ESTechnical T962 Quick start guide
ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
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Table of Contents
Instructions for fitting ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller to T962 1 ..........................................
Installation procedure 1 ............................................................................................................
Reflow Controller Installation Troubleshooting 18 .....................................................................
ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Operating Instructions 19 ....................................................
Initial Set Up 19 .........................................................................................................................
Overview of Operation 20 .........................................................................................................
Initial Set Up for new PCB designs 20 .......................................................................................
Production of PCBs 20 ...............................................................................................................
Menu Layout & navigation 20 ...................................................................................................
Reflow Profile Testing 21 ...........................................................................................................
Data Logging – ReflowViewer Software 24 ................................................................................
Operating Instructions 24 .........................................................................................................
Starting a reflow cycle 24 .........................................................................................................
Stopping a cycle 24 ...................................................................................................................
Saving an edited profile 24 .......................................................................................................
Loading a saved reflow profile 25 .............................................................................................
Editing the active profile 25 ......................................................................................................
Fan Idle Speed Adjustment Procedure 25 .................................................................................
Profile tuning tips 26 .................................................................................................................
Care and Maintenance 27 .........................................................................................................
Before every use 27 ..................................................................................................................
After every 50-100 reflow cycles 27 .........................................................................................
Packing list 28 ..............................................................................................................................
What you will need (not supplied): 28 ..........................................................................................
ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
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ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
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ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
Reflow Controller hardware
Instructions for fitting ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller to T962
www.estechnical.co.uk
Thank you for your purchase of ESTechnical products. If you have any questions or comments please
let us know, we are always keen to hear feedback about our products.
Optional parts
NB: The USB connection and external thermocouple
connector referred to in the operating instructions are
optional and not included with this kit.
Please see Reflow Oven Accessories Package for more information.
The items included in this package are also available separately, see
Components and Consumables .
Packing List
What you will need (not supplied)
Installation procedure
Warning
IMPORTANT – mains electrical wiring is involved in the
installation of this controller, but no mains voltages are
connected directly to the controller. If you are in any doubt
please consult a qualified electrician.
Auto Reset Jumper
The ESTechnical reflow controller v4 PCB and onwards has a jumper
for enabling or disabling the auto-reset behaviour of the MCU. With
the jumper connecting the two pins it is possible to easily upload new
firmware to the controller via USB to serial connection from a
ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
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computer. With the jumper open, the MCU will not automatically
reset when the serial port is opened by a computer - this is more
convenient in normal operation and we suggest that you operate the
controller with the jumper open.
Unplug the power cable from the reflow oven.<1.
Turn the oven upside-down.2.
Remove the drawer from the unit (pull forwards until it stops, then remove the four screws from3.
the underside of the drawer runners and set aside, also set the drawer aside.<
Remove the screws that are under the front edge of the lid, there are two screws in the drawer4.
opening, keep these safe.
Remove the screws in the drawer opening
<
Turn the unit around so you are looking at the back, remove the screws that hold the lid on the5.
case, keep these safe.
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Remove the marked screws
<
Being very careful not to pull on any cables, carefully lift the back of the lid a little, then gently6.
slide the lid forwards a little, lift off the oven, turn over and place it next to the bottom half of
the oven.<
Gently pick off the hot glue that's covering the connectors on the control board. A small pair of7.
pointed pliers is helpful here, only try to remove a small amount at a time.
Remove all the glue from screws and connectors (note that the oven shown in the photo is the
larger T962A)
<
Disconnect all the cables that attach to the control board. Do not pull on cables, pull the8.
connectors apart gently and without twisting.
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All connections unplugged (note that the oven shown in the photo is the larger T962A)
<
Completely remove the control board and display and set aside – these items are no longer9.
needed.
Original controller and display removed (note that the oven shown in the photo is the larger
T962A)
<
At this point, take a moment to familiarise yourself with the wiring that is present. You need to10.
be able to identify the following cables in order to proceed with the installation:
Low voltage AC power cable from the small transformer, has a plug that fits onto two
ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller Upgrade T962
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pins.<
Small signal cable to the heater solid state relay, fitted with two pin JST connector.<
Mains cable that was used to supply the power for the oven cooling fan to the controller,
this has a three pin connector with only two terminals populated.<
One cable that goes into the back of the oven, this is the oven cooling fan cable and has a
two pin connector fitted.<
2x thermocouples with coloured crimp ferrules to indicate polarity.<
Keypad ribbon cable.<
One cable that goes to the two panel LEDs, this has a 4 pole JST connector.<
One cable that goes to the small DC cooling fan, with a 2 pole JST connector.<
Carefully un-crimp the tubes that hold the thermocouples using a pair of pliers. Gently pull out11.
the thermocouple.<
Inspect the thermocouples and if necessary untwist the wires so that the wires only touch when12.
meeting the bead, the wires should not be twisted together leading to the tip. A small pair of
pliers is needed – be careful the thermocouple is fragile. This reduces the mass of the
thermocouple junction and improves the response time to temperature changes.
