I caved in a bought another infra-red thermometer. I was not satisfied with the first trial of the mini hot plate. Somehow, I felt that the temperature or the setting or the reflow curve needs some fine tuning. Moreover, the medical version could not give me a satisfactory reading.
Years ago, I wanted one, and the model was supposed to be rugged enough for field use. Anyway, this version uses 2x AA batteries and has a laser pointer. Was it properly calibrated? I would think not but then again, this is not for serious use.
IN SUMMARY
The 200ºC setting on the hot plate and the readout on its screen was not accurate according to the infra-red thermometer. It is about 50ºC below the set value. When I upped the MAX TEMP of the hot plate to 250ºC (its actual maximum), the reading was much better and the test solder paste melted more satisfyingly. I forgot to take another temperature reading but it should be above 183ºC which is the melting point of the solder paste.
