do this: press the encoder, hold it for a couple of seconds, go to P10, then briefly press to change the step (hundreds, tens, units). By turning the knob, we change the value, then press again for a couple of seconds. hold the encoder selector - the setting is saved and the transition is made to P11 and so on. A two-second press returns to operating mode.

If you hold down the encoder switch and supply power to the controller, you will get to a more voluminous menu:

The power supply must be purchased separately, enough for 24 V, depending on the value for which the soldering iron is designed. You can get by with an external 24 V power supply, delivering up to 4 A.

You can create a BP yourself from the following:

• Soviet step-down transformer;
• ready-made assembly with diode bridge KBPC5019;
• surge protectors, also known as electrolytic capacitors for smoothing ripples;
• three parallel-connected IRF730 field-effect transistors;
• LM317 chip;
• cooling radiator, fan connected through its own diode bridge.

The voltage in our case is supplied to the control board (24.4 V). Let's describe how the scheme works. The voltage from the network (220 V, 50 Hz) is supplied to the transformer and is reduced to 28 V. It is rectified by a diode bridge, filtered by capacitors, the value increases to 35 V. Next, it is supplied to an adjustment board made of field-effect transistors based on the lm317 microcircuit. We adjust the tuning resistor, we get 24.4 V DC voltage, which powers the installation.

Simple soldering station with dimmer

Let's consider a simpler version of an analog soldering station without a hair dryer, only with a soldering iron. The work can be performed by the user with minimal skills.

What you need:

• dimmer - a device for adjusting voltage, for example, to adjust the intensity of light from incandescent lamps. Since cheap LED lighting is common, the device may not be needed in household waste, it can be purchased and is cheap. The dimmer is sized, the installation principle is similar to the socket, only the dimmer dial is at the top;
• power cord with plug. Take any broken device, buy a flexible plug and a 2- or 3-wire cable (with a ground wire.
• ordinary welders with nichrome thread. It is better to take with high power, for example 60, 80W, the adjustment range will be wider;
• socket (internal), an old Soviet 5 A will do;
• body: fiberboard, jigsaw, screws, silicone glue. You can take an old case for a computer power supply, a soldering box;

In the following, the assembly steps are illustrated with explanations.

We cut it out of chipboard and assemble the body. We use silicone glue, self-tapping screws, bolts from below, and make this part removable. Holes: in front for the socket, or rather for its mounting screw and wires, we will fix a node on the surface, on top - a large one for the dimmer ballast.

Inside we connect the dimmer and the socket with wires. Next, we connect the wire with a plug for a 220 V network and remove it from the housing. In this case, the connection order and polarity do not matter.

The device is ready for use, we connect the soldering iron to the base connector, the device is connected to the network. The setup can be used this way, but it is best to calibrate the dimmer to clearly determine which position will cause overheating or the desired temperature.

We use an ammeter; it is impossible to connect in parallel: just probe the holes of the connected socket, otherwise it will burn out. The ammeter is connected only in series with the load, that is, our soldering iron must be included in the circuit. Therefore, we take another folding plug with the contacts removed and connect it to the station socket.

With the installation deactivated, screw one terminal with electrical tape to the teeth of the soldering iron fork, and the second to one of the ammeter probes. We connect the station to the network. We touch the second tooth of the soldering iron fork to another probe. We determine the current value, the degree of heating, and make (with a knife, file, marker, etc.) a graduation near the selector. Before taking measurements with an ammeter, it is necessary to set the current parameter corresponding to the 220 V (AC) network and its limit value for the existing network.

Optimal heating power

To assemble a lamp heater, it is best to use 150W models. Just note that after the introduction of a law prohibiting the production of conventional incandescent lamps of more than 100W, they began to be sold under the name “heat emitters”.

With their sequential connection scheme, even two copies, you can immediately feel the radiated heat. At the same time, they do not blind the eyes.

The current in such a circuit at the same voltage will be 420mA. This means that two lamps consume about 100 W in total, and most of them are used for heating.

You can compare what power infrared heaters are sold for and what area they are designed for. The ratio for conventional models is 100W per 1m2.

Oil radiators have almost the same indicators.

That is, in any case, watts turn into heat. Only specialized infrared models will have more directed radiation to a specific point or area, while your homemade product will have a wider angle.

By the way, these 100 W/m2 are taken from SNiP for premises insulated according to all standards. This is the optimal power for all heaters in central Russia.

For northern latitudes, including cold, uninsulated garages, the values ​​will be higher. If, for example, the heat loss in a garage is 1000 W/hour, and you heat it at 300 W, then your temperature will never rise.

But if the ideal heat loss is close to zero, then 100 W will be enough to create a bathhouse inside.

This power also depends on the height of the ceilings (the average calculated one is up to 3 m).

DIY making

The high cost of an IR soldering station (60-150 thousand rubles) encourages home craftsmen to manufacture such equipment on their own. If you have some experience, making a homemade infrared soldering iron with your own hands is quite possible. Material costs usually do not exceed 10 thousand rubles. You need to prepare the materials and components necessary to assemble the IR station.