Thermocouple tip prepared for refitting
<
In order to fit the ESTechnical Reflow Oven Controller to the case, one of the four fan mounting13.
bolts may need to be removed (two or more designs of T962 lid exist) as it may foul on the
edge of the LCD display.
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Prepare a bare metal area around a screw hole for good earth continuity in the case
<
The matching area on the rear panel of the oven also needs to be prepared in the same way so15.
good metal on metal contact will be achieved when the oven is reassembled.<
Screw the supplied stand-off posts into the four screw posts at the corners of the display16.
window.<
Identify the oven thermocouple. The thermocouple that will be mounted in the oven drawer17.
needs to be connected to the A input (thermocouple connector closest to the ESTechnical
Reflow Controller's power connector) – this is important for the correct function of the
ESTechnical Reflow Controller. Make sure you observe the polarity of the thermocouple, it has
one lead marked red (this is positive, marked + on the board) and the other is blue (-).<
Screw down the ESTechnical Reflow Controller using the supplied M3 x6mm bolts – do not over18.
tighten.<
Plug in the thin ribbon cable for the keypad, the connector is labeled 'Keypad'.19.
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Find the cable for the small cooling fan, plug this into CONN5, being careful to observe the21.
polarity marked on the board. In some ovens, the fan polarity is not clearly marked, damage will
not occur if it is connected in reverse, but the fan will not run. You may need to come back and
reverse this connection.
DC Cooling fan connection
<
At this point your ESTechnical Reflow Controller should look like the following photo.22.
The ESTechnical Reflow Controller mounted in the T962A oven lid (the oven lid layout is similar
but not identical to T962)
<
Locate the thermocouple connectors on the old controller PCB, de-solder these and remove23.
them as they will obstruct you cutting the PCB in the next step. See the photo in the next step,
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this shows the board once the thermocouple connectors have been de-soldered.<
Now you need to separate the Triac board from the old controller board. Using a hacksaw and24.
with the old controller PCB held gently in a vice by the edges, saw across the PCB to separate
the two parts of the old controller. On the smaller part is needed, this provides mains switching
for the fan and heater.
Cut across the dotted line to separate the Triac board from the old controller
<
Clean the cut edge of the PCB with a file.<25.
It is necessary to cut one track on the PCB. Cut with a sharp knife where indicatedby the red26.
mark. Confirm that the connection between pads 1 and 3 of the connector has been broken
completely.
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Cut the track where marked in red.
<
Identify the six pads near the white MOC3021 ICs, the top two are the heater control input, the27.
next two are the fan control input. The last pair of holes should be ignored.<
Solder the supplied signal leads into the top four holes of the terminal. These leads include an28.
820R resistor to suit the inputs of the MOC3021 ICs. Apply hot glue to provide strain relief for
the wires where they meet the PCB.
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Connections to the inputs of the Triac board
<
Fit this PCB back into the lid of the oven using three of the original screws, make sure to put29.
back the insulating sheet behind the PCB.<
Connect the signal leads for the heater and fan control to the terminals on the ESTechnical30.
Reflow Controller, the polarity must be observed, pins 1 and 3 of the terminal on the Triac board
are the positive inputs, 2 and 4 negative.<
At this stage, your installed ESTechnical Reflow Controller and Triac board should look the photo31.
below.
Triac board and ESTechnical Reflow Controller installed in T962 oven lid
<
It is necessary to improve the earth connection to the case of the oven, since the original32.
manufacturer powder coats the panels and does not provide a good earthing connection.
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Unscrew the bolt securing the earth cable to the panel, remove the earth connection and refit
the bolt.
Original earth connection
<
Being careful not to damage the cables, drill a 3.5mm or 4mm hole near the mains inlet.<33.
Sandpaper or grind away the coating around the newly drilled screw hole on the inside surface34.
of the back panel. Be sure to expose the metal surface properly for a good earth connection.
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Earth bolt location and lid screw hole prepared on the inside of the panel
<
Also prepare the area around the screw hole which matches up with the screw hole on the lid,35.
prepared earlier. This ensures the lid and the back panel are well connected to the electrical
earth.<
Using the supplied M3x8 bolt and self locking nut, bolt the earth connection from the inlet to the36.
newly prepared earthing area.
New earth connection
<
Confirm that there is a low resistance connection between the earth pin of the power inlet and37.
the metal case. Test between a screw head on the rear panel (but not the newly fitted earth
bolt) and the earth pin of the power inlet. The resistance measured here must be less than 1
Ohm. Using a multimeter with a low Ohms range, the typical reading is about 0.15 Ohms. If the
resistance is too high, confirm the correct function of the meter and if necessary improve the
contact between the earth connection and the metal panel.
