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wtf is openheat?

peng-zhihui/openheat — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2024-01-29

★ 994CAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5DormantSetup · hard

TL;DR

OpenHeat is an open-source reflow soldering platform that heats PCBs up to 300°C using an ESP32-controlled aluminum heating board, shared as hardware plans and firmware.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((openheat))
    What it does
      Reflow solders PCBs
      Heats up to 300C
      Bluetooth control planned
    Tech stack
      ESP32
      Gerber files
      PlatformIO
      Arduino IDE
    Use cases
      Assemble circuit boards
      Small repair shops
      Hobbyist electronics
    Audience
      Electronics hobbyists
      Small labs
    Tradeoffs
      Housing not finalized
      Firmware still in progress

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Build a professional-looking reflow soldering platform without buying expensive commercial equipment.

REASON 2

Order the included Gerber files from a PCB factory to manufacture the heating board yourself.

REASON 3

Assemble and flash the ESP32 firmware using PlatformIO or Arduino IDE for small-batch circuit assembly.

REASON 4

Adapt the open thermal control logic for your own custom heating or soldering project.

What's in the stack?

ESP32CPlatformIOArduino

How it stacks up

peng-zhihui/openheattorvalds/test-tlbjwasham/practice-c
Stars9941,007920
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2024-01-292024-08-19—
MaintenanceDormantStale—
Setup difficultyhardmoderateeasy
Complexity4/53/51/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

3D-printable housing and full temperature-sensor firmware aren't finalized yet.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through ordering the Gerber files in this repo from a PCB factory to build my own OpenHeat board.
Prompt 2
Help me flash OpenHeat's firmware onto the ESP32 using PlatformIO.
Prompt 3
Explain how OpenHeat's thermal control logic reaches and holds 300 degrees Celsius safely.
Prompt 4
Show me what's still incomplete in OpenHeat, like the housing or temperature sensor firmware, before I build one.
Prompt 5
Compare OpenHeat's design to the open-source soldering iron and heating bed projects it was adapted from.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is openheat?

OpenHeat is an open-source reflow soldering platform that heats PCBs up to 300°C using an ESP32-controlled aluminum heating board, shared as hardware plans and firmware.

What language is openheat written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes ESP32, C, PlatformIO.

Is openheat actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2024-01-29).

How hard is openheat to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1day+ to a first successful run.

Who is openheat for?

Mainly developer.

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