The T-962 is an infrared reflow oven for the assembly of prototypes with SMD components. It has great DIY options. This upgraded version, which is available exclusively from Elektor, contains the following improvements: enhanced protective earthing (PE) for furnace chassis and extra thermal insulation layer around the furnace to reduce odors. Let's take a look.

Why an Infrared Reflow Oven?

When soldering SMD components, they can be soldered by hand with a hot air station or with an infrared reflow oven. A small SMD oven for the assembly of prototypes at home or in the office is the T-962. The board is placed in such an oven and soldered, running a temperature profile. This way, in addition to the classic SMD components such as SOIC, TSSOP, TQFP and QFN, components with a more demanding footprint can also be soldered, such as BGAs.
 
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T-962 Infrared Reflow Oven

The T-962

Since each board is different and the components, as well as the solder paste, require a different temperature profile during the soldering process depending on the assembly, the T-962 offers several to choose from. In order to run these processes, infrared heaters with a total of 800 watts are available to the oven. Active air circulation in the furnace distributes the heat better. Even the soldering of several boards is no longer a major obstacle. With its soldering area of 180 mm x 235 mm, the T-962 reflow oven offers enough space for your own boards. The T-962 is an addition for SMD soldering stations, as small quantities of boards can be soldered in a shorter time with consistency.
 
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As noted above, the upgraded version contains the following improvements: enhanced protective earthing (PE) for furnace chassis and extra thermal insulation layer around the furnace to reduce odors. 

Enhancements

If you are using your search-engine of choice for the T-962, you will surely stumble across some enhancements, like the open-source firmware for the T-962 that allows the machine to perform better than the stock one. Clever tinkering has gone into the firmware and it is offering some advanced features. For the firmware change, you only need a USB-to-TTL converter and some jumper-wires. To update the firmware, you need to unscrew the device which means you will void your warranty, so this will be at your own risk. There are some more enhancements for this oven, that you can find with your search-engine of choice, that make the device better than it is in stock condition.

Want a T-962 Infrared Reflow Oven?

If you are still looking for a T-962 Infrared Reflow Oven, you should take the opportunity and visit the Elektor-Store.