Hayden Geiger

// Shipped · 2026

Reflow oven controller

Converted a toaster oven into a controlled reflow oven driven by an ESP32, with a thermocouple, local LCD and encoder, and a web interface for profile control. Brought board assembly in-house instead of waiting a week on an assembly house.

ESP32thermocoupleLCD + encoderweb UI
A Black & Decker Toast-R-Oven Plus with NO FOOD written on the glass door, wired to a black 3D-printed controller box whose LCD reads 126.2 degrees, stage HEAT, on the Leaded profile.
Shipped 2026

Overview

A Black & Decker Toast-R-Oven Plus converted into a reflow oven. An ESP32 reads a thermocouple and switches the heating elements to follow a solder reflow profile. Built so the team could assemble its own boards instead of hand-soldering or sending them out.

Hardware

  • ESP32
  • Colour LCD, rotary encoder and rocker switch for local control
  • Thermocouple through the rear wall, bead held just above the rack with Kapton tape so it reads air temperature at board height
  • Screw terminals for the heater and thermocouple lines
  • 3D-printed enclosure

Control

The LCD shows the active profile, measured temperature, setpoint and current stage.

The ESP32 also hosts a web interface on the local network. It is used to create and edit profiles and to monitor a run: profile graph, current stage and setpoint, and run, stop, clear error and heater test controls.

The oven on a desk beside a tablet showing the reflow controller web interface mid-run, and a laptop displaying the firmware source.
Close-up of the printed controller enclosure showing the knurled rotary encoder, rocker switch, blue screw terminals and the strain-relieved mains cable.
Inside the oven, a thermocouple held in place with Kapton tape through the rear wall, sitting just above the wire rack under the quartz element.

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