Parts for a homemade device

To assemble an infrared soldering station with your own hands, you will need the following:

• sheet of tin;
• flexible spiral metal lamp tube;
• lever tripod from an old table lamp;
• halogen lamps;
• galvanized fine mesh;
• aluminum profile in the form of narrow slats;
• 2 thermocouples;
• Arduino Mega 2560 R3 board;
• SSR 25-DA2x Adafruit MAX31855K ​​board – 2 pcs.;
• DC adapter 5 volts, 0.5 A;
• wires.

Assembly

Installation of a soldering station consists of several stages:

1. Thermal table;
2. Infrared heater;
3. PID controller on Arduino.

Thermal table

It is advisable to make a heating table with your own hands in an equipped home workshop. The design is a bottom heater consisting of the following components:

• housing, reflector, lamps;
• board fastening system;
• flexible thermocouple tube;
• lamp.

Frame

1. The base of the heating table is made in the form of a frame from an L-shaped tin profile. You can bend strips of metal with a corner. Cutouts are made with scissors and the metal is bent along them, connecting the parts with self-tapping screws.
2. The opening is covered with a metal mesh. To prevent it from bending, metal rods are pulled over the mesh in the transverse and longitudinal directions.

Installation of metal mesh

1. The old halogen lamp is disassembled, freeing the reflector from the lamps. It is cut along the inner perimeter of the body.
2. The lamps are returned to their place. The heater is inserted into the support frame from below.

Reflector installation

Board mounting system

The aluminum strip is cut into several sections. Mounting holes are drilled in them.

Two sections of the profile are fixed on the wide sides of the body, in the grooves of which the screw clamps of the transverse rails will move. Everything will become clear from the bottom photo.

Board fastening

Flexible thermocouple tube

A spiral metal tube is installed in one of the corners of the frame, and the thermocouple wires are pulled through. The length of the tube must provide access for the thermocouple to the entire working area of ​​the station.

Lamp

A socket with a five-volt light bulb with a reflector is attached to the end of the flexible tube. The base of the metal hose is attached to the corner of the frame in the same way as in the previous case.

Upper heater

The infrared emitter consists of two elements, these are:

1. Ceramic plate in the housing.
2. Holder.

Attaching the tripod to the upper heater housing

Ceramic plate in the housing

Additional Information. A computer cooler mounted in the upper plane of the IR plate case will help protect the radio component from overheating.

Holder

A two-piece table lamp bracket is ideal for the holder. The base of the bracket is attached to the station frame. The upper rotary hinge is connected to the body of the upper heater.

PID controller on Arduino

A do-it-yourself IR station must be equipped with a control unit. You need to make a separate case for it. An Arduino board and a PID controller are placed inside. An approximate diagram of the layout of the station control unit parts is visible in the photo.

IR station control unit

The Arduino Mega 2560 R3 microprocessor platform controls the heating modes of the ceramic IR emitter and the thermal table platform. Wires for fans (top and bottom), PID controller, thermocouples and lamp are connected to the Arduino board.

Programming of the soldering station is carried out through the controller interface. Its screen reflects the current heating process of the printed circuit board on both sides.

Homemade IPS

Thermocouples act as testers. They are ultimately sources of information about the state of the heating level of the back side of the printed circuit board and the top surface of the microprocessor.

Assembling a homemade infrared heater

Based on all this, we need to assemble our heater from light bulbs. Let's move on to practice.

If your work area that needs to be heated is 3-4m2, then assemble a 300W heater.

This will require 6 lamps with a power of 150W. That is, three serial pairs that will produce 100W each.

They are assembled on a frame made of metal or aluminum corner.

Sources of light and heat in the frame should be placed according to the diagram below.

In this case, select the distance between adjacent bulbs such that you can easily replace a burnt-out bulb with a new one. Even after a hundred years.

A gap of 1 cm between the flasks will be enough for this. The frame parts are connected to each other with bolts or rivets.

Next, you will need to fasten two aluminum strips inside it, on which the reflector or reflector will sit. These strips will add rigidity to the entire structure.

Now the most important thing is to make the reflector correctly. The usual parabola shape is not very effective.

Models in the form of a biparabola cope much better with their responsibilities. Here the whole difference is in the reflection of the rays, which in the second case for the most part do not bounce back into the lamp, but go out.

Aluminum cans are ideal as a material for manufacturing. Cut off the bottom and top of the jar.

And you unfold the walls and bend them in the middle. At the same time, leave a margin of 1 cm on one edge for another bend. You somehow need to connect the halves of two cans together.

1 of 2

You fasten them together with rivets. To avoid tearing the thin aluminum in this process, first place washers on both sides.

As a result, you should have a one-piece reflector made of 4 cans.

Next, place the reflector on the frame and also install rivets. First in the center on the side, and then along the edges.

Well, don’t forget about the two stripes in the middle of the frame.

Now you need to insert the light bulbs themselves into this structure. At the same time, do not allow them to touch the reflector. There should be a minimum distance of 1.5-2 cm from it.

Here again aluminum will come to the rescue. Namely, thin strips nine centimeters long.

Do not make a mistake when marking the places where the cartridge is attached to the strip, otherwise you will not be able to bring the power wires inside.

Attach the strips to the frame and install the cartridges on them.

After this, you can screw in the light bulbs themselves.

All that's left is to connect the wires.