Like any good nerd does I've been expanding my hobby horizons. I've gone from breadboard, to perf board, through-hole, to SMD, ever increasing circuit complexity and improving my knowledge. But I've become frustrated with the difficulty of SMD soldering. Regular soldering jogs small components and needs lots of flux. Hot air damages plastics. Hot plates are expensive and can be big wastes of space.

"But you're a nerd" I hear you cry, "why don't you DIY a solution?".

Electronoobs shows a great DIY solution using an old clothes iron hot plate. You can watch his video here. Have a go!

While I love this solution, I wanted to develop something smaller and more permanent. Hence the Solder Reflow Plate was born, a PCB-based, MOSFET controlled heater, perfect for easily reflowing SMD components giving surprisingly professional results. Furthermore, these results are achieved without breaking the bank or taking up an enormous amount of desk space.

And so, this nerd bestows upon the world his project, fully open-source and hackable. Here's hoping that it may be used to develop skills, build custom circuit boards, and make quality designs possible to all!