Skillet reflow

Skillet Reflow Soldering

(or more accurately, Hot Plate Reflow Soldering)

A simple method of reflow soldering, the basic steps are:

• Apply solder paste to the board (See the Stenciling external link, Warning: Solder Paste is hazardous)
• Place the components with a pair of tweezers (pretty close will often do, the solder will pull small parts into position)
• Lay the board on an electric skillet or hot plate
• Crank up the heat
• Watch for the solder paster to melt
• Turn the heat off

Notes: The surface heating element may not cover the entire plate surface, creating hot and cool spots in the process. To counter this, when observing the soldering process gently move the board to melt solder in any cool spots. .

See also: Some people claim that toaster ovens are better than skillets for reflowing PCBs full of electronic components.

Safety Warnings

Solder paste may contain lead and is a hazardous material. Be certain you research (read your solder pastes Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)) and follow proper safety and handling procedures.

External Links

• Basic soldering
• Spark Fun: Stenciling
• Spark Fun: Hot Plate Reflowing -- The (Famous) Spark Fun Reflow Skillet Tutorial -- illustrated step-by-step details. Claims that hotplates are better than toaster ovens.
• Instructables: "Extreme Surface Mount Soldering": shows how to solder a QFN (quad flat no leads) package, also known as a MLF (micro lead frame) package.

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FIXME: Minimalist outline of the process. Needs some pictures and a Solder Paste page.