OPEN SOURCE: "CC-Boost" - 2.4 Amp boost driver - RC1

[crazyspaz]

This is what I use for small solder work but the oven sounds better, once parts are placed.

And here I am using a soldering iron. Must be one hot microscope :na: :na: :na:

 

[Alaskan]

I'm close to 60 years old, can't see for crap close up anymore

 

[IWIRE]

It's really a simple approach if you don't over complicate it.

What do you put the drive on ? Do you put it on a little sheet or something ? I don't have a toaster oven but will get one if it makes my life easier.

I have a microwave, would that be faster j/k

 

[rhd]

What do you put the drive on ? Do you put it on a little sheet or something ? I don't have a toaster oven but will get one if it makes my life easier.

I have a microwave, would that be faster j/k

My toaster oven came with a little removable tray.

 

[IWIRE]

My toaster oven came with a little removable tray.

Thanks. I just happen to have a gift card to Target in my pocket. I'll stop after work and see what I can find. I had actually been wanting a toaster oven, I probably need to make this one just for boards.
Something about fixing food in something used to melt solder doesn't seem right.
I use my oven to bake on enamel paint though.
Hasn't affected me. I'm completely normal.

 

[rhd]

Thanks. I just happen to have a gift card to Target in my pocket. I'll stop after work and see what I can find. I had actually been wanting a toaster oven, I probably need to make this one just for boards.
Something about fixing food in something used to melt solder doesn't seem right.
I use my oven to bake on enamel paint though.
Hasn't affected me. I'm completely normal.

Good call. You really don't want to be using an oven that has reflowed lead-based solder, for food

 

[IWIRE]

Good call. You really don't want to be using an oven that has reflowed lead-based solder, for food

I'll just get a little one for this. My solder paste Paul recommended showed up yesterday, I'm going to try applying it with a toothpick like you suggested in a previous post and using your oven tip.
I'm going to get this reflow thing down yet.
Thanks for the tips !

 

[rhd]

I'll just get a little one for this. My solder paste Paul recommended showed up yesterday, I'm going to try applying it with a toothpick like you suggested in a previous post and using your oven tip.
I'm going to get this reflow thing down yet.
Thanks for the tips !

Whatever amount of paste you think you need, halve that.

Best reflow soldering advice anyone ever gave me

 

[IWIRE]

Whatever amount of paste you think you need, halve that.

Best reflow soldering advice anyone ever gave me

Thanks for passing the advice on. I'm pretty sure that was part of my initial failure. You would have rightfully laughed at me. I even laughed. I had solder paste everywhere. I even watched videos on how to do it. It looked really easy.

Edit: I now have a stainless steel Black & Decker toaster oven. It was on sale ! My electronics bench is becoming rather bizarre, soldering/reflow station, PS, 2 LPM's, 2 battery chargers, Owon scope, Fluke meter, benchtop multi-meter and now a toaster oven. LOL ! My garage looks like a machine shop and one bedroom looks like a mad scientist with an appetite lives there. I haven't even been in this hobby a year yet !

 

[crazyspaz]

Whatever amount of paste you think you need, halve that.

Best reflow soldering advice anyone ever gave me

Yea, no kidding. I went ahead and globbed a big smear of paste on there thinking "Yea, that'll do it" and then was surprised when there was a bunch of paste left over, and the solder masks were nearly caked together with the stuff

 

[rhd]

Awesome! Thanks!

I've got a Fluke DMM that can handle 10A, should be fine

I forgot to mention - I was slow on the mailing, but I finally sent out the 10A buck & test load a couple days ago.

 

[crazyspaz]

Alright, tried again, and realized I hurrdurr'd somethin fierce. I thought my rework station was in Celsius (would make sense, right?) but evidently not....turned up the temp and it worked like a charm. However, when I went to test it with a test load, a few things happened:
1) it emitted a very high pitch tone, even though Vload>Vbattery. Tone lowered in frequency as I increased the current (and thus the load voltage)
2) I fiddled around with the number of diodes (don't have a current&voltage chart handy for them) and when I got it to around 5V (thinking 445) it not only would not increase past ~1700mA (using 2x.15ohm set resistors), but got very, VERY hot very quickly. I am pretty sure I actually burned my finger a bit.
edit: as it heated up, the current output started to drop steadily, and I imagine it would have continued to drop if I would have left it powered on.

Have any clue what this would be due to? There are no shorts anywhere, no broken parts, everything is where it should be.

 

[rhd]

1) it emitted a very high pitch tone, even though Vload>Vbattery. Tone lowered in frequency as I increased the current (and thus the load voltage)

Why would you have been limiting input current ?!? When testing a boost driver from a bench PSU, you want your current unlimited (PSU max) and your voltage set at roughly 3.7V.

2) I fiddled around with the number of diodes (don't have a current&voltage chart handy for them) and when I got it to around 5V (thinking 445) it not only would not increase past ~1700mA (using 2x.15ohm set resistors), but got very, VERY hot very quickly. I am pretty sure I actually burned my finger a bit.
edit: as it heated up, the current output started to drop steadily, and I imagine it would have continued to drop if I would have left it powered on.

Provide us with the model of the diodes, the diode count, and the resistance of the resistor on your test load (if one was used).

 

[crazyspaz]

Why would you have been limiting input current ?!? When testing a boost driver from a bench PSU, you want your current unlimited (PSU max) and your voltage set at roughly 3.7V.



Provide us with the model of the diodes, the diode count, and the resistance of the resistor on your test load (if one was used).

Nonono, I meant as I increased output current. Sorry 'bout the wording there.

The test load is one of Jufrans 3A test loads, so 1N5404 diodes and a 1 ohm resistor. I used 4 diodes, which gave a total Vdrop of ~5.2ish volts @ 1.8ishA. And 1.8A was/is the max current it will output with this Vdrop- it won't go any higher. Faulty pot, maybe, or something else? Also, and I just went and tested this again, the driver starts heating up as soon as I power it (using the above config on my test load). The inductor heats up which rapidly heats the rest of the driver.

 

[rhd]

Nonono, I meant as I increased output current. Sorry 'bout the wording there.

The test load is one of Jufrans 3A test loads, so 1N5404 diodes and a 1 ohm resistor. I used 4 diodes, which gave a total Vdrop of ~5.2ish volts @ 1.8ishA. And 1.8A was/is the max current it will output with this Vdrop- it won't go any higher. Faulty pot, maybe, or something else? Also, and I just went and tested this again, the driver starts heating up as soon as I power it (using the above config on my test load). The inductor heats up which rapidly heats the rest of the driver.

I don't know. Frankly, I hate pots, and never use them, for pretty much this reason. My perspective (and I've held it for a long time) is that people should set the currents they need, and not rely on a crappy 40 cent component to control the current to their diodes. I have never liked the behavior of pots on drivers, with the possible exception of the $5 multi-turn pot I put on the 10A buck driver I sent ARG. That one behaved fairly well, and gave me the range I was expecting.

That said, I'm pretty sure the cheap single turn pots have ginormous +/- tolerances... maybe even as high as 10%?

EDIT: I was wrong about tolerance... lol... I wasn't ginermous enough. Turns out those single turn pots have +/- tolerances of 25% !
http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/3303X-3-501E/3303X-501ECT-ND/612891

So I'm basically no help to you on this point, sorry Someone who uses the pot-version may be able to help. But I would suggest just ditching them and setting fixed current properly.

 

[ARG]

Agreed with RHD. Set it and forget it. Unless there is no other way I try and avoid pots.

Try replacing the pot with a resistor and see if it works? The pads should be close enough for an 0603 replacement.