Reflow PCBs Using an Easy Bake Oven Right Out of the Box
The toy can act as a miniature reflow oven provided low-temp soldering paste, while a thermometer is used to know when to remove the tray.
Reflow ovens for soldering PCBs are a great tool to have on hand if your soldering skills are below average or you need to produce batches of boards, but they can be on the expensive side. Some hobbyists have gone the DIY route and have modded toaster ovens, which work quite well but can be dangerous if users don’t have any knowledge of working with electricity. Another solution to buying an oven is to use a popular kid’s toy designed to bake cookies and other tasty sweets- an Easy Bake Oven.
The Easy Bake oven was introduced by Kenner in 1963 and used a pair of 100-watt incandescent bulbs to heat cakes and other sugary snacks, but it was changed in 2006 when the US passed reforms for energy-efficient light bulbs. While 200W is certainly enough heat to cook cookie dough, the latest models (2011 and newer) can reach 350 to 3750F, or enough to melt some low-temp soldering paste.
In the video above, Blitz City DIY demonstrates how she could use her Easy Bake Oven to reflow several simple blinking LED boards quickly. The newest version of the oven only features an on/off switch for baking, leaving out a critical component for reflow- a thermometer, which lets the user know the exact temp to provide optimum heat for reflow. It was a simple fix for Blitz City DIY, who used a simple digital thermometer to keep tabs on the heat.
Coupled with a low-temp paste, the Easy Bake Oven is capable of reflow soldering small boards with minimal to no issues. But like modding toaster ovens, once solder paste is introduced in the oven, it’s no longer suitable for cooking as the off-gassing from any residue will poison the food.