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Test the earth connection resistance is lower than 1 Ohm.
<
The masking tape in the T962 should be removed and replaced using kapton tape (not38.
supplied). Heating the masking tape with a hair dryer helps soften the tape and adhesive and
makes it easier to remove. Apply kapton tape to cover the aluminium foil, stick it down neatly
without bubbles.<
Identify the output cable from the small mains transformer. The ESTechnical Reflow Controller is39.
fitted with a screw terminal for the AC power, cut off the plug, strip the insulation off the end of
the cable to expose about 5mm of the conductors, then clamp the conductors into the AC power
screw terminal. The two wires can be connected either way round, as this is low voltage AC.<
Re-fit the oven thermocouple into one of the mounting tubes, bend the thermocouple toward40.
the front of the oven (the thermocouple mounting tubes are not in optimal locations!) and
position the tip 10-15mm above the surface of the drawer. The thermocouple tip should extend
past the front heater tube. Gently crimp the tube to hold the thermocouple in place – do not
crush the wires.
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The connectors (left to right) are; Mains supply, heater (note thicker wires than the connector
on the right), fan (note thinner wires)
<
Identify the heater cable, connect this to the heater connector on the Triac board, this is the42.
two pin header next to the main input. See photo above.<
Identify the fan cable, connect this to the fan connector on the Triac board. See photo above.<43.
Inspect and confirm that the fan and heater connections are made correctly, if the fan and44.
heater connections are swapped, you may damage the oven and pose a hazard to yourself and
others.<
Carefully inspect the wiring of the whole oven, there should be no loose strands of wire sticking45.
out from connectors, if there are any, redo the connection being careful to correctly insert all
the strands into the screw terminal before tightening the screw. There should also be no plugs
that are not plugged in or loose cables – if there are, go back and check.<
If you are unsure of the mains wiring please consult a qualified electrician.<46.
Being very careful not to pull on or trap any of the cables, reassemble the oven by carefully47.
placing the lid on (slightly forwards of where it needs to end up) and then slide it towards the
back of the oven.<
Fit the screws at the front of the oven in the drawer opening.<48.
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Fit the screws on the rear panel of the oven.<49.
Now the oven is ready for testing.50.
Plug in the power and switch on the oven, the display should illuminate and the ESTechnical
Reflow Controller will display the main item of the menu. (If the display does not illuminate,
switch off the power immediately and go back and check connections.)<
Check the small cooling fan is running, if not, go back and check the connections.<51.
Press OK to start a reflow cycle, the main fan should begin to gently idle and the heater should52.
begin to heat up. Press the S key to stop the cycle. The ESTechnical Reflow Controller will go
into cool-down mode. The fan will stop when the oven returns to room temperature. The cooling
down display can be interrupted without interrupting the cooling of the oven to get to the menu,
just press the S key again.
If the fan does not start or heater does not begin to heat up, switch off the oven immediately to
prevent any possible damage and go back to checking all connections.<
It is necessary to correctly adjust the idle speed of the fan. The fan is run at a fixed 'idle speed'53.
during reflow to provide a small amount of air movement in the oven. The fan should idle very
slowly, to adjust the idle speed:
Navigate to Fan settings in the menu;
Press OK, Idle Speed will display on the screen;
Press OK to edit;
As a guide, the T962 requires a very low setting (6-10) we advise 8 as a starting point,
whereas the T962A requires a value of around 35 (this is the default setting for the
ESTechnical Reflow Controller, so it is important you update this value and save it).<
Navigate to Save and press OK.<
Test the idle speed by starting a reflow cycle, the fan should start up easily but not run so
fast as to cause the oven to be cooled dramatically during reflow.<
It is very important this value is set high enough for the fan to start every time the cycle
is started (at very low values, the fan will not be able to start spinning) but it is equally
important not to set this speed too high, otherwise the fan pushes too much cool air into
the oven and reduces the efficiency of reflow soldering or makes it impossible to reach
the peak temperature required.<
Refit the drawer to the runners, secure with the four original screws.<54.
Proceed to the operating instructions.<55.
Caution
ESTechnical accept no responsibility or liability for personal
injury or damage to property – it is the user's responsibility
to correctly carry out installation and confirm the correct
operation of the oven once installed.
Reflow Controller Installation Troubleshooting
Issue Cause Solution
Controller does not
power on when oven is
switched on
Incorrect connection of low
voltage AC supply to
controller
Check connection of low voltage AC power
supply to the ESTechnical Reflow Controller.
Mains power is not supplied to
the 9V transformer
Check the primary winding of the 9V
transformer is connected between the
switched live feed of the oven and the
neutral terminal
